Quality Suspension Products Via Manufacturing Excellence
Auto Tech Review|September 2019
The future of mobility expected to witness major transformations in terms of powertrains, vehicle control and usage patterns, but certain components and systems will continue to be part of the vehicle irrespective of future changes. One such area is the vehicle’s suspension system. In a recent visit to Gabriel India Ltd, we learnt about the company’s focus on achieving manufacturing excellence for high quality suspension products for two- and three-wheelers.
Naveen Arul
Quality Suspension Products Via Manufacturing Excellence
The automotive industry could see four-wheelers shift to advanced active suspension systems, but the larger two- and three-wheeler market segments still require suspension systems consisting of forks, springs and shock absorbers. Auto Tech Review recently met up with Atul Jaggi, Senior Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer, Two & Three Wheeler Business Unit and Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Gabriel India Ltd, at the company’s plant at Hosur, Tamil Nadu to know more.

The company’s Hosur facility is one of the seven plants of Gabriel, which is the flagship company of the Anand Group. It must be noted that the Anand Group began its business in 1961 with its first manufacturing facility for Gabriel in Maharashtra. The Hosur plant – currently the largest among all seven Gabriel facilities – was established in 1997. The company claims to be unique in the sense that it has a presence in the suspension/shock absorber business with products that cater to all segments, including two- & three-wheelers, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles as well as Indian railways.

GABRIEL HOSUR PLANT

The Hosur plant manufactures shock absorbers and front forks for the front and rear suspension systems of motorcycles, scooters and three-wheelers. This facility is focussed on supplying suspension components to OEMs located primarily in the southern part of India. The plant has a total annual production capacity of around 15 mn units per year, including shock absorbers and front forks. In parallel with the industry’s breakup of segments, Gabriel’s production capacity is segregated into motorcycles, scooters and three-wheelers in the ratio of about 60:30:10. Jaggi noted that Gabriel is the market leader in India for scooters and three-wheeler suspensions.

This story is from the September 2019 edition of Auto Tech Review.

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This story is from the September 2019 edition of Auto Tech Review.

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