The new Tata Novus tipper is the first of a new generation of heavy commercial vehicles being built in India

In 1913, Henry Ford developed the assembly line and changed the face of motor vehicle manufacturing. Almost a century later, the new Tata Novus plant at Jamshedpur has changed the way vehicles are assembled at Tata Motors. What else would you say when you see the dust-proof plant and the new vehicles with futuristic, air-conditioned cabins?

It might sound a little profligate for a tipper or a trailer to have a plush, air-conditioned cab. But think of the conditions around a mine — swirling dust, temperatures soaring as high as 47^oC and barren, uneven terrain — and these cabins seem a necessity rather than a luxury. There are business advantages too — because the driver is comfortable, (s)he makes more trips per day, improving productivity.

The Novus range is the result of a collaborative effort by engineers of the Tata Motors Jamshedpur facility and Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicles (TDCV), South Korea. These heavy-duty commercial vehicles are targeted at the mining, infrastructure and construction industries. The Jamshedpur plant already makes tippers. Novus dumpers and tractor-trailers are next on the anvil. Other variants will follow. The Novus tipper is the first 300-hp heavy commercial vehicle in India, and is all set to create new benchmarks in comfort, safety, power and operational efficiency.

Futuristic features
The cockpit-styled driver's tilt cabin is air-conditioned. Ergonomically designed, modern and functional, the round dashboard transports the occupant to a comfort zone. It is equipped with a global positioning system location device. The driver can adjust the seat height. The cabin is on coil springs, has anti-skid steps and gives the driver excellent visibility. The chassis is made from the world's best frame material and electric deposition painting is used to make it rust-proof. Ground clearance is high.

The vehicle is sturdy and functions without breakdowns even in the difficult mines around Nagpur and Jaduguda. Its fuel efficiency, load-carrying capacity, continuous hours of working, cabin comfort and aesthetics are at par or better than its competitor, Volvo. It is fairly priced; on-road it costs Rs 40.5 lakh against the Rs 54-lakh Volvo. Tata Motors president (H&MCV) A. P. Arya says, "The Tata philosophy, of improving the quality of life through value-for-money products, is seen in this segment too."

Tippers were available in the domestic market, but they were either high-end — expensive and difficult to maintain — or conventional, with limited speed and gradeability. In Korea, TDCV was manufacturing the all-terrain Novus tipper, and marketing it locally as well as in 15 other countries including Japan, China, Pakistan and West Asia. It seemed only natural for Tata Motors to bring this time-honoured product to India.

Cheaper and better
Launching products in a short timeframe, with no compromise on quality, is never easy. So, the first 600 kits are being imported from Korea and assembled in India. The end product combines the power and performance of high-end tippers with the economy and support of their conventional cousins.

Tata Motors has managed to produce a superior vehicle at a lower cost because 20 to 25 per cent of the Novus is indigenous. It is powered by a tested-in-Korea but manufactured-in-Pune Cummins C3.8 engine, instead of the original Korean engine. The tipping system, exhaust, tyres, silencers, wheel rims, etc, are also indigenous. All this has helped in containing costs.

The present 75-per cent imported content of the Novus tipper is to be reduced to 25 per cent in the short to medium term. S. B. Borwankar, GM of manufacturing, elaborates, "We plan to indigenise the cabin, which we import at the moment, within a year to a year-and-a-half. We would like to indigenise the chassis frame too." As and when this happens, it would be Tata Motors' pride and their customers' delight, as it would mean even further value for their money.

Neighbour's envy
The Jamshedpur Novus facility is state-of-the-art. It took close to a year to set up the sprawling 11,300-square metre plant, which has an annual production capacity of 6,000 vehicles. The assembly process is wholly mechanised, with quality checks at all nine stations. The floor is epoxy coated, vacuum dewatered, smooth and shiny. Forced draft ventilation, automatic sliding doors and rolling shutters control dust levels in the shop and increase operator comfort. There's plenty of natural light.

Built in a modular style, it can easily be modified for future expansion. Besides, it is flexible, and can accommodate manufacturing processes for a wide range of heavy commercial vehicles. Hydraulic and pneumatic machines ensure higher productivity with less fatigue and physical strain for shop-floor operators. Yet, it's 'lean' from a management point of view. Operators, supervisors and managers for the plant were handpicked, and then trained at Korea. A team from the Daewoo Korea plant continues to oversee operations and assist workers at Jamshedpur.

It's not just a one-time cost differential or lower running costs that make Novus the favoured heavy tipper. One of the unique benefits of owning a Novus is access to the 24x7 call centre for support, to give customers the maximum uptime. Dedicated mobile vans with well-trained mechanics at each site and easy availability of parts are added incentives.

Tata Motors is moving at very high speed. Fuelling the project, on one side, is improvements in processes and facilities, and on the other are better inputs in terms of materials, manpower and technology. The result: world-class manufacturing and a world-class product. The Tata Novus has begun to provide its customers better returns and peace of mind.

Uploaded on June 20, 2006