Relentless focus on strengthening engineering has made the Rajkot-based Orbit Bearings one of the largest producers and exporters of taper, cylindrical roller and unitized / hub bearings in India. The company continues improving product quality and is working on several new prototypes with customers in the truck and trailer industry. Working with European OEMs, Orbit is increasing exports every passing year.
“Around 60 per cent of our turnover comes from European customers, and we are also supplying to German companies with plants in China. Companies that were initially buying from Chinese bearing manufactures are now moving to Orbit, considering that our performance is better than the Chinese bearings. Making inroads into China is a big thing,” says Mr. Vinesh Patel, Chairman and Managing Director, Orbit Bearings.
Orbit is making rapid progress in terms of technology by providing low friction bearings, low torque bearings and light weight bearings by working on geometry and finishing related to surface and material science. “Our thrust on the latest Japanese and German machines, as suggested by our R&D team, makes for quality engineering and technology. It enables us to give any solution the global players need. We have been able to attain the trust and business of the German OEMs by giving them specialized solutions which compete with their local suppliers. They are also happy to see us participate in various global shows like Automechanika Frankfurt and IAA Hannover and their trust in us being able to deliver on time gets cemented,” adds Mr. Patel.
One case in point for the efficient engineering solution is the bearings that run for more than one million km. Mr. Patel states: “One million km of bearing life is the basic requirement for European countries and we are already moving towards 15 lakh km. In fact, we will soon be crossing the bearing for life quality, that is, the bearing to last upto the life of the vehicle. Our constant goal is to produce a better bearing than what we produced last year.”
Europe has always been ahead when it comes to technology, and produces highly engineered vehicles. However, India is no longer behind with the market set to leapfrog to the BS-VI emission norms by April 2020 and electric vehicles fast gaining traction.
Asked about meeting the demand of Indian OEMs, he says: “Now Indian OEMs too are adopting the latest technology and want bearings for life. Our expertise over the last 12 years with the Europeans players makes it easier for us to support the India requirement, in order to help them move to the new technology. Very soon we will see bearings which do not need any maintenance and servicing and will be extremely beneficial for truck owners and fleet operators. Greased for life, they save a lot of downtime.”
In the area of unitized hub bearings Orbit has different variants, from small to big, covering SCVs to MHCVs. “Our product team works on different solutions for each requirement. Such solutions range from concept development, design and analysis prototyping, validation to advanced manufacturing. With the progress in the Indian trucking segment, it is certain that our share of business may become 50-50 per cent from India and overseas in the next couple of years,” concludes Mr. Patel.