Making their debut at the DefExpo 18 in April 2018, where the Group announced their new venture into Defence equipment manufacturing, DCM SHRIRAM had Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff and Chairman and Chief of Staff Committee formally inaugurating the ZEBU light bullet proof vehicle, in presence of Mr Alok Shriram Vice Chairman of the Company.
For DCM Shriram Industries Limited (DSIL), this new venture was inspired by the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP 2016). With the DCM brand being a ceaseless part of India's growth for decades, they took a conscious decision to bring that skill and experience to a new field. The beginning was made with the design and testing and production of the ZEBU light bullet proof vehicle for the Indian Defence and Para-Military Forces and its futuristic export.
As Mr Tilak Dhar, Chairman and Managing Director said, "Our group, under the guidance of our founder Lala Shriram and later Lala Bansi Dhar, has consistently been a part of the nation building endeavours for over 125 years. We have been manufacturing original, India-made products since 1890 and have consistently worked towards aiding growth and development. We firmly believe that this project will create jobs not only within our company but in numerous automotive ancillary units and allied services, bringing further prosperity to the nation and greatly enhancing our Armed Forces' access to critical resources and thus their capabilities."
The ZEBU is a world class armoured bullet-proof vehicle which meets all the requirements and various service conditions that India’s armed personnel face and function in, including various types of terrain and climatic conditions, be it the heat of the desert, the glacial conditions in the high Himalayas or the rainy jungles of India’s North East.
Mr Alok B Shriram, Vice Chairman and Deputy Managing Director added, "In addition to manufacturing and providing vehicles within India, our aim is to eventually export them to other nations and peace-keeping forces. Featuring excellent all-terrain and off-road capabilities, a 360° rotating turret and several other features, this new LBPV is a promising new entrant to the indigenous defence sector in India, the team firmly believe that the ZEBU is the first step towards achieving their target as well as fulfilling the desired goals of Indian Government and the Indian Armed Forces going forward.
Over the year, the Group have gone ‘airborne’, diversifying to include the ‘Flyeye’ Mini UAV which is hand launched after achieving readiness in less than 10 minutes. The system has the surveillance payload with two cameras (Daylight & IR) under the fuselage which ensures better range of observation and quickly switching of the video imaging.