Maruthi & its customized materials handling solutions

An automobile engineer starting a materials handling business?  Yes, that’s precisely what Mr. S.S. Pillai did way back in 2000.  But he had had 15 years’ experience in a materials handling company as a Production In-charge before relinquishing the office and deciding to do something on his own.

That’s the beginning of Maruthi Handling Equipments based in Coimbatore, the company that has carved a niche for itself in offering in-plant materials handling solutions.  Mr. Pillai remembers that the first product he came up with was a Pallet Truck. Then he made a Manual Stacker and Semi Electric Stacker, all in quick succession.  Today Maruthi offers a whole range of materials handling equipment which includes Pallet Trucks, High Lift Pallet Trucks, Manual Stackers, Semi-Electric Stackers, S.S. Pallet Trucks, Pallet Trucks -Paper Roll Model, Floor Cranes, etc. “We have 350 plus medium size customers.  Most of them come to us again and again with their new requirements. They are quite happy with our quality products and our prompt service,” says Mr. Pillai.

Maruthi products go predominantly to textile & dyeing units, chemical plants, pharma, paper and  engineering industries – all for in-plant materials handling. The company has developed a Stainless Steel Pallet Truck for chemical and pharma plants where hygiene and contamination control in handling are of paramount importance. The company has also come out with Pallet Trucks with weighing scales which can weigh payloads up to 3 tonnes.

Maruthi has its manufacturing facility in Neelikonampalayam, Coimbatore which is ISO certified. Quality is a watchword at Maruthi.  At least 25% of its products are custom-built to meet specific needs of the customer.  “We closely interact with the customer, understand his application and then develop a product to suit his needs.  Since reliability is the fulcrum of materials handling products, we pay utmost attention to the selection of the right material of construction. When it comes to fabrication, we use MIG welding for obtaining sound, flawless welds.  We make doubly sure of the strength of the components like the chassis which is the backbone of the equipment which has to handle load,” explains Mr. Pillai.

The company also has an efficient set-up to attend to service calls, if any. “When there is a problem, we attend to it promptly and see that the customer’s pain point is addressed with least delay so that productivity is not hampered, “ reveals Mr. Pillai.  No wonder Maruthi is taking a premium for its quality materials handling products which are precision engineered to perform in tough work environments.

– P.K. Balasubbramaniian