Steelbird Eyes 40% Mkt Share, Rs 200 Cr Growth From 15 New Models Amid Push For Road Safety

Wearing a helmet while riding a two-wheeler is crucial for road safety, as it significantly reduces the risk of severe head injuries and potential death in the event of an accident. Helmets absorb the impact of a collision, minimizing the risk of skull fractures, concussions, and other serious brain injuries. Full-face helmets offer additional protection for the eyes and face, shielding them from debris, dust, and intense light. Studies show that wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death in motorcycle accidents by up to 43 per cent for riders and 58 per cent for passengers. Going by a WHO study, safe, quality helmets reduce the risk of death in a road crash by over six times, and reduce the risk of brain injury by up to 74 per cent. Head trauma is the leading cause of death for riders, and motorcycles continue to proliferate rapidly. Yet the use of helmets in many low and middle-income countries remains low.

And here is a 61-year-old helmet manufacturer in India that has been working relentlessly to improve the quality and standards of helmets, adding a dash of style.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz, Rajeev Kapur, MD, Steelbird Helmet & President, Helmet Manufacturing Association India, outlines and explains their success story and also on how number of deaths caused by road accidents can be reduced significantly by use of standard helmets.

What is the overall size of the helmet market in India (organized and unorganized sectors combined)?

The organized sector helmet is estimated to be 2.5 crore. There is another 2.5 crore Fake helmets market carrying the ISI mark and produced by a BIS license holder itself.

What is the percentage-wise break-up of organized and unorganized sectors? Which segment is growing faster?

The organized sector is growing faster because fake helmets were sold by showroom owners to make big money and now in 8 states two wheelers manufacturers started giving one helmet along with two-wheeler and cost of that helmet is included in the price of two-wheeler once two-wheelers companies will start supplying one helmet along with the two-wheeler then fake helmets market will reduce to 50 per cent and facilities happen in two-wheeler road accidents will also reduce by 50 per cent.

At what rate is the helmet market is growing, especially with growing safety awareness?

This market will grow a lot, but step by step. Here under the detail on how the market will grow because first of all, we must know that in India, as per WHO, 30 per cent riders wear helmets and 10 per cent pillion wear helmets TBIs include 50 per cent fake helmets on riders' and pillion's head. It will be interesting to see how the market grows in future. It is expected to grow 4 times in the coming 6 years.

OEMs two-wheeler manufacturers will start giving one helmet; ⁠After 2 years two-wheeler manufacturers will start giving 2 helmets along with two-wheeler; Once helmet manufacturing infrastructure will set up then government will enforce strictly the helmet wearing rule and then 50 per cent death will come down in road accidents.

What is Steelbird's current market share and future projections (2-3 years down the road)?

In organized sector our share is 35 per cent and it will grow to 40 per cent in the next 2-3 years.

What is the current capacity at your Baddi Plant and what are your plans for expansion?

By the end of this year, our capacity will reach to 50,000 helmets a day after our proposed investment of Rs 105 crore gets fully executed. As planned. We have already made more than 50 per cent of the proposed investments. Further we are setting up one more plant at Baddi with capacity of 50,000 helmets a day which will be ready within 3 years from now.

How would you like to raise or mobilise the funds required to back up your expansion plans?

The funding for these expansions will be sourced through a combination of internal accruals and bank borrowings.

How are your other products (jackets, gears, shoe covers, etc.) performing in the market?

In gloves, we are number 1 producer in India having automatic machines to produce gloves. In the last financial year, we had sold number of pairs and in this financial year also number of pairs will go up. We are developing very big range of gloves.

What are your future roll-out plans?

We are going to launch 15 new helmets this year. To develop one helmet it took 2-3 years and investments are in the tune of Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 5 crore, varying from model to model and standard. These 15 models, this year, will give us a growth of Rs 200 crore by the next financial year 2026-2027.

What would you attribute Steelbird's success story, as one of the oldest helmet manufacturers and now a global player, to?

The biggest factor of Steelbird’s growth is that Steelbird is a 61-year-old brand. People have a lot of faith and trust on Steelbird being a life-saving product. It’s like--the grandfather used to tell to (his son) one’s father to buy a Steelbird helmet and that father is now telling his son to buy Steelbird helmet.

So basically, three generations are talking about wearing a Steelbird helmet in the same family. The other crucial contributing factor has been innovations, because Steelbird is the most innovative company in helmet industry in the world. The third factor has been very aggressive stylish models, which Steelbird has been launching every year and the fourth has been that Steelbird is making lot of educational/awareness videos on helmet in eight different languages which is going to each and every village and people are viewing it seeing it that how important helmet is. It is a comparison of each and every helmet component the major helmet components with the fake helmets like shell, visor, buckles, EPS etc and these educational videos are creating a big brand image of Steelbird being the best quality product. We are a company that produces a real ISI standard helmet.

What are your global expansion plans?

We are targeting Rs 100 crore in revenue from the export market in the next two years, aiming for exports to constitute up to 10 per cent of our overall revenue. Our certifications from European and the US agencies enable us to cater to various overseas markets, and we are actively working to strengthen our global distribution networks.

As a manufacturer of helmets, what would you suggest- how deaths can be reduced by 50 per cent in road accidents and by when that can happen?

Over 300,000 people die annually in India due to the absence of helmets, with many cases going unreported. Nearly 50 per cent of helmets on the road are substandard, produced illegally without proper testing, offering no real protection during accidents.

To tackle this, BIS certification must be granted only to manufacturers with in-house testing labs, ensuring helmet quality and safety. Existing BIS license holders should be given a one-year deadline to comply with this, after which, non-compliant manufacturers should not be allowed to produce helmets.

Starting in 2025, every new two-wheeler must come with a BIS-certified helmet, with the cost included in the vehicle price. By 2027, this requirement should increase to two helmets per vehicle, ensuring both the rider and pillion have proper protection. This phased approach will allow the industry to expand production capacity and infrastructure.

By 2031, all two-wheelers should have AI sensors that detect whether both the rider and pillion are wearing helmets. If not, an alert system, similar to seatbelt warnings in cars, should be activated to enforce compliance. Implementing these reforms will ensure that only genuine, high-quality helmets are used, significantly reducing road fatalities and making Indian roads safer.