Shield Autoglass to Open 108 Outlets in India

From Asia Pulse

NEW DELHI — Car glass repair and replacement firm Shield Autoglass will open 108 specialized outlets under the brand name ‘Windshield Experts’ by 2008 to have a pan India presence for tapping the burgeoning market, with an investment of $4.5 million.

“Our idea is to tap the increasing market for repair and replacement of automotive glass as customers are increasingly looking for specialized service,” its COO Ratish Ramanujam told Asia Pulse (PTI).

The Windshield brand is being promoted by Shield Autoglass, a joint venture between Japanese glass company PSC Tokyo and Indian investment firm Allied Fincap Service.

Windshield Experts began its operations in 2000 with just one outlet in Delhi when the concept of car glass repair and replacement as a brand was still to catch up.

“In 2000, we felt a major gap in the car glass segment. In international markets, there was a popular trend to go in for replacement of car glass from branded specialist retailers,” he said.

At present, the company has 18 outlets in the National Capital Region, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Jaipur and other cities.

The company has also teamed up with insurance firms like Tata-AIG, Bajaj Allianz, IFFCO Tokio to manage their automotive glass claims and to offer policy holders cashless transaction.

This was for the first time that insurance companies had teamed up with a service provider to help their policy holders, Ramanujam said.

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