Cool down your bus or coach with Eberspächer in style! And your customers will swear by its promise of reliability and quality. That is the message that the officials at Eberspächer in India are giving out.
Backed by a strong sales service network across the globe and in India, Eberspächer Sütrak is one of the ‘top three’ companies that offers cooling, heating and ventilation for buses. Known for their thermal management systems in the world markets, Eberspächer is driving forward in the growing Indian market with new technologies and dedicated customer support.
Dr. Jörg Schernikau, COO, Eberspächer Climate Control Systems, is happy to be in India at a time when many changes are being witnessed in the bus industry. He shares: “We are benefiting from improved infrastructure in India with more buses installing air-conditioning. India is a major portion of our global business. We are eagerly looking forward to the future here.”
Mr. Oliver Wels, GM, Eberspächer Sütrak Climate Control Systems for Bus & Coach, adds: “Considering India’s hot weather conditions in relation to other countries around the globe, India’s rate of using air-conditioning in vehicles is rather low. We would think that the Indian Government is enhancing public transportation by making it more attractive than cars, including in terms of air-conditioning, among other ways. This naturally reduces traffic congestions too on the roads.”
In the era of electromobility
In all the markets that the company is present around the world, they are known for meeting specific customer demands – be it before or after sales. And more so it holds true for India because the background work on making electromobility viable is gaining momentum now. Eberspächer is tailor-making solutions for the upcoming scenario at its Bengaluru base in India.
Dr. Schernikau says: “Electrifying the powertrain is one trend that is definitely affecting the whole automotive industry. It has a specific impact on the air-conditioning as the compressor cannot be mounted onto an internal combustion engine. And this changes our product. Since we cater to the electromobility needs in other markets, we already have gained the experience and possess the relevant product portfolio. And we are here to offer our Indian customers the proven solutions.”
Mr. Wels observes: “We, as a supplier, as a system partner, have the technology both for diesel powertrains and for electric vehicles because we are already supporting them in many markets on a global scale.”
Surging Indian bus industry
Over the years, the bus industry has ‘matured well’, according to Mr. K.P. Singh, Director, Eberspächer Sütrak Bus Climate Control Systems India. “The market in itself is growing base with more demand for air-conditioned buses coming up. On the other hand, the customers are understanding the quality perspective. Our customers who are also fleet operators have benefited from reduced air-conditioning service charges year on year which makes a positive impact on their per kilometer cost too.”
Eberspächer has been ‘successful’ in increasing customer awareness in India to look at the reduction in the overall life cycle cost. Mr. Singh talks about the next trend which is the quality of the vehicle itself which is improving. “It means that a bus, which was earlier supposed to run for, say, five or six years, is now expected to complete a life cycle of more than 10 years. And this is where they need an AC system which complements that and we are well-positioned as a global supplier of quality climate control systems. We see the trend gaining momentum and we are integrating with many more OEMs.”
Further Mr. Wels shares: “We are focusing on ensuring that the existing network in India with more than 50 service stations is provided with training, education, parts and technology availability to support the fleet operator customers.
Eberspächer’s global products are designed and validated in the laboratories in Germany which are then transferred to and assembled in India so that the same products are offered to their customers here.
Expansion plans
In the future, Eberspächer plans to extend its activities in India to not only cater to the growing local customers but also to make it an export base.
Mr. Wells says: “We believe that the number of vehicles will rise and so will the use of advanced technology. More technology, competence and resources will continue to support our growth locally. We will continue to build the resources to feed the growing market demand.”
Mr. Singh agrees: “Domestic market for bus air-conditioning systems is growing at a healthy double digit rate and we think the trend will continue. We expect the market size to double in the next three to five years.”
And Mr. Singh speaks about contributing towards light weighting the vehicles, “We are in a way the benchmark on this aspect. We are trying to make our systems lighter with better performance, which means they are more effective.”
Challenges unique to India
Not far behind is the challenge of cost sensitivity amongst the Indian customers. Mr. Wels says: “Our strategy that is applicable for the world market applies for India as well. Being competitive, we definitely understand the needs of our customers here and supply systems that can be financed which is contributing to the revenue and profit of our customers. It is an advantage to be in India and have an operation that is integrated and is in-depth because there is a constant challenge to offer technology at a lower price. That ambition is also contributing for our global organization to stay healthy and be on top of things.”
And sometimes, a challenge could also take the form of ensuring enough resources to address the growing demand as Mr. Singh shares: “More and more customers wish to be associated with us. So we want to make sure that all our customers get similar attention. In the aftermarket also, we are growing our network and we are supporting our customers with applications.”
Dr. Schernikau also relies on the USP that Eberspächer embodies. “Our customers bank upon our reliability because we are a 153-year-old company and we have been serving our customers keeping in mind long-term business. Our focus has always been on a reliable and stable business which is a perfect fit for the bus market because the fleets are relying on a partner not only to provide a good product but also good service and support that are tailor-made for their needs. So, German engineering and Indian application are the two key words which have us in good stead.”
Eberspächer is undoubtedly forging ahead with its ambitious India plans backed by global technology and a promise of quality.