The Indian tipper manufacturing industry has undergone a sea-change in the last three decades. During the 1970s and 1980s, tipper bodies were mainly manufactured by the unorganized sector on tipper chassis supplied by Tata Motors Ltd. (then TELCO) and by Ashok Leyland Ltd. There was basically one model of chassis from each manufacturer with two different wheel base configurations.
Telco supplied semi-forward control 1210SK with 3600 mm and 3200 mm wheel base with three body types, namely, Scoop Type 4.5 cum, Box Type 6 cum & Coal Carrier 8 cum, while Ashok Leyland supplied Cheetah full forward tipper chassis for 6 cum body. Vehicles with tipping cylinder fitted under the body are known as UB tippers.
Chassis manufacturers were selling tipper chassis with PTO and hydraulic pump fitted on gear box, and the body was made outside. Telco supplied its own brand of PTO / pump / hydraulic kit and Ashok Leyland used Usha telehoish kits. During the period, small capacity tippers were used by large contractors for loading earth and coal employing 2.5 cum shovels and loaders. The life of the tippers is shorter due to the loading impact.
There were only a couple of body builders in the organized sector then – Commercial Engineers and Body Builders Company (CEBBCO) and Kailash Auto Builders set up in years 1980/1984 and Utkal Auto at JSR catering to this segment. Quality of cabin & body building was very poor as both were made by roadside fabricators. Only Tata Motors Ltd. Supplied Cab Kits to their Body Builders. But overall Quality was not very good and customer had little choice.
In the 1990s, Wipro of Bangalore started supplying hydraulic kits suitable for Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland chassis. A few companies like Allwyn Nissan, Swaraj Mazda, DCM Toyota and Eicher Motors entered the tipper market quite late.
In the 1990s, the first foreign company from Holland, Hyva (India) Ltd., introduced the Hyva brand hydraulic kits with telescopic cylinders for the front end tipping configuration, mainly for newly launched Tata tipper multi-axle chassis model 2516 and Ashok Leyland 2516 chassis suitable for 14/16/18 cum tipper bodies. Hyva set a new market trend in India as well as a benchmark for quality. All the chassis brands launched since 2000, like Volvo, MAN, Mercedes, AMW, opted for Hyva hydraulic kits.
Hyva also started fabrication activity with multi-location plants. Front end tippers (FETs) are now the preferred choice of customers.
In 2006, Tata Motors also introduced full forward control tippers upto 10 cum range in on models LPK 1613 / LPK 909 / LPK 407 with options like heavy duty / light duty bodies.
Current status
Since 1996, tipper body building in India remains confined to the organized sector, with the entry of new players like JBM, Stokato, Vectra Azad, ACCL, etc. The opening up of the infrastructure sector has generated huge demand for tippers, and the total market has grown by almost 33 per cent over the years. Prospects for the sector are brighter due largely to expanded construction activity related to high-rised buildings, roads, airports, power plants, etc.
Presently total size of tipper market is
3 – 4 Cum 2000 Nos. p.a.
5 – 6 Cum 5000 Nos. p.a.
8 – 10 Cum 15000 Nos. p.a.
Above 14 Cum 30000 Nos. p.a.
Total: 52000 Nos. p.a.
Tipper supplies during last five years are given below:
2003 – 04 19500 Nos.
2004 – 05 28300 Nos.
2005 – 06 31000 Nos.
2006 – 07 35000 Nos.
2007 – 08 52000 Nos.
Growth prospects
The outlook for hydraulic kit manufacturers and body fabricators is quite encouraging with the expected economic growth of eight per cent.
Estimated tipper requirement in next five years are given below:
2008 – 09 57000 Nos.
2009 – 10 65100 Nos.
2010 – 11 67800 Nos.
2011 – 12 72200 Nos.
2012 – 13 77000 Nos.
There is enormous scope for new players in the field, since the volumes provided by Wipro and Hyva are very limited.
CEBBCO and Kailash Vahan Udyog Ltd. (KVUL) are currently the largest manufacturers of tipper bodies in India with an annual capacity of 15,000 units, which is proposed to be raised to 25,000 units.
