Omax Autos diversifies into truck assembly operations

Omax Autos, which manufactures frame assemblies for the commercial vehicle segment and also caters to the two-wheeler, three-wheeler, off-highway, passenger car and railway segments, has expanded its work to encompass complete vehicle assembly. The company has won an initial order of 20 vehicle assemblies from a well-known truck OEM; its Bangalore plant rolled out its first truck assembly in March 2014.

Commenting on the diversification strategy, Kishor Karnataki, president and CEO (PC and CV), said, “A focussed assembly cell has been created in the Bangalore plant, where the truck is assembled in three stages starting from frame assembly, engine and powertrain dropping and third stage as cabin assembly with tuning. Upon completion of the initial batch successfully, Omax will work with the customer to invest for developing, a focussed infrastructure for high volume assembly line. Omax currently has two CV-focussed plants in Lucknow and Pantnagar. The Bangalore facility has expanded its CV business with more leading OEMs in the southern region.”

The Rs 1,200 crore group claims that it is the largest chassis assembly Tier 1 manufacturer in India with a peak volume catering to 45,000 vehicles per year. It is targeting an annual volume of 10,000 vehicles in three years. Omax Auto specialises in sheet metal components, tubular components and machined components. Starting with its first plant in Dharuhera, Haryana, the company has nine fully functional manufacturing plants across India.

According to Devashish Mehta, head (Strategy and NBD) Omax Autos, said, “Omax Autos has been a major player in the auto component segment for the last three decades. We started with motorcycle frames and accessories for major OEMS such as Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, TVS Motor Co, India Yamaha Motor and others and then diversified into the CV segment in 2007 by undertaking complete chassis assembly for Tata Motors’ heavy commercial vehicles. Even though the CV space has seen a significant dip in volume due to high interest rates and stagnant freight corridor rates, the company is confident of an upswing this year and is targeting similar premium assemblies.”