When you think ‘automotive’, Kinetic is a name that often comes to mind. Started with the vision- ‘A Kinetic in every automobile’-- over the last five decades, the company's strong technical knowledge and manufacturing experience has let them retain their position as leaders in the automotive industry.
Ajinkya Firodia
From the Lunas to Electric 3 wheelers
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Kinetic Engineering (KEL) is the flagship company of the Kinetic Group and has a fully vertically integrated large facility. The facility is capable of pressing, painting, welding, houses an engine and transmission component, along with assembly manufacturing and a heat treatment shop.
Chal Meri Luna was an iconic tagline when the moped was introduced KEL was the company behind it. The Luna brand moped, the first under KEL, was designed and developed indigenously at the company’s plant at Chinchwad near Pune.
KEL’s manufacturing unit is in Ahmednagar and is spread over 70 acres, with over 800 employees, 32 manufacturing sheds, and over 400 machines. Today, KEL produces various kinds of transmission products for cars, buses, trucks, tractors, and other general engineering applications. It also makes complete gearboxes for commercial vehicles and has devised its own electric axle application.
When the current MD of KEL, Ajinkya Firodia, joined the Kinetic Group in 2003 he was involved in the marketing of Kinetic scooters and products. It was in 2009 that he took over as the Managing Director of Kinetic Engineering Limited.
Tracing KEL’s history
The company was founded in 1972 by the late industrialist Mr. HK Firodia & his son, the current Chairman, Mr. Arun Firodia. The company under their guidance began its journey with moped manufacturing, focussing on the Indian common man.
The innovations at Kinetic continued across the various models for the moped. As competition in 2-wheelers increased towards motorcycles, the company sold their 2-wheeler business to its Pithampur Company, Kinetic Motor Company Limited, which in turn partnered with Mahindra.
In 2009, Kinetic began to focus on components and introduced gearboxes. The following year its automobile business was amalgamated with Kinetic Engineering Limited. It invested Rs. 75 crores in making a state-of-the-art transmission-making facility with machines from Germany, Japan, and USA, capable of high precision – high volume with low-cost techniques. The company invested in new technologies like laser welding, rack rolling, automatic straightening, and various other innovative gear-making solutions. Furthermore, the company developed its own gearbox assemblies for local giants, including Mahindra & Mahindra, Piaggio, and Ashok Leyland to name a few.
Adopting a B2B culture, changing the machine layouts to suit the customers, developing products for exports and passenger cars and backward integration into forgings – was all done by Ajinkya Firodia to create a new company amidst an old culture.
Value pillars
KEL’s key values were set by late HK Firodia with ‘Honesty, excellence and a focus on human relations’ as its three pillars. (Sachoti, Kasauti, Hatoti). They strive for excellence in all their products and practices, and they value their relationship with employees, as well as all their stakeholders.
Innovation and better customer service in the future
KEL has a number of things in the pipeline, including chassis for electric 2 & 3 wheelers. New variants of gearboxes and axles, keeping up with the latest technology, are always in the pipeline. Currently, the company is developing new products for electric mobility. It has recently finalised orders for the development of chassis and other parts for electric moped manufacturers and has bagged gearbox order for a leading 3-wheeler manufacturer.
The company’s focus, Firodia said, will always be on profitability and a good customer base that aims to accelerate the company’s growth.
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