Wed, 19 Jun 2019-7:37 pm,

Road accidents have become a major concern across the country. Unfortunately, the presence of low-quality helmets in the market is putting the lives of riders at risk. Zee Business Online spoke to Rajeev Kapur, MD of Steelbird Helmets on the issue and in a free-wheeling email interview, he spoke on multiple topics, ranging from the manufacturing of low-quality helmets to the company's expansion plans. Kapur also shared a message meant for those people who put their lives at risk. Edited excerpts:-

Q1. First of all, tell us why one should buy Steelbird? Why not any other helmet brand? What's Steelbird's biggest USP?

A1. Helmet is a designer product. A helmet is a fashion statement & also a technological product. First of all, people are buying Steelbird helmets because of brand recognition. Secondly, people do have faith, loyalty and trust in the brand. Steelbird has saved millions of lives over 5 decades. People tend to buy Steelbird helmets as each and every product has its own USP. Steelbird is surely the safest helmet one can go for. There are varieties of sub-brands in which the Steelbird Helmets are available such as the Steelbird Air, which offers the air technology, Steelbird Hi-GN, offering Anti Alergic, Anti-odour interiors and talking about the latest one which the NACA technology, basically used in aircraft and supercars for better superior air ventilation. All our helmets are manufactured with high impact material and polycarbonate visors with anti-scratch coating offering the consumers different type of visors like Night Vision, Photochromatic in a wide range of colours.

Q2. Many people wear local helmets, and others just carry it around, even wear it on elbows, to escape traffic police! What the government should do to raise awareness? After all, it's a matter of life. As a helmet manufacturer, any suggestions?

A2. Yes, you are absolutely right, some people do not wear helmets and if they do, they are going for the Non-ISI ones. To spread awareness about the importance of wearing helmets while riding, the government should add helmets in the mandatory list of Bureau of Indian Standards. As of now, anybody can produce substandard and Non-ISI helmets in the market. To overcome the issue and to save human lives, the Government should ban the manufacturing and sale of such helmets. According to the Central Motor Vehicle Act, rule 138 (4) (f) 1989, states that at the time of purchase of a two-wheeler, the manufacturer of the two wheeler shall supply protective headgear, keeping in mind the specifications prescribed by BIS. In regard to the same, the Government should enforce this law so that each and every two wheeler rider will have a head gear.

Also, the Government should reduce or make the GST NIL on helmets and even allow the manufacturers to claim the GST credit input leading to low cost of ISI certified helmets. This way the ISI certified helmets will be coming at a really affordable price for each and very person. As a helmet manufacturer, we request the Government to make helmet mandatory Pan India for riders as well as Pillion riders.

Q3: What do you think about Indian helmet market's growth and future demand in India? And, where do you see Steelbird in that race?

Ans- In India, the demand will be for more than 100 million helmets a year. Now the matter comes, how we drive this. As of now, we are producing more or less 25 million new two wheelers that means two helmets for each two wheeler, leading to use of 50 million helmets each year for the new two wheelers only. Talking about the current conditions, the helmet is mandatory only in Delhi, Chandigarh and Jaipur, where the law is enforced. The Government should make helmets mandatory Pan India. As per the WHO Report, 30% of the riders and 10% of the pillion riders are wearing the helmet in India. Now, we have to consider that in India on road, there will be 180 Million two wheeler into 2 helmets, leading to minimum 300 Million helmets will be required to fill the gap of the two wheelers on the road. And, if we say the life of a helmet is five years, means every five years there will be demand to replace the helmet, leading to a total demand of the Indian market of 100 million helmets annually.

We see ourselves in a way that we should be having 30% of the share and based on that continuously, year by year, we are increasing our production capacity. Now, at the Steelbird Manufacturing Plant, we have built up 200, 000sq more. By 2021, we will be having a capacity to produce 43,000 helmets per day. We are surely working on our production capacity, keeping in mind the future demands and requirements of the Indian Market.

Q4: There are many helmets available in the market, that too at cheap rates. People actually fall for it and buy them. But, they are highly unsafe and risky too. What to do to overcome this life-threatening challenge?

A4. Yes, you are absolutely right that 80% of the helmets available in the Indian Markets are local and fake helmet which can be bought at a cost of Rs 100. Talking about the ISI certified helmets, the cost of raw material only is Rs 250. If somebody is selling a helmet for less than Rs 450-500 to a customers, that surely means that it is a fake ISI or local helmet. To overcome the issue, the Government, Media and NGO’s should take a step forward. At All India Medical Trauma Centre, if you visit and asks doctor about the conditions of the victims of road accidents, they will tell you, sometimes they are taking out chips of the helmet from the victims head. It’s really pity that people are playing with each others lives. So, the media should raise the voice for this matter.

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Q9: Last and the most important question - What's your message or must-follow advice to people who don't wear helmet or wear fake ISI or cheap and life-threatening helmets?

Ans - My message and a humble request to the two wheeler riders is to always wear good quality helmets which follow the regulations prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. If a dealer is offering you a helmet at a cost below Rs 450, then you must know that it is surely a local or fake ISI helmet which can be really harmful just like fake medicines.