Originally published at: https://www.pakwheels.com/blog/conversation-mr-mansoor-javed-sheikh-chief-executive-shock-house/
Keeping the tradition of bringing exclusive content for our readers, this time too, PakWheels.com has brought interview of Chief Executive, Shock House, Mr. Mansoor Javed Sheikh. Read the whole interview below.
PW: Let’s start with the basics, what are shocks and what is their function and why are they an important part to be looked after, secondly, Despite being one of the essential safety features in a car, shocks importance is often overlooked and is only considered a comfort-oriented part. What is the reason behind this?
MJS: A Shock absorber is a technical component in Automobiles with a function to absorb the big and small shocks faced by tires to reach the suspension and body, while maintaining a stable car posture during the drive, both in a smooth or rough road.
Its main functions are:
- Smooth drive despite rough road and comfort feel for the passengers.
- Maintaining stable car posture during high speed on the smooth road as well as during low speed on a rough road, such that the braking or turns, when applied do not let the car loose grip due to uneven tire grip on the road. If Shocks are worn out, the emergency braking distance increases by approx. 15% due to lack of road grip as the car often gets to a nosedive position, indicating a relation of Shock Absorber with the direct safety of passengers and people on the road.
- Not to let the uneven road shocks reach the suspension and body of the car, hence increasing the life of other parts of suspension and body. If new ones in time do not replace worn out shock absorbers, you ultimately still have to change them after some months, but then you have to change some other damaged parts of suspension as well. So it is better to replace worn out shock absorbers right away on time.
Regarding why it is often overlooked, the main reason is lack of awareness among the drivers. The main functions of the shock absorber are not known by 60% of car owners as per our research data, which shows that the ratio of new shock sales in Pakistan Vs. the Car population wise (forecast of demand) in the same year stands at 40%. This clearly states that 60% of the car owners either don’t know that their shock absorbers are due for a change, or they go for some other solution like shock repairing or used shock replacement
PW: What is the average life of a Shock Absorber for Pakistan Market as per Road conditions and How often should shocks be replaced?
MJS: As per international standard, a shock absorber has an average life of 50000 miles (80000 Km), However, in Pakistan, we are of the opinion that it is 60000 Km, due to road conditions and a high load factor i.e. we put more weight on our cars than the internationally recommended weight. An example is the back seat of the car. International standard says that the back seat of the car is for 2 passengers; however, we quite often have 3 or 4 passengers sitting there. If we translate it in the period, we can say it is between 3 years to 6 years depending on how much you drive.
PW: What brand of Shocks would you recommend to our viewers and why secondly what is the Retail price range on Shocks for some common Cars In Pakistan?
MJS: As for Locally assembled cars like Suzuki Mehran, Toyota Corolla etc, The main shareholder is AgriAuto Industries, the reason behind this is 1) They are O.E.M supplier of that car model, As they are supplying shocks for newly assembled cars in technical collaboration with Japanese and American companies, their quality is of a match to Japanese standard 2) Their price is very competitive 3) They have a 6 month warranty on all their Shock Absorbers and 4) It is available nationwide with every retailer.
As for Honda and other imported vehicles we have 2 segments 1) New models like Civic, City, Prius, Premio, Land Cruiser, Prado, Mark X etc., The best brand is Hitachi (Tokico), A Japanese brand, as AgriAuto only supplies Shock Absorbers for Toyota (Locally assembled) and Suzuki (Locally assembled). A small portion of KYB Shocks is also present in the market for this segment of cars
For Old and cheap models like corolla 1982,1986 Charade, Swift, Santro, where a customer does not afford to buy a Japanese Brand, In this segment, the market leader is “Dynomical” (China). A [A] class quality Brand with both, performance coupled with low price, along with a 1-month Warranty
As for Some Models Shock Absorber Prices in June 2019
Suzuki Mehran F-6400 R-2400
Corolla 2009-2014 F-13000 R-6800
Cultus F-6700 R-6700
PW: Would you recommend our viewers to compromise on quality for the sake of price and if not then why not, secondly, What is the benefit to the consumer, If he rejects Kabli Shocks and Go for new Shocks?
MJS: Used or Kabli Shocks cannot be recommended at all, as the price being charged in that case is approximately 40% to 50% compared to new shocks, while performance is not even close to 10% of a new shock. In case a consumer goes for Used or Kabli Shock, He still has to purchase a new Shock Set after 1 or 2 months due to continued presence of problems due to worn out shocks, so in order to save both money and time, he should straightaway Go for new shocks and get rid of the worn out shock problems for the next 60000 to 80000 km.
PW: As we can see that you are the biggest shareholder for Shock Absorbers in Pakistan afterMarket and also currently have strong links to Pakistan local automotive industry, What type of general and short message do you want to give to our viewers?
MJS: The main message I want to give is to promote “Made in Pakistan” brand. As we have recently seen steep hikes in the dollar, and a massive current account deficit forcing us to ask for loans from the international community. This makes us lose respect as a nation, along with accepting the consequences like inflation and new taxes. If we have a local industry present against an imported item of any sort, we should give a chance to local industry. We need to understand that for producing a high-quality product of any sort, first, our local industry needs a big demand, so that after getting comparatively more significant sale, they can spend on their research and quality. Increased domestic goods consumption also reduces the cost of production as a significant portion of the industry is a fixed cost, which, when divided into more units produces lesser cost.
It is also a known fact that the countries like Japan, Germany, and the U.S.A, known for their quality standards enjoy the significant share of Local consumption which then lets them work on improving their quality and exporting goods with high quality and a competitive cost. In Pakistan we already have a low consumption due to low GDP/Capita (Purchase power), This already low consumption if continues to prefer imported goods rather than local goods, our local industry will keep on facing the same issues as we are facing since many decades.
So my message to our Pakistani consumer from your platform is, Help us in making “Made in Pakistan” a brand by preferring a locally produced product on an imported product. This message is not only for the Automotive sector but for all sectors.
