Orbit Bearings is one of India’s leading taper roller bearing manufacturers with plants in Gujarat having an installed capacity of six million units per annum. It has been meeting customized and stringent quality benchmarks of automotive manufacturers and industrial applications for over 25 years. With the Indian automotive industry preparing for the BS-VI emission norms, demand for quality vehicles escalates.
“We have now seen Indian OEMs willing to give quality products, and Orbit’s quality product would enhance the competitive edge of our customers in the market place by way of value addition that enhances the overall vehicle life, improves fuel efficiency and the operational cost of the vehicle,” said Mr. Vinesh Patel, Chairman and Managing Director, Orbit Bearings.
Orbit has been working with European OEMs for the last 12 years and that expertise will help the Indian OEMs. “The European manufacturers always speak about driver comfort, give fully-built vehicles and provide utmost comfort and convenience to their end customers. In India, the younger generation are now demanding quality and are not compromising on cost. Hence, each and every OEM is willing to give superior products. Our bearings run up to 10 lakh km on European roads which we are further improving to 15 lakh km,” Mr. Patel explained.
Mr. Patel’s observations are correct. Different duty cycles into different applications demand better vehicles and hence the OEMs demand service-free components in Orbit’s case, maintenance-free bearings that can save cost on re-greasing. He added: “Fleet operators have learned to monitor the off-road time, servicing time and break-down frequencies. As far as the bearings are concerned, it is not simple to open on the road side and repair. All these have paved for maintenance-free bearings. We have been giving maintenance-free bearings to the European customers for years and are happier to give it to India.”
Asked whether they feel the pressure to be competitive, given the current volumes from the Indian OEMs, Mr. Patel said: “We get over 60 per cent of our revenue from exports to Europe and China. We are particularly robust in taper roller bearings and unitized/hub bearings for wheel end solutions. As far as the Indian OE volumes are concerned, we see it growing owing to several infrastructure developments paving way for new trucks. The volume will continue to grow in the next 2-3 years.”
If the growing Indian economy is any indication, commercial vehicle sales would continue to grow, helping Orbit gain market share in India. “Sales of vehicles in the North and North East have increased. The Indian economy remains vibrant. Hence vehicle manufacturers are producing more with a special focus on quality since Indians are now demanding better products to be ahead of their competitors. We grew by 40 per cent last year and continue to keep the momentum for the next two years both with commercial vehicle OEMs and tractor manufacturers,” Mr. Patel added.