Boasting a healthy market share of about 60 per cent in this transport town, JK Tyre has won tons of transporters here with its ‘three-pronged approach’ that includes maximum fuel mileage promise, lower cost per km (CPK), and customer relationship and driver welfare programmes for the betterment of the trucking community.
Located in the south western region of Rajasthan, Nimbahera is a tiny little town with idiosyncratic attributes. It derives its name from the local river Nimba, but its real fame comes a distinctive bluish stone that is abundantly available here – called as ‘Nimbahera Stone’ – that has put this town in the industrial and transport map of the country. A type of limestone, the Nimbahera stone is a major ingredient for cement manufacturing, making this town a perfect spot for the weight-losing cement industry.
But much before the advent of cement industries, Nimbahera was a strong agrarian town in the fertile Mewar region. Even today, its Krishi Upaj Mandi (agricultural products market) is one of the biggest mandi in the region involved in direct sale and purchase of agricultural commodities like wheat, corn, and soybeans among others. Thus, Nimbahera has also grown into a robust trucking hub naturally, more so with the proliferation of cement industries with a cumulative monthly capacity of 30 million tonnes, positioning the town as Asia’s second largest cement producing region after Chhattisgarh.
Today, Nimbahera’s trucking community is vast and diverse, comprising over 4,000 bulkers and trailers and 150 plus transporters, including some ten-odd giant companies with a large fleet size of more than 150 vehicles and pan-India presence. A half of transporters in this town are of medium-scale stature, with a fleet size of about 50 trucks and relatively organised, while the rest are small and unorganised trucking entrepreneurs with less than ten trucks. Some 50,000 people are directly or indirectly dependent on the trucking for livelihood in this town.
First-mover advantage
The conviction that tyres play a significant role in the trucking business – as a bulk consumable and a key variable in their cost and profitability – was quite apparent during our interaction with local transport entrepreneurs at a JK Tyre-organised driver welfare programme at Nimbahera last month. But it is only in the last two decades or so that its importance is increasingly understood by transport fleets of the town. Says Mr. Vikas Sharda of Prem Sharda Goods Company, one of the largest transport company in the town, “JK Tyre has an immense role in building technical awareness in Nimbahera on the salient aspects and practical details of tyres, to make the best use of them for our good”. The brand rides on first mover advantage, he noted.
Asked about the Nimbahera trucking market, Mr. V. K. Singh, Zonal Manager (F.M.) – North, JK Tyre, said: “This town is perhaps the cement hub of India, with leading manufacturers like JK Cements, UltraTech, Lafarge, Wonder, and Birla Cements located. Thus, a majority of the fleet here includes 40-ton bulkers and trailers”. It is one of the most important market centres for JK Tyre in the Northern region, he added.
“Ever since 1990s and dawn of the millennium, JK Tyre is assisting us, offering a much-needed boost. It was the first brand to reach the truckers on tyre management with the promise of high fuel mileage and lower CPK, at the time when tyre was never considered as a determining variable”, observes Mr. Sharda, whose association with JK Tyre dates back to 2001 when he bought first batch of 11.00 R20 tyres for his Volvo fleet. The brand is to blame for the radialisation of fleets in the town, whose percentage stands at over 80 per cent of total fleets, he added. Prem Sharda dominates loose cement and bulk LPG transportation in northern and eastern regions, with a fleet of over 550 vehicles.
A complete package
Further, JK Tyre’s wide range of products and exquisite customer engagement has lured the transporters towards a long-lasting relationship with the brand. Mr. Lalit Parak of Friends Roadlines feels extremely satisfactory with JK Tyre, a loyal consumer for past 15 years. “The brand offers value to every set of transporters, thanks to their wide range of products that can meet everyone’s price points. Plus, its service and aftermarket reach is impressive”, he said. Nimbahera trucking market is predominantly cost-conscious as any other trucker towns in the country, so right pricing still hold sway, he added.
Mr. Ravi Dashora of New Dashora Roadlines, while sharing his experience with the tyre brand, claimed that the JK Tyres offer high mileage and lower CPK, favouring total cost of ownership to transporters. “They offer perfect tyres for all type of loads. In Nimbahera, 49-tonners are in large numbers, and a majority of them don tyres from JK” he averred. According to Mr. V. K. Singh, the top selling JK Tyre models here are Jetway JUH5 10.00R20 and Jetsteel JDE++ 10.00R20, while the penetration of radial tyres stands at over 80 per cent, with JK Truck & Bus Radials (TBRs) being the market leader in the region.
S.G. Carriers is involved in commercial haulage of fly ash and loose cement for almost two decades. Its Proprietor, Mr. Piyush Sharda, opines that JK Tyre’s prime USP is its customer engagement initiatives. “Transporters always look for value-added products, and JK Tyre’s customer reception and engagement is the best in the domestic tyre industry. The brand has successfully pioneered a slew of customer-centric programmes including JK Baadshah – the first-ever CRM program. They organise customer meets and plant visits periodically, while their service teams camp at our doorsteps on tyre management and preventive maintenance”. It’s a pioneering approach and a complete package, he added.
He also said that the concept of JK Tyre ‘Truck Wheels’ is a hit in the domestic trucking industry, adding more charm to the tyre brand. The company has opened two centres for customer service support and enhance lifetime of tyres at Nimbahera. Mr. Vikas Sharda corroborated, “the approach to tyre management and wheel alignment with qualified expertise and technical knowhow is phenomenal, helping truckers on highways across the country”, he claimed, who himself owns a ‘Truck Wheels’ centre in the town.
“JK Tyre is customer-centric in every way possible. We organise customer interaction program for new improved product and maintenance of tyre, while also inviting top five fleets for NFC to share their best practices. We care about drivers by training them on tyre care and preventive maintenance and create health awareness through CSR activities” Mr. V K Singh corresponds. With a comprehensive approach towards tyre business and welfare of the trucking community, JK Tyre is all set to enhance its market share and brand image in Nimbahera.