The Indian truck application space is quite an exciting one. While it is a known fact that the sector is a highly unorganized one, it also presents a huge opportunity for organized players to make the most of the available potential. Within the organized segment, we have well-established brands on one side and new players coming up with solutions that redefine the stature of the sector.
TRATICO Engineering is one such ‘transformer’ in the truck application space. Founded in 2012 as Shraddha Engineering, TRATICO which basically stands for TRAiler, TIpper, COntainer, was formed as a Private Limited Company in 2018, for better market reach and brand recognition. Mr. Karthick Ramadass with strong application engineering experience at highly-reputed firms, founded TRATICO with the aim of providing custom engineered solutions which in turn provides more payload, tyre life, fuel efficiency, cost-effective solutions in the growing heavy commercial vehicle industry. Having found good acceptance for its engineering approach, the company is now ready with a wide range of robust products that are approved and certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and is rearing to expand big time in the coming year.
Sharing his vision for TRATICO, Mr. Karthick, CEO, TRATICO Engineering India Pvt. Ltd., says: “Our objective is to contribute to the society by focusing on new concepts and global technology to reduce road accidents, reduce fuel consumption and enhance cargo pay load which will help TRATICO to be a preferred and respected brand as a leader in manufacturing with the most reputed and professionally-managed systems.”
Product portfolio
TRATICO makes trailers, tippers, containers, load bodies and LPG running gears – all in multiple variants. “We continuously worked to obtain the approval for 344 variants including 55-ton, 45.5-ton and 39.5-ton trailers (which comes under the Increased Load (IL) segment), apart from which we manufacture tippers, dry containers, reefer containers, different types of load bodies and LPG running gears.
We make specially designed tippers, containers and trailers for major OEMs including Ashok Leyland and BharatBenz for their prototype, homologation and internal requirements. We are looking to cater to OEM requirements and are improving our infrastructure to get into commercial supplies directly to them. TRATICO also delivers the products to dealers of Eicher, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and BharatBenz which helps them to offer fully-built solutions to their customers. In the upcoming period, we will get into tip-trailers and bulkers for which approvals are already in place”, explains the CEO.
Manufacturing footprint
TRATICO has three manufacturing facilities – one each at Chennai, Namakkal and Tuticorin – spread across the region to cater to customers’ demands quickly and help provide aftersales service from close proximity. Looking ahead, TRATICO is keen on expanding its facilities to cater to pan-India customers in future to meet the growing demands of the industry.
Market progress
In recent times, the domestic truck market has shown tremendous progress. The usual industry practice has been to follow conventional standards using existing references. Customers were generally apprehensive in trying out new concepts, even proven ones, and were just happy not to take any risks. This is changing big time.
“As the market is becoming increasingly competitive and with new regulations being enforced by the Government, we are seeing strong demand for technology-driven products. Also, fleet customers have become very discerning, especially with the younger generation coming into the business. They want to know technical details about the products, the need to pay a premium for our products and what benefit it gives them on long-term basis. They are keen on knowing and understanding more patiently and once they are satisfied, they go ahead with a clear decision. This is a very positive change and shows that our market is heading in the right direction”, states Mr. Karthick.
The 55-ton feat
TRATICO has become the country’s first trailer builder to get an ARAI certification for a 55-ton trailer, configured as per the new axle load norms.
Talking about the accomplishment, Mr. Raiwin Sam Raj, Senior Engineer – Product Development, TRATICO, says: “We started off by working on 49-ton, 40-ton and 35-ton trailers initially prior to the suggestion of a 55-ton application came from ARAI keeping in mind the revised axle load guidelines issued by the Government. We streamlined our variants as per the market requirements to cover the entire spectrum of applications including tip-trailers, bulkers, etc., and came up with 50 models spread across 10 variants in the 55-ton category. We cleared the ARAI tests in our first attempt. We are thankful to the WABCO team and also our own design team for their clear understanding of the product requirement, sufficient preparation with attention to detail and smooth execution.”
He continues: “Our entire variant list comprises 344 models which includes all revised axle load combinations along with old combinations. This is the first time ever ARAI has given approval for so many variants under AIS 113. Another big impact of the increased load segment is, now a transporter can use a tandem axle trailer on a 49-ton GCVW (6×2) tractor which was earlier used for tridem axle trailers; we have approval for the same which offers significant cost reduction for transporter in terms of axle and tyre replacements.”
TRATICO was all praise for ARAI for its professional approach in and through the certification process. Mr. Karthick says: “The ARAI team offered us immense guidance throughout the whole process; the way they supported us with the variants list was really fantastic. It took us close to 30 days to develop the 55-ton variants, ARAI cleared all vehicle evaluation lab tests (VEL) in seven working days and took only 40 days to complete all the tests and certify almost all our 344 variants which was quite a remarkable timeline. It shows their commitment towards customers and the way they value our time, effort and money.”
Sharing his views on how such certifications would contribute towards making the sector more organized, he adds: “It is good to compete in an organized industry; our country is definitely getting more organized. We are happy to get the ARAI certification which helps the industry and also the nation as a whole. By October this year, regulations are set to come in for load bodies and cabins to be ARAI-certified; once implemented, the move can completely transform the market.”
“In order to meet unique customer requirements, we are clearly drafting down the expectations of customers and providing them custom-built solutions. We are focused on understanding the market trends and offering products as per regulations, delivering exemplary quality at competitive prices with higher performance.
– Mr. S. V. Nagarajan, Head – Marketing, TRATICO
“We are committed to designing the right solution for the right application. We keep coming up with continuous improvements through better design and manufacturing. The design process behind each product takes into consideration how the vehicles ply across eclectic geographies with varying temperature levels and environmental conditions.
– Mr. T. Karthik, Head – Design, TRATICO
“At TRATICO, we focus on manufacturing at the lowest possible cost while still maintaining uncompromising quality and high levels of workmanship that will set new standards in our industry. From coil carrier trailer to GRP composite containers, we offer optimal solutions for all transport requirements.
– Mr. T. Stalin Jose, Head – Manufacturing, TRATICO