Wheels India, a leading wheel manufacturer for passenger cars, utility vehicles, trucks, buses, agricultural tractors and construction equipment, presented its wide range of wheels for different applications along with its lift axles for trucks and trailers at Auto Expo 2016 – Components. While wheels have been the mainstay of the company for long, commercial vehicle suspensions and lift axles have become an important focus area in recent times, given the huge market potential in these segments.
Commenting on the company lift axle models on display at Auto Expo, Mr. Srivats Ram, Managing Director, Wheels India, said: “We started making lift axles for trucks in Q2 2015 and have displayed two offerings here – one is a trailing arm lift axle and the other a link arm lift axle. The latter is lighter and allows for more packaging alternatives, while the former is a traditional European design. We have also designed and developed a lift axle control module which offers trailer manufacturers the possibility to provide a lift axle for the trailer as well, thereby resulting in better fuel efficiency, increased tyre life, etc.”
Wheels India has been the face of steel wheels in the country despite facing growing competition from aluminium wheels. The Chennai-based firm, true to its technological capability and domain expertise, is putting up a brave fight by innovating within the steel wheel space as it tries to nullify the benefits of aluminium with value-added steel.
Mr. Ram explained: “On the steel wheels side, we have patented a product made of highly formable steel from Korea. We are trying to see how a steel wheel can match the styling of aluminium wheels. There is high penetration of aluminium wheels, and we, being primarily a steel wheels maker, have worked very closely with a Korean steel company to create the steel with a new design and a new manufacturing process to meet this specific requirement.”
That said, Wheels India has also gone beyond the steel realm by making forged aluminium wheels of its own, which are 16 kg lighter than the conventional steel wheels, translating to a weight saving of close to 200 kg on a 12-wheel vehicle. The product, which is commonly used in the Western world, is currently under field trials with end customers and is also being considered by some OEMs for niche applications in the Indian market.
Wheels India is confident that the commercial vehicle segment would grow in 2016 despite the overall economy remaining flat. On the back of its new and innovative product offerings, the company hopes to grow together with its customers.