Ashok Leyland looks for overseas partners to grow exports

Monday, 5 March 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Pune: Ashok Leyland is looking for overseas partners to grow its exports, the Managing Director Vinod Dasari, has said.

The company which recently began exports to newer markets such as Latin America, Ukraine and Russia has exported 11,200 units of till end of February 2012 and expects to end the fiscal at exports accounting for 15 per cent of total sales.

“Buses currently account for around 70 per cent of our overseas sales,” Dasari said. The company’s strategy is to start out with buses in newer markets.

“When the local network gets used to our aggregates, and a service infrastructure is established, we can look at exporting trucks there,” he said, adding that while most buses are sent as CBUs, the company is also scouting for partnerships to push exports, including in areas like bus-body building.

Among the other initiatives on the cards is a drive to shed the company’s image as a maker of age-old products and one that is present only in the southern part of India. “Over 65 per cent of our products are less than three years old, over two-thirds of the employees are less than 35, and sales outside of South India are over 50 per cent,” Dasari quipped, adding that Ashok Leyland is set to appoint a brand ambassador and also begin an advertisement campaign to spread this message.

The company launched its 400th dealership and full service centre for MCVs and HCVs across India at Tathwade near Pune on Friday.