Accelerated economic growth and the fast developments on the road infrastructure front have made it necessary for end-users of trucks and trailers to look for better technology and products, in line with the trend in developed countries. Indian fleet operators are increasingly looking at newer and advanced technology solutions in truck & trailer for efficient and safe delivery of goods in the most economical way.
It is to cater to the requirement of fleet operators in providing safe and reliable transportation solutions that Wheels India Ltd. of the $6 billion TVS Group has joined hands with the US-based Reyco Granning for manufacturing air suspension systems for all applications, including for trucks and trailers.
The partnership aims to bring together Wheels India’s understanding of Indian truck and trailer market, its product development capabilities and its strong after-sales network across India with Reyco Granning’s technology and its expertise of more than 75 years in developing suspension solutions for trucks and trailers.At the global level, Reyco Granning offers a wide range of products for the truck and trailer segment. Wheels India plans to initially introduce in India air suspension systems for trucks, tractors, trailers and allied suspension systems, including lift axle system.
Mr. P. Sundararaman, Head - Air Suspension, Wheels India Ltd., said: “We are field-testing the air suspension systems on our customers’ trucks and trailers on their regular operating routes to evaluate the performance in actual Indian operating condition. Our products have clocked more than 70,000 km on road. The product performance and the customer response have been very positive. Encouraged by the response, we are now talking to all our other truck customers, particularly in segments like parcel carriers, white goods carriers, car carriers, oil tankers and special goods carrier.
Wheels India has been a pioneer in the Indian market for air suspension systems for over 25 years, particularly for the bus segment. The company offers a range of products for the bus segment and has developed design capabilities, a robust supply chain and manufacturing facilities. “We design, develop, manufacture and assemble suspension systems for different models of buses, getting involved from the concept stage of the vehicle program with OEMs, thereby reducing the lead time for product launch”, added Mr. Sundararaman.Wheels India’s air suspension systems are fitted on more than 25,000 buses running on Indian roads. The company has developed products for buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) program and was the leading supplier of air suspension systems to most of the OEMs.
Wheels India is a leading manufacturer of automotive and off-road steel wheels in India. It reported a turnover of $380 million for 2010-11. Nearly 15 per cent of its turnover comes from exports to OEMs like Caterpillar, Komatsu, GM, Ford, Hyundai, John Deere, etc.
The company has full-fledged facilities from design to manufacture all types of steel wheels and forged aluminum wheels for trucks. Certified to ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001, it has received the Ford Global Excellence Award and the Toyota Best Supplier Award.
With seven manufacturing plants in different parts of the country, the company’s engineering department is a recognized R&D center under the Ministry of Science & Technology and has developed IPR in its field. It has an extensive network of 25 authorized service centers and 240 spare parts outlets across the country.
