Business Standard

Asia Motors to roll out GPS trucks

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Archana Mohan Vadodara
The Mumbai-based Asia Motor Works (AMW), which has just completed a year in the heavy commercial vehicles market, has begun conducting test runs of its trucks equipped with a Global Postioning System (GPS), which is to be launched in three months.
 
The system will be installed in each of its models and will provide the driver access to a call centre or a service administrator. The company has also
 
begun exporting metal rims and has bagged trial orders from various manufacturing plants in Germany, Holland, France, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
 
AMW had earlier acquired a five million capacity wheel rim plant from Europe intact with its customer base.
 
The wheel rims to be exported will cater to manufacturers of trucks, cars and tractors . With the truck market growing 40 per cent last year and expected to grow at least 25 per cent in the year 2007-08, the company expects its exports to grow considerably.
 
Currently, AMW has sold 900 units and hopes to sell 5,000 heavy commercial vehicles by 2008. Its range includes 4923 Tractor, 4018 Tractor, 4923 Tipper trailer, 4923 Oil Tanker, 2523 Rock Body Tipper and 2518 Haulage. Their use in steel, cement, petroleum, bulk and general heavy cargo are being looked as potential revenue generators in the coming few months.
 
The company sources its components from top domestic global players including Cummins, Valeo, Meritor, Dana Spicer and ZF. At present it has no plans of manufacturing all parts in its Bhuj facility, the company officials said they are working on production possibilities with one of its component partners.
 
AMW is also positioned better in the higher tonne segment after the Supreme Court's ruling to ban overloading in November 2005. The company is first in the country to launch a 49 tonne truck, which can carry 35 tonne as compared to the next heaviest carrier that can carry 25 tonne.
 
"In the last financial year, we have been able to capture 70 per cent of the market share in the 49 tonnage vehicle segment. Going ahead, we aim to capture 90 per cent in this niche segment and expand our product range with specialised vehicles in the form of Fire Tenders, Concrete Mixers and Tipper trucks in different applications," said Anirudh Bhuwalka, MD and CEO, AMW.
 
AMW has a warehouse in hazira and is planning to put up four others in Nagpur, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. The company has also confirmed that it is lobbying with the central government for 10 year tax holidays at Bhuj similar to Uttaranchal.

 
 

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First Published: Apr 19 2007 | 12:00 AM IST

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