Senok and Eicher begin venture with NEM Constructions

Thursday, 29 August 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (VECV), a Volvo Group and Eicher Motors joint venture and Senok Trade Combine Ltd., its authorised dealer for commercial vehicles, in a grand ceremony yesterday handed over the keys of 43 units of Eicher Terra 16 Tippers to NEM Constructions Chairman Raja Nanayakkara. Speaking during the occasion, Rajesh Kumaran, the Country Head of VECV Lanka, a wholly-owned subsidiary of VECV India, mentioned that it was a momentous occasion for VECV Lanka and Senok in beginning their journey together with a big bang. The journey with NEM Constructions which began in 2006 with the first order of Terra 16 Tippers, the most heavy duty and high performance dump trucks of its class, culminates today in to a whopping 150 fleet size of Eicher brand vehicles. Rajesh Kumaran, Cou-ntry Head, VECV Lanka, says: “NEM Construction has been a key customer of VE Commercial Vehicles, since 2006 and owns the largest fleet of Eicher Trucks and Tippers in the island. To have supported this esteemed organisation and their critical operations involving time bound projects, with Eicher brand of vehicles, gives us a phenomenal sense of pride and honour at VECV.” NEM Constructions is one of Sri Lanka’s leading civil engineering contractors with over three decades of industry experience and strong work force of over 850, handling major construction projects such as road construction, water supply and irrigation. Raja Nanay-akkara, Chairman of NEM, a Chartered Civil Engineer himself, with over 35 years of experience, has built up a strong reputation for timely completion of projects undertaken by NEM. It is little wonder that both private and Government entities prefer NEM for projects with stiff timelines and challenges. Some of the landmark projects handled by NEM Construction include Colom-bo-Katunayake Expressway, Kandy-Jaffna Highway and many such leading projects. “Maintaining a large fleet of heavy machinery and transport has served as a competitive edge to our work and the Eicher brand Terra 16 tippers have been delivering the highest productivity and savings in our fleet,” added Nanayakkara. According to him, not only does Eicher make good products but also delivers an effective after sales care with availability of spare parts through its authorised representatives. Kithsiri, Workshop Manager of NEM, mentioned: “We are delighted that Senok Trade Combine, a well known name in the distribution of construction equipment and holder of other diverse business areas, has taken on the Eicher dealership. Senok has always delivered to our expectations on all fronts of sales and after sales care.” VECV is a 50-50 joint venture between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors Ltd. In operation, since July 2008, the company includes a complete range of Eicher branded trucks and buses, VE Powertrain, Eicher components and Engineering design services as well as the sales and distribution businesses of Volvo trucks within India. The vision of VECV is to be recognised as the industry leader, driving modernisation in commercial transportation in India and in the developing world. VECV Lanka Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of VECV India and has been set up to strengthen the presence of the Eicher brand in Lanka. Eicher Trucks and Buses boast of a wide product range from five to 40T GVW trucks and 16 to 69 seater buses. It is making strong inroads into the Heavy Duty truck segment with ‘VE’ series of fuel efficient heavy duty trucks which has received good response from Indian and international markets for its promise of delivering enhanced value to its customers. The first Eicher branded truck rolled out of its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in 1986 and over the past 26 years, the products have got endorsements from satisfied customers owning over 300,000 vehicles. Eicher trucks and buses are exported to more than 22 countries across South Asia, Middle East and Africa supported by a strong distribution and after sales network. Eicher trucks and buses over time have been trusted and proven to be the best in its class, fuel efficient vehicles. Fuel efficiency is a critical parameter in purchase decisions of Commercial Vehicles as fuel constitutes over 50% of the running cost for the customer. Eicher brand has always been associated with fuel efficiency and the same has been proven through various trials and actual usage by its customers. The flagship plant for Eicher branded trucks and buses at Pithampur, central part of India, is known for its cost effective and lean manufacturing operations. In recent years, this plant has been investing in a big way, towards capacity expansion, enhancement of quality and introduction of new technology. A new paint shop has also been set in the facility which offers superior paint finish and delivers quality, much superior to what we see in contemporary trucks in India. VECV has also set up a world class engine facility at Pithampur, wherein Euro 6 compliant base engines with 5L and 8L capacities will be manufactured to meet the global automotive requirements of Volvo for medium duty engines. These engines would also be adapted for Euro III and Euro IV emission requirements and the same will be used in Eicher heavy duty vehicles. Locally owned, Senok Trade Combine holds a renowned name in construction and automobile industries in the island and has a strong presence in diverse business areas including construction equipment, Volkswagen and Audi cars, aviation, tea, energy, mining, travel and many other areas. Senok Trade Combine operates a well equipped and modern maintenance facility accredited with ISO 9001/2000 quality certification at Henegama, Weliweriya and is staffed with highly skilled, trained, professional Engineers and Technicians. Among other innovative and customer oriented approaches are Senok’s fully computerised and centralised spare parts facility and on-site after market support models, which stands out the most. Senok has dedicated workshop facilities for the Eicher brand in three major locations of Colombo, Vavuniya and Matara which will entirely meet Eicher operating standards in addition to a state-of-the-art showroom in Colombo. This is to take care of all aftermarket requirements of customers who need an island-wide network to ensure that their vehicles receive timely attention. Kumar Mendis, Asst. General Manager (Commercial Vehicle Sales) of Senok guarantees, “Our priority is customer service and we are always willing to walk that extra mile to put a smile on our customers’ faces.”