Fostering self-employment in India to help build successful entrepreneurs & small businesses
Tata Motors today celebrated the roll-out of its 100,000th Tata ACE ZIP at its Dharwad facility in Karnataka. The Tata ACE Zip Micro truck is the last mile cargo transport vehicle from Tata Motors that has successfully provided solutions to the need for a safer, four-wheel, last mile transport option to cross narrow alleyways and zip through heavy traffic. Its affordable pricing and competitive maintenance cost throughout the life-cycle has fostered self-employment to help entrepreneurs & small businesses grow across urban/ semi-urban/ rural areas. The Tata ACE Zip is the second highest selling variant of the ACE family with an average volume of 2,500 vehicles per month and enjoys an unparalleled brand equity in this segment.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors, said, “The Tata Motors’ creation of the ACE in May 2005 and subsequently the ACE Zip went on to create new vehicle categories in India and are a clear indication of our understanding of the customer needs and commitment to cater to these with safe, cost-efficient transport solutions. Leading the segment with a large 78 per cent share, the ACE Zip micro-truck offers a safer, more lucrative cargo option for the cargo carrier businesses. It has found acceptability from first-time buyers and is seen as a successful self-employment generation model. Today, with the 100,000th roll out of this vehicle, we can confidently testify the value we offer to our customers”.
In May 2011, the ACE family grew with the launch of the Micro truck – Tata ACE Zip, a technologically superior, four-wheel, smart and safe micro truck with a payload of 600 kg for deep-penetration for door-to-door goods movement. With a turning radius of 3.5 meters, the Tata ACE Zip proved to be a revolution in the small commercial vehicle industry. It is suitable for short intra-city deliveries, plying on narrow village roads as easily as on long highway hauls, carrying small bulky loads or even a heavy cargo. This half-ton truck is not only stylishly designed but also lives up to the promise of durability and performance.
In India, the Tata ACE Zip has been used in various applications like Cargo Van, Water tankers, Dumpers, Tippers, Display Vans, Shop-on-wheels, Snack Centre, Delivery Vans etc. Around 200 Tata Motors dealerships with a total network strength of around 1,800 outlets retail the Tata ACE family.
Established with an investment of over Rs. 900 crores, the Dharwad facility, home to the ACE Zip is a green field project by Tata Motors for the production of this Micro truck. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment following lean manufacturing principles and has built-in flexibilities to assemble large numbers and different variants in mixed mode production. The plant spans across an area of 405 acres and has been constructed as per the norms specified by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and has been accorded Platinum Rating from its inception. This plant recently won the Union Power Ministry’s ‘National Energy Conservation Award’ for 2014 in the automobile sector.
The plant is ISO 14001 certified for Environment Management System Standard and for ISO 50001, Energy Management Systems. The Plant has won Golden Peacock for Environment Management System in 2014.
The Plant is also certified for ISO: TS 16949 for its Quality Management System.
The major capital outlay, encompassing civil and plant engineering work for the facility, has been sourced from Europe, the US, South Korea, Japan and best-in-class suppliers from India. The capacity of the plant is 90,000 units per year.
Tata Motors offers its ACE Zip customers a wide service network with a service center at approximately every 40 kms in India. Additionally, the customer gets Annual Maintenance Contract and Extended Warranty or Tata Alert services at an attractive price. These comprehensive services are unique offerings from Tata Motors in this range of vehicles.
In future, the Company plans to undertake major technological upgrades — better vehicle performance and durability through hub reduction, higher ground clearance, new engine configurations, new fuel options like CNG. Tata Motors is also planning to introduce an Electric version in the market.
With the largest and still growing network in place, continuous slew of upgrades, new launches and specific marketing interventions, Tata Motors continues to be the dominant player and is making strides in the Small Commercial Vehicle Industry.
