MOTORINDIA’s exclusive interview with Mr. Vernon Rego, M.D., Optibelt Power Transmission India Pvt. Ltd.
Optibelt Power Transmission, Germany, known for its precision technology and quality, is all set to enhance its presence in the fast growing Indian automotive segment. The 140-year-old family-owned organisation manufactures a wide range of automotive timing belts and ribbed belts at its facilities in Germany and China.
Since the market in India for timing belts is expanding on expected lines, the company has a special focus on this sector. It is also working out development plans, including the setting up of a manufacturing plant in one of the major cities in India.
Sharing his views on the Indian scenario in an informal chat with MOTORINDIA, Mr. Vernon Rego, Managing Director, Optibelt Power Transmission India Pvt. Ltd., said though the company used to import and sell its products in India, in the last two years it has adopted a stock and sell policy which has paid off quite well. This has helped the company in the timely delivery of its fast-moving products as well as to expand its market share.
In fact, the company has started focusing on the heavy commercial vehicle segment in India with an exclusive marketing tie-up with Filtrum which has a 120-dealer network across India and Nepal. Besides marketing its products in the aftermarket, catering to the needs of Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors vehicles, the company has also entered the passenger car market by appointing dealers in western and northern India and has plans to expand the network to cover the southern and eastern markets by next year. The overall objective is to achieve sustained growth in India by paying equal attention to the automotive sector as well as industrial.
Quality at its best
Referring to the growing competition in the field, Mr. Rego said though the belts available in the market look the same, their performance differs from company to company. On its part, Optibelt has already proved its product efficiency and performance and has emerged one of the preferred choices among customers, thanks to the better look and durability of the products offered.
For instance, the belts supplied by the company have successfully run for over 500 hours in several cases. In respect of tolerance too, Optibelt meets very high standards compared to other players in the field. At the same time, its products are priced very competitively in the market.
Touching on future plans, Mr. Rego pointed out that India and China are major markets for the company. In India particularly, it has brighter prospects as is evident in the company’s rapid growth in the last few years. At a global level, Optibelt has set a target of doubling its turnover in the next five-year period.