Amaron Batteries poised for major growth in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, 29 April 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Amaron Automotive batteries, manufactured by Amara Raja Batteries Ltd. (ARBL), India’s lead-acid batteries major announced plans to push growth and network expansion in moving towards market leadership in the country.

Currently, Amaron has a market leadership in Sri Lanka in the ‘maintenance free’ automotive battery segment with their distributor Samudhi Group of Companies having a turnover of Rs. 610 million before taxes, which accounts for 10% of the market share. The vision was announced jointly by ARBL Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Rajesh Jindal and Samudhi Group of Companies Chairman and Managing Director Gamini Rathnayake, the authorised distributor for Amaron in Sri Lanka. From being the largest importer, Amaron batteries has rapidly grown into one of the largest automotive brands in Sri Lanka, offering low maintenance and long lasting battery solutions with the longest period of warranty obtainable in the market. Amaron is currently distributed through more than 250 dealers located around Sri Lanka. Commenting on Amaron’s growth and future initiatives Jindal said: “We see significant growth potential for Amaron as the Sri Lankan vehicle market continues to expand. We will look to leverage on the brand’s strong performance both in India and Sri Lanka to further extend our reach to consumers here. Expanding our dealer network through Samudhi and offering new products to the Sri Lankan market will take the center stage in our country strategy.” Outlining the impact of the brand in the local market, Gamini Rathnayake, Chairman of Samudhi Group of Companies stated: “The brand has shown stable growth over the years with attributes such as low maintenance and the 60-month warranty triggering decision over other brands with first time buyers ending as loyal consumers.” Rathnayake added that his company is gearing towards a target of increased sales of up to 40% by end 2015. Amara Raja Batteries Ltd., a company with 26% equity each from the Galla family and Johnson Controls Inc, USA, is the technology leader and is one of the largest manufacturers of lead acid batteries for both industrial and automotive applications in the Indian storage battery industry. The company supplies automotive batteries under OE relationships to Ashok Leyland, Ford India, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, and Tata Motors. The company’s industrial and automotive batteries are exported to Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.