VB-Airsuspension of the Netherlands, a leading air-suspension solution provider for LCVs, has formed its Indian subsidiary, VB-Airsuspension India Pvt. Ltd., with its head office in Pune. VB-Airsuspension made its first presence at Auto Expo, displaying its product for the Indian market which was also retrofitted in a demo vehicle at the show.
VB-Airsuspension is one of the few European manufacturers producing a wide range of (air) suspension systems, from coil springs and shock absorbers to semi and full air suspension, for customers (OEMs and body builders) with many different applications such as ambulances, car transporters, buses, wheelchair users and camper vans. Its first product for the Indian market is a rear full air-suspension for the Force Motors’ Traveller vehicle. The prototype kit is ready and will be put on trial runs in the coming months. VB-Air’s demo vehicle at the show gave the visitors an experience of the enhancement in ride comfort and other advantages owing to its world-class suspensions.
Apart from strong presence in Europe and North America, VB-Air expects India to be a very important market as part of its global plans, while it has also entered the Chinese market. The challenging environment and road conditions in India call for the vehicle suspension to be extremely strong and reliable.
Says Mr. Rick van der Velden, Manager – Application Engineering, VB-Airsuspension B.V.: “Our air suspension solutions are ‘bolt-on’, so customers don’t have to cut, weld or drill into the chassis of the vehicle, ensuring original OEM integrity and also giving a much longer life to the vehicle as the road impacts on the chassis & body are significantly reduced.”
VB-Air is working on sourcing most of the required components from local suppliers who meet its quality standards and has already started scouting for suitable options in the market. On the OEM customer front, the company is in advanced talks with several LCV and SUV manufacturers, while the performance of its products has been extremely good on the aftermarket side as well. As it continues talks with potential OEM customers, VB-Air is planning to focus equally on the retro-fitment market as well, which would in turn help gain the confidence of OEM customers following successful runs with aftermarket customers under local conditions.
Says Mr. Ravi Mundada, Country Manager, VB-Airsuspension India Pvt. Ltd.: “The show was a good experience for us to understand the customer base in India. We feel confident that there is a good market for air suspensions in the country and we will be taking an application-specific route to tap the market. Our team here understands what the Indian market wants, the sensitivity on the price side and the comfort level the customer expects.”
As for different applications, the ambulance sector is one of the company’s key targets at present. With growing focus on improving efficiency in handling emergency situations and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare calling for high levels of quality, comfort and safety in ambulances across the country, VB-Air is keen on bagging a major share of the suspensions supplied to the ambulance segment while also contributing to the evolution of the ambulance segment in India. VB-Air will be working with OEMs to develop air suspension solutions for passenger transport applications on the mini & midi bus segments as outlined in the JNNURM urban bus specifications.
VB-Air aligns with European automotive norms which the Indian industry is increasingly trying to adhere to. The company is bullish about meeting the expectations of local customers on technical product specifications and at the same time being cost-competitive.