A whole-new dealership experience
BharatBenz, the Indian trucking brand of world leader Daimler, was created with the promise of bringing a whole new trucking experience to the country. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler, had unleashed its BharatBenz range of trucks in the Indian market in September last year. The company has had a clear vision towards making inroads into the highly competitive Indian market and has unfolded its plans to perfection thus far.
Daimler has also been totally committed to raising the bar when it comes to sales and service and has hand-picked its dealer partners after intensive scrutiny with utmost care. Representing BharatBenz in the central part of the important State of Maharashtra is Ghatge Trucking of the reputed Ghatge Group. We make a pit stop at Ghatge Trucking’s headquarters at Pune to find out how and why BharatBenz has chosen its own unique path for providing an unmatched sales and service experience to its customers.
Ghatge Trucking is part of the Ghatge Group which was established in 1958. Owner of the well-known Ghatge Patil Transports which has a fleet of over 300 vehicles, the group is into a number of business verticals, including logistics, travels, automobile dealerships, industrial manufacturing and courier services. Ghatge Trucking is the BharatBenz dealer handling 17 districts in the central part of Maharashtra with dealerships up and running at Pune, Kohlapur and Sholapur. Three more outlets, one each at Nasik, Dhule and Aurangabad, will be functional in the coming months, says Mr. Gaurav Ghatge, Executive Director, Ghatge Trucking.
Ghatge Trucking was established in April 2012 with the official inauguration of its first dealership at Pune in September 2012. The six locations for the dealerships have been chosen in such a way that BharatBenz customers come across a touch point after every 200 km along major highways. BharatBenz is establishing its dealer network across India keeping in mind the minimum distance between dealer touch points of around 200 km, which translates into supreme confidence for its customers, especially when the trucks are on long trips. All BharatBenz dealerships function in an identical style right from the external appearance to the sales and service principles they adhere to.
BharatBenz products have been quite remarkable in their performance, leaving little doubt in customers’ minds when it comes to uptime, reliability, fuel efficiency, etc. It is important to note that so far no single truck has been sold at a discount. Ghatge Trucking has sold over 200 vehicles till date, all at the original price.
Says Mr. Ravi Doss, Head – Sales, Ghatge Trucking: “We have a clear-cut sales policy here, and there is no question of discounts. We have sold over 200 vehicles through the three outlets and have had some repeat orders as well. The customers are happy and know very well about the products they buy. Our customers do not look for discounts, they look for quality.”
Customer on top
BharatBenz has spoken a lot about customer focus and customer satisfaction, but more importantly has backed it up by putting its customers on top of all priority lists, be it product, sales and service. “The customer is our brand ambassador. We first explain about the product to the customer so that he understands the vehicle completely, and then we show him the product. The profile of each and every customer is approved by Daimler, only after which we proceed with the vehicle sale”, says Mr. Shashikant Nagesh, Branch Manager.
BharatBenz trucks are currently delivering a minimum of 10 per cent better fuel efficiency over other trucks in the market. With fuel price accounting for more than half of customers’ expenses, best-in-class fuel efficiency is the most sought after benefit from customers’ point of view. The first long trip which the customer makes after vehicle delivery is strictly under the monitoring of an expert driver from BharatBenz. The average fuel efficiency of the vehicle is practically demonstrated and benchmarked to the customer with the expert driver staying with him until he is completely satisfied with the vehicle performance.
Focused sales
Ghatge Trucking has sold vehicles across the different segments, including tippers, ICVs, medium-duty trucks (MDTs), and has seen very good demand for the 2523, 3123 and 1214 models. BharatBenz dealerships, through their focused segment-wise sales, follow a unique policy to tap customers in specific segments. Ghatge Trucking has a separate sales team for different segments, namely, logistics, agri and food chain, construction and tankers. Each team has a Business Development Manager to whom four to five Business Managers report. Segment-wise sales facilitate focused selling. However, all the sales personnel are equipped with thorough knowledge of the vehicles across all segments.
Another important aspect which is making waves in the country’s trucking industry is the company not yielding to the popular demand for a cowl chassis version. Right from the beginning, BharatBenz has signalled its intention of transforming the Indian trucking fraternity from the less expensive but unsafe cowl-chassis version trucks to vehicles with factory-built cabs. The company has stuck to its global standards and has no plans of compromising on safety. “When we explain the advantages of a factory-built cabin, the customers are able to understand its importance and go ahead with buying the vehicle without any hesitation. In BharatBenz trucks, all the shortcomings of a cowl-chassis version are eliminated, which is a big advantage to the customers,” says Mr. Doss.
Uptime first
As we know, selling the vehicle is just the beginning, while backing it up with efficient service completes the loop. BharatBenz has set certain benchmarks when it comes to service as well – first service after 50,000 km for MDTs, 30,000 for ICVs and 1000 hrs or 30,000 km for tippers. The products have been developed to remain sturdy for the long-haul so that they don’t end up lying at service workshops often or for long intervals.
Maximum uptime for customers is another guarantee from BharatBenz, which is backed by special initiatives at the dealer end as well. Every dealership has a ‘Special Parts’ section which is stocked with critical aggregates like engines, transmissions and gear boxes. Since the failure of key aggregates is an important factor in prolonging the downtime, BharatBenz ensures that the trucks are put back on road in the quickest time with its float aggregates.
“The vehicle should be on the road for maximum time and should not come often to the workshop. We have float engines and gearboxes in our workshops, so that vehicles with issues related to major aggregates are up and running as soon as possible and put back on road. Thanks to this operational model, the vehicle downturn is drastically reduced”, says Mr. Abhijit Joshi, Head – Service.
Following the recent integration of Daimler Buses with DICV, Ghatge Trucking has been authorized to service Mercedes-Benz buses in addition to BharatBenz trucks. The Ghatge workshop at its Pune headquarters has six service bays, including two service pits, in addition to two accident bays. There is a separate waiting lounge for customers and drivers while the latter also have a separate air-conditioned room with beds for resting. It has a spare parts centre which is fully-equipped with all the necessary spares, along with the special parts section.
The spare parts centre is connected to the BharatBenz headquarters in Chennai in such a way that the usage of every spare part is automatically communicated to BharatBenz which would trigger the next set of supplies to replenish the spare parts stock at the dealership. Apart from a mobile service van, Ghatge Trucking has two deputes from Daimler, one for sales and the other service for necessary approvals.
Ghatge Trucking currently has around 150 people working at its three functional dealerships. The dealer outfit sells nearly 40 to 45 trucks every month, and considering the slowdown in the CV industry, the numbers are likely to pick up when normalcy is restored.
The Ghatge Group has been dedicated to the Indian transportation industry for many years and continues to highlight its committed efforts through Ghatge Trucking. As for BharatBenz’ promise of a whole new trucking experience, we could as well keep it short and rightly say, ‘it’s happening!’
“We are very particular on the smallest things…it’s a big family that we are building here at BharatBenz”, says Mr. Ravi Doss. Here are few small things which are part of the whole-new experience.
During vehicle delivery at Ghatge Trucking:
• The customer’s entire family is called.
• Presentations along with the BharatBenz brand film and a customer testimonial video are shown in the conference room.
• A traditional puja is done. Red carpet, Garlands and Ribbons are part of the occasion.
• Family photographs with the vehicle are clicked, followed by a first family ride around the dealership. One framed photo remains at the dealership while another is given to the customer.
• Teething problems are avoided with 0% tolerance.
“My husband drives trucks for over twenty years, but this is the first time I am getting into a truck”, quips the wife of a Ghatge Trucking customer at the time of vehicle delivery.
“My father has a truck of a different brand. When I tried to drive it I couldn’t, because the gear was too hard to shift, whereas driving the BharatBenz 2523 high side deck (HSD) truck in third and fourth gears is very simple”, says the daughter of another customer.
50 BharatBenz dealerships now operational
Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV), the 100 per cent wholly-owned subsidiary of the world’s leading truck manufacturer Daimler AG, has announced that it has opened 50 BharatBenz dealership facilities across the country. This has been done in a short span of just 12 months. The idea is to establish dealership facilities in over 100 identified locations by 2014. The first dealership was opened in Chennai on August 20, 2012.
‘Varun Trucking’, the latest dealership inaugurated on July 22 last, is located at Padugupadu village in Nellore district. The dealership offers a 3S facility (Sales, Service & Spares). With highly trained manpower, a fully-equipped and completely covered workshop, supported with a full complement of spares and a showroom providing focused sales consulting, the dealership ensures that BharatBenz customers receive full attention under one roof.
Mr. Marc Llistosella, Managing Director & CEO, DICV, said: “It is a proud moment for us at BharatBenz to witness 50 BharatBenz dealerships operational across the country. Our promise of reliability extends beyond our trucks to the holistic experience that all our customers will experience through our dealership network. We are well on our way to establish state-of-the-art facilities across major trucking routes that provide a focused customer-oriented service with a pro-active attitude”.
Mr. V.R.V. Sriprasad, Vice President, Marketing, Sales & After-Sales, DICV, said: “We have been rapidly expanding our network across the length and breadth of the country; this year we will expand our network from the current 50 to over 70 dealerships. BharatBenz has set forth to provide the Indian trucker a whole new experience in trucking”.
He added: “Our philosophy is to provide the customer with state-of-the-art after-sales service that ensures not just easy reach but proactive service. Our dealerships, while providing focused sales consultancy, will ensure that the customer’s trucks are delivering maximum value to his business. Our goal is to ensure that our customers feel empowered by associating with BharatBenz”.