8.

7: Ashok Leyland
ollowing the independence of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias first Prime Minister, persuaded Mr Raghunandan Saran, an industrialist, to enter automotive manufacture. The company began in 1948 as Ashok Motors, to assemble Austin cars. The company was renamed and started manufacturing commercial vehicles in 1955 with equity participation by British Leyland. Today the company is the flagship of the Hinduja Group, a British-based and Indian originated transnational conglomerate. Early products included the Leyland Comet bus which was a passenger body built on a truck chassis, sold in large numbers to many operators, including Hyderabad Road Transport, Ahmedabad Municipality, Travancore State Transport, Bombay State Transport and Delhi Road Transport Authority. By 1963, the Comet was operated by every State Transport Undertaking in India, and over 8,000 were in service. The Comet was soon joined in production by a version of the Leyland Tiger. In 1968, production of the Leyland Titan ceased in Britain, but was restarted by Ashok Leyland in India. The Titan PD3 chassis was modified, and a five speed heavy duty constant-mesh gearbox utilized, together with the Ashok Leyland version of the O.680 engine. The Ashok Leyland Titan was very successful, and continued in production for many years. Over the years, Ashok Leyland vehicles have built a reputation for reliability and ruggedness. This was mainly due to the product design legacy carried over from British Leyland. Ashok Leyland had a collaboration with the Japanese company Hino Motors from whom the technology for the H-series engines was bought. Many indigenous versions of H-series engine were developed with 4 and 6 cylinder and also conforming to BS2 and BS3 emission norms in India. These engines proved to be extremely popular with the customers primarily for their excellent fuel efficiency. Most current models of Ashok Leyland come with H-series engines.

An Ashok Leyland bus run by theChennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation

In 1987, the overseas holding by Land Rover Leyland International Holdings Limited (LRLIH) was taken over by a joint venture between the Hinduja Group, the Non-Resident Indian transnational group and IVECO Fiat SpA, part of the Fiat Group and Europe's leading truck manufacturer. Ashok Leylands long-term plan to become a global player by benchmarking global standards of technology and quality was soon firmed up. Access to international technology and a US$200 million investment programme created a state-of-the-art manufacturing base to roll out international class products. This resulted in Ashok Leyland launching the 'Cargo' range of trucks based on European Ford Cargotrucks. These vehicles used Iveco engines and for the first time had factory-fitted cabs. Though the Cargo trucks are no longer in production and the use of Iveco engine was discontinued, the cab continues to be used on the 'ecomet' range of trucks. In the journey towards global standards of quality, Ashok Leyland reached a major milestone in 1993 when it became the first in India's automobile history to win the ISO 9002 certification. The more comprehensive ISO 9001 certification came in 1994, QS 9000 in 1998 and ISO 14001 certification for all vehicle manufacturing units in 2002. In 2006, Ashok Leyland became the first automobile company in India to receive the TS16949 Corporate Certification.Editors note: This is part of a series of articles peeking into clean car industries and car manufacturers of China, India, South Korea and Germany. Among many other goals, Ashok Leyland aims to expand its operations to penetrate into overseas markets. Included in the companys plans is to acquire smaller car manufacturers in China and in other developing countries. In October 2006, Ashok Leyland bought a majority stake in the

Czech based- Avia. Called Avia Ashok Leyland Motors s.r.o., this will give Ashok Leyland a channel into the competitive European market. According to the company, in 2008 the joint venture sold 518 LCVs in Europe despite tough economic conditions. Furthermore, the company will expand its product offers into construction equipment, following a joint venture with John Deere. Newly formed in June 2009, the John Deere partnership is a 50/50 split between the companies. The company says negotiation is progressing on land acquisition, and the production plans are in place. The venture is scheduled to start rolling out wheel loaders and backhoe loaders in October 2010. Aside from the full expansion planned for the company, Ashok Leyland is also paying close attention to the environment. In fact, they are one of the companies showing the strongest commitment to environmental protection, utilizing eco-friendly processes in their various plants. Even as they thrust into different directions, Ashok Leyland maintains an R&D group that aims to uncover ways to make their vehicles more fuel efficient and reduce emissions. In fact, even before laws were placed on car emissions, Ashok Leyland was already producing low-emission vehicles. Back in 1997, they have already released buses with quiet engines and low pollutant emission based on the CNG technology. In 2002 it developed the first hybrid electric vehicle. Ashok Leyland has also launched a mobile emission clinic that operates on highways and at entry points to New Delhi. The clinic checks vehicles for emission levels, recommends remedies and offers tips on maintenance and care. This work will help generate valuable data and garner insight that will guide further development. When it comes to the development of environmentally friendly technologies, Ashok Leyland has developed Hythane engines. In association with the Australian company Eden Energy, Ashok Leyland successfully developed a 6-cylinder, 6-liter 92 kW BS-4 engine which uses Hythane (H-CNG,) which is a blend of natural gas and around 20% of hydrogen. Hydrogen helps improve the efficiency of the engine but the CNG aspect makes sure that emissions are at a controlled level. A 4cylinder 4-litre 63 KW engine is also being developed for H-CNG blend

in a joint R&D program with MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) and Indian Oil Corporation. The H-CNG concept is now in full swing, with more than 5,500 of the technologys vehicles running around Delhi. The company is also already discussing the wide-scale use of Hythane engines with the Indian government. Hythane engines may be expected in the near future, but these may not be brought to the United States as yet. Ashok Leylands partnership with Nissan is also focusing on vehicle, powertrain, and technology development listed under three joint ventures. With impressive investment, the joint ventures will focus on producing trucks with diesel engines that meet Euro 3 and Euro 4 emission standards. In the coming years, Ashok Leyland also has some hybrid trucks and buses in store for its market. The buses and trucks are set to feature a new electronic shift-by-wire transmission technology as well as electronic-controlled engine management for greater fuel efficiency. Ashok Leyland focuses on improving fuel efficiency without affecting automotive power, and the vehicles will have a 5% improvement on fuel efficiency. Ashok Leyland is also developing electric batteries and biofuel modes. Ashok Leyland Ltds March quarter results were expected to be impressive, as its monthly vehicle output reports had indicated a 138% jump in volumes. But what impressed was its net profit growth of 317%, to Rs223 crore, over the year-ago period, even as sales rose by 139%. Ashok Leylands operating profit margin rose to 13% compared with 10.5%. Higher volume growth, a better product mix due to higher sales of multi-axle vehicles and tractor trailers, and cost reduction were key reasons for margin expansion. its estimate for volume growth in 2011 is conservative, at 15% compared with over 30% in FY2010. Around 1,200 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme are yet to be delivered of the 5,098 ordered. Besides, it has orders on hand from state transport undertakings for another 2,000 buses. The firm is investing to increase its capacity, with Rs1,200 crore proposed for expansion plans over the next two years;

mainly to increase output of engines and new generation cabs. Besides, it plans to invest Rs800 crore in joint ventures. Analysts believe that its Uttarakhand plant is expected to deliver 22,000-25,000 vehicles in fiscal 2011, in its first full year of operation. The company has also steadily gained market share, from 21-22% in the first quarter of 2010 to 28-29% in the fourth quarter. One concern is that it is not yet a strong player in the eastern market. Besides, the southern market, traditionally its stronghold, has grown by only 15% in volume terms in 2010. The rest of India (mainly north and west) grew by 40% during the year. An Ashok Leyland-Nissan joint venture produced light commercial vehicles (LCVs) from the former's Hosur facility near Bangalore as well as from Renault-Nissan's car plant near Chennai.[2]
[edit]Current

status

Inter-city luxury bus

Ashok Leyland is the second technology leader in the commercial vehicles sector of India. The history of the company has been punctuated by a number of technological innovations, which have since become industry norms. It was the first to introduce multi-axled trucks, full air brakes and a host of innovations like the rear engine and articulated buses in India. In 1997, the company launched the countrys first CNG bus and in 2002, developed the first Hybrid Electric Vehicle. The company has also maintained its profitable track record for 60 years. The annual turnover of the company was USD 1.4 billion in 200809. Selling 54,431 medium and heavy vehicles in 2008-09, Ashok Leyland is India's largest exporter of medium and heavy duty trucks. It is also one of the largest private sector employers in India - with about

12,000 employees working in 6 factories and offices spread over the length and breadth of India. The company has increased its rated capacity to 105,000 vehicles per annum. Also further investment plans including putting up two new plants - one in Uttarakhand in North India and a bus body building unit in middle-east Asia are fast afoot. It already has a sizable presence in African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and South Africa. Ashok Leyland has also entered into some significant partnerships, seizing growth opportunities offered by diversification and globalization with Continental Corporation for automotive infotronics; with Alteams in Finland for high pressure die casting and recently, with John Deere for construction equipment.[3] As part of this global strategy, the company acquired Czech Republicbased Avia's truck business. The newly acquired company has been named Avia Ashok Leyland Motors s.r.o. This gives Ashok Leyland a foothold in the highly competitive European truck market. In 2010 Ashok Leyland acquired a 26% stake in the British bus manufacturer Optare, a company based on the premises of a former British Leyland subsidiary C.H.Roe. The Hinduja Group also bought out IVECO's indirect stake in Ashok Leyland in 2007. The promoter shareholding now stands at 51%.
[edit]Nissan

Ashok Leyland

In 2007, the company announced a joint venture with Japanese auto giant Nissan (Renault Nissan Group) which will share a common manufacturing facility in Chennai, India. The shareholding structures of the three joint venture companies are:

Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., the vehicle manufacturing company will be owned 51% by Ashok Leyland and 49% by Nissan Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain Pvt. Ltd., the powertrain manufacturing company will be owned 51% by Nissan and 49% by Ashok Leyland

Nissan Ashok Leyland Technologies Pvt. Ltd., the technology development company will be owned 50:50 by the two partners.

Dr. V. Sumantran, Executive Vice Chairman of Hinduja Automotive Limited and a Director on the Board of Ashok Leyland is the Chairman of the Powertrain company and he is on the Boards of the other two JV companies. The venture, once it takes off, will be one of the largest investments made in automotive field in the country
[edit]iBUS

An artistic concept of iBUS

Ashok Leyland announced iBUS in the beginning of 2008, as part of the future for the country's increasingly traffic-clogged major cities. Its Rs 60lakh, iBus, a feature-filled, low-floor concept bus for the metros revealed during the Auto Expo 2008 in India, a vehicle for a first production run of pilot models should be ready by the end of this year. The start of full production is scheduled for 2009. Developed by a team of young engineers, the low-floored iBus will have the first of its kind features, including anti-lock braking system, electronic engine management and passenger infotainment. The executive class has an airline like ambience with wide LCD screens, reading lights, audio speakers and, for the first time, Internet on the move. A GPS system enables vehicle tracking and display of dynamic route information on LCD screens, which can also support infotainment packages including live data and news. The bus will probably be equipped with an engine from the new Neptune family, which Ashok Leyland also introduced at this exhibition, which are ready for the BS4/Euro 4 emission regulations and can be upgraded to Euro 5.[4]

[edit]U-Truck

Ashok Leyland, announced sale of vehicles on the new U-Truck platform from November,2010 with the rolling out of the first set of 10 models of tippers and tractor trailers in the 16 49-tonne segment.Further, another 15 models are set to enter the market in the next 12 months.
[edit]Dost

DOST is a 1.25 ton light commercial vehicle (LCV) that is the first product to be launched by the Indian-Japanese commercial vehicle joint venture Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles. Intitial batch of engine complaint on dost is rectified and the new batch will be supplied shortly, Dost is powered by a 55 hp high-torque, 3-cylinder, turbo-charged Common Rail Diesel engine and has a payload capacity of 1.25 Tonnes. It is available in both BS3 and BS4 versions. The LCV is being produced in Ashok Leyland's plant in Tamil Nadu's Hosur. The LCV is available in three versions with the top-end version featuring air-conditioning, power steering, dual-colour of a beige-gray trim and fabric seats. With the launch of Dost Ashok Leyland has now entered the Light Commercial Vehicle segment in India[5][6][7][8][9]
[edit]Ashok

Leyland Defence Systems

An Indian road-mobile launcher with a ballistic missile

Ashok Leyland Defence Systems (ALDS) is a newly floated company by the Hinduja Group. Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of Hinduja group, holds 26 percent in the newly-formed Ashok Leyland Defence Systems (ALDS). The newly floated company has a mandate to design and develop defence logistics and tactical vehicles, defence communication and other systems.[10] Ashok Leyland is the largest

supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army. It has supplied over 60,000 of its Stallion vehicles which form the Army's logistics backbone.[11]
[edit]Facilities

The company has seven manufacturing locations in India: Ennore and Hosur, Tamil nadu (Hosur - 1, Hosur - 2, CPPS) Alwar, Rajasthan Bhandara, Maharashtra Pantnagar, Uttarakhand Ashok Leyland's Technical Centre, at Vellivoyalchavadi (VVC) in the outskirts of Chennai, is a state-of-the-art product development facility, that apart from modern test tracks and component test labs, also houses India's one and only Six Poster testing equipment The company had an Engine Research and Development facility in Hosur, which was shifted to VVC, Chennai.

The company has signed an agreement with Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) in UAE for setting up a bus body building unit in the Middle East. [edit]Leadership

From April 1, 2011 Mr. R. Seshasayee was handed over the responsibility of Executive Vice Chairman of Ashok Leyland, passing over the responsibility of Managing Director to Mr. Vinod Dasari. Mr. Seshasaree was the MD since 1998. Under his leadership the company has expanded from a purely India-centric company to a company with global focus. Mr. Seshasayee was also the President of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), the apex body representing Indian Industry for the year 2006-2007. The following are the other functional heads at Ashok Leyland: 1. Mr. Vinod Dasari - Managing Director 2. Mr. K.Sridharan- Chief Financial Officer

3. Mr. J.N.Amrolia, Executive Director - Construction and Allied Businesses 4. Mr. Anup Bhat, Executive Director - Strategic Sourcing 5. Mr. S.Balasubramanian, Executive Director - Projects 6. Mr. A.K.Jain, Executive Director - Project Planning 7. Mr. R.R.G.Menon, Executive Director - Product Development 8. Mr. N.Mohanakrishnan, Executive Director - Internal Audit 9. Mr. M.Nataraj, Executive Director - Global Bus Strategy 10. Mr. Rajindar Malhan, Executive Director - International Operations 11. Mr. Rajive Saharia, Executive Director - Marketing 12. Mr. Shekar Arora, Executive Director - Human Resources 13. Mr. B.M.Udayashankar, Executive Director - Manufacturing 14. Mr. A.R.Chandrasekaran, Executive Director - Secretarial and Company Secretary
[edit]

For five decades, Ashok Leyland has been a major presence in India's commercial vehicle industry. These decades have been punctuated by a number of technological innovations by Ashok Leyland that went on to become industry norms. Ashok Leyland was the first to introduce full-air brakes, multi-axled trucks and a host of innovations in buses. Ashok Leyland's range of dedicated buses answer the special needs of urban mass transportation. No wonder then that four out of five STU buses in the Indian metros come from Ashok Leyland. At 60 million passengers a day, Ashok Leyland buses carry more people than the Indian rail network. In 1948, when independent India was one year old, Ashok Leyland was born. Ashok Motors then, assembling Austin cars at the first plant, at Ennore near Chennai. In 1950 started assembly of Leyland commercial vehicles and soon local manufacturing under license from British Leyland. With British Leyland participation in the equity capital, in 1954, the Company was rechristened Ashok Leyland. In 1987, the overseas holding by LRLIH (Land Rover Leyland International Holdings Limited) was taken over by a joint venture between the Hinduja Group, the Non-Resident Indian transnational group and IVECO Fiat SpA, part of the Fiat Group and Europe's leading truck

manufacturer. Ashok Leyland embarked on a major product and process technology upgradation to world-class standards of technology. Since then Ashok Leyland has been a major presence in India's commercial vehicle industry. These years have been punctuated by a number of technological innovations which went on to become industry standards. This tradition of technological leadership was achieved through tie-ups with international technology leaders and through vigorous in-house R&D.1994 was also the year, when international technology changed the way India perceived trucks. The year when a new breed of world class trucks - technologically superior and eco-friendly - rolled out on Indian roads. Ashok Leyland vehicles have built a reputation for reliability and ruggedness. The 375,000 vehicles we have put on the roads have shared the additional pressure placed on road transportation in independent India. The share of goods movement by road rose from 12% in 1950 to 60% in 1995. In passenger transportation, the jump is equally dramatic: from 25% to 80%. At 60 million passengers a day, Ashok Leyland buses carry more people than the entire Indian rail network. In the populous Indian metros, four out of the five State Transport Undertakings (STUs) buses come from Ashok Leyland. Some of them like double-decker and vestibuled buses are unique models from Ashok Leyland, tailor-made for high-density routes. From our state-of-the-art manufacturing Plant at Hosur, near Bangalore. They carried the name Cargo. Cargo brought with it, a new set of values and an unmatched basket of benefits, ushering in a change Cargo and the state-of-the-art Rs. 6 billion factory at Hosur were built with IVECO'S global plan in mind. The Hosur plant servers as a world-class manufacturing base for IVECO supporting its extra-European markets. To Ashok Leyland, it meant retaining its technological edge against potential global competition. The Cargo range of trucks meets contemporary emission norms and have gained acceptance internationally. Besides fully built vehicles exported to many markets, Cargo is locally assembled in South Africa, East Africa and Egypt from SKD/CKD packs exported from Hosur. A recognized trading house, Ashok Leyland exports to over 40 countries. Ashok Leyland's export turnover touched Rs.1.5 billion in 1997-98. Committed to Total Quality Management, Ashok Leyland is the country's first automotive manufacturer to obtain the coveted ISO 9002 certificate followed by the more comprehensive ISO 9001: 1994 certification and in late 1998, the latest version of QS 9000. These are major milestones in the company's TQM journey. In the journey towards global standards of quality, Ashok Leyland reached a milestone in 1993 when it became the first in India's automobile industry to win the ISO 9002 certification. The more comprehensive ISO 9001 certification came in 1994 and ISO 14001 certification for all vehicle manufacturing units in 2002.

Group Companies Automotive Coaches & Components Ltd (ACCL) Lanka Ashok Leyland Ashok Leyland Finance Ashok Leyland Project Services Limited

 Ennore Foundries Models Viking / Cheetah Panther Vestibuled Bus Cargo 1512 Comet (4x4) Tusker Super Taurus 2516 (6x4) Beaver Haulage Comet Tractor Beaver Tractor Hippo Turbo Tractor Alrd 20 Rear Dumper Comet Tipper Cargo 1614 Taurus Tipper Cargo 909 Cargo 759 Tipper Cargo 709

Ashok Leyland is the leading manufacturer of trucks, buses, special application vehicles and engines in India. The products of Ashok Leyland are at par with the best in the world. Ashok Leyland is the leaders in the Indian bus market, offering unique models such as CNG, Double Decker and Vestibule bus. More than 80% of the State Transport Undertaking (STU) buses come from Ashok Leyland. The company is a pioneer in multi axle trucks and tractor-trailers. Ashok Leyland is the largest provider of logistic vehicles to the Indian army. It also manufactures diesel engines for Industrial, Genset and Marine applications, in collaboration with technology leaders. The birth of Ashok Leyland can be attributed to the quest for self-reliance in the aftermath of independence. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru persuaded Mr. Raghunandan Saran, an industrialist, to enter automotive manufacture. In 1948, Ashok Motors was set up in Madras (Chennai) for the assembly of Austin Cars. Soon, British Leyland acquired an equity stake in the company and the name of the company was changed from Ashok Motors to Ashok Leyland. In 1955, Ashok Leyland commenced of commercial vehicles. Since then Ashok Leyland has maintained its technological leadership in the India's commercial vehicle industry. Tie-ups with international technology leaders and

through vigorous in-house R&D enabled Ashok Leyland to introduce latest technological breakthroughs in the Indian market. Ashok Leyland was the first to introduce full air brakes, power steering and rear engine busses in India. In 1987, the overseas holding by Land Rover Leyland International Holdings Limited (LRLIH) was taken over by a joint venture between the Hinduja Group and IVECO. Since July 2006, the Hinduja Group is 100% holder of LRL

Major Achievements of Hinduja Group

In 1993, became first Indian Auto Company to receive ISO 9002 certification. Received ISO 9001 certification in 1994, QS 9000 in 1998, and ISO 14001 certification for all vehicle manufacturing units in 2002. Became the first Indian auto company to receive the latest ISO/TS 16949 Corporate Certification (in July 2006). First company to introduce full air brakes, power steering and rear engine busses in India.

Achievements
Ashok Leyland buses carry 60 million passengers a day, more people than the entire Indian rail network Ashok Leyland has a near 85% market share in the Marine Diesel engines markets in India In 2002, all the vehicle-manufacturing units of Ashok Leyland were ISO 14001 certified for their Environmental Management System, making it the first Indian commercial vehicle manufacture to do so. In 2005, received the BS7799 Certification for its Information Security Management System (ISMS), making it the first auto manufacturer in India to do so. In 2006, received the ISO/TS 16949 Corporate Certification, making it the first auto manufacturer in India to do so. It is one of the leading suppliers of defence vehicles in the world and also the leading supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army. It is the largest manufacturer of CNG buses in the world.

Products (not exhaustive)

Luxura Viking BS-I - city bus Viking BS-II - city bus Viking BS-III -city bus

Cheetah BS-I Cheetah BS-II Panther 12M bus Stag Mini Stag CNG 222 CNG Lynx Double Decker Vestibule bus Airport Tarmac Coach Gensets
segment

[edit]Goods

Comet 1611 1612 H 1613 H 1613 H/2 (12m Goods) 4/51 GS 1613 Taurus 2516/2 (6x4) Tipper CT 1613 H/1 & H/2 Bison Tipper 1613 ST (4x2) Taurus HD 2516MT/1 (6x4) Taurus 2516 - 6X4 2516 H (6X2) Taurus 2516 - 6 X 2 4018 Tractor Artik 30.14 Tractor Tusker Turbo Tractor 3516 ecomet 912 ecomet 111i 4921

[edit]

U-Truck Tippers U-3123 U-2523 U-2518 U-1616 U-1618 U-Truck Tractors U-4923 U-4023 U-3518