TLS Tyres, the first-ever Michelin Truck Service Centre (MTSC) in south India, has become a one-stop shop for the trucking fraternity in Namakkal. Established in 2007, TLS Tyres partnered the global tyre giant Michelin in 2009. Since then, the MTSC has seen consistent growth both in terms of customer demand and services offered.
With growing awareness about the advantages of radial tyres, especially in the truck-intensive region of south India and also across the country, wheel-alignment of trucks has scaled new heights. Radial tyres, being more expensive than nylon ones, require proper care and maintenance, so as to cater to the development of well-equipped truck service centres such as TLS Tyres.
The MTSC has registered a consistent annual growth of 20-30 per cent since inception. In 2007 the centre covered an area of 1,000 sq. ft. which has now expanded to 8,500 sq. ft.
Expressing his views on the centre’s growth, Mr. R.K. Rajah, Managing Partner, TLS Tyres, said: “Initially, rear-wheel used to have radial tyres, but when front radial fitments increased, there was a boom in demand for wheel alignment. Majority of the vehicles we service include ten-wheelers and multi-axle trucks. As vehicle population increases, there is more scope for our growth. We have constantly been expanding the centre. Since our current area of 8,500 sq. ft. seems insufficient, a further expansion is underway”.
The services offered at the truck centre include computerised wheel-alignment, automatic tyre-changing, demounting and mounting by machine and balancing for all vehicles, mainly trucks. Tyre-fitting, chassis-greasing, nitrogen-inflation and radial tyre repair are also done. The centre is busy throughout, servicing 20 trucks and fitting 60 tyres everyday. The centre seeks to provide additional services such as oil service, powder work, etc., to customers in order to expand the service range offered and improve customer satisfaction.
The average time taken for demounting and mounting of a ten-wheeler is 90 minutes while greasing takes 15 to 20 minutes. Wheel-alignment takes 30 to 75 minutes depending on the degree of misalignment.
Apart from Michelin, other leading tyre brands like Apollo, Michelin and Bridgestone are also sold at the centre. The garage equipment are supplied by Madhus with compressors from Atlas Copco and automatic inflators also from Madhus.
Every month, two meetings are held by the MTSC to improve awareness about wheel-alignment, at which presentations are made by representatives from Michelin who visit the service centre for regular inspection. The centre has 14 employees recruited by TLS Tyres and trained by Michelin.
TLS Tyres reported a turnover of Rs. 30 lakhs in 2010-11 and is planning to expand to another location as a separate branch. The growth of the Indian trucking industry, fuelled by the arrival of global heavy-weights such as BharatBenz, is sure to spur the growth of major trucking hubs such as Namakkal, and it is certain that more one-stop truck centres like TLS Tyres will emerge in the coming years.