The 5th edition of the Truck Trailer and Tyre Expo 2021 was held at Jaipur from September 3-5 and focused mostly on revival post the pandemic-induced prolonged restrictions on movement. As trailer and allied parts manufacturers showcased their latest offerings to stay relevant and realistic, most of them were observed to be attempting to make a fine balance between market sentiments, customer needs and products offerings. Rajesh Rajgor brings you highlights from the show
The Truck Trailer and Tyre Expo, organised by Media Day Marketing along with lead sponsor BPW, was inaugurated by Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Minister of Transport, Government of Rajasthan. It opened up a fantastic meeting ground for industry peers who were longing for a live event during the tough 18-19 months of the pandemic. It was also a wake-up call for all the stakeholders in the truck, trailer and tyre industry to shrug off the pandemic-encouraged online sessions and get going offline, even though it meant overcoming a few traditional greetings, fist bumps and awkward handshake moments. Here is a snapshot of the some of the participating companies:
Jamna Auto Industries – Renewed Focus on Aftermarket
Jamna Auto Industries (JAI) attracted a lot of attention at the show thanks to the biggest booth that it occupied. The company has been able to put up a great performance despite the pandemic by making profits and paying rich dividends to shareholders due to their prudent business practices. “We have been fortunate to manage our production capacities and commission orders despite working at 27% utilisation. In the last 12 months we have reduced our breakeven points from 50% to 20%. Even going by the order pipelines, which have picked up steam post-July this year – and if we can evade a third wave and control any other external forces – we shall see the volume picking up to the levels of 2019 by the end of 2022,” informed Sunil Laroiya, President, Jamna Auto Industries.
The company has been able to rake in profits because of its emphasis on offering new products in the aftermarket segment. From U bolts, shackle brackets, spring pins, air bellows, king-pins and dampers, every product of theirs is available in the aftermarket with their dealer distributor. Sunil added: “We are bringing in technology in aftermarket where using a software and the date parameter we can see what part is available with distributors and dealers and even locate our sales manager and engineer. With digitisation of the sales team and supply chain we can replenish the stock with our distributor within 24 hours so as to provide hassle-free services to our customers.”
Sunil is optimistic that in the next five years 50% of their revenues will come from products other than leaf springs. “This has been possible because of tight and optimum utilisation of the available assets, entering new markets for aftermarkets and outsourcing product manufacturing to external locations under our design supervision and leadership. With nine manufacturing plants across the country doubling up as warehouses and taking care of aftermarket requirements, we have saved on the freight cost – at least 4-5% of the cost of the products – to stay on the top during the tough times imposed by the pandemic,” he asserted. Speaking about the participation at the show, Sunil was glad that they were able to meet quite a few good potential customers.
“Our intention to be here in Jaipur was to concentrate more on Rajasthan as well as the central and northern Indian aftermarket. We wanted to give confidence to the truck and trailer manufacturers in this region about our brand, production capacities and effective supply chain network in terms of spare parts’ availability and we are glad to have met a few important fleets who have shown immense trust and faith in our capabilities,” he concluded. JAI’s cutting-edge aftermarket offerings include trailer mechanical suspension and truck lift axle suspension in addition to multi-leaf springs and parabolic springs. JAI has made a success statement that will be difficult to match, with a strong presence in OEMs and a renewed focus on the aftermarket.
…
Hindalco Industries – Introducing India’s First Aluminium Trailer
Hindalco Industries Limited, a global leader in aluminium and copper, showcased India’s first all-aluminium freight trailer at the show. Jaipur-based Jay K Mulchandani has been allotted the sole proprietorship of the aluminium trailers branded as Hindalco Maxloader. Director Jay Kumar Mulchandani, who also runs Core B Trailers, revealed: “The aluminium trailer at display is 50% lighter and weighs more than 2.5 tonnes less than a comparable steel trailer. Each trailer saves over 15,000 litres of fuel, emits 25 tonnes less green house gases (GHG) and contributes to meeting BS-VI emission targets. Furthermore, each trailer has the potential to carry a corresponding extra load of 2.5 tonnes per trip.”
“This can provide the transportation industry with additional revenue and other business benefits, which can be to the tune of Rs 35,000 worth of savings per month – almost a driver’s salary. “The 52-tonne GVW trailer also offers fast payback that is four times the incremental cost and boasts of 70% higher scrap value,” he added. The whole idea about using aluminium for commercial vehicle applications has been taking shape since the last two years. Hindalco Industries had already showcased an aluminium bulker and is also working on buses. Sagar Dhamorikar, Joint President (New Business and Product Development), Hindalco Industries, informed: “We are investing close to Rs 3,500 crore in the downstream aluminium applications like extrusions and plates and sheets.”
“The CV industry with its varied applications thus best suits the bill. Although the Indian market is price-conscious, we believe they will be driven to the total cost of ownership that the aluminium trailer offers, which will be significantly lower than the steel trailers. We hope this would increase the per-capita consumption of aluminium in the country,” he added. Jay K Mulchandani has built a 40,000 sq. metres facility at Jaipur, exclusively for Maxloader that can manufacture 500 units per month. “In order to offer value for money we have also taken care of aggregates from quality suppliers,” Mulchandani said.
“The axles, landing gears, lights brakes and suspensions are from BPW. The welding quality has been taken care by Fronius India while the wheels are from Alcoa, thus ensuring that the operator receives maximum revenue per kilometre,” he informed. The 34-feet-long aluminium freight trailer can transport a variety of materials, including cement, alumina, fly ash, grains, flour, steel coils, and cylinders. Because of the unique properties of aluminium, the vehicle is safe, strong, durable, efficient and environmentally friendly, in addition to being inexpensive. Jay K Mulchandani expects that the trailer which is being designed with inputs from the Automotive Research and Development Association can definitely mark orders of 80-100 units per month.
…
HDTPL – Focus on Competitive Pricing
HDTPL showcased the European design mechanical suspension to compete with the price and product range available in the market. “Our customers will be happy to purchase this mechanical suspension with leaf springs that comes in two weight capacities of 14 tonnes and 16 tonnes. We also extend six months’ warranty on the leaf springs. Apart from that we offer good quality air suspension in lifting and non-lifting modules. Lifting will be operated by air booster instead of air bellows. In air bellow along with the steel cylinder we offer a guarantee of one year except for accidental defects,” informed Partha Ghosh, Managing Director, HDTPL. The company has one manufacturing unit with monthly production capacity of 3,000 trailer axles, 500 sets of trailer mechanical suspension with all types of designs as per customers’ demand.
HDTPL supplies high-performance products and strongly believes in serving quality, durable and low maintenance products at competitive price and at convenient location with prompt and timely service. HDTPL’s products are approved by the Automotive Research Association of India and the International Centre for Automotive Technology. “The products and services offered by us are second to none in the industry and differentiate from other competitors because of our nationwide reach and pre and post-sales service. Also, we encourage innovation through developing and improvising our product offerings for the market. We will make another price-competitive Indian welded axle to cater to the market size of around 1,500 axles in India,” Ghosh said.
“This will prove competitive to many trailer manufacturers and Indian OEMs,” he added. HDTPL uses advanced technology machines like CNC turning, robotic welding, CNC plasma and many more and is a well-accepted brand in the country when it comes to offer customised and quality products to various well-known business houses across the country. “We have a strong presence in Gandhidham with consumption of 100 axles per month, Rajasthan with about 200 per month, Chattisgarh with 100 axles and 35 suspensions along with Jamshedpur, Namakkal and Kolkata with close to 50 axles and 25 suspensions. With the demand growing steadily, we aim to be a market leader in trailer parts in India and across the world by 2025,” Ghosh said.
…
Intangles – Power of Predictive Data
Intangles is on a mission to change the way businesses operate by bringing everyone’s key performance indicators (KPIs) on to a single platform. Everyone, whether maintenance personnel, a driver, or an operation staff member working anywhere in the world, can be monitored at the owners’ fingertips. The performance of the resources and vehicle fleet can be monitored in real time. Swapnil Kumbhar, National Sales Manager, Intangles, said: “Here at the show we are highlighting our product benefits for fleet operators. We are focusing on a fleet’s Adblue consumption, driver behaviour and fuel efficiency. A fuel theft can be traced to the exact point where you can determine how much fuel was taken from the vehicle, where it was taken, and when it was taken.”
“Driving behaviour can also be analysed. Overloading is the problem of the industry that we are trying to resolve through our predictive real-time data. Our preventive alerts can help an operator to increase a fleet’s efficiency,” he added. The company that first showcased its product at a bus event at Mumbai in 2019 has gained a lot of bus fleet operators. Swapnil added: “The biggest cost to the fleet owner comes from fuel, vehicle maintenance and the driver and not necessarily the infrastructure. Hence we pitched the products first to the bus fleet operators for retro fitments. Based on their feedback we simultaneously reached out to the truck and trailer fleets. The positive feedback they shared was also noted by the OEMs and today we are working with a couple of them.”
Intangles had a strong start and foothold in the western region of India. The company has teams in major cities to facilitate fleets with retro fitments and services. “Retro fitment is as easy as inserting a pen-drive in a USB port. Our LED indicators are easy to understand and once the data reaches our servers the installation is complete. Our device is IP67-protected and the failure rate is less than 1%. Our devices go through severe quality checks before getting ready for installation. Based on the subscription, customers get access to the data and it is available both on mobile app as well as software,” shared Swapnil.
The promise of good return on investment (ROI) and the value that Intangles technology adds to the fleet operators is what has given the company steady business while gaining trust amongst truck, bus and trailer fleets. “Our price is definitely higher than a normal GPS device but the fleet can recover the cost within three months of installation. Each client gets a key account manager as well as training for their drivers to help inculcate best practices and get the best out of the available resources. The current expo has been good and we have got some really positive leads and pilot orders from fleets having 100-200 vehicles,” concluded Swapnil.
…
Indutch Composites – Unique ‘Zero Joint’ Reefer Box
Indutch Composites, a leading manufacturer of highly engineered composite patterns, moulds and components for OEM customers in wind energy, mass transportation and industrial equipment, showcased a unique ‘zero joint’ reefer container at the show. Elaborating about their products and technologies, Chandrasekhran Menon, Head Business Development (Cold Storage Transport), Indutch, Composites, said: “For the first time in India we are presenting a single mould constructed reefer body without any joint on a Mahindra Bolero Max pick-up. The body is 9 feet long and 5.5 feet in height and is made up of Light Resign Transfer Moulding (LRTM) technology. The design and body do not in any way compromise on the need for powerful refrigeration and this ensures higher productivity to the fleet operators.”
Indutch Composites has completed projects for several metro rail projects across India and specialises in fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) applications for high-speed rail systems such as track beds and gantries and is a well-known brand for vehicle modules, interiors, and line-side furniture and platform systems. “Composite interiors are stronger, more durable and easier to clean, resulting in a longer lifespan and lower maintenance costs for the carriage. We also make MS and SS containers on vehicles in the range of 9-40 feet containers on any vehicle chassis. There is a huge demand from industries in the ice cream, milk and dairy, fruits and vegetables, poultry and pharmaceutical segments for sturdy, affordable and highly productive vehicles and we can definitely provide customers value for money,” Chandrasekhran said. The company has a manufacturing facility at Waghodia Industrial Estate in Vadodara, Gujarat and can manufacture 40 containers per month. Chandrasekhran said: “With the projection in the market and the capabilities that we have, we should be able to easily do 300 units a year and also export a few to countries in the Middle East.”
…
ASL Enterprises – Promising Quality and Durability
ASL Enterprises Ltd. sells and processes iron and steel products such as hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanised coils, sheets, plates, GC sheets, angles, channels, joists, TMT and others. The company is an exclusive SAIL dealer and stocks materials from all reputable prime producers, including Jindal Steel and Power, Essar Group, Tata Steel and RINL. Their capacity and infrastructure allow them to handle more than 45,000 MT of steel materials per year. The facility is located in the Adityapur Industrial area of Jamshedpur. The company has the infrastructure of a steel service centre where the material is cut to size according to the needs of the customer. ASL Enterprises has also ventured into next-generation trailer and tipper technology and has continued to develop and design it. It is a major producer of trailers, tippers, tip-trailers and rock body work for a wide range of applications in both domestic and international markets.
Elaborating about the company’s products and strategies, Ankit Goyal, Director, ASL Enterprises, said: “A trailer division became a good combination for us as we source steel as commodity at the cheapest rate, which is possible because of our volume advantage. It has become good forward integration for our expansion. When compared with our competitors in the trailer segment our prices can easily be Rs 50,000 to 70,000 lesser.” As for the custom range of trailers, tippers and tip-trailers for mounting on industrial vehicles ranging in size from 3.5 CuM to 46 CuM and up to 55 MT trailers, Ankit said: “We have integrated operations right from design to final product manufacturing with a state-of-the-art production facility based in Jamshedpur.”
“The size of the facility is 1,20,000 sq. feet. Our design and customisation team are in-house and the current manufacturing facility can produce over 600 tippers and 200 trailers and tip-trailers per year. We provide solutions for a wide range and believe in offering solutions and not mass production. For instance, the biggest transporter in Jharkhand gave us an order to fabricate a vehicle where we reduced the weight to 600 kg so that it could carry more load. We came up with a 12.5 feet single beam with zero joints made with high-tensile grades so that the strength is maintained and we get the best output,” he added.
As a trailer manufacturer, this is the third year for ASL Enterprises but the group is growing slowly and steadily across the key markets in the northern and north-eastern regions. “We started small but are getting good support from clients in Kolkatta, Orissa and Jamshedpur and are tying up with dealers in Jaipur. The increasing steel prices did affect us as we have to honour the orders placed by clients earlier to the price rise. Add to this the pressure of sustaining momentum during the pandemic times which did slow us down. However, the grit and dedication by the workforce kept us afloat,” he shared. ASL Enterprises uses SAIL material for trailers as a guarantee of quality and durability.
Ankit reiterated: “We give unlimited guarantee on our body to the customers as we use quality material and latest machineries right from shearing machines, plasma cutting machines, to oxy cutting machines to cut all raw materials (CNC) along with latest welding technologies. Our target is to reach 100 trailers a month by 2023. Given our specialisation in the production of lightweight, high-strength trailers made of single-piece fabricated beam that allows our customers to load more on the trailers without incurring additional costs, we believe we will definitely achieve our targets.”
…
‘theBox’ – Pioneering Safety and Tracking Features
Gurugram-based, bootstrap start-up ‘theBox’ founded by Vinamra Bajaj showcased their capabilities towards a slew of safety and tracking features for fleet operators. The technologies that the company offers covers GPS navigation with SOS, telemetry (2g, 3g, 4g) tyre pressure and wear-off indicator, fuel sensors, anti-theft alarm, accident alert, engine cut-off, battery back-ups and on-road assistance with customer support. In an interview, Vinamra said: “Our product helps to reduce theft, shrinkage of tyres and unauthorised driving. GPS fleet tracking systems for trucks, fleet vehicles, trailers and assets enable customers to locate missing or stolen vehicles quickly and reduce the risk of shrinkage. Fleet operators can also receive notifications when their drivers enter unauthorised areas or drive a vehicle outside of normal operating hours.” The product can be bolted on the back side of the ECU of a vehicle.
It is able to offer vehicle-to-vehicle radio frequency within a three mile radius. In order to accurately give out tyre pressure and tyre wear-off details, the company is working on adding a solar panel power gauge. Vinamra said: “A tyre pressure monitoring system with solar power and universal wireless LCD display will prove to be a good indicator for the operator. We are also excited about our anti-theft alarm. If someone is trying to steal the vehicle with hot wire, the engine ignition will be cut off. We also have battery back-ups and customer support initiatives for fleet operators and are working on certification for our products from either ARAI or ICAT. The response at this show has been tremendous and we are confident of providing 800 units of our product per month.”
…
Rohnil – Exciting Products on Display
Rohnil, a well-known manufacturer, supplier, exporter, distributor and trader of a wide range of high-quality aircraft streamer fags, aviation wheel chocks, loader wheel chocks, jumbo wheel chocks, rubber wheel chocks and other products, showcased colourful wheel nut indicators. A must-have for road safety and the fleet industry, these wheel loose nut indicators are simple to install. Speaking about the company’s products, company founder Mahesh Khosla said: “Simply install the indicators pointing in the same direction. When the vehicle starts moving and the nut loosens, the indicators automatically return to their original position, indicating the loosened wheel nuts.”
“These wheel nut indicators, available in sizes of 30-32 mm, are made of a tough plastic and we’ have patented the designs and received export orders from fleet operators and OEMs. We do not have any volume constraints and can make as per the customer’s requirement,” he added. The manufacturer has formed a quick-thinking team with extensive knowledge and years of experience that works closely together to create an unrivalled product line. “Our most valuable asset is our team of dynamic and sincere professionals who work tirelessly from our headquarters in Mumbai to achieve our company’s overall goal. Some of our products like the aircraft wheel chocks and heavy and light vehicle wheel chocks are path-breaking and pioneering in their segments and have established our dominance with respect to quality and credibility in the market,” concluded Khosla.
…
Axestrack – Digital Logistics Solutions
Axestrack, a leading provider of digital logistics solutions, demonstrated its ability to provide end-to-end tailored digital solutions, beginning with basic telematics and progressing to seamless enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration and deep analytics and artificial intelligence. “Our solutions are designed to meet not only the current and continuously evolving needs but also to address the logistics industry’s futuristic aspirations. All the while, information is being transmitted digitally from one system to another,” explained Jagmeet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Axestrack. The company advances unified logistics by incorporating a value-based approach. It aims to build an ecosystem that empowers all the logistic industry’s dynamics to ensure an optimised work flow.
“From AI-based lead distance, control tower, Fastag and document service to user-friendly interfaces, all the tools required to provide key insights to customers are provided. Our goal is to achieve a fine balance in the relationship between man and machine,” he stated. The company offers different solutions for logistics need. DOST is their advanced logistics solutions for fleet owners facing issues in trip and traffic management. PRIME, another productive software, embraces the concept of ‘built to suit’ architecture and offers a bouquet of features ranging from attendance and leave, field force, task management, lead management, business insights and incident management.
Their AI-based modern and intelligent software SWIFT is streamlining logistics processes across the line by aiming at optimising the KPIs for business and operations function. “Man, material, and machine are three aspects of logistics that are driven by the KPIs such as cost, safety, time and location for any business and operational decision making. We provide AI and ML-powered control towers that serve as the nerve centre of a live enterprise, organising and integrating a company’s operations in order to make intelligent decisions. It gives management the ability to make both long-term and short-term decisions,” Jagmeet said.
…
Kross – Backward and Forward Integration
Founded in 1994, Kross Ltd. is a recognised specialist in manufacturing forging components for India’s top OEMs and Tier I companies. For the commercial vehicle, tractor and trailer axle industries, the company manufactures a wide range of high-performance and safety critical components. Said Sumeet Rai, Director, Kross Ltd.: “We are primarily a forging component manufacturer for CVs and tractors OEMs and Tier I suppliers. Based out of Jamshedpur, we have been fortunate to have renowned customers and have approval from them. Similarly, the idea behind our expansion into trailer axles and suspension is to provide our customers with assemblies and aggregates. In the next 6-8 months we will have our casting unit in place too in order to offer complete solutions to our customers and the industry in the truck, trailer axle and suspension segment.”
The company that has long been a ‘make to print’ manufacturer has developed significant design capabilities over the years. “While we have developed assemblies for OE customers that have design aspects to it, the products which are most engineered are the trailer axles, mechanical suspensions and the air suspension. These products have received very good reviews and acceptance in the market for over two years now. Having associated with top trailer and trailer axle manufacturers we have gone from zero to 1,500 numbers of axles in a matter of two years, despite one year being wasted on account of the pandemic. Our growth is on the back of the quality and engineering expertise of components we have developed while working in tandem with OEMs and Tier I suppliers,” Sumit said.
Kross has built indigenous capabilities and has constantly been innovating products, be it the axles for car carrier application or off-highway heavy duty axles. The company has a cutting-edge manufacturing facility in Jamshedpur that has the necessary infrastructure, equipment and human resources to meet the demands of high product accuracy and consistency. “It has been six months since the launch of our air suspension and we are also developing variants to meet different requirements, including flat bed or semi low bed trailers. Our goal is to add value to our customers in terms of cost (acquisition, service, maintenance) and give them offerings that no other manufacturer is giving. We want to customise products to address their pain points in different applications,” he stated. “Our sales office is in Chennai and we have warehouses in Chennai, Madurai, Bangalore, Hoshiarpur and Pantnagar,” he added. The company has plans in place to produce major components and aggregates in trailer axles and suspension to enhance their reach beyond a few OEMs and Tier I suppliers. “We have set up a capacity to manufacture 2,500 trailer axles and suspensions per month and we are currently at 50% of this capacity. In the long term, maybe around 2-3 years down the line, we would like to reach 3,500-4,000 axles and suspensions per month. As there is a lot of supply chain involved in terms of trailer parts and at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty with parts availability, controlling major aspects of manufacturing with backward and forward integration will help us to come up with timely solutions and give cost and quality advantage to our customers,” he further said.