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Sundaram Brake's efforts to go asbestos-free

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARCH 7. Sundaram Brake Linings, the first listed company in the TVS family, has set itself the task of making asbestos-free brake linings for the entire range of automotive vehicles.

Addressing a gathering at its factory in Padi near here to mark the silver jubilee celebrations of the company, its Chairman and Managing Director, K. Mahesh, literally threw a challenge to its employees to work towards this end. He sort of set a deadline for achieving this target. Mr. Mahesh wanted the company to start supplying asbestos-free products to the entire spectrum of automotive vehicle latest by January 2004. It is already making asbestos-free friction material at its Madurai plant, thanks to the encouragement given by Telco. The CMD's open challenge, insiders felt, would see other two plants also turning asbestos-free.

Mr. Mahesh recalled the troubles and tribulations the company had undergone in the past two-and-a-half decades. From a foundry man to friction material maker, it was quite a journey for him. He also pointed to the pressures a Tier-II company like Sundaram Brake Linings had been through from the OEM and Tier-I suppliers. He wondered how long this pressure would continue. He said the biggest thing that had happened to the company was when it turned Indian following the disengagement of its collaborator Abex of the U.S.

Mr. Suresh Krishna, who spoke on the occasion, drew pointed reference to the export thrust given by Sundaram Brake Linings.

Presiding over the function, R. Seshasayee, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, applauded the value system the TVS company had stood for and the courage shown by the enterprise and the entrepreneur to endure those principles through transparent practice. Mr. Seshasayee regretted that the dignity of labour was not accorded the same treatment as the intellectual capital. He said any developing country could not just thrive on service sector growth alone. He said the manufacturing sector should also invest more in developing intellectual capital at shop floor and varied levels.

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