“Working in challenging site conditions at peak performance levels to log higher productivity and profitability”
The oft-repeated quote “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going” of Joseph P. Kennedy should indeed aptly fit the Tippers and Tip Trailers, the workhorses of the CV segment deployed for bulk material transport in infrastructure, construction, mining, road laying, irrigation, projects, waste management, etc., operating round the clock in gruelling site conditions. These ubiquitous vehicles that can be seen as one crosses the periphery of the cities/towns, dotting the highways and construction sites, transport earth and aggregates, coal, ores, minerals, limestone, rocks, etc., to drive the all-round growth in diverse industrial and services sectors; and thus forming irrefutably important constituents in the cogwheel of the nation’s economy.
Bulk material handling be it excavation, transport and delivery/discharge has been considered to be the toughest operational segment in the overall materials handling field. The same despite being considered difficult, messy, polluting and getting classified as ‘dirty cargo handling’ in ports and other locations, occupies an important slot in the business domain as it contributes significantly to the top and bottom lines of the tipper and tip trailer fleet operators. Yes, the prosperity of the fleet operators transporting the loose bulk material and vibrancy in the sector translates into impressive sales nos. for the OEMs. Hence it is not surprising to note that CV manufacturers have been going overboard in paying attention to this segment, actively collaborating with the end users, fleet operators and introducing on a regular basis various new models with improved features; and supporting the sale thro’ excellent and innovative service to lower the TCO for a competitive and profitable business to the contractors.
Evolution and trends
It was not long ago we had witnessed the trucks with side boards carrying sand and blue metal for construction activities plying in the cities and towns; and labourers armed with hand shovels emptying the payload at the construction sites. Well, today the manual unloading route has become history and the same replaced with tippers. Similar has been the case of cement transport, erstwhile transported in bags for concrete work getting replaced by bulkers and tip trailers (default for tipping semi-trailers in the context of local market) – same getting increasingly deployed to enhance the handling capacities and contribute to the overall efficacies To get the updates on the developments and future trends, we met a cross-section of the domain players and specialists – read on for their insights in the following sections.
Mr. Girish Garud, Managing Director, Interpump Hydraulics, says: “In the initial stages when tippers got introduced in India, they were mainly used in the construction sector, later added by the mining applications. Now tippers have undergone radical changes in design and size making it most suitable to almost all applications, including garbage handling, various port applications, and general bulk material handling in various industries. In future this industry will shift to using lighter and stronger materials in manufacturing, in addition to improved performances of the critical components in terms of reliability of the overall system”.
Mining segment in which tippers were used to carry overburden in the past has in the recent times witnessed powerful and rugged tippers being deployed for intermediate and deep mining operations – carrying overburden, iron ore/coal from great depths challenging the off-road dumpers in their lower range. Mr. Rama Rao A.S., Sr VP, Sales, Marketing and Aftermarket, Volvo Trucks India, VECV indicates: “In mining application, horse power and torque are key vehicle parameters. As you dig deep, you need more HP & Torque to pull up, to get higher productivity while keeping the fleet sizes in control. With increase in demand for coal, our mines too have started expanding. Now days you would typically see mines that go up to 120 mtrs. depth, while the dump heights can go up to 60 mtrs. Similarly leads have also gone up to 5-6 Kms from earlier average of 2-3 Kms. Based on the strata/soil conditions we offer various body variants such as cladded, rock, standard & exhaust heated body options”.
Construction and Mining Tippers
The application segment assumes importance as it caters directly to the infra projects, mining, core sector and miscellaneous construction activities – essentially supporting the main production machines like excavator, front-end loader, dozer, Backhoe, etc.; with the applications being so diverse, the sales nos. in the class is also the highest garnering over 80% of all the tippers sold in the marketplace. The popular body sizes range from 6 cu.m to 36 cu.m or more depending upon vehicle load ratings and payload material densities. Tippers in the ICV/LCV range are essentially used inside the cities/town to carry construction aggregates, debris & recyclable materials and their demand is sluggish due to the increasing use of dedicated vehicles like transit mixers. There are then the special class tippers like Side tipper, 3 way tipper and Roll-off tipper (referred also as Hooklift or Hook loader) used in select segments of construction, but the sales nos. are on the lower side. But this niche class is expected to register better growth rates in the future with increased awareness of their flexible/versatile designs for both general and special applications.
In the applications like ports, power plants, hydel and road projects the operational demands are high on tippers and fleet operators always under pressure to keep the costs under control. Mr. Vinod Sahay, Head Sales & Marketing, Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicle Trucks, Tata Motors, briefs: “In our constant endeavour to minimise Total Cost of Operations (TCO), along with providing customers with unmatched service quality, we at Tata Motors believe that a superior product alone is not enough for successful completion of projects, hence we support our customers through innovative customised offerings. We provide various offerings including 24×7 onsite Support Service through Mobile Service Vans, along with Extensive Driver & mechanic training. We also ensure quick services from our widest service network of our dealers and Tata Authorised Service Stations (TASS) across India”.
Mining segment is probably the toughest in the tipper domain and by logical deduction should also turnout to be the most difficult application in the CV sphere. Consider the operating conditions in diverse mining sites like ambient temperatures ranging from low single digit to as high as 50 deg celsius, uneven slushy terrains with steep climbs, stiff time deadlines, 20 plus working hours in a day, poor visibility conditions et al. It can not get any worse for the man-machine combo and the testing application stretches the endurance limit of the vehicles to the extremities; and driver skill and productivity become crucial in the applications. Mr. Rama Rao points out “Driver productivity is the key element in transport operations. Therefore, even before we rolled out our first truck in India, we had set up the first of its kind driver training centre in Bangalore. Our DTC offers both onsite training for Volvo tipper customers and training in Bangalore for Volvo tractors and buses. Over the past 16 years we have even customized our training programme to meet customer’s specific needs. Our focus is to help our customers to continually develop the driver in the areas of sense of responsibility, motivation, fuel efficient driving, traffic safety, social aspects and preventive maintenance”.
Mr. Sivakumar. V, Director – Sales, Scania CV India, says: “Scania is present only in the premium segment off road mining tipper business and has a unique 2 pedal Opticruise system that gives many advantages to the truck driver; salient features of the same include, Adaptive starting gear selection, Inclination sensor for detecting gradients, Manoeuvring mode for precision handling at low vehicle speeds, Hill hold, Rocking feature for taking-off in tricky situations, Faster and smoother gear changes & Electric clutch control”. Such features should ensure that even a driver with lesser driving skills can turn in an expert driver’s performance thus ensuring fuel efficiency and operational productivity.
Growth drivers and challenges
What are the growth drivers for the tipper segment and the demands likely in the next 5 to 10 years? Some of the factors being put forward by domain observers include FDI inflows for various infrastructure related programs/business ventures, implementation of big-ticket projects like the ultra mega power plants, steel plants, airports, ports, et al. Mr. Sudhir Prabhu, M.D., Hypratek Fluid Power, opines: “The major movement in demand for tippers shall be infrastructure driven and would depend mostly on Government spending and policies. With Government planning to build 8500 Km of National highways and budgeting Rs. 37,800 crores in current year for Road Transport Highways, we expect a high demand for tippers across various models; River joining project shall be the mother of all projects; Irrigation projects shall be the highest demand raiser of tippers & tipper trailers. We believe the tipper segment will grow annually @ 15% over the next 10 years which should be good news for the entire industry”.
Despite the glorious past, enormous latent potential, high growth rates forecast and the understandable business hype, the segment has gone thro’ one of the worst patches in the recent past – economy gloom bringing to a halt the major/big projects and as well as the real estate/construction related activities; compounded further by closure of several iron ore and coal mines due to judicial regulations and other extraneous factors. Mr. Vinod Sahay summarises: “The biggest concern for the CV industry today, is the challenging macro-economic environment in the country. It is difficult to predict exact macroeconomics, as this is not really an automotive issue. The current economic downturn includes concerns around potential food inflation, the fluctuating value of the Rupee, including other key elements. After nearly two years of decline, we have seen some plateauing of sales in the M&HCV segment, on what is a very low base. Other CV segments are yet to show signs of recovery. The decision to extend the reduced excise by six months is a good thing, with key policy interventions being announced to revive the economy. Only with improvement in macro-economic trends – especially growth in infrastructural development and overall investment sentiment – will we see a real turnaround in the CV industry”.
Well, to recall Robert H. Schuller’s popular book title “Tough times never last but tough people do” the tough tipper workhorses temporarily slipped out of limelight but have weathered thro’ the downturn storm to be back in the reckoning. With the changed political scenario and the general uplift in the business mood and sentiments, the tipper segment has just started looking up and the popular opinion of the domain critics is that it will return back to those vibrant days sooner than later. The CV manufacturers sensing the harbinger of an upswing and with the expectation ‘best is yet to come’ are ready with their product offerings for the demanding market needs. It’s definitely light at the end of a long tunnel, the same a good omen for the customers, fleet operators, OEMs and diverse suppliers who anticipate the business stretch ahead to be profitable for all concerned; and thro’ their active participation in the economic activities, all too willing to take the country to international standards in every facet of the bulk material transport operations.
Tata Motors Tata Motors pioneered the CV revolution in India and holds the major market share since the entry way back in mid-1950s. Mr. Vinod Sahay, Head – Sales & Marketing, Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles, shares his observations of the domain. Range, USPs and recent models for market Tata Motors has been in the Indian CV space for over 60 years. Over this period, we have developed a very deep understanding of the Indian market, with the widest portfolio of CVs to cater to the requirements of every kind of customer, a pan-India sales and service network, which is growing in terms of touch points, with enhanced experience levels. Tipper range MCV tippers – Used in quarries, aggregate and sand movement MAV tippers – Used in quarries, aggregate, light mining, earth work, coal movement and road construction Prima range of MAV Tippers – Used in quarries, mining, OB removal, earth work, road construction We are also in the process of developing multiple new platforms, in line with market requirements and are continuously working towards the improvement of performance and reliability of our existing offerings. Relating specifically to Tippers & Tip Trailers, we provide the benefit of lower turnaround time, better load carrying capacity and better gradeability. Besides products, we have also developed a host of innovative service offerings to delight our customers even further. Given our scale, we are in the best position to efficiently integrate our products and services to deliver maximum value to our customers, at the lowest cost. Models introduced recently and the targeted applications for these new variants. Prima LX 2523 (aggregate movement, light mining) Prima LX 3123 (aggregate movement, earth work) Prima LX 2528 (Mining and OB removal) Market size, segmentation and sales & service India market size & TML share: TIV = 36,000 (FY13-14); Tata Motors Market Share = 55% (FY13-14) Tipper share in TML sales: M&HCV volume = 76,000 FY13-14; TML tipper volumes = 19500 FY13-14 Some of the salient features of our services are – • A team of Tata Motors trained supervisors and technicians posted at project sites. • All necessary fast moving and critical spare parts / consumables stocked at the site. • Technicians to conduct preventive checks, routine maintenance and initiate necessary corrective measures on a daily basis. • Keep maintenance, service and repair records of all vehicles and take necessary actions for optimisation. • Impart training to all your drivers on safety and economical driving habits. Onsite Service Benefits – • Optimal performance and increased life of tippers. • Routine maintenance & repairs thereby • 100% adherence to Preventive/ Routine & Scheduled maintenance services of your Tippers at site. • Availability of Tata Genuine Parts onsite thereby no frequent/ repeat failures, increased vehicle uptime, saving on time and fuel thereby more productivity & revenues. • Maintain knowhow imparted by the Technical Supervisor, deputed on the site. • Training of drivers at regular interval to eliminate operational failures.
Dedicated Container Workshops at site which are equipped with necessary tools, fast moving parts/ lubes storage space, small office space for supervisor to carry out comfortable operations. Dedicated Mobile Service Vans Dedicated Mobile Service Vans equipped with a company trained service team and necessary tools / Tata Genuine Parts / Lubes to carry out all service activities at your site. Construction tipper and Tip trailer TIPPERS MCV tippers, MAV tippers & Prima range of MAV Tippers TIP TRAILERS: Used for transporting : Coal, Petcoke, clinker, flyash, aggregates, boulders, M-sand, zinc ore, etc. Popular models specs-body sizes : 24Cum on 40T, 28Cum on 40T, 32Cum on 49T Material of body construction : ST52, Domex Power rating : 180 hp (Rated Load); 280 hp (Overload) Fuel Efficiency : 24Cum on 40T rated load: 2.6-3.0 KMPL Emission norms : BS III Tata Motors recently launched a new range of Prima LX trucks and tippers. The new Prima LX range has been designed, in line with the current industry requirement of high performance and fuel efficient tippers and is a result of Tata Motors continuous technological development & R&D efforts. Tip Trailers are used for surface transportation of materials and became popular when the payload of operators increased. Fleet operators are constantly looking for ways to bring down and rationalise their ever increasing operating costs. Fuel is the main contributory factor. One way is to invest in more flexible vehicles, by adding a trailer to their vehicles thus increasing capacity as and when needed. A larger vehicle that isn’t being used to full potential all of the time becomes a financial drain on resources. Residual values of second-hand tipping trailers are higher high making trailer purchase an excellent investment. The low maintenance schedule also means that year-on-year the costs of keeping a trailer on the road are negligible when compared with servicing; and Increased manoeuvrability. Mining tipper and related issues Tata Prima 3138.K has been built specifically for deep mining in coal, iron ore, lignite mines and for bulk limestone movement in off-road applications. The Tata Prima 3138.K is a 4-axle, 31-tonne GVW tipper with a 9-speed Eaton manual transmission. This 8X4 tipper is powered by the Cummins ISLe CRDi engine which has a maximum power of 380 HP. Its special features include new generation brakes, ABS and hub reduction axle specially designed for mining operations. The 19 Cum Hardox Rock body is specially designed for overburden in coal, iron, and limestone applications. Prima 3138.K has a spacious air-conditioned non-sleeper cabin with pneumatically adjustable seats and an adjustable steering wheel, for enhanced driver comfort. The vehicle also features engine diagnostic system & monitoring of running parameters which helps efficient operations, enhancing vehicle uptime. Tata Prima LX 2528.K is an ideal combination of power and economy for mining and construction application. Built specifically for off-road mining applications, the Tata Prima LX 2528.K is considered as a tough performer that can successfully tackle every challenge in heavy-duty operations. Its high level of robustness is due to its stronger chassis, specially designed 1200 X 24 mining tyres and durable suspension. A reliable powertrain ensures that possible loss of power or dissipation from the engine to the wheels is mitigated and kept at a minimum, thereby increasing efficiency. It is powered by a Cummins ISBe 6.7 CRDI BSIII engine, which has a maximum power of 230 HP. The product features includes a Tata G1150 9 Speed Gear Box, Tata Motors Heavy Duty Bogie suspension, chassis frame, single plate push type organic clutch. Ban on mining – a key demand driver for the CV industry – has resulted in falling sales of commercial vehicles along with lack of employment. Financing options – It is easier to get financing for FBT’s. Used vehicles market – The used market for the tipper segment is not big. It is largely driven by self-consumption, where the use of vehicle is drastic, that it gets used for a life time, i.e., for about 4-5 years. Driver shortage & training – There is a dearth of Truck drivers due to multiple options for livelihood that have come up in last few years. The occupation of driving trucks has not been able to attract enough people. If not dealt with right now, the problem could become acute going forward. It has but only to a limited extent, but can be a big dampener impacting truck sales if it persists, hampering the smooth functioning of the industry. Both government and industry must work together in bettering the profession. |
Volvo Trucks India Volvo entered Indian market in 1997 and introduced FET for the mining sector during the year 2000 – it caused a paradigm shift to earn for it the major market share. The company is one of the leading global players with well laid-out plans for the market and Mr. Rama Rao A.S., Sr VP, Sales, Marketing and Aftermarket, provides his segment insights. Product range, recent models and market share As you would know, tippers are used for transporting loose bulk cargo. In heavy duty truck segments you would have tippers ranging for 16T GVW onwards on 4×2 platform going up to 31T on 8×4. Volvo trucks operate in premium, niche and demanding heavy construction & mining segment and currently have 25T & 31 T tippers. We have been in India for over last 15 year in the tipper segment with 6×4 & 8×4 offerings predominantly in heavy construction & mining as these segments require high performance tippers. Recently we introduced innovative concept of 10×4 Dump truck for heavy mining that takes the benefits of both large capacity dumpers and efficient tippers. This new concept has picked up very well and we have got a lot of encouraging response from our customers. Well the overall heavy duty tippers market size in India was around 38000 units in FY14. Over 80% of these go in construction & mining (Infrastructure) segments. Typically in a good year like FY12 the market size for tippers was 65000. Volvo trucks operate only in premium and niche segment such as heavy construction & mining which demands high performance tippers with high horsepower, torque, 20 + hours operating duty cycles, tough conditions, etc…. This segment (400 HP and above) is currently serviced by European brands and is around 1200-1300 units a year. Volvo trucks in the leader in this segment with around 65% market share. Application segments and sales &service network As I mentioned earlier, we currently offer 6×4 & 8×4 tippers in the heavy construction & mining applications. We have also introduced the new & unique concept of 10×4 Dump trucks for demanding mining application. Our products are most popular when it comes to demanding mining application predominantly in the coal mining sector. Our philosophy is to provide transport solutions that would meet specific customer requirements and hence we do a lot of customization based on application needs. Today we have a wide spectrum of variants on the above platforms that cater to unique application requirements of overburden removal in various mining applications, Hydel/dam projects, coal transportation for raw and washed coal in and around mines, as well ports. Our FMX 440 8×4 tippers are the most preferred choice when it comes to tough mining applications, and our recently introduced FM 480 10×4 Dump Truck is also gaining popularity. Volvo trucks provide world class sales and service support across the country, even to remote mining locations to ensure that our trucks deliver maximum productivity with maximum uptime over the entire life-cycle. We believe in solutions selling approach and therefore customize our offerings to a very high degree to meet specific customer requirement. We believe that premium trucks need premium care and hence we do direct sales to our customers. Our service support network is also predominantly our own. Construction tipper and technology platform
Tippers in construction segment are used in the movement of aggregates like gravel, sand, etc. Typically 25T tippers with 14-16 cu.m body size are used in this application and the trend is foreseen to shift to 31T tippers. We are also seeing more focus being given to driver comfort nowadays as the skilled driver availability is an issue for transporters. Emission norm are becoming more stringent mandating the CV players to offer superior engine technology. When it comes to mining DGMS has prescribed certain fitments to enhance safety requirements. Latest innovative technology from Volvo trucks is the new steering system – The Volvo Dynamic steering. This is a path breaking innovation in steering technology that take driving experience & manoeuvrability to a whole new level. Even in India we have been at the forefront while introducing several innovative offerings. We see a clear trend emerging towards importance of safety & driver comfort in the vehicle selection. At Volvo will be taking the next step by introducing modern and intelligent transmission technology the “I-SHIFT”. This is state-of-the-art intelligent automated gear box that is specifically designed for construction & mining. Having the right gear for the right speed at the right time is what the “I-SHIFT” transmission technology is all about. Mining tipper features and Dump truck Mining tippers are used for both overburden/waste removal as well as mineral transport. A good practice is to consider the vehicles based on the depth of the mines and density of the material. As the depth of mine increases, the demand for higher HP & Torque goes up. The body capacities should be carefully chosen based on the material density. For faster turnaround & consistent performance over the life cycle of vehicles high power to weight ratios are important. We currently offer 440 HP FMX440 8×4 tipper with 18.7 cu.m load body & 480 HP FM 480 10×4 tipper with 24 cu.m load body for overburden removal. These vehicles are with best in class power to weight ratios. We also offer 400 HP FM 400 8X4 coal body tippers with 32 & 29 cu.m body capacity. We plan to introduce our advanced Dynafleet telematics system that would help our customer in fleet management. Premium care for Premium trucks is what we believe in. Uptime is the most important criteria in customer operations. At Volvo, world-class aftermarket support is an integral part of the transport solutions and we have set high standards to be No.1 in aftermarket services. Our focused approach is to provide comprehensive direct sales and service support for our technological advanced trucks. A high degree of customized services with container workshops deployed at mining sites even at the remotest locations that ensures the truck has maximum uptime. Dumpers are purely off highway trucks and are typically used for their high payload capacity however their limitations are higher owning & operating costs. On the other hand tippers are more efficient as their gross weight is much lower. At Volvo, we felt the need to see how the benefits of both these can be combined to create an innovative offering that will provide productivity like a dumper and efficiency like a tipper. The latest introduction from the Volvo is the technologically advanced FM 480 10×4 Dump Truck with more power and higher capacity delivering much better fuel efficiency compared to Dumpers. This sturdy 5-axle Dump Truck is slated to become a ‘Game Changer’ in the mining industry. |
Aditya Auto Engineering Aditya Auto is a Bangalore-based body builder of Tippers and Tip Trailers for varied applications. Mr. Velmurugan, Director Operations shares his observations. Application trends and product program Trends are likely in Mining, Power sector, River projects, Construction, Highways & Railways. All end users are demanding higher GVW so that can carry more payload; and reducing no of vehicles leading to lower maintenance & as well operational cost too. Our product program covers varied Tipper Body Sizes: In Rigid Chassis 6 Cubic Meters to 32 cu.mtr (applications-Sand & Aggregates, Rock, Ores, Coal, etc.); Tip Trailer body sizes: 28 cu.mtr to 46 cu.mtr with tandem & tridem axle trailers. (Applications – Coal and aggregates) These bodies are of steel ST 52-3 or equivalent or Hardox & Domex combination, etc. For open market we are customizing & manufacturing as per end user requirement; Hydraulic Wet kit – we are sourcing from manufacturers like Hyva / Hypratek / Wipro, etc. Production Capacity per annum is around 1800 units (Tippers / Tip Trailers / SKD’s with Cubing, etc.) Association with OEMs and special challenges
OEMs are having proper planning & schedule and accordingly we supply to them; whereas open market customers do not have planning but even then we need to fulfil their requirements. We are associated with Kamaz Motors Ltd., Hosur. We are delivering 16 cu.mt Rock Bodies for mining application with one year manufacturing warranty. We are trying to associate with other OEMs also in the near future by creating finishing line, i.e., Primer and Paint Booth to get better quality on product finish. As regards service challenges, we provide technical team at site with required tools as well as spares to reduce the down time based on the volume of tippers under operation. Krishnapatnam Port is one of the examples for such a case where we are providing full time service support to keep 40 tippers on running condition all the time. Tip Trailers and Exports There is not much demand in market because of road conditions; also loading and unloading areas need to be improved. One more thing which is essential being well trained drivers are required to operate these vehicles. Compared to Tipper (10 wheeler) Tip Trailer can carry 2 times extra material and we can reduce operational costs like driver / fuel / maintenance etc. We are recommending Tip Trailer for low density bulk material transport for long distances. Yes, for exports we are manufacturing Trailers according to buyer’s designs and specified bought out items. We use International brands YTE & JOST, Wabco, Hella, etc., so that they can have international warranty as well; our buyer is also a manufacturer in Dubai. |
Hypratek Fluid Power The company located in B’lore manufactures comprehensive range of single acting telescopic hydraulic cylinders suitable for a wide range of truck and trailer body tipping application. Mr. Sudhir Prabhu, MD a pioneer in the field and who was involved in the introduction of FET to the Indian context, shares his experiences and observations. Evolution and trends In India since 1960 Tippers on 13 ton GVW 4×2 trucks were existing. TELCO as it was named were fabricating 6 cu.m tippers with under body cylinders. TELCO in Jamshedpur & Pune got their Hydraulic kit know-how from Germany they were manufacturing themselves the pumps & Cylinders for their tippers. At the same time Ashok Leyland did the same & their under body cylinders & hydraulic kits were developed by USHA TELEHOIST. VOLVO India Pvt. Ltd. & Hyva (established by me) entered India in the same year (1997). In 1999 Volvo took a bold decision to introduce 8×4 mining tippers in the coal mines for OVERBURDEN transporting. Their choice was Hyva Hydraulics & Hyva Body. Body capacity was 18 cu.m & operators were heaping the tipper to more than 1.0 meter high. Performance of Hyva Hydraulics was at display & this rock body tipper started working for 24 hours doing 100 trips & 100 tips a day. This was the revolution in tipper business. Big infrastructure projects were introduced by Mr. Vajpayee’s govt. & every where the market for big tippers grew like wild fire. The solution was FET & Hyva India its only supplier. Today it is 35-38% market for 16 ton GVW tippers with 8-10 cu.m. tipper bodies & 55+% 25 ton to 45 ton tipper requirements. I started Hypratek Fluid Power Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore in 2011 with a goal to give one of the best Tipper Hydraulic kits to Indian market. At the same time there has been explosion of truck manufacturers in India. Now tipper customers have good choice to get the best & value for money. We see big opportunities in India & we see possibility of 65,000+ tipper market in 2015/16. Going further we see need for 90,000 tippers, Tip semi trailers, Side tippers, 3 way tippers, Side tipping Tip semitrailers, etc. Production facilities and USPs We are customer centric local company. If customer needs a particular mounting or a stroke or application, which is not in standard supplies, needs approval from abroad, etc, we are flexible & we want to satisfy the customer. We have developed 4 stage cylinders where 5 stage cylinders were supplied so that our customer gets stronger cylinder in the same price. We offer special stroke cylinders for the tip trailers for getting the optimum tip angle & at competitive price. Our USP is our flexibility. We have 8400 sq.m. land with 2400 sq.m enclosed working area. All our machines are brand new latest CNC machines. We are the only company machining the ID of our telescopic cylinder stages who do Skiving & Roller burnishing to make sure that high degree of contricity between the OD & ID plus due to this we are using guide rings made of special long life material. We have in house Liquid Bath Nitrating & Oxidation Process. Most important is we have highly trained qualified people to do the job. We have capacity to produce 18,000 tipper hydraulic kits per annum & we can expand our capacity to 28,000 kits when required in 6 months period. Association with OEMs and service network We have Truck OEMs as our customers & we are in negotiations with others too. Ours is a high quality & high performance Hydraulic kits therefore our pricing is in line with the market leader. We have our dealers & service technicians in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, MP, UP, Jharkhand. We are finalising our dealerships for Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka & Tamilnadu. We shall finalise very soon dealer ships in Punjab & Delhi. |
Alpha Drives Alpha Drives, based in Coimbatore, manufactures varied PTOs that are popular in the tipper industry, with many OEMs utilising their products for their demanding applications. Mr. Suresh Williams, Managing Director, provides his viewpoints about the field. Company operations and market movements We have been working with Truck hydraulic system integrators from the time that Usha Telehoist was the only player in the market. We started with gears for PTOs to building PTOs as per OEM drawings. We have now progressed to Design – Development – Manufacture of PTOs where over 95 % of our product range is of our own design. We have seen how Front end tipping has overshadowed under body tipping systems. We are also now witnessing how OEMs build Fully Built Vehicles rather than just sell chassis. The market is now maturing into a spectrum of applications such as Truck mounted Compactors, Jetvac machines, Cranes… which are now driving the growth of the market. Product program and features Our product interfaces between the Vehicle transmission and the Hydraulic system. Therefore as the number of variants and new models grow, the variety of PTOs demanded in the market is growing. The constant race to keep ahead of environmental norms is driving the change of Engines and transmissions, and we have to run as hard as we can to keep pace with the change.
Our customers are constantly demanding higher torque rating and higher speeds. This is compounded by the fact that the number of applications is growing beyond the traditional tippers. The demands on the PTO vary from application to application, based on the Duty cycle – for example, a tipper may have 10 operating cycles per day with about 1 minute per cycle, whereas a compactor may have 100 cycles per day of 1 minute per cycle. We are constantly working with our customers to understand specific applications and adapt/design PTOs to suit their needs. We have also proposed a copyright system’ Alpha PSP’ which is a systematic PTO selection procedure taking specific factors of the Duty cycle, as well as Speed and Safety to come up with the necessary torque rating of the PTO. Our USP has been our willingness to learn from our customers. We constantly engage with them to understand their requirement. We develop innovative methods of meeting their needs. Our innovations come from a dedicated R&D team backed up by the latest software licenses and Test rigs for Validation. |
Wipro Infrastructure Engineering Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, part of $7 billion Wipro Group manufactures double-acting and single-acting cylinders, telescopic cylinders and components for diverse applications under its Hydraulics division. Wipro is the largest independent hydraulic cylinder manufacturer in the world, a global company having 14 state-of-the-art manufacturing plants spread all over the continents. Mr. Vinaykumar Ragi, Sales Manager-Truck Hydraulics comments on the field developments. Product program and USPs Wipro offers complete range of Under Body Tipping (UBT) and Front End Tipping (FET) kits including pumps and PTOs – FET up to 6 stages, UBT 2-10 stages & application tonnage up to 70 ton. Tipper market will grow in higher tonnage above 25T GVW. The lower segment might not necessarily have degrowth but can remain constant. Wipro is the only company offering full range of tipping products in both Under body and Front end. Wipro is a long term player with wide spread service support and parts availability; have dealers at 29 locations across India in addition to own team of 16 engineers. Special tipper kits and body building We have the products necessary in our global range and wherever there is a need we offer special solutions – like Side tipper, 3 way tipper, etc. The special class referred is a non existent segment in India. There could some latent need but whether the market is willing to pay extra is unknown. Wipro does not undertake body building UBT- FET comparisons and capacities
The decision on UBT / FET depends in the wheelbase. In Smaller wheelbase tippers we can not fit FET as we lose space between cabin and body which effectively means the body size reduces. Also there is no major benefit of leverage by using FET. As the wheelbase increases the leverage effect by mounting the cylinder in front comes into play and the tipper can lift almost a payload twice the cylinder thrust. Our production capacities are UBT 3500 kits per month, FET: 2000 kits per month. We offer tipping kits suitable for all segments. Our products are adequately validated for various applications. Tip trailers, exports and growth drivers Tip trailers are good for long haul on road transportation and help customers carry more loads legally. We export through our dealer network abroad. In short term demand should be increasing moderately over last years as there was no action in last 2 years. In long term tipper business is going to be a sustained business as India Infrastructure development needs will only be rising. |
Interpump Hydraulics India IPH India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Interpump Hydraulics S,p.A., Italy, a global player, manufactures PTOs, pumps, cylinders and miscellaneous control elements at its factories in Hosur, T.N. & Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. Mr. Girish Garud, Managing Director shares his viewpoints on the domain realities. Evolution and market trends Conventionally Indian industry being labour oriented in the past, and especially the construction sector being the foremost in this space, the evolution of mechanised equipments in this area happened very late. As issues with labour started rising, the real mechanisation of the industry commenced and during this last three decades the Indian tipper manufacturing industry underwent a sea-change. During the late 60’s, mechanised tippers were introduced and mainly manufactured by the unorganized sector on tipper chassis supplied by two major OEM’s. The hydraulic system was mainly categorised in 3 main sections, viz., power take off, pump and tipping kit. The power takeoff, and pump initially were locally built and fitted at the body builders end, however due to quality and efficiency inconsistency in the local manufacturing, the OEM’s went to branded makes similar to the European OEM’s. Further these being highly technically advanced products, OEM’s started assembling them with their transmissions in the plant itself. Today major OEM’s in India follow this route. Similar to the PTO and Pump, the tipping kit also went through a similar transition from being built and assembled at body builders place to now being integrated in the plant itself. Product program, features and USPs In our PTO segment, our main business comes from the tipper market, however we have also supplied various PTO’s to fire trucks, jetting applications, aircraft refuellers, bulkers, transit mixers, garbage compactors, cranes, and various other applications in agriculture and farm equipments. In terms of technology we have already shifted to aluminium PTO’s which add far less weight to the truck on which it is mounted. We are in the process of developing a sandwich PTO, which will redefine the present power transmission technology. In our pump segment, we have already introduced high volumetric efficiency gear pumps in the Indian tipper market. Going forward, we are introducing higher range pumps for the tip-trailer segments, with the same technology, giving this sector the advantage of efficiency and reliability. In the tipping kit segment, presently we have front end tipping system for 16, 25 and 31 ton tippers. We are planning to introduce tipping system suitable for tip trailer up to 27 cubic meters. In addition to these big tipping systems, we are also supplying kits for various other pick up trucks, LCV’s, small garbage handlers, with PTO or power pack depending on customers choice. One of our biggest USP in this market segment in our aluminium PTO, and the most advanced gear pump design. The proof of this is our presence in the Indian market with over two hundred thousand PTO’s and pumps working to the satisfaction of all our customers. Our USP on cylinders is our unique design which nobody in India has giving the end user the advantage of reliability and robustness to cater to the high overloading scenario in the Indian market. One of our USP is also the flexibility of design we have in our equipments, which allows OEM’s to integrate this with their systems easily having the advantage of the latest technology in the world. Our European design office continuously backs us to meet the ever demanding requirements of the Indian OEM’s. Sales & service network and exports We have 30 dealers all over India, placed at strategic positions to serve the various pockets where tippers are predominantly used. All these dealers are trained at our factory for the various service needs that may arise on the PTO, Pump and tipping kit. Yes we have a large part of our revenue coming thru exports. Our exports is categorised in two main sectors. One being the export we do to all our parent and sister organisations all over the world, predominantly to Italy and Brazil. The second export business which is growing for us is the supplies which we are planning for South east Asian countries. The group is contemplating the Indian arm to be the next manufacturing hub for the eastern world extending up to Russia and China. |
S.V. Engineering Constructions One of the leading mining segment fleet operators in Andhra Pradesh, SVEC’s current domain expertise is in non-core mining, which includes a series of mission critical operations that are executed for the removal of overburden. Mr. Vikram Reddy& Mr.Vinod Reddy, Managing Partners speak about the operations of mining tippers in a typical application site. Company operations Established in the year 1973, our company is an ISO 9001:2008 certified partnership firm. We have been executing projects in the irrigation sector since the firms was established by our father N. Dasaradharami Reddy; and then we came in to mining sector also in the year 2000, when Volvo Trucks was making inroads into the tough mining segment with a new concept of European design 8×4 Tippers as an alternative solution to the big gas guzzling dumpers and prevalent low productivity tippers we took the challenge to enter coal mines ruled by established players in the mines of central Andhra Pradesh. Fleet details and growth path Our Tipper fleet for Overburden Removal exclusively of Volvo make consists of FM 400 8X4 and FMX 440 8X4 with body size of 18.7 cu mt. We made a meticulous study of the new Volvo 8×4 Tipper solution during the year 2000 and took a calculative decision to enter coal mining transportation business with all Volvo tippers solution to execute our first project at the Singareni mines. We had done an in-depth study of the 16 cu.m capacity Volvo Tippers and conventional tippers with much lesser capacity and invested in the first batch of Volvo FM7 tippers. Our approach is to focus on the job at hand and execute them well. This consistent growth strategy resulted in the fleet size reaching to 100 Tippers in 2009, a landmark for our company that focuses on successful and timely execution of projects. This was followed by the delivery of the 150th Tipper in the year 2013. Application details and challenges Currently, we have an infrastructure to excavate 2.5 million cu.m / month and we have deployed about 190 tippers across various sites for this operation. The depth of mining operations has been increasing day by day. Currently some of the sites are reaching greater depths and dump heights which are tough and harsh conditions that demand very powerful, reliable and fuel efficient tippers which are safe and comfortable to operate. Typical working hours in the mining site will be around 20-22 hours/day. Our equipment are maintained with utmost care and driven by well-trained drivers adhering to the best driving practices. 24 x 7 availability of service at site very critical and provided, gives us confidence of crucial support we need at remote locations. Another important factor is the assured and timely parts support. Volvo understands our needs better and offers customized support services. It is because of the professional approach we have achieved over 90% uptime. Some of the challenges that the mine operators face today are driver shortage, vehicle accidents and continuously increasing fuel costs. Fleet sizing, models selection and expectations We typically choose the fleet size and models based on the tender requirements such as OB removal (lakhs cu.m) in a specific time period. With the depth of mine increasing, we need more powerful, robust, reliable and safe trucks which are easy to operate in the tough conditions. Also Uptime and after sales support at the mining sites are important factors to be considered to achieve higher productivity. We closely work with OEM to choose the best model that fits the project and we have been successful in completing the projects on time. It’s a mutually rewarding relationship of trust built over the years. With the increasing fleet sizes at the mines there is a requirement for efficient telematics system which can enable us to have better control from our offices on our fleet operating at far away mining sites by providing real time information for the vehicles performance and position. Load measuring systems is another feature we would like to have on our vehicles. With different sites having different density of material, it is important to understand the load tonnage carried by the vehicle so that vehicle productivity and efficiency can be optimised. |
Shriram Automall India The company, stemmed out from Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC), India’s largest player in commercial vehicle finance, started its operations in 2011 with the objective of introducing pre-owned segment of Indian automobile industry an innovative way of acquisition and disposal. Mr. Sameer Malhotra, CEO, briefs the developments in the used tipper segment. Operations and models auctioned We gave a kick start to our journey with our first Automall launch in Chennai and today, we account for around 40 Automalls across the nation. Our Automalls represent our physical bidding platform where the pre-owned vehicles and equipment undergo live bidding in the presence of huge customers. Same phenomenon is followed on our online bidding platform where the vehicles are just a click away from the bidders. Moreover, private treaty and one stop classifieds are other two bidding platforms that contribute immensely in making us a complete solution provider. We conduct regular bidding events in which various types of pre-owned vehicles and equipment, including commercial vehicles, construction equipment, tractors, cars & SUVs, 3-wheelers and 2-wheelers, are displayed for bidding. In our bidding events, Tata 1612 (6 tyres), Tata 1613 (6 tyres), Tata 2516 (10 tyres), Tata 2518 (10 tyres), AMW 2518 (10 tyres), AMW 2523 (10 tyres), Ashok Leyland 2516 (10 tyres), Ashok Leyland 1613 (6 tyres) and Eicher 1080 (6 tyres) are seen more prominently as compared to other tippers. And tippers, as a whole, account for 20-30% in our total CV sales. Age, guarantees and revenue The tippers that we receive for disposal generally fall under the category of 3-10 years old tippers. While keeping everything transparent in our deals, we provide information on their condition in our bidder books. Also during the bidding event, the announcer incorporates all the information in his announcement while the tipper is being displayed on the ramp. If a tipper is disposed through our private treaty platform, its information is shared online with the customers. We don’t provide guarantee but ensure that our customers receive only those vehicles which are a true value for their money.
While facilitating the exchange of pre-owned equipment, we charge a facilitation fees from both buyers and sellers. With the reserve price that we receive from a seller, we ensure his utmost satisfaction in the entire transaction. In the entire process, a buyer is benefitted as he acquires the vehicle as per a price quoted by him and a seller gets the best price realisation on his asset. Tipper bidding and concept acceptance Tippers directly come under our commercial vehicles segment. The CV segment is displayed in our mixed vehicles bidding events. We even conduct exclusive commercial vehicles bidding events in which only the CV segment is catered to. When it comes to the selection from different CVs displayed in our bidding events, customers are very choosy and go for only those options that suit their requirements. And when they find the perfect match, they end up in acquiring it that too at a price that they think is the best for the vehicle. Bidding as a transparent medium for the exchange of pre-owned vehicles and equipment is gradually gaining momentum in terms of prominence amongst the mass audience. People have begun to understand its advantages over other modes prevailing in the industry. We are the pioneers for introducing an Automall within the automobile industry and our initiative has become quite popular with our consistent inaugurations across the country. In the near future, we are eyeing at every nook and corner of the country for spreading the dimensions of our Automalls. |
