Fleetguard Filters has the distinction of being India's first ISO/TS 16949:2002 certified Filter Company.
August 12, 2005 (PRLEAP.COM) Business News
1) Fleetguard receives ISO/IEC 17025 from NABL FLEETGUARD Test Laboratory, the filter performance testing lab of Fleetguard Filters Pvt. Ltd., a manufacturer of heavy-duty air, fuel, lube and hydraulic filters, received the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL). Fleetguard Test Laboratory is one of the first engine filter testing facility to receive ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in India. Speaking on the occasion, Niranjan Kirloskar, Managing Director, Fleetguard Filters Pvt. Ltd. said, "The NABL accreditation will enable us to deliver top line products for the filter market. The accreditation also authorises us to certify filters other than ours for their performance and suitability."
2) Fleetguard passes test
FLEETGUARD Test Laboratory, the filter performance testing lab of Fleetguard Filters Pvt. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty air, fuel, lube and hydraulic filters for on and off highway applications, has received the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL), New Delhi. According to Dr. P A Thomas, Director (Research & Technology), Fleetguard Filters: "Over the past few years, Fleetguard invested millions in sophisticated product testing facilities. But now the accreditation ensures that our customers worldwide can have 100 percent confidence in our product's performance." A Cummins group company worldwide, Fleetguard is an OEM supplier to automotive, engine and compressor manufacturers like Ashok Leyland, Cummins, Eicher Motors, Tata Motors, Atlas Copco and so forth.
3) "We have 170 selling points across India"
Niranjan Kirloskar, Managing Director, Fleetguard Filters Pvt. Ltd., on the Company's Performance & Future Plans:
What was your turnover in the last financial year?
We clocked a turnover of Rs. 120 crore in the last fiscal. This was against a turnover of Rs. 86 crore in the year before that.
What do you attribute the better performance to?
Earlier, we were only a filters manufacturer. In the past year we have started manufacturing air intake systems for vehicle owners. It has given us a good boost in the OEM market.
What are your expansion plans?
We set up a plant at Jamshedpur last year to cater to Tata Motors. We have now bought land and are setting up a plant at Hosur in Karnataka. This plant shall come up by the end of the current financial year and shall require an investment of Rs. 6 crore. With these expansions our total installed capacity will be 22,000 air intake systems and filters a month. The basic idea behind these new facilities is that our plants should be as near the OEM manufacturer as possible to cut the lead-time in manufacturing.
What is your annual spend on R&D?
We have invested Rs. 10 crore in a Research & Development setup that has come up at our Nandur plant. The results from this facility will be seen three years hence. We will continuously invest in R&D.
What are your plans for the after sales market?
We have around 170 selling points today and are not interested in creating a mass distribution system. We want a committed distributor in each city who will invest in our business and meet selected targets. In return we will give the distributor exclusive rights of distribution for that city.
What are your plans for exports?
As a part of the Fleetguard INC we are allowed to export to our parent company. We do not plan to market our products internationally.