Elofic Industries is the leading filter manufacturer in the country. The company manufactures filters for all vehicles like passenger cars, tractors, commercial vehicles, two-wheelers etc in its three production units at Faridabad (near New Delhi), Nalagarh (in Himachal Pradesh) and at Hosur (near Bangalore).
Elofic Industries has been in the business of filters for several decades but it’s only been few years since you got into two-wheeler filters. What took you so long?
When I joined the company in 2011 we realised that we were not producing two wheeler filters. This segment was leading the growth in the overall automobile industry in a major way. We wanted to be a very significant player in the market. In 2011 we started making filters for two wheelers for the aftermarket and also tapping OEMs
What’s been the progress in the filter business for two wheelers?
If you look at the aftermarket, for the last fiscal we have clocked about 20 lakh units and we have an established network of 150 distributors across the country. We are looking to double this in the next fiscal with a network of 300 distributors. This is a completely different network for the two wheelers and the response has been overwhelming.
The Indian two wheelers industry is the largest in the world. That means a huge scope for doing business in this segment, do you agree to that?
When we started off our main intention was to be kind of an OEM player. We started approaching all the OEMs in the country and we are happy to receive a positive response. Our products were very well accepted. Our aim is to work closely with the OEM engineering, do a lot of reverse engineering for them, be it through reducing a lot of parts in an assembly, or proposing alternate materials which will eventually bring their cost down.
What are the different kinds of filters that go into a two-wheeler?
There is a wide range, the technology over the years has changed. Earlier, we had foam filters in majority of the bikes. That technology is completely obsolete now. We now have paper type filters, plastic moulded filters, plastic inline filters, so it is the most appropriate time for us to enter the segment.
With so many expensive motorcycles gaining in popularity in the country, is this segment too a great space to be in?
Yes, today if you look at the sub 500cc category, we happen to be OEM suppliers to DSK Hyosung, to Suzuki Motorcycles, etc. Maybe it does not get us the volumes but it certainly gives us the prestige. We are in talks to Harley-Davidson, USA. We are also in talks with Triumph, and other players in the segment. In the regular two wheelers segment, we are in talks with Mahindra Two Wheelers, Royal Enfield, India Yamaha for all their future engines.
Are you also exporting these filters to global markets?
There is a basket of more than 25 part numbers which we are exporting to OEMs globally. We have not launched two wheeler filters in the aftermarket. We hope to be a global player in this space too.