Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, and Mr. Ravi Gogia, Head of Commercial Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz India, recently handed over keys to BGR’s 100th Actros.
“Actros offers impressive return on investment as compared with any other product”, maintains Mr. Sudhakar Reddy who was given the key of the 100th Actros truck at the mining site by Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, and Mr. Ravi Gogia, Head of Commercial Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz India.
BGR & Co. was the first customer in India of the Mercedes-Benz Actros. It is also the first to own a fleet of 100 Mercedes-Benz trucks in India. “BGR & Co’s fleet of Actros trucks covered a cumulative of one billion ton-km at their mining sites of Ramagundam and Kothagundam of Andhra Pradesh during this period. It is a perfect testimony of the output that our rugged Actros trucks are capable of”, indicated Dr. Wilfried Aulbur.
The searing heat, the dusty and tough terrains and steep gradients of the mines are the probing grounds for the Mercedes-Benz Actros. These tough conditions test the man and machine to the limits. It is here that the Actros comes on its own.
Mr. Sudhakar Reddy elaborates: “The Actros is the most technologically advanced heavy-end truck in India. Its advanced technology makes the Actros a reliable and robust carrier. In the end this translates into enhanced productivity. The auto transmission, thoughtful fitments and comfort ensure low driver fatigue; the on-board maintenance system ensures optimized efficiencies while efficient on-site support from Mercedes-Benz ensures that there is minimum downtime, if any. These make the Actros an obvious choice for my mines.”
The 12-litre engine of the Actros delivers about 400 hp, which makes it one of the most powerful vehicles in the tipper segment in India.
Mr. Gogia further said: “Actros is the fastest growing product in its segment and has helped optimize return on investment for its customers because of its low operating costs, minimal maintenance requirements and driver-friendly technology. For example, the pollen-grain filter prevents dust from entering the cabin, thus improving the working ambience of the drivers. The sum of many small and big measures ultimately make the Actros a product that delivers optimum returns.”
With the local production of the Actros, Mercedes-Benz has ensured that they can meet the increasing demands from their customers in India. The footprint of the Actros has grown over the last two years, and the trucks now operate across seven mines in five States of India. The service and after-sales footprint has also kept pace with this growth: presently having four after-sales hubs in India, Mercedes-Benz plans to extend to 11 service- hubs, in addition to providing on-site service for customers.
