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MOTORINDIA
l
March 2012
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pers with capacity greater than 18
m3. The company is working on
expanding its product offering to
cater to the growing needs of the
market.
Kamaz vehicles come with a pow-
erful engine in the range of 280-360
hp which would enable installation
of large tipper bodies on the vehi-
cle. The standard vehicles would
come with a 9-speed transmission
with a 16-speed option available
if required by the customer. The
company is also prepared to offer a
customised design if demanded by
the customer, showing its commit-
ment to customer satisfaction. With
respect to component suppliers, the
company is open to multiple sup-
pliers for all components, with the
choice of supplier influenced by
market demand.
The company considers locali-
sation as one of the key aspects of
its strategy for the Indian market.
“One of our strategic targets would
be to completely localise the prod-
ucts here. We are in the stage of
preparing prototypes, and within
two years, we would localise the
frame, axles and transmissions. The
tipper body has already been com-
pletely localised, made by Hyva.
The engines will be from Kamaz,
Russia, but we will always consider
adaptability of the Indian Cummins
engine to our products if our cus-
tomer demands it”, he stated.
On financial terms also, 2012
promises to be an important one
for Kamaz. The company is confi-
dent of achieving breakeven in the
financial year April 2012 to March
2013. Its main target at present is
to stay firm in the Indian market.
Once its target of 5,000 vehicles is
reached, then the company’s export
plans would unfold.
Kamaz is planning to train its
drivers on working with 16-speed
and higher transmissions and econ-
omising fuel consumption during
operation with the help of ZF. The
company is also keen on conduct-
ing large programmes for creating
dealers and service centres across
the country, with a view of having
a multiple dealers in each state.
The company wants its customers
to have the option of choosing from
many dealers in the same location,
which again boosts customers’ con-
fidence on the Kamaz brand. 2012
promises to be the defining year
for Kamaz, and if all goes well, the
Russian market leader is sure to
make a mark in the competitive In-
dian commercial vehicle space.
w
cover story
The company considers
localisation as one of the
key aspects of its strategy
for the Indian market.