Autobacs India: Transforming Automotive Aftermarket Systems

Autobacs India Is Building the Data and Technology Infrastructure for India's Automotive Aftermarket Industry

Through proprietary software, analytics-driven operations and direct global sourcing, the Kochi-based company is bringing structure to one of India's most fragmented consumer categories.

India's automotive aftermarket equipment industry is valued at more than $10 billion. It is also one of the country's least organised. Sourcing runs through intermediaries, pricing varies from one outlet to the next, fitment is rarely verified, counterfeits and installation quality depends on the individual technician. The demand is established. The infrastructure is not.

Autobacs India, operated by Roavion Automotive Pvt. Ltd., is building that infrastructure. The company began in 2015 with a trading operation in Bangkok and a single workshop in Kerala. Today it is a technology-led, direct-to-consumer business headquartered in Kochi, supplying imported automotive aftermarket equipment across 24 states. It has fulfilled more than 10,000 orders through a network of 42+ certified technician partners.

The Strategic Shift

From Location to Platform. Founder and Director Sachin Thankaraj, an entrepreneur since 2005, recognised in the early 2020s that a profitable workshop model had a structural limit. Physical locations scale one at a time. Platforms scale on systems. "What got me here was not going to get me there.” Physical infrastructure takes years to build, and it only ever grows one location at a time.

“I didn't want to be stuck running the past while the rest of the world moved." — Sachin Thankaraj.

Drawing on the operating models of Amazon, Alibaba and Airbnb, where the platform itself is the product, the company exited workshop revenue entirely to rebuild as a systems-led business.

"I lost the revenue completely. It took fourteen months before the new model paid for itself. I had taken that kind of risk before, and I was certain about this one." — Sachin Thankaraj.

Proprietary Technology as Core Infrastructure

Autobacs India builds rather than buys. Its in-house technology team has developed the company's CRM, HR platform, internal communications suite and order-tracking backend. The decision was deliberate. Proprietary systems fit the company's operating model precisely, scale without proportional licensing costs, and form an owned, replicable technology asset. Together they create a single operating layer. Every order, shipment, customer interaction, and technician job is recorded, tracked, and reportable.

Data-Driven Control of a Fragmented Market

In an industry that has historically run on instinct, Autobacs India runs on data. Operational reporting across sales, procurement, and fulfilment gives leadership a live view of order flow, inventory positions, supplier performance, and lead times. Decisions on what to stock, when to order and how to route fulfilment are made from that data rather than from intuition.

The company is extending this into artificial intelligence across its web and mobile platforms, with fitment-accurate equipment matching, intelligent customer support and automated routing of each order to the nearest certified technician. It is also developing 3D equipment visualisation, allowing customers to see a component on their own vehicle before purchase.

Process as a Scalable System

Technology needs an operating framework beneath it. Building that framework is the remit of Herald Winston Pottipati, Executive Officer of Roavion Automotive. Pottipati joined as an Executive Assistant and Business Development Manager before moving into the Executive Officer role. He authored and implemented the company's standard operating procedures, replacing founder-dependent decisions with documented, measurable processes.

He designed the go-to-market strategy, restructured the sales organisation around it, and owns the cross-department order flow that connects sales, procurement and operations- the process logic the company's software now executes.

“The first SOP I wrote was a list of every decision that sat waiting on the founder. The goal was to make that list shorter every month” — Herald Winston Pottipati.

A Global Supply Chain, Measured and Optimised

The company's supply chain is led by Pathumwadee Manu, Executive Director of Roavion Automotive, who oversees global sourcing, supply chain, HR and organisational development. She holds a BBA in International Trade and Logistics Management from Burapha University, Thailand, and previously served as CEO of KB&J Logistics in Bangkok and as Production Manager at Japanese manufacturer Koide.

By moving from intermediary buying to direct manufacturer partnerships, particularly across Thailand's 4x4 and pickup equipment manufacturing hub, the company has delivered measurable gains:

• Supplier base expanded from 15–20 to 46 manufacturers
• Shipment lead times reduced from 8–10 weeks to 3–4 weeks
• First-pass customs clearance improved from 67% to 93%
• Landed costs reduced by 7–12%

"A delay reported early can be managed. A delay managed well is how you prevent the next one." —Pathumwadee Manu.

Daily execution is led by Shyam Nadh, Head of Procurement. He manages 27 active suppliers, a portfolio of 67 international brands, and between two and seven customs clearances each month, with purchase orders timed to manufacturer-specific lead times and documentation cleared before shipments reach port.

“My job is boring when it is going well. That is the point.” - Shyam Nadh

The Endgame: One Platform for an Entire Industry

Every system Autobacs India has built leads to one product: a dedicated e-commerce platform for India’s automotive aftermarket industry, now in testing and scheduled to launch in 2027.

It is engineered to solve what general marketplaces never could. Every product is matched to the exact vehicle before purchase. Every order is fulfilled by a certified technician, not left at a doorstep.

The software, the data, the direct global manufacturer lines and the national technician network were never the goal. They are the infrastructure. The goal is to become the platform on which India’s automotive aftermarket industry is organised, scaled and trusted.