MB Pneumatyka of Poland and Gujarat-headquartered Ajita Metals that formed MB Pneumatics India in November last year showcased connectors for pneumatic systems in commercial vehicles at Auto Expo Components 2023. Speaking to Rajesh Rajgor, Malgorzata Bieniaszewska, Founder, MB Pneumatics India, shared how the company is bringing its phenomenal know-how in the segment to India
MB Pneumatyka (MBP) specialises in fittings that connect to braking and air suspension system for commercial vehicles. For 20 years, the component maker from Poland has offered exclusive, patent-protected solutions. Forming a joint venture (JV) with Ajita Metals, the company, MB Pneumatics India (MBPI), marks the beginning of bringing European quality to India. Speaking about this development, founder Malgorzata Bieniaszewska said: “As we open the manufacturing in Jamnagar, Gujarat, we can produce here, deliver here and actually keep the stock here for all the customers. Our know-how of European quality fittings and connectors will be combined with the Indian feeling and needs locally. We want to offer all our products to the trailer manufacturers and we are in touch with the OEMs and bodybuilders of trucks, buses and trailers in India.”
Value Creation
Even the most complicated systems can be combined into a coherent, useful whole thanks to the solutions MBP develops. “Due to our products, brake and air suspension systems operate smoothly and our pneumatic connectors guarantee their safety. We also take care of the weight and our fittings are much smaller than the competitors due to the fact that they are made of brass. The weight is very important and as we know everyone wants to have a lightweight component for lighter vehicles. Optimisation of weight also helps in optimisation of the whole system – the air suspension, braking system and here is where our research and development concentrates,” explains Malgorzata.
The company won a prize in the prestigious Trailer Innovation 2023 competition at last year’s IAA in Hannover, which was won by a novel family of connectors with visible and auditory leak detection. International patent protection has been granted for the manufacturer’s creative solution. “We submitted connectors with auto-leak detection and couplings to this year’s trailer innovation competition. The jury preferred the first of them. The prize is particularly significant to us because it relates to the only product on the automobile market with a dual leak detection system i.e. visual and audio,” said Malgorzata.
“As a result, the production of our components in India is becoming increasingly more important for business as the product catalogue grows,” she added. Having a global presence, MBP is particularly strong in Europe, China and Brazil. The company recently also opened its headquarters in Germany in order to further bolster its know-how and presence in Europe. Additionally, discussions are being had with Egyptian automotive industry representatives. “Given the increasing demand for our products and technology, it is but natural that we extend our footprint across as many locations as possible,” Malgorzata said.
2023 and Beyond
At its core, MBP is supported by a family business structure. The ability to see the big picture and not just the immediate results may stem from the ingrained family values. The company did manage to stay relevant during pandemic and in 2020–21 posted reasonable profit. “The most crucial reason why 2022 was the best show we have ever had financially was because of the profit we made, which allowed us to invest in other areas as well as our machinery and other things. We know many companies are concerned about the profits in the first quarter and so on and being a family business we have a long-term perspective in addition to the profit for the upcoming first, second and third quarters. So, we are not really in a state of panic. We are not be afraid of what’s going to happen as long as our plans to execute our know-how are well in place,” Malgorzata.
MBP India is determined that the world we live in allows us to invest in machinery today and get the benefits tomorrow. “Scaling is not a problem for us because doing what is necessary allows us to keep costs under control. This is how we work. When asked how much we can create, we respond with ‘as much as the buyer wishes’, citing the fact that more machines can be added as per the need. The most important thing is that you need to have the knowledge and good research and development, which is what we have. We are now hiring a lot of engineers to work here for the clients so they can provide assistance in India as part of our plans to have research and development here as well,” concluded Magorzata.