Exclusive Interview with Mr. Rishi Aggarwal, MD, JCBL Group

Jul 22, 2023

Innovative Mobility Solutions for Railways and Beyond: MD Rishi Aggarwal Shares Vision

Metro Rail News team conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Rishi Aggarwal, MD, JCBL Group.

Mr. Rishi Aggarwal, a distinguished entrepreneur and visionary leader, is the Managing Director of JCBL Group, a prominent business conglomerate in India. With an MBA in Finance from FORE School of Management and a Harvard Business School fellowship, he exhibits exemplary leadership and business acumen. Joining the family business at 23 in 1996, he drove JCBL’s remarkable growth, achieving over 20% average growth rate and global expansion, transforming countless lives with innovative solutions.

The interview discusses Mobility Solutions Limited (MSL), part of JCBL Group, and its customized solutions for the metro and rail sector in India. It highlights MSL’s major projects, overseas ventures, and efforts towards carbon mitigation and EV developments.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

1. What are the major customized solutions offered by Mobility Solutions Limited, of the JCBL Group for the metro and rail sector in India?

At MSL, we specialize in producing a diverse range of railway parts and components, including FRP/GRP composite solutions, sheet metal products, and interior solutions. Our expertise lies in crafting high-quality FRP/GRP composites, such as Nose cone/Front-end components, Interior panelling, and toilet modules. Additionally, we excel in manufacturing sheet metal products like Front Mask/Nose, Front and Rear-end components, Under Frame structures, Bogie Frames, Side Walls, Roofs, and Doors. To ensure efficiency and precision, we leverage advanced production and mass manufacturing technologies. Our commitment to delivering exceptional quality drives our position as a trusted provider in the industry.

2. Kindly specify the significant projects being undertaken with important orders on the book.

MSL works extensively with Indian Railways as well as for Metro Projects, nationally and internationally. Some of the projects we have contributed to are Vande Bharat Express, Chennai Metro, Delhi Metro, Mumbai Metro, etc. We continue to supply for the next phases of these projects presently. Apart from this, our collaboration with Indian Railways had been a massive success in the past, where we have worked with various Rail Coach Factories of Indian Railways. These Rail Coach Factories include ICF Chennai, MCF Raebareli, and RCF Kapurthala, where MSL manufactured many significant parts and components for the Indian Railways.

Please give a brief detail of your overseas ventures. How is the company performing in that segment? What have been the major business tie-ups and significant accomplishments w.r.t. high-end customized mobility solutions, especially for railways?

We have a very strong and enduring relationship with global companies, and we are doing very well on the global front. We have collaborations with global companies like Alstom and GE Transportation. With Alstom and its acquired company Bombardier, we have provided components and parts for various global projects that includes Sydney Metro, Mexican Metro, and more. Also, for GE Transportation, MSL has supplied FRP Parts for their locomotive business in the USA. The quality of our parts and components fulfil the requirements of international clients, which showcases the MSL’s worldwide success.

4. Indian Railways is going through a transformation spree and plans to aggressively boost its capacity in the next 5-10 years. How do you see the opportunity and enormous market ahead? Is there any specific plan by the company in this segment?

As the Indian Railways and the rail networks transform in terms of capacity and become more and more modernized, the need to supply optimum quality components made with the best quality material and technology will also increase. We are in talks with partners internationally to guide us when it comes to such niche areas of technological advancements. For example, high-speed trains require components different from the current components used. As far as specific plans are concerned, we are always aiming to improve processes and capabilities to cater to the ever-changing and ever-developing markets and demands.

5. Despite serious efforts by the government to augment rail networks and strengthen rail capacity for both passenger & freight transportation, there continues to be congestion in both trains and on roads. What, in your opinion, can be a customized solution to this? Do you think BRTS and LRT can be sustainable transport options for India?

India is an expansive country with a very high population. We cannot rely on any one single mode of transport to fulfil our requirements. Whether it is the LRT or BRTS, or metro lines or highways, we need to constantly expand reach and connectivity. The government is taking great measures when it comes to funding or infrastructure development. So, there is also no single answer to solve the congestion problem we face. The situation is slowly being eased as we develop more routes and means of transport.

6. JCBL Limited, a part of the JCBL Group, provides customized solutions in the luxury fleet. How is it placed amongst players like Eicher, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, etc? What have been the growth figures for the organization? Is there any significant development by the company in terms of luxury and customized rolling stock manufacture?

At JCBL Limited, we take pride in being a leading and preferred manufacturer of highly customized mobility solutions in the country. Our expertise spans across Passenger Transportation, Health Care Vehicles, and Special Application Vehicles, catering to diverse customer needs. With a strong focus on customer satisfaction, we provide end-to-end solutions, from selecting the right chassis from OEMs to designing, developing, and manufacturing the product after taking necessary approvals for Govt. compliance, homologation/CMVR and delivering the finished product that ensures customer satisfaction, and lastly followed by a Pan India service support. Our commitment to quality and innovation allows us to deliver around 50 highly customized mobility solutions each year, contributing to an approximate turnover of 25 crores per annum. We are grateful for the strong demand and business visibility in this segment, and we continue to strive for excellence in meeting our customers’ unique requirements.

7. What are your efforts towards carbon mitigation? Kindly specify the major developments in the EV segment. In what ways, with your R&D and innovation, are you helping reduce global carbon emissions in the coming years?

As a responsible corporate citizen, we are actively working on carbon mitigation and sustainability efforts. Our major developments in the EV segment are in progress, and though we can’t share specific details yet, we are committed to introducing environmentally friendly vehicles. Our R&D focuses on creating cleaner and more efficient technologies to reduce emissions throughout the vehicle lifecycle, from production to recycling. We are dedicated to achieving our carbon reduction goals through thoughtful strategies and milestones.