BackChhabria turns to designing jet interiors, yachts
Chhabria turns to designing jet interiors, yachts
PremiumThree avenues: Dilip Chhabria. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint
Mumbai: For almost two decades, Pune-based Dilip Chhabria, founder and proprietor of DC Design Pvt. Ltd, has been best known for styling cars for India’s rich and vehicles for specialized applications. He is now employing a three-pronged strategy to expand his business by refurbishing and designing interiors of executive jets and helicopters, designing yachts and, for the first time, mass producing his company’s locally developed and designed sports car—Avanti.
“Customers are willing to pay a premium for our designs. I want the businessman in me to take the upper hand over the designer in me as age catches up," said the 58-year-old car stylist.
DC is entering the aviation segment after a hiatus of six years. In 2004, it had designed interiors for Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s eight-seater helicopters. Chhabria said the new venture is a logical extension of what his firm has been doing for 19 years.
With all the refurbishment and interior jobs for the jets and helicopters being currently undertaken by firms in the US, Europe and Australia, the segment offers immense potential to an Indian company, which can do the same job at two-thirds of the cost and offer international quality, said Vivek Gour, managing director of Air Works.
Refurbishing an aircraft overseas typically costs $1-5 million (Rs 5-25 crore), he said. With interior jobs being labour-intensive and accounting for more than half the cost, India is well positioned in this regard, said Gour. Chhabria added that India has top-quality craftsmanship in leather, wood work and upholstery.
There are as many as 157 executive jets and 125 executive helicopters in India currently, according to Gour. With high net-worth individuals and firms seeking to acquire more, the market is expanding at 15% per annum, he added. The venture with DC plans to target conglomerates—including the Tata group, Reliance Industries, Reliance Group, JK Industries—most of which already own planes and helicopters, apart from overseas customers.
The Air Works network, which includes regulatory and safety authorities, will help in targeting customers. DC will offer infrastructure support and soft skills in design and aesthetics.
“As the DC studio has been catering to the same high net-worth individuals with their premium design offerings, they are well aware of their tastes. This will help us," Gour said.
The two plan to showcase their capabilities at various air shows in India and abroad, starting with the one at Hyderabad that begins on 15 March. The firms plan to start with refurbishment, graduating to complete interior jobs.
“Airlines in India are moving towards low-fare and no-frills mode, but India’s high growth story in recent years has created a market segment with increasing disposable incomes and a need to travel more efficiently within India," said Vinit Phatak, founder and managing director at private jet company Invision Air Services Pvt. Ltd. “The high-end market segment is not being addressed. And there is a perfect opportunity for private jet business." Earlier this month, Phatak launched Invision Air’s operations in India with two Phenom 100s made by Brazil’s Embraer and four more on order. Six of the larger Phenom 300s are also on order, with the first of them planned for delivery in mid-2012.
Meanwhile, encouraged by the response it got for its locally designed and developed two-door sports car Avanti at the auto expo in New Delhi in January, DC Design, for the first time, is planning to mass produce the car, and has outlined an investment of ₹ 60 crore. Priced at ₹ 30 lakh each, the firm has received bookings for 300 units and is setting up a manufacturing unit in Talegaon near Pune.
The idea is to be a mass producer in the niche segment, and monetize the brand for which buyers are willing to pay a premium by building scale, Chhabria said. “The bespoke (customization) job we have been doing is very intensive in nature. We might as well use that time and energy to create scale," he said. However, “DC Design will always take up jobs that automobile manufacturers will not or cannot do because of scale and skill".
Once the firm is able to demonstrate its capability through the Avanti, DC plans to join hands with a mass car maker and use one of its platforms and offer specialized body design solutions. “Every organization has to grow, look for newer opportunities. The challenge has always been how to go to the next level," said Chhabria.
According to him, the experience the firm has drawn over the years from designing cars, coaches and caravans will come in handy. “To me, the car represents the ultimate in limitation of design, creativity and size. If you can master that, you can master anything in the world," he said.
DC expects to get its first order for the yacht design in another three months.
P.R. Sanjai contributed to this story.
shally.s@livemint.com
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