Company Overview
TVS
General Information
TVS Apache is India's leading brand of motorbike. The Apache combines TVS' edgy engineering with the passion for racing born of years of running one of India's toughest teams - TVS Racing. TVS was established by Thirukkurungudi Vengaram Sundaram Iyengar. He began with Madurai's first bus service in 1911 and founded T.V.Sundaram Iyengar and Sons Limited, a c
ompany that consolidated its presence in the transportation business with a large fleet of trucks and buses under the name of Southern Roadways Limited.[2] When he died in 1955 his sons took the company ahead with several forays in the automobile sector, including finance, insurance, manufacture of two-wheelers, tyres and components. The group has managed to run 33 companies that account for a combined turnover of nearly $3 billion. Early years
Sundaram Clayton, then the flagship company, was founded in 1962 in collaboration with Clayton Dewandre Holdings, United Kingdom. It manufactured brakes, exhausts, compressors and various other automotive parts. The company set up a plant at Hosur in 1978 to manufacture mopeds as part of a new division.[3] A technical collaboration with the Japanese auto giant resulted in the joint-venture Ind Suzuki Limited in 1982 between Sundaram Clayton Ltd and Suzuki Motor Corporation. Commercial production of motorcycles began in 1984. Suzuki relationship
TVS and Suzuki shared a 19 year long relationship that was aimed at technology transfer to enable design and manufacture of two-wheelers specifically for the Indian market. Rechristened TVS-Suzuki, the company brought out several models such as the Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Sh**un and Suzuki Fiero. Differences in opinion on how to run the join venture eventually led to the partners going their separate ways in 2001 with the company being renamed TVS Motor, relinquishing rights to use the Suzuki name. There was also a 30 month moratorium period during which Suzuki promised not to enter the Indian market with competing two-wheelers.[4] The company also got over a period of labour unrest that required Chairman Venu Srinivasan to take tough measures to resurrect a company that was in a state of turmoil. He would go on to invest in new technology, nurture in-house design, and implement Toyota-style quality programs.[5]
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