Sabo-Hema Automotive Pvt. Ltd., the six-year-old Indo-Italian JV has already gained traction with its existing suite of products like hydraulic shock absorbers and suspension parts like air springs and bellows for commercial vehicles, trailers and buses. Being an exports-focused company, it ships out its products to Europe, Australia, South America, South-East Asian markets, and very soon in the US.
Interacting with MOTORINDIA, Mr. S.N. Ahmed, CEO, Sabo Hema, said: “We are providing good quality products at affordable prices coupled with excellent service backup. We have taken a lead (among other global subsidiaries of Sabo) in deliverables and my principals are confident that JVC progress is in right direction. In the first phase, we focused on our principal’s requirement. Henceforth, we will be also focusing on our requirements, i.e., the burgeoning domestic (automotive) market. Having said that, we will restrict ourselves to the existing product lines which themselves have a lot of scope.”
When quizzed about the key trends in the component industry, Mr. Ahmed affirmed: “We do foresee the increasing use of electronics and pneumatics. Our products have already forged a reputation for toughness and roughness since decades and it performs in extreme conditions. Going forward, we will be expanding our portfolio by bring in hydropneumatic shocks, which is essentially a crossover of the advantages of the technological principles of hydraulic and pneumatic. I am sure it will be a game-changing product for us. For electronics-driven shocks, we are adopting a wait and watch approach.”
Talking about its mid-term plans, Mr. Ahmed noted: “Until now, we have been primarily focussing on HCVs. We will now come up with shock absorbers for SUVs, MUVs and LCVs apart from upgrading our existing product portfolio. We will be increasingly serving OEMs in India and institutes like transport agencies (STUs), logistics players, where there is a requirement for our products. With the Indian (automotive) market evolving and getting attuned with global standards, we see a lot of green shoots here. Last year, the equation between export and domestic market was 10:90 and this year it will be 20:80.
Talking about its Vision for 2020, Mr. Ahmed concluded: “The future now lies on mobility whether it is for infrastructure development, passenger vehicles, cargo movement, etc., because of improving road conditions. We have been continuously growing since we are very young in this segment. Our performance in the previous fiscal was also very encouraging and we intend to replicate it this year too. Apart from bagging new clients, we will be selectively augmenting our presence in the market including OEM and replacement. All these factors will ensure that we are able to achieve our projected turnover of Rs. 100 crores by 2020.”