Bus and coach market potential targeted
For more than 45 years, Vetus has been an internationally operating developer, manufacturer and trading company, selling marine engines, generators and technical equipment for recreational craft and small commercial vessels. With its headquarters at Schiedam in the Netherlands the company has established international subsidiaries in Great Britain, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Russia, the US, China, India, Denmark, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Vetus & Maxwell Marine India is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Vetus N.V. of Netherlands, with its corporate office in Mumbai. Having proven its products for the pleasure-boating industry for over four decades, Vetus has brought some of its innovative systems relevant for the bus and utility vehicle industry in the Indian market. The company works with Spacetech as one of its partner in south India, with the latter taking care of installation of the former’s systems for customers.
In an informal chat with Motorindia, Mr. Rohit Jani, Director – Operations, Vetus-Maxwell India, and Mr. Senthil Kumar, Proprietor, Spacetech, explain in detail their different projects and plans for both India and other countries of interest to them.
With mobile solutions becoming the need of the hour in countries like India, Vetus is targeting the bus and utility vehicle segment in the country with its range of quality products and systems. “Vetus entered the Indian market in May 2012 and has seen huge potential for our products in India ever since. Spacetech was our first customer here, and they know how best to use our systems in different applications, so we decided to partner with them in the Indian market”, says Mr. Rohit Jani. Vetus customers in India include Spacetech and DC Design, apart from other caravan manufacturers.
System solutions for buses:
• Waste and fresh water systems
• Power management systems
• Windows and glazing systems
• Ventilation and vent systems
System solutions
Vetus offers solutions for waste and fresh water management, power management, windows and glazing systems and ventilation systems for the bus and coach industry. The company has installed the systems in the Indian market with all the units working well without any complaints from customers till date.
The company has been manufacturing toilet systems in Mumbai since last one year by initially focusing on exports, followed by expansion of activities in the domestic market. It has a capacity to make 500 toilet systems in three months. For the window systems, Vetus has its facility in Coimbatore from which it has been exporting systems worth Euro 5 million every year for the last seven years. It imports the other products from its central warehouse located at its headquarters near Holland. Vetus also has a warehouse in the US to which some products are delivered from its Coimbatore facility, en route to over 100 countries across the globe.
“We have supplied a good number of toilet systems in India, with demand beginning to pick up. The market is moving from low-cost chemical toilets to natural electric toilets. In the case of electric toilets, the bad odour gets vented out in the atmosphere, leaving behind the sludge which can in turn be used as manure, thereby eliminating any form of pollution. On the other hand, the problem with chemical toilets is that it produces industry sludge which is a waste”, comments Mr. Jani.
Vetus toilet systems consume less water than conventional systems and also come with a crusher which can practically crush waste of any material.
On the power management side, Vetus systems could possibly replace a diesel generator, taking care of power requirements for applications such as air-conditioning, entertainment system, pantry, refrigeration and toilet for up to eight hours. The power management system offers a green, silent and self-sustained solution eliminating the need for tampering with the vehicle’s engine.
The windows and glazing system is another complete solution from the Vetus brand. The windows are installed in a clinical manner, ensuring complete water-proofing within the vehicle. The window systems are complemented by Vetus’ ventilation solutions which optimize the air-conditioning and ventilation in the vehicle, which are very important aspects considering the growing demand for air-conditioned buses in the country.
Spacetech, established by Mr. Senthil Kumar 12 years ago, specializes in mobile living solutions, including caravans, motor caravans and portable toilets. Mobile living demands efficient methods of delivering adequate power and water supply. This is indeed a key challenge.
Says Mr. Senthil Kumar: “Efficient solutions for power and water supply are very important when it comes to mobile living. With Vetus’ portfolio, we saw a perfect product range for providing efficient mobile solutions which would work well for the Indian bus and coach industry. Our products will give a lot of comfort to passengers, especially with more people preferring long-distance travel.”
Spacetech has its base at Salem in Tamil Nadu with a manufacturing facility of its own at Karur where it manufactures a slew of products for a wide range of industry applications. On the aftersales side, the Vetus-Spacetech duo currently has one outlet at Salem and is working on expanding its presence with more channel partners across the country. Vetus is also open to tying up with potential partners in different regions across India.
Vetus participated in Busworld India this year and received overwhelming response for its range of products and solutions. Following the good response, it is targeting supply of around 1,000 systems next year. With Indian roads getting better and an increasing number of people switching over to more comfortable and luxurious bus travel, the target certainly seems achievable. As for the short term, Vetus is looking for one big breakthrough order which would set the tone for further business in the highly potential Indian market.