Gobind Coach Builders: Unleashing Unstoppable Innovation
In an exclusive interview, Karmjeet Singh, Managing Director, Gobind Coach Builders, opens up about how technology and constant innovation have helped the company to keep pace with the changing times as well as dynamics of the bus industry in India.
When I first stepped into Gobind Coach Builders’ factory, I was mesmerized not only by the sheer size of the setup but also by the professionalism that greeted me.
I had been in the small town of Bhadaur for the last two days and had been to quite a few bus body builders. But my very first impression of Gobind Coach Builders assured me that there was something special about the company.
And as I found out later, I was right — it is not only one of the best bus body builders in Punjab but also a forerunner in the Indian coach industry.
For the uninitiated, Bhadaur is a small city in the Barnala district of Punjab. What makes Bhadaur stand out in the map of Punjab is its impressive bus body building tradition.
With about 30 bus body builders dotting the sylvan suburbs, the otherwise nondescript city is home to some of the best bus coach body builders in the entire country, including This includes Gobind Bus Body Builders and Gobind Motors.
“Bhadaur has a rich heritage of bus body building,” stated Karmjeet Singh, Managing Director, Gobind Coach as he walked me to his office.
“Back in the 80s, we were fleet operators. Since there were no builders around at that time, we were compelled to build the body of one of our own buses once. It was in the year 1987, and the whole process was a big success. Soon, other bus operators started coming to us with orders. Honestly, that’s how the whole bus body building industry in Bhadaur took shape,” he added.
Today, armed with ARAI accreditation, ISO certificate, and AIS 052 type approval for bus bodies, Gobind Coach Builders has made its mark in the Indian bus body building industry with its range of luxury sleeper buses, STU buses, school buses, staff buses, and special purpose vehicles.
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Technology is the Back Bone of Gobind Coach Builders
As we walked through the factory, sound infrastructure and the technological prowess that Gobind Coach buttresses its operations on was pretty evident.
The factory sprawls across a wide area and is systematically segregated into different departments – a structure building division, a paneling unit, a designing unit, an R&D department, a modern painting booth, a state-of-the-art shower testing unit, etc.
There is a separate building that houses the company’s ABS thermoplastic polymer works.
“We are among the very few builders in India, and the only one in Punjab, that manufactures our own ABS, which we use exclusively for our interiors. ABS has high tensile strength and is very resistant to physical impacts and chemical corrosion, this ensures that the finished product can withstand heavy usage and adverse environmental conditions – something that is of utter importance in public transport,” says Karmjeet Singh.
Apart from cutting-edge bending machines, rolling machines, power presses, and many other special-purpose machinery, I was fairly surprised to see a slew of what could be clearly distinguished as indigenously developed machines.
“We have a lot of machinery that we have designed and fabricated in-house to execute simple tasks. This helps us save time, cost, and effort as well as minimize human intervention, thereby allowing us to as maximize performance and quality,” Singh proudly states.
Bus Body Design and Quality Assurance
Personally, I hold that the aesthetic appeal of a bus is the primary factor that distinguishes a bus body builder.
True that strength and quality are the main aspects of a bus body from a safety point of view, but at the same time, we all have to agree that it is the ‘the look’ that succeeds in turning heads and raising questions.
While aesthetics are subjective, Gobind Coach Builders’ latest luxury, sleeper bus model Spider released in May 2023 has been successful in embossing the gold standard by which bus designs are measured today.
A brilliant mix of aerodynamics, muscularity, and delicacy of details, Spider is the best expression of the company’s current design language.
“We read the market and the customers keenly and talk to engineers and designers, and combine their inputs with our DNA to come up with new designs that are practical and visually rich at the same time. All designs are executed on cutting-edge software like Coral Draw, Autocad, and Catia,” explains Singh.
Apart from Spider, the company’s new models include Tourista, Gold Star, and Shine HD, the latter only available for sleeper coaches.
Despicable road infrastructure is an ever-present malady of the Indian subcontinent. As a result, bus body builders in India are compelled to double-check the strength of body structures.
At Gobind Coach, precautionary measures to ensure this start right from the beginning when the structure is developed.
“We utilize only the best grades of raw material to ensure a solid overall product — 310 YST grade steel, equivalent quality aluminum, reputed seat brands like Grand Slam, Harita, etc. We also provide gussets to reinforce the body. Moreover, our models are built only as prescribed by ARAI, which ensures that nothing but the best is delivered to our clients,” adds Singh.
The company also has recently installed a fixture system to improve the overall quality of buses.
Also Read: List of Made in India Hydrogen Buses Empowering Sustainable Mobility
Gobind Coach Builders’ Core Markets and Future Plans
Gobind Coach has a very strong market in the northern part of the country. Within this region, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh have traditionally been the company’s stronghold and still remain so.
However, over the last few years, the Gobind Coach’s aggressive designs and sturdy quality has paved its way into newer markets like J&K, Assam, and Maharashtra.
“The Tourista model was exceptionally well received, both look and quality-wise. And we have been aptly rewarded for all the time and effort we dedicated to designing this model. It has helped us to expand our footprint into the states of Maharastra, Jammu & Kashmir, and even the North East,” states Singh happily.
Also Read: Gobind Motors Bhadaur – 10 Years Warranty on Bus Bodies
With new rules, new players, and a new breed of uber-informed consumers, the bus industry in India is going through a sea of changes.
The modern passenger is aware and very vocal about his demands. The pressure of meeting his growing demands trickles down to bus body builders, who are compelled to exercise routine innovation and maintain an upgraded product basket.
“Times have changed. The young passenger base demands the latest in comfort and facilities in a bus, and it’s ultimately us who have to fulfill it. Many new players have entered the market and customers expect unique designs at competitive prices, there is a lot of pressure on us at the moment. On the other hand, there has been no significant support from the government either,” laments Karamjeet Singh.
“Times have changed. The young passenger base demands the latest in comfort and facilities in a bus, and it’s ultimately us who have to fulfill it. Many new players have entered the market and customers expect unique designs at competitive prices, there is a lot of pressure on us at the moment. On the other hand, there has been no significant support from the government either,” laments Karamjeet Singh.
But as is often told, every cloud has a silver lining.
A growing base of aspirational consumers and stiffening competition are clear indicators of a market that is evolving.
As the competition increases, all stakeholders of this industry are compelled to ante up their offering, resulting in an overall increase in quality and efficiency of the entire industry itself, propelling it to the next level.
