Tuesday, December 25, 2012

New Hydraulic Platform Trailer Manufacturer in India (Product Review) - Om Haulers Pvt. Ltd.

I wish all my readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2013!!

Om Haulers Private Limited launches its Hydraulic Platform Trailer with 2,3,4,5 and 6 Axle Line Module variants under the brand name "ARYAN".

Prima Facie, the model looks similar to Goldhofer THP/SL series trailers.
Distinctive Features:The manufacturer claims a GVW capacity of 20T per Axle Line which is 2 Tons higher than general variants of Tratec and VMT Axle lines.  The Axles are warranted for 1 lac km or 1 year from the OEM of Axles.

A little background of the group behind the product: The product is a result of combined effort by an established Trailer Manufacturer- Om Haulers Private Limited and Ex-VMT and Ex-TRATEC engineers. The manufacturing unit is in Rewari, Haryana.
Seems a good mixture of people behind the product. Lets see what it can achieve in 2013. A year seen as a year of turnarounds.
For more info mail me at heavytransportindia@gmail.com
All Specifications as received from the manufacturer

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Space Shuttle Endeavour's Farewell Run on Road

The Endeavour has flown 25 successful missions, travelled nearly 200 million km, spent 299 days in space and circled the earth 4671 times.
Accustomed to speeds of upto 28000km/h Its "Last Mission" was to crawl at 3km/h through cheering crowds in Los Angeles.
13th October 2012. NASA's Endeavour was Transported from Los Angeles International Airport to California Space Center, a distance of about 19km. The job was done by SARENS North America of the SARENS Group with close cooperation between various public and private entities on specially designed array of KAMAG Self Propelled Modular Trailers (SPMT). SARENS is one of the largest Heavy-Lift company in the world with Headquarters in Belgium and branches in over 50 countries. SARENS India has its head office in Delhi. 
This was the first time and probably the last for such event. Here are some photos. 

REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon 













..........................................................................................................................................................................PS: I couldn't trace from which source i got most of the photos. There are so many. I am not using the photographs for any monetary gain. Kindly, don't sue me please i have too much already to worry about ;-).

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Project Logistics' Unnerving Times

I just realised that it has been 3 months since my last post!
I was wondering why. May be there was nothing to write about in these months. The project transport scene was so bleak that nothing happened to write about.

Every transporter i talked to was complaining about the bad situation. One well known transporter from Gujarat even said "if this period continues for another 3-4 months many will be out of business". I have been anticipating this period for a long time. I mentioned this in my previous posts.

Last 2-3 years before March 2012 were crazy due to announcement of various projects. There was a mad rush for Hydraulic Platform Trailers. Every other transport company was buying these vehicles. Every other trailer manufacturer under the tree was making cheap imitations of Hydraulic Trailers. Result was rates nosedived in turn there was hardly any operating margins.

Now when projects are either stalled or scrapped. There is bloodbath in transport rates. Smaller players are cursing the day they entered ODC transport business. They have started to sell their hydraulic trailers. I infact received a call from one yesterday.

There is a silver lining though. 

This phase will cleanse the system. Sometimes nature should left alone to take its own course. Survival of the fittest. I hope once the madness subsides, better sense will prevail. I may sound harsh but that's how everything can be set right again.

Meanwhile, KHL has released the annual ICT world ranking of top transporters on basis of carrying capacity. In my opinion carrying capacity alone does not make a top rated transporter.
Here below is a snapshot. You can download the magazine from www.khl.com

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Gloom in Indian Heavy Transport Services and Vehicle Sales

On 23rd May 2012 i was in Mumbai and chanced upon this article which sums up the mood in the industry. Here's a look. This article strengthens what i had said in my last blog.


Copyright DNA.
Yuga Chaudhari & Amritha Pillay l MUMBAI
The slowdown in the heavy-duty commercial vehicle (CV) segment is expected to continue for up to six months. Experts said that sales had peaked in early March when some prospective buyers, encouraged by higher discounts but fearful of Budget-related price hikes, went ahead with their purchases. As vehicle prices rose post-Budget due to excise hike, other large fleet operators and individual buyers have been delaying their purchases, said analysts and transporters.

The drop in freight rates led to a further drop in heavy truck sales in April. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the CV segment grew 4.37% on year in April. In contrast, medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCVs) de-grew 11.60%.
A similar story obtains elsewhere. The Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT) said truck chassis sales were down 15.3% on-year in March 2012 due to withdrawal of excise stimulus from CVs.

More importantly, the heavy CV / trailer segment (16-40 tonne range) witnessed 24.3-34.6% drop in sales during April 2012. An IFTRT report attributed this decline to the “5% drop in truck freight rentals on trunk routes” and “indiscriminate fleet expansion of high tonnage multi-axle trucks” during the last quarter to March. Again, heavy buying in the truck chassis segment preceded the much-anticipated excise hike in the Budget. The subsequent 5% excise hike pushed prices up by `60,000-80,000 on different variants.

“M&HCV truck sales in April have been sluggish as a result of slowing macro indicators,” said a Tata Motors spokesperson. GDP, industrial production, 3-5 % rise in vehicle prices, pre-Budget buying in March, the market taking time to transition to new prices… all these factors played a part, he said. Although April generally tends to be slack for truck-makers, this year proved worse than previous years.
“The sales are expected to remain under pressure at least for the next four or six months till segments like infrastructure and agri commodities revive. Pre-Budget buying during the first quarter of this calendar year has taken care of the demand for the next six months at least,” said Surjit Singh Arora, analyst with Prabhudas Lilladher, a Mumbai-based brokerage.

To somehow overcome sluggish sales, truck-makers have been offering discounts. “We see more discounts from various manufacturers going ahead. However, we are conservative as far as discounts in the medium and heavy truck segments are concerned. In the heavy duty segment, we are also participating with other players and offering larger discounts,” said an Eicher Motors official during an earnings call.

Supply chain firms and large fleet operators are still bullish about the industry and hopeful that sales will revive after September-October, when industrial activity reaches its peak.
Vineet Agarwal, joint MD of the Transport Corporation of India (TCI), one of the major supply chain players, said: “The decline in industrial growth has definitely affected business and thus movement across the country. At the industry level, as business volumes are sluggish, purchases are being postponed due to factors like rising interest rates. We expect some significant growth in volumes only after there is some improvement in industrial growth, which is expected only post August-September.”
TCI, however, is still positive about the market and will continue to maintain its investment to last year’s level.
Lars Sorensen, CEO-South Asia of Damco, a freight forwarding and supply chain company belonging to the APMoller Maersk Group, said: “We are still very bullish and going ahead with our expansion plans chalked out three years back. People are still concerned about the European and US markets. The Indian market is also a concern. There is no clear trend. Some companies are in a wait-and-watch mode.”

Thursday, May 17, 2012

India Reeling Under Slowdown...What is the best thing to do?

"Policy Paralysis" has become a fashion statement now. It has become the Satan's stone, where if something is not going as per planned, blame it on the Govt. policies (Satan). Economic Slow downs may be attributed to intra or international factors. I agree that there is a feeling of gloom lurking around. Combination of High Inflation rate, Rising Interest Rates, Expensive financing leading to cash flow issues. Added to that; Land acquisition problems, Scams of astronomical scale, Bad decisions by Govt agencies, Projects being scrapped, low demand etc. are making industry heads to bite their nails in anticipation of the future prospects.
A Raja Ex-Telecom Minister. Celebrates after getting bail. Accused by CBI for taking bribes to the tune of USD598.5 million
Some news snippets from last 2months:
  • A Group of Ministers (GoM) scrapped the NTPC’s controversial 600 MW Loharinag Pala hydel project on Bhagirathi river in Uttarakhand, citing religious sentiments and environmental concerns as reasons. An amount of Rs 700 crore had already been spent on the project, before its work was suspended
  • The Rajasthan government has scrapped tenders worth Rs 12,000 crore that were bagged by Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) more than a year ago for two separate thermal power projects in the state.
  • In a major setback to Jaypee Associate Limited, the Himachal high Court has directed the company to demolish its thermal power plant in Bagheri village in district Solan and imposed Rs. 100 crore damages for violating the law and making false pleas before the authorities and court.

An indicator of industrial growth is the steel consumption. As per Joint Plant Committee's (JPC) Chief Economist A S Firoz's statement to PTI on 15/04/2012 "I don't expect a very high rate of growth in consumption of steel in the current fiscal. It may be 4-5% for various reasons. However, there are ifs and buts. At the best case, up to 6.5% growth could be expected" and "That (5.5% demand growth) is not a very good scenario. Slowdown is taking place largely because of lack in investment. Industrial projects are not taking off"
Under the administrative control of the steel ministry, JPC tracks data related to country's iron and steel industry.
Heavy Lift and Transport companies are hit the hardest as these companies have low margins and purely depend upon the liquidity and cash flow
So, what should we do? The situation was worse in 2009, we fear if we are staring at another one. Some see this an opportunity. I know of person in the industry who started investing in equipment and acquired a company. When the demand rose,his operating profit margins were higher than others. He knew Law of Equilibrium always takes its course. I agree not a cup of tea for everybody.
This is the best time to bargain. If you have liquidity.


Like Mohammed Ali, keep dodging, preserve your strength, until the opponent gets tired and finally an uppercut! Move like a butterfly...Sting like a bee...

Monday, March 26, 2012

Largest Vacuum Column Made and Transported in India

After a long time i got some encouraging news.
Transportation of what is claimed to be the world's largest Vacuum Column. Manufactured by L&T
This column weighed about 1250 MT having middle section diameter of about 15Mtrs.
Sea and Land Transportation was done by J.M. Baxi & Co. in the month of Oct 2011 from Hazira to Paradip. 
The Load on/Load off was done on 24 Axle Lines in side joined combination (24x2=48Axle lines) of KAMAG K25 series Hydraulic Trailers. The trailers had self-propelled modules to give the system SPMT functionality. Here are some photographs.



Friday, February 3, 2012

Industrial Heavy/ODC Transport scenario not bleak

I met somebody senior in project transportation a few days ago in Mumbai. We were chatting on the current scenario in the sector and by blog. While appreciating my work he told something about my blog which did shake me a bit.
As per this gentleman I being a part of this sector I have been far too critical about it. "The picture is not that bad as it is portrayed."


I agreed.


The idea of creating this blog was to open our eyes and speak out about heavy project transportation in India. This segment for no reason has somehow been not talked about. There are too many bottlenecks and attitude problems. Then i realized that every country is unique with its own individuality and India is an unique country. In India in certain situations logic fails and faith takes over. This faith has kept us alive through many invasions.
The problem does not lie with the service providers. It is the availability of cheaper and inferior alternatives and the non presence of an honest regulatory machinery.


Its logical, if i have a cheaper alternative to which i don't have any regulatory obligations, i will consider the technically advanced and higher priced alternative as second to the cheaper version.


I will now try to include more developments in the sector in my blog.

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Indian Hydraulic Trailer Manufacturer (A Review)

I wish my readers a warm and prosperous NEW YEAR 2012!!!


JRDC launches its hydraulic trailers in 2, 4 & 6 Axle Modules
Prima Facie, the product is similar to Tratec model but has smaller wheels.
Distinct features: As per the manufacturer the unladen weight of a 6 Axle module is 24T, which is about 3 tons lower than both Tratec and VMT model (Update 18/04/2012: As per clarification received from VMT; the tare weight is 24T for their model as well). The hydraulic cylinders in Tratec and VMT are from their own developed vendors whereas JRDC uses  DANTAL Hydraulics products. Steel used is SAILMA 350HI (350 MPA Yield Strength)
Overall the product seems robust. Already has found about 10 buyers in India.
Update 13/07/2012: The hydraulic cylinders developed some problems and had to be replaced. Now  DANTAL cylinders are no more used. I recommend buyers should wait to see the performance of the already sold trailers.
You can mail me at heavytransportindia@gmail.com to know more.


actual photograph

All Specifications as per manufacturer
Hydraulic Modular Trailer
Model No : JRDC/MT/2011
No Of Axle Lines : JRDC/06
Tare Weight Of The Trailer
24000 Kg
Pay Load Carrying Capacity
84000 Kg
GVW Of Trailer
108000 Kg
Platform Length
9350mm
Overall Length With Steering Head & Tow Bar
12520mm
Over All Width
3000mm
Platform Height
1100(+)250mm
Operating Height
1150
Gross Load Capacity
18 Ton Per Axle Row
Steering Angle
49 Degree
Wheel Track
1820mm
Wheel Base
1550mm
Tow Bar Height
1150
Wheel Size
6x16x8
Tyre Size
7.50x16x16pr
Brakes
Knor / Tvs
Steering Head
2 No 'S Hydraulic Cylinder
Operating Pressure Of Suspension System
210 Bar
Power Pack Engine
Field Marshal
Hydraulic Tank
One Tank 150 Liters