October 2015 by Asian Busniess Media

Sankar Sealing On A Roll

RNI No. MAHENG13758

www.autopartsasia.in

Vol.No.1 Issue No.5 October 2015 | US$ 20 `200

AUTO PARTS ASIA | OCTOBER 2015 RNI No. MAHENG13758

g Testin Time For India n Automotive Industry Peter Haan

Siemens Systems Change The Way Cars And Parts Are Made

Tony Robinson

Why Visiting Detroit Automotive Testing Expo Makes Sense!

Vol No 1 | Issue No 5 | October 2015

ISSUE

IN THIS

Arvind Balaji Is New President Of ACMA

Continental Automotive Brake Systems Plans To Expand India Footprint

PEOPLE

CORPORATE

COVER STORY

Testing Times For Indian Automotive Industry

7 EDITORIAL Challenging Tasks

PEOPLE - Vinod Dasari Elected As SIAM President - Gareth Joyce to be President, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada - Mark Stanforth Joins Boughton Engg.

TRAILBLAZING By T Murrali

TRENDS

10 WORLD PREMIERE

- IAA Unfolds Exciting New Collection Of Cars, Concepts

INSIGHTS

Vehicle Safety & Durability Testing

SAE International Works For Cyber Security, Skill Development; Wants To Eliminate Counterfeit

Why Visiting Detroit Automotive Testing Expo Makes Sense!

Machine Tools And Automotives Are Deeply Intertwined

INTERVIEW

PREVIEW

PRESPECTIVE

FEATURES

PREVIEW

- EMO Milano Opens As World Demand For Machine Tools Is Set To Touch € 71 Billion By 2018

SPECIAL REPORTS - Airbag Unit To Inflate Rane Group’s Growth Prospects

- Sankar Sealing On A Roll - Unveiled At SIAM Meet, AMP 2026 To Drive Indian Automotive Industry To Global Peak - ACMA Bid To Make ‘Make In India’ Happen

68 GLEANINGS INTERNATIONAL

- Honeywell Unveils 2-Stage Turbochargers

- Honda Builds 30 Millionth Automobile In North America

- Johnson Controls To Develop Seats For Car Of The Future

- ZF Celebrates Centenary, Eyes Electromobility

- GKN Develops New eAxle For Next Generation Hybrids - Brose Brings Innovations To Car Doors And Seats

- Renault-Nissan Alliance, Daimler Start New Projects - Vehicle Shopping Goes Increasingly Digital

78 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 80 AUTO LAUGH - Cryptic Choice

olkswagen’s Software scandal and the eventual resignation of the CEO have jolted the world automotive industry and its customers. The shocking revelations about the consumer fraud and the ‘clean diesel’ false advertisement campaign of the German conglomerate have tarnished its global brand image and spoiled the consumer good will. It may take years for it to rebuild the damaged reputation. No giant can go unchallenged if Truth is the victim. On the world economic front, China has come to the centre stage again with its market decline and currency devaluation. Vehicle sales are falling. The fall is becoming steeper with the declining local demand and slump in the stock markets. The bewildered global OEMs are revising their strategies. Can’t this be an opportunity for India, especially with the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP 2026) set in motion? In India, the ambitious vision of AMP 2026 is a challenge to the capabilities of the automotive industry. The industry is ready to take up the challenge. It has been seasoned enough by going through the fires of the liberal economy and global competition. However, the government has to create suitable eco-system for it to achieve the set goals. The ‘Make in India’ campaign has rekindled the spirit of the industry. This has to be sustained and supplemented with the government support to develop infrastructure, technology and skills. We congratulate Vinod Dasari on becoming the President of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers Association (SIAM), and Arvind Balaji for taking over as the President of Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), at this critical juncture. We are sure they will steer the industry to the desired destinations. The Cover Story of this issue is ‘Testing Times For Indian Automotive Industry.’ It dwells upon the critical need for developing testing infrastructure coupled with skill development. Both are crucial for the growth of the Indian automotive industry during the next decade and beyond. Wish you Happy Reading. Kurian Abraham Editor-in-Chief

EDITO R IAL

Challenging Tasks

October 2015 | Vol. 1 | Issue No. 5

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Editorial Office: Asian Business Media LLP, 39/3993- B7, Ground Floor, Vantage Point, V.R.M. Road, Ravipuram, Kochi-682016, INDIA Email: mail@abm.net.in, Tel: +91 484-2356284, +91 484-4016284 Regd/Marketing Office: 501/502, Imperial Plaza, Corner of 27th & 30th Road, Near Nilgiri Garden, Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400 050, INDIA Phone: +91-22-2640-0829, 2640-0735, Fax: +91-22-2641-1894 Email: mail@abm.net.in, asp@abm.net.in Chennai Marketing/ Editorial Office: 22/37, 1st Floor, Karpaga Vinayagar Koil Street, Alandur, Chennai - 600 016 INDIA Phone: +91-44-42641425,+919841274461,+91 9940172323, Email: deva@abm.net.in, tm@abm.net.in Vice Presidents (Marketing): Antony Powath (asp@abm.net.in), Vijay Kurian Abraham (vj@abm.net.in) | Head-Marketing: R C Devakumar (deva@abm. net.in) | Asst. Marketing Managers: Anil Panicker, Praveen Manchal. US Correspondent: Dr Louis P Rumao, 621 Lockmoore Court, Rochester Hills, Michigan +1 48307-4229, Tel: +1 248 747 7201, Email: louis.rumao@ yahoo.com | China: Ella Liu (Liu Ting)/Terry Yin (Yin Tian), China United Rubber (Group) Corporation, Beijing, Tel +86-13911580967, +86-10-5377 9793, Fax: +86-10-5377 9608, E-mail: liut@chrubber.com, expo@chrubber.com | South America: Ms. Carina Bini Fernandes, Atman Filmes e Criacoes, SCLN 215, Bloco B, Sala 114, Asa Norte – Brasilia – DF, Brazil, CEP 70874–520, Tel: +55 61 3033 8007, +55 6181497800 (Brasil), +91 9895555281 (India), E mail: carina.bini@gmail.com European Representative: John Stone, 73 Chaney Road, Wivenhoe Essex, CO79RR, England. Sapphire Media, Tel: +44 (0) 1206 822320, Mob: + 44 7769 675232, Email: john.stone@sapphire-media.co.uk | Australia: Jacob Cherian, Ausker Pacific Pty. Ltd., Suite 1, 1401 Burke Road, East Kew Vic 3102, Melbourne Australia, Tel: +61 3 9859 8922, Email: ausker@auskergroup.com.au | Japan: Shinichi Kato, Shinichi Kato Office Co., Ltd., 11-7 Nihonbashikabutochou, Chuoku, Tokyo 103-0026, Japan. Tel: +81 3-5645-8670, Fax: +81 3-5645-8671, Email: shinichi.kato@rubberstation.com South East Asia: A. Divakaran A.D. Nair, 33, Jalan PJU 1A/43F, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, 47301 Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: +60 3 78454608, Mobile: +60 12 3985357, Email: aaps_avico@yahoo.com | Thailand: Ms Somruetai Patana-anek (Mott), Managing Director, Busgum Co. Ltd., 1093/115, 21st Floor, Central City Tower, Bangna-Trad Road (K.M.3), Bangna, Bangkok 10260, Thailand, Tel: +66-2-3993946, 399-4374, 399-3896, Mob: +66-1-8429105, Email: mott@busgum.com | Sri Lanka: P P Perera, No.20, 4th Cross Lane, Borupana Road, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka. Tel: +94 11 4863529, Mob: +94 772 972571, Email: ppperera1946@gmail.com

AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 7

PEOPLE

Arvind Balaji Is The New President Of ACMA APA Bureau

he Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) has appointed Arvind Balaji, Joint Managing Director, Lucas-TVS, as the President of ACMA for 2015-16. Rattan Kapur, Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Exhaust Systems, has been appointed as the Vice-President, ACMA, for the same period.

Gareth Joyce to be President, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada APA Bureau

ercedes-Benz Canada has informed that Gareth Joyce, VicePresident of Customer Services, Mercedes-Benz USA, will take over from Tim A. Reuss as President and CEO of MercedesBenz Canada on January 1, 2016. Reuss will become President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Portugal on the same day.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master 8 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

APA Bureau

inod Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland has been elected President of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Arvind Saxena, President and Managing Director, General Motors India has been elected as the Vice – President. SIAM is the apex body representing vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India.

Mark Stanforth Joins Boughton Enggineering APA Bureau

he UK-based Boughton Engineering has appointed Mark Stanforth as Group Operations Manager at the company’s headquarters in the West Midlands. A specialist in lean manufacturing, product assembly and logistics, Stanforth will work alongside Group Operations Director, John Symonds, managing the close production co-ordination between Boughton’s fabrication and componentry facility in North Devon and its main finish assembly plant in Wolverhampton.

Gareth Joyce, a native of South Africa, began his automotive career in 2004 with DaimlerChrysler South Africa as Senior Technical Manager. Three years later, he was named Vice President of After-Sales for Mercedes-Benz South Africa. In addition to his tenure in South Africa, Gareth has held executive roles within the Daimler organization, namely in the Netherlands and most recently, in the US. Since joining MercedesBenz USA in February of 2012, Gareth has served as the VicePresident of Customer Services, where he has been responsible for setting the strategic direction for Daimler’s largest after-sales market in the world and managing a multi-billion dollar parts revenue portfolio.

Vinod Dasari Takes Over As SIAM President

of Commerce in Business Management from Rand Afrikaans University. Tim A. Reuss has been at the helm of Mercedes-Benz Canada since March 2011. Under his guidance, Mercedes-Benz Canada has achieved the number one position in the Canadian luxury market. He was also instrumental in further developing the breadth of the dealer network in Canada as well as generating compounded growth coupled with record sales for the company for several years in a row.

Boughton Engineering, formerly known as Reynolds Boughton and latterly collectively as the Boughton Group, is Britain’s longest established designer and manufacturer of hook-loaders, skiploaders, close-coupled trailers and bulk waste semi-trailers. Prior to joining Boughton, Mark was responsible for assembly and logistics with a major international plant and equipment manufacturer. His background includes a business studies degree and a Six Sigma Green Belt and he is registered with the IRCA as an internal quality auditor. He is also qualified with the ISOH as a safety manager and with the Ambulance Service to manage first aid at work.

Trailblazing Trends

Smart Cars, Deskilled Drivers

eptember 2015 saw global automotive industry activity at its peak as every player was presenting his best at the recently concluded Frankfurt Motor Show. With its slogan ‘Mobility Connects’, the 66th IAA Cars show had vehicles and solutions embracing the megatrend – connected cars and automated driving. As Dr Elmar Degenhart, Chairman, Executive Board, Continental AG, has said, “software is the new wheel of the industry,” every aspect of a vehicle, especially the connected, is made very intelligent by this tool. It is increasingly de-skilling the driver as the car can park by itself, alert him about obstacles, including traffic, and largely help prevent accidents. Eventually it reduces the greenhouse gases as the advance traffic alert prevents undue burning of fuel. The IAA show underlined the changing scenario that cars and smartphones are merging into a single unit and the connected car is becoming a mobile communication platform. In addition to a host of launches – mostly cars and a few motorcycles - at the IAA show, some interesting news emanates from the supplier front. ZF has introduced its Clutchby-Wire (CBW) technology, an electromechanical actuator system that, for the first time, controls the clutch independently of the driver’s left foot and without a mechanical connection

to the pedal. This adds functions to manual systems that were previously reserved for automatic or automated transmissions and above all fuel-minimising coasting – an interesting initiative to improve driving comforts and fuel economy. On the electric mobility front, Bosch is debuting a new battery technology for electric cars that could be productionready in five years. In addition to its own development in the area of battery technology, the global company now has crucial know-how in innovative solid-state cells for lithium batteries as well as exclusive patents. GKN Driveline has successfully developed new electric drive technologies as part of its role in the Concept e project, a £16 million Government-backed initiative to develop state-ofthe-art hybrid and electric powertrain systems. The driveline company has also demonstrated new technologies that can make hybrids the driveline of choice for future drivers. It has also showcased the torque vectoring all-wheel drive system that drives the hotlyanticipated new Ford Focus RS. To manage emissions Tenneco has unveiled its latest generation of electronically-controlled valves that are designed to support low pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) for diesel engines and acoustic tuning for gasoline engines. It features a unique new modular design which offers

By T Murrali

vehicle manufacturers custom flexibility and adaptability for any engine architecture. Jaguar Land Rover has launched its academy, the first of its kind in the UK automotive sector, to offer workers the opportunity to take part in continuous development programmes to enhance their careers and provide the skills the company needs. Interestingly, a new survey by Ford Motor Company showed that SUVs are highly desired by Millennials – those aged 17-34 – indicating Europe’s SUV boom is poised to accelerate as the generation reaches prime new car buying age. More so than other age groups, Millennials say SUVs make them feel powerful when they drive, are the kind of vehicle they want to be seen in – according to top strategic research consultancy Benenson Strategy Group. In India the Millennials aspire to own a crossover – a fusion of utility vehicle and car. Back home, the 55th Annual Convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) witnessed the curtain raiser for the Automotive Mission Plan AMP 2026. It is aimed at mapping the progress of the automobile industry in India and setting targets and goals for this sector over the next ten years; blazing the trail is the intent of the government and the industry to reach new peaks. See you next month with trail blazing events. Till then, Good Bye. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 9

WORLD PREMIERE

IAA Unfolds Exciting New Collection Of Cars, Concepts APA Bureau

he International Motor Show Germany or International Automobile Exhibition, (in German known as the Internationale AutomobilAusstellung- IAA), is the world’s most comprehensive show of the automotive industry. It is an annual event for everybody who develops, manufactures or uses passenger vehicles. It is organized by the Association of the German Automotive Industry, Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA).

For passenger cars, including some motorcycles, the show is held in odd-numbered years in Frankfurt am Main. For commercial vehicles it is in even-numbered years in Hanover. Before 1991, the show was held solely in Frankfurt. A special feature of IAA is the large presence of suppliers throughout the whole automotive value-added chain.

their products. IAA 2015 presented a unique broad range of the automotive industry, including passenger cars, special motor vehicles, motor vehicles with two or three wheels, E-Mobility and car IT, parts and accessories, trailers, model cars, and products used for operation, care, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.

The 66th IAA was organised from September 17 to 27, 2015 in Frankfurt am Main. Around 400 exhibitors from the supply industry presented

Some of the very exciting new cars and concepts that were unveiled at IAA in Frankfurt are highlighted here:-

Infiniti Q30 Infiniti showcased the new Q30 in its final production form. It will come in three trim levels: SE, Sport and Premium with a choice of five engines, in petrol and diesel. The engines include a 1.6-litre petrol making either120bhp or 154bhp, a 107bhp 1.5-litre diesel and a 2.2-litre diesel capable of 168bhp. A 208bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol is also offered on the Sport and Premium variants. Two choices are offered on the gearbox – a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

Five World Premieres From Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz made five world premieres at the IAA 2015. Four new models expand the line-up of Mercedes Dream Cars – the new C-Class Coupé and the new S-Class Cabriolet, each in two standalone versions from Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG. Also making its debut in Frankfurt was the Concept Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile, known in short as the Concept IAA.

Nissan’s New Crossover, EV Nissan’s pioneering design and innovation provided the headlines at the 66th Frankfurt Motor Show with a stand display that showcased the brand’s unique ability to challenge the conventional and deliver excitement at every level. With a striking array of bold new ideas and groundbreaking developments in Nissan’s celebrated EV range, the company again confirms its status as one of the most innovative and forward-thinking brands in the industry.

10 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

WORLD PREMIERE Volkswagen Multivan The specialists from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles presented a new limited edition Multivan – that will add yet another positive trait to the best-seller from Hannover. The PanAmericana concept vehicle unites the comfort of the Multivan with the off-road capabilities of an SUV. Above all, it is a magnificent transport vehicle for cargo loads of nearly any type or size.

Ducati Shows Monster 1200 R Ducati Motor Holding unveiled the new Monster 1200 R in Frankfurt. Its key features include the Testastretta 11° DS twincylinder engine in its “R” version (EURO 4 homologated) and a revised chassis to ensure maximum effect and enjoyment on track. In addition, the brand new design of the tail and front section confirm the sporting credentials of this new version of the Monster

Suzuki’s New Baleno Suzuki revealed to the world for the first time the Baleno - a new compact hatchback that raises the bar in terms of styling, packaging and technology. The new Baleno with its stylish design, spacious interior and Suzuki’s latest technologies, is the ideal compact hatchback and one that is based on the company’s experience of making compact cars for 60 years.

Audi Brings S4 and S4 Avant The heart of Audi’s S models is a newly developed V6 engine with petrol direct injection and turbocharging. The 3.0 TFSI has an output of 354PS; its 500 Nm (368.8 lb ft) of torque is available across a wide range of speeds from 1,300 to 4,500 rpm.

Bentley’s Bentayga Bentley Motors unveiled its pinnacle, sector-defining Bentayga SUV. It combines unparalleled luxury with effortless performance and everyday usability. With an allnew twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 powertrain, the Bentayga is the fastest, most powerful, most luxurious and most exclusive SUV in the world. It offers a true Bentley driving experience and showcases a range of innovative technology features. 12 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

The engine outstrips its predecessor in terms of power and torque, while simultaneously offering significantly lower fuel consumption and weight.

WORLD PREMIERE Ferrari Launches 488 Spider Ferrari unveiled the 488 Spider, the latest chapter in Maranello’s ongoing history of open-top V8 sports cars. It is the most high-performance Spider ever built by the Prancing Horse and is powered by the 488 coupé’s 3902cc turbo-charged V8 which punches out a maximum of 670 CV with the Variable Torque Management system guaranteeing smooth, progressive torque delivery in the higher gears up to a maximum of 760 Nm at 3,000 rpm.

Honda’s Project 2&4 Honda made the global premier of Project 2&4 powered by RC213V’. A winner of the global design competition run by Honda among its global design studios, Honda Project 2&4 represents the company’s drive to inspire and reward creative thinking.

Vauxhall Astra Vauxhall’s all-new Brit-built Astra, in both five-door hatch and Sports Tourer body styles, were premiered in Frankfurt. Built at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire, the new Astra is up to 200kg lighter than the outgoing model and thanks to its clever design it is smaller on the outside and bigger inside.

Hyundai Presents New Models Hyundai Motor presented a host of new models, design concepts and technologies. The introduction of the company’s new high-performance N sub-brand is envisioned through exciting concept cars and a preview of the 2016 New Generation i20 WRC race car. The New i20 Active and New Santa Fe on display enhanced Hyundai’s European Crossover and SUV ranges, while the Vision G coupe concept envisioned the inspiration for future premium products.

Jaguar Land Rover’s F-PACE

Kia’s Sportage and Optima

Jaguar Land Rover debuted F-PACE , the latest model from the Jaguar stable following the critically acclaimed launches of the XE and XF. Designed, engineered and manufactured in Britain, these new models are the result of a £1.5billion investment that has accelerated Jaguar Land Rover’s world leadership in lightweight technology.

Kia Motors unveiled the allnew Kia Sportage and all-new European-specification Kia Optima at IAA. Kia Sportage made its global premiere, while the all-new Optima – revealed for the first time earlier this year – was being shown for the first time in European production specification.

14 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Renault Talisman Estate Hot on the heels of the new D-segment Talisman saloon, Renault revealed details of the stylish and capacious estate version which is set to go on sale in mainland Europe in the first half of 2016. Both models made their public debuts in IAA. The Talisman Estate competes in a sector of the European market where 54 percent of sales are taken by estate models.

WORLD PREMIERE Mazda KOERU Mazda Motor Corporation unveiled the all-new crossover concept Mazda KOERU, demonstrating its unique and daring interpretation of a crossover vehicle, proposed for the fast-growing crossover market. Featuring the full suite of Mazda’s new-generation SKYACTIV technologies and designed under the KODO—Soul of Motion design language, the concept offers sporty yet delightfully refined styling and driving performance.

Porsche 911 Carrera This is what it might look like – the Porsche of tomorrow. Together with the new 911 Carrera, Porsche presented the ‘Mission E’ concept car. It is a coherent design of a sports car with an electric drive and all of the traits that make up a Porsche.

DS Automobiles DS Automobiles presented its DS 4 Crossback Concept, New DS 4 & DS 4 Crossback and the DSV-01 Formula E car. The DS stand represented a product and technology offensive, with new models and an expanded connectivity offering with the arrival of Apple CarPlay on DS Connect.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio The all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio made its public appearance in Frankfurt. Five examples of the high-performance saloon were on display across Alfa Romeo’s striking and impressive new stand, each finished in a different colour: Competizione Red, Trofeo White, Vulcano Black, Vesuvio Grey and Montecarlo Blue. 16 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

CORPORATE

Continental Automotive Brake Systems Plans To Expand India Footprint APA Bureau

ontinental Automotive Brake Systems India, a fullyowned subsidiary of Continental AG is looking at catering to the increasing demand from the global and local OEMs in the country. The hydraulic brake system plant has an installed capacity to produce around 1.5 million callipers, boosters and drum brakes at its Manesar facility with customised and localised machinery for calliper housing machining in India, which were earlier imported from Germany. The facility also houses an enhanced R & D test lab. The company which began as a joint venture with Rico in 2008, went on to become a fully owned subsidiary of Continental AG in 2012. Until recently, it was based out of the Rico plant. Now it has moved to its own 7000 sq meter production facility in Manesar. With core processes involving machining and assembly of parts, the hydraulic brake system plant has initiated several localisation programmes including the in-house manufacturing of drum brake sub-assemblies like adjusters, brake shoes and wheel cylinders. Further capacity and programmes will be added to meet the demands of global and local OEMs. Speaking to AutoParts Asia, Matthias Matic Executive Vice President, Hydraulic Brake Systems Business Unit, Member of the Management Board, Chassis & Safety Division Continental, said, “To supply to our customers in India, we believe in purchasing

18 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Matthias Matic

mostly in the Indian market but we also get machines from other sources if required. For example, for operations like turning we might get machines from other locations as well. We will be contributing in general to our central industrial engineering from here.” Paramjit Chadha, Head of Indian Business Unit, said the plant also makes machinery for the manufacture of hydraulic brake systems, brake boosters and brake actuation units. The local machines are on par with the imported ones. “We try to use as much as possible of

the local supply base available here,” he said. About the development of the machinery Matic said that, “We are always looking to find new ways and new technologies to improve our capability to manufacture on a competitive basis. We are looking at the market here for local suppliers for milling machines; we found one but it was not as per our specifications. With our local team here and our central industrial engineering we developed that supplier to fulfil our worldwide standards for the plant here. This helped our

Paramjit Chadha

international footprint as well to get competitive equipment out of India.”

already localised various other complete assembly line and testing equipment with local suppliers, which can also be considered for other parts the world he said. “We are looking into assembly of equipment as well. We see capabilities here for testing equipment from

clear target is to produce locally for the local market.” The company has commenced direct export to South Africa and Eastern Europe and indirect export through its established customer base, to Europe and the ASEAN region. About the

Continental Automotive Brake Systems India was selected along with those in Slovakia and Mexico, from among 15 plants worldwide, for a quality award for developing a local supplier overcoming a number of obstacles for the development of the new machinery. Among the three, the Indian plant “is our youngest plant and its uniqueness is always related to the markets locally available and that is what drives it. We try to maintain global standards in this plant. On some aspects this plant is better than what we have globally. We are dealing with all the managers of these locations together and follow best practices with respect to the benchmarks that have been set and make sure that the best of these are implemented inside the plants,” Matic said. After having run these machines in India successfully for the past two years, other Continental hydraulic brake systems plants in China, UK and Mexico have imported them and the feedback, according to the company has been good. The company has 20 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

local suppliers and we are also exporting this to one of our plants in Europe,” he said. Chadha adds that, “We have increased localisation substantially keeping in mind the targets of the team. We keep an eye open for all potential options. Overall, the strategy here primarily is to supply and satisfy the demands of the Indian market. If our customers have some facilities outside India, then we support those too from this plant but the

contribution of this plant to Continental’s revenues from Asia, he said that Continental has been a big entity in Asia so the contribution from India is limited at this stage. “Since India is relatively young for us, the production and contribution from the country is small. But with increase in the Indian market share, production will certainly go up, as well as the contribution from India to the Asian market in the near future,” Matic said.

INTERVIEW

SAE International Works For Cyber Security,

Skill Development; Wants To Eliminate Counterfeit The US-based SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) International is a global professional association and standards organisation of engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Its core competencies are lifelong learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE is the premier world resource for design, manufacturing, operation, and maintenance of automobiles, aircraft, space vehicles, and off-highway automotives. In an exclusive interview to T Murrali of AutoParts Asia, David Schutt, CEO, SAE International, explained the various aspects of the functioning of SAE International and its role in setting standards, counterfeit avoidance, cyber security, energy efficiency, sustainable technologies and skill development. The edited excerpts:-

David Schutt

By T Murrali

: What megatrends does SAE follow to drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries including automotive? David Schutt: We work very closely with the industry leaders to develop knowledge and technical conferences for them. When something is ripe and ready for standardisation we try to put those standards together for them. Technical standards are our core competency which does the maximum for the industry. We provide the knowledge engineers would need to be successful in the industry. Now we are looking at counterfeit avoidance, mainly in

22 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

the aerospace industry, and cyber security as key things. Cyber security is one of those key emerging issues. The industry knows that it is there but is not really discussing it openly. We have a cyber security cell where we have high school students come in and hack into cars. It is a very enlightening experience for everyone to see how quickly it can be done. It is a learning process. Coming back to the megatrends, we are looking at the environmental issues, the powertrain, the electrification of vehicles, and how our cyber security cell connects in.

SAE Headquarters

Q: You are going to form a committee on cyber security as this is a new problem. Was it expected to crop up and spread at such an alarming pace? David Schutt: When you open up the car to upgrade the systems, you open it up to cyber attacks. The industry is still looking for individual ways, at the company- level and the industrylevel to deal with it. Early on, we considered that each company was structured very differently with managements that want to find out how important an issue this was. Now we know that this issue is on the technology, manufacturing, and engineering design side and spread across all industries. The companies are figuring out them themselves. Q: The automotive industry is seeing new suppliers like Google and Microsoft as compared to the traditional Denzos, Delphis and Visteons. How does SAE drive the connected industry? David Schutt: It is hard to bring them together. That is a very interesting challenge. The ‘new’ auto industry is somewhat intentional about not getting too close to the traditional thinking process. They started elsewhere because they thought they could do it differently and better. In certain ways they are showing the industry that it can be done. But I think they have not grasped fully the mass production side. It may be easy to make 100 or 200 cars, but when you start to scale up for thousands of cars, the ‘new’ industry has a lot of lessons to learn from the traditional auto industry. We are trying to make sure that those two communities talk, integrate and respect what each one brings to the table and provide forums where those dialogues can take place. It really is not about taking a technology and putting it into the infotainment centre. They are now revolutionising the way cars are being designed,

which is a very healthy thing for the industry. It is disruptive, but if you ignore it the industry will suffer. We are playing a major role for connected vehicles in developing new standards by bringing in the key stakeholders to a common forum to start talking about these issues. Q: In this scenario of shift even in design, what challenges do you see in developing standards for the emerging locations? David Schutt: Let me give you an example juxtaposing the aero industry and the automotive industry. Standards come in when the industry is willing to standardise and use a common approach. Standards help the industry and the company get to a certain point more quickly and efficiently, with higher quality and safety. The aerospace industry decided very early not to compete on quality, environment or safety. There is no differentiation in getting out an Airbus, Boeing or an Embraer plane, where safety is the first concern. If a process improvement is discovered or learnt, it is immediately shared across the entire industry. The aerospace industry globally had a lot of regulations to comply with. However, the automotive industry grew up regionally, in pockets. Now that it has moved into a global platform, design standards are going to be very interesting. You still have your historical pockets of standardisation like American standards and European standards. How do we bridge the gap and harmonise in a noncompetitive way is the key challenge. The auto industry is still working through that, while the aerospace industry has put it away a long time ago. We have more standards in aerospace than in automotive because they rely very heavily on them and their affiliates also follow suit. SAE International which writes the clauses of the standards and PRI (Performance Review Institute) does the confirmatory assessment programme AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 23

INTERVIEW for the entire world. If you are a supplier you are mandated by the industry to go through our audit, and one audit satisfies all. If you run a Lockheed process and we come and audit you, Airbus will accept it. The automotive industry has some lessons to learn from other industries to improve quality and efficiency. But it will have to accept that quality will not be the differentiating factor. Q: Do you think that this would happen soon? David Schutt: It has to happen sooner than they want it to. Take for example, cyber security. The cyber criminals only have to find one way in. The automotive manufacturers have to check every possible Humanoid Robot ASIMO at Honda Stall at the 2015 way out. It is going to SAE World Congress be very difficult. If you standardise it, does it make it more difficult or easier for the hackers? In the long-run if you standardise something underneath, then you can put your proprietary code on top. In the aerospace industry one counterfeit component can cause disaster to the lives on board. In automotive it may not be to that extent. It is still a major issue. Lot of work has been done in the aerospace industry while automotive is still debating it. In this country the spurious market for components is so huge that people tend to go for the cheapest available and compromise on the safety of their whole family. I think 3-D printing will be a real challenge because you can make it look just like the original. Rapid prototyping when it came was a boon for people in design. The downside is that the counterfeiters use it more efficiently. Q: How does SAE help members address or overcome energy challenges? David Schutt: SAE plays its strongest role where the industry comes together on a pre-competitive basis - the sort of issues that make the industry holistically more competitive. Energy is one of those things we are looking at. We have technical conferences where people can come and share and debate. Technologies are emerging on the best ways and strategies to achieve long-range goals. The US, under President Obama, wants to have 24 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

54.5 mpg (miles per gallon) by 2025. I think the larger challenge in the US is the marketability; acceptance of these more expensive technologies to achieve fuel efficiency. The US is reverting to SUVs as they have the desire for much larger vehicles, and it is difficult for the OEMs to meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards. They have the technology for the small cars but that is not what the US market wants. The electric vehicles will help us get there, though they are expensive right now. Q: The much talked-about Sustainable technology is confined only to the developed markets. The emerging ones are struggling even to achieve set targets in the traditional markets. What is your view on the development of sustainable technologies across the world? David Schutt: There is no cost benefit from sustainable technologies. They are very nonlinear. They are getting too expensive for small productions to be viable for other markets. The whole concept of interlock brakes, designed in the aerospace industry, was brought into the automotive industry and introduced first in the high-end Mercedes. Through volumes and engineering design it became cost effective and it is standard today on many cars in the western world. In India more than 50% have the Anti-lock braking system (ABS). Next was the anticipatory braking with radar detection, right now the expensive cars have it but with scale the price will come down so some of these sustainable technologies will become more affordable. But markets are very finicky; sustainability is more a concern in some places in the world than others. For example, India is trying to educate with regard to CO2 emissions. Embraer is much more advanced; they are designing aircraft in the concept that you and I choose which aircraft to fly on based on their impact. I just don’t see enough knowledge truly available in the market place to make wise decisions; it’s still cost based. So I don’t see the Return on these Investments. For the electric vehicle, I think there is promise there but it’s going to be renewable energy for the electrification. In some regions it’s more affordable like in places where you get more wind power to generate electricity. Q: There are certain government regulations which could be an impediment to developing sustainable technologies. In Europe, some emerging markets have very low standards, Euro-2-3. It seems it is difficult to have a worldwide initiative. What role does SAE play in convincing governments? David Schutt: We do not play any advocacy role with the governments. Our role is to ensure that policy is based on sound science and

SAE Brasil Congress in Sao Paulo

engineering principles. We are not proactive in saying the regulations should be X or Y. There are trade associations that would do that. We try to be as neutral as possible. However, SAE does initiate an industry-government-corporate sector discussion every year, an interaction that takes place in Washington D.C. where the policy advisor from the Whitehouse is present.

Toyotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new hydrogen fuel Mirai has just landed in Europe. It would be interesting as lot of initiatives have taken place on that. What is SAEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in developing alternative propulsions and how is this initiative progressing? David Schutt: We provide the forum for discussions. Obviously the present developments are very proprietary within the company. When they are ready to share and learn from one another, we create the forums for that to take place. Q: Is there a special focus for SAE to work on them? David Schutt: We have topical meetings and then there is the Automotive World Congress each year where several tracks are focused on. Companies will come and share their information. Q: Do you also work on advanced materials or are you confined only to standards? David Schutt: These are topics within the conferences and we are also looking at where standards can contribute to advanced manufacturing processes. With regard to raw materials and alloys, we do much more in the aerospace industry than automotive.

Poster competition for engineering students in Detroit

SAE does not influence but enlightens the governments. Sometimes we do research programmes where the government would be interested in something particular and would convene a consortium to explore that. Alternative refrigerants are one area where this has been done worldwide, where governments have tried to bring down carbon emissions. Q: Another area is alternative propulsions.

Q: Is not the push coming from the automotive industry for such initiatives? David Schutt: I think it is being done on the company level, not at the industry level. An OEM may be working very closely with their supplier to develop the right alloy, weight and performance. We come in with the safety standards that we put into the crash test. If the industry wants to standardise a particular type of alloy then we do that. It is where we can really play. In the aerospace industry both Airbus and Boeing have a composite aeroplane now, made out of composites. Q: Let me shift to the counterfeits that have been killing the industry and depriving the governments of their revenues. In countries AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 25

INTERVIEW like India, there is a parallel economy. How do you propose to end this? David Schutt: Let me again go back to the aerospace industry. In the US there is a regulation that it is a criminal offence if a CEO allows a counterfeit part to get into the supply chain. So the CEOs of Boeing are criminally liable. SAE is putting together a series of standards for counterfeit avoidance. We started with electronics, and now have a series on material other than electronics. Those standards are being adopted by the industry and applied by the supply chain.

shifts where the engineering design is taking place. India used to be just the outsource for the computational development. Now it is a critical part of the engineering design process, not only for cars within India but also for the global platform.

Q: In automotive the counterfeit is in the aftermarket, not in manufacturing. I don’t know if we can compare it with aviation. David Schutt: We have tried to introduce standards and certifications in the aftermarket. But the aftermarket is not ready to take on that responsibility. For example, wheels. There are a lot of counterfeit wheels that come out which are difficult to tell from the originals. The aftermarket community has not been willing to impose our certifications into the marketplace. If the wheel self-destructs while on the highway it could cause a fatal accident. Sometimes it may not happen. Even if it did, it was only one or two lives. You need multiples of those to get the governments involved. It is different in the aerospace industry, one plane is 300 lives.

Coming to sales, it all depends on the economic cycles - disposable income vs. necessity for mobility. That, I think, is a big transformation going around the world. Which countries subsidise energy and which do not will play a major role going forward.

Q: While your standards can help address the vehicle or component manufacturers who are in the organised sector. Counterfeiting is done by the unorganised and unaccountable. Who will you address this to? David Schutt: We can’t because the aftermarket will always be there and consumers would go directly to the counterfeiters. Q: The push could come from the end-users. Is there a way to educate the consumers? David Schutt: I feel Trade Associations can play a major role. The government also has to play a role in this. This is applicable more for the emerging markets. This problem is very serious in countries like India, China and Russia. Russia also faces a huge problem in terms of counterfeit parts. Unless the governments hand out severe punishments this won’t stop. In India, ACMA and SIAM have to educate the public by either going on the media or printing literature. Q: The growth of vehicle sales has been erratic across the world. The matured markets have reached a saturation level of 0.5 - 1%. Even the emerging markets like India and China also are quite volatile. What are your perspectives on the changes in the industry? David Schutt: For SAE International, where the cars are sold is not a very relevant a factor. SAE is interested in design and manufacture - where the engineering is taking place. We are seeing 26 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

There is globalisation, but you still have localisations and specialisations. A car designed for the Indian market would probably be different from that designed for the European market. Engineering is now being shared very quickly across the world.

Q: What is SAE’s advice to the Indian automotive industry? David Schutt: That is a big question. One area would be skill development. India needs skilled engineers and skilled engineers can only be there when they go through our lifelong learning process. Employability is very poor in India. The graduates who come out of colleges are not immediately employable. This is where SAE can play a very important role; it is doing so already. We have brought a lot of lifelong learning programmes at lower levels. For example, for the sixth and seventh standard school children we have a programme called ‘A world in motion’ that exposes kids to hands on type of experience in learning Newton’s third law. In college they are exposed to different events and competitions that add to the experience. Once they go through this and then participate in the different conferences that SAE India is organising here, they will become better employable in the industry. I think the industry has to work and ensure that the best minds pursue technical careers engineering and science. Once they have that workforce, it is really important that that workforce gets global exposure and global knowledge. I think the industry is doing a good job of moving its talents around. That broadening of experience and markets, and experience in other areas, will make the entire industry more efficient. When you just treated India as an outsourcing place to do the complications, you would see designs being made that were physically not possible to do. But getting that experience and seeing how other cultures work and operate, you can begin bringing those concepts into the designs and the work that you are doing. So it is about getting the best talent into the industry and moving that talent around the world.

INTERVIEW

Siemens Systems Change The Way Cars And Parts Are Made Factory Automation for efficient manufacturing is picking up very fast in all the sectors. Siemens has developed automation systems for several industries like tyre, wind power and solar power. It has new technologies to produce lithium-ion battery for power storage and fuel cells. In an exclusive interview, Peter Haan, Digital Factory Division, Siemens AG, told T Murrali of AutoParts Asia that Siemens can simulate energy consumption of each machine in a plant and help auto component manufacturers save energy and reduce power bill. He spoke at length about the various applications of Siemens technology in automotive industry, especially electric mobility. The following are the edited excerpts:-

: Can you give some details about the Digital Factory division of Siemens

AG? Peter Haan: In this division we have a business unit called FA

28 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

(Factory Automation). In this we have corporate headquarters, and sales for the smallest business development. One part of this team takes care of focus industries like wind power automation, solar,

tyre and the completely new technologies like lithium-ion battery production for immobile and stationary storage of power. This is to take care of power outages. This can also be done by lithium-ion containers.

In these containers a control system stores electricity whenever there is surplus, for example, during night, for example from nuclear power plants, which cannot be shut down fast. In some countries it leads to power outages. In Europe we don’t have that but the price changes. We try to limit our additional costs by using containers of lithium-ion batteries, connected to the public network, to cover the peak loads. Whenever there is an electrical power trip we charge the batteries. When power becomes very expensive, we distribute it back to the network. This technology is picking up very fast in Europe. This is one of our future markets because we need a cost-effective way to produce lithium-ion cells. Today the yield rate of these cells is far from what we know of electronic manufacturing. It has a lot of scrap parts which cannot be put in a waste box. We have to rework it. Lithium slurry is not very healthy. It is special garbage. Lithium-ion battery production is part of my responsibility. It is fuel cell production, a future driving methodology for cars. Q: How will these technologies help auto component manufacturers? Peter Haan: This is mainly decided in the design phase. We can simulate energy consumption of each machine in a plant. In material flow simulation you can see the average power consumption - in which area and in what machines we have peaks and low power consumption. You also have possibilities to make this an optimisation criterion. For example, if you do not want the peak load to exceed a particular kilowatt level, you can limit it. In Germany, one cost factor (that is how much money you have to pay for electricity) is the peak load that you consume. Someone who consumes more peak load has to pay more, even if his

average consumption is the same as yours. So you have to avoid peak loads. To avoid this, integrated plant simulation is a very good methodology. Another thing that comes into the game is big storage areas. If you store a tyre in a high place, you need a forklift to bring it down. You need to have a lot of power in the forklift to carry out the operation, so you generate a peak in the network. Once the tyre is brought down, then you don’t require that amount of power; you have a lot of potential energy, which is either done away as heat, or you will have to somehow break it down. For this we have a system where there is a super capacitor connected directly to

We start retrograde planning, which is working backwards from the finished car, and the schedule is built. It is aligned in such a way that no parts will be stored for a long time.

the electrical drive. When the heavy tyre is lifted up, only part power is used from the public network - the peaks are taken from the super capacitor. When the tyre is brought down, the potential energy is transformed into electrical power and stored in the super capacitor. It is regenerative. The electric mobile works the same way when you break, you charge your battery. Q: Is it a separate unit that you fit into a normal forklift, or do you have to manufacture it that way? Peter Haan: We are not forklift makers, we are the supplier for automation and drive technologies. We have this as

an option to our Sinamics Drive, S120 or S150. Forklift is one application for this drive, there may be others as elevators etc. Q: What are the other applications? Peter Haan: All applications where you have power consumption as a peak load and where you need too much power for a short time. Q: What is the rate of return on investment (ROI)? How soon will I get the payback? Peter Haan: It’s difficult to answer here. It depends on the application and the target country. In Germany, such a forklift application has to have a ROI in less than three years. But in countries it might be faster because if you have a power outage and have to get power from your backup battery or shut down production, then the impact becomes much bigger. In Germany you just have to pay an additional amount for more current. In other countries you could have ROI in one year. Q: In the auto components industry, volumes are reducing but varieties are increasing. Most of the time standardisation does not apply. Peter Haan: We call it mass customisation. In the old days degree of customisation was very high – 100 percent. It was Henry Ford who brought customisation down to zero, because he said ‘any colour as long as it’s black’. If you buy a car today, you have lot of options. If you look at similar cars being manufactured it could be just two or three a week. So this is what is meant by mass customisation. Q: In this scenario of mass customisation how effectively can your solutions help customers? Peter Haan: This is the home domain of automation technology; it begins with getting an order from a particular Manufacturing Execution System (MES). AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 29

INTERVIEW For example, if you want buy a new car and you would like to have air-conditioning, a particular colour, a dedicated radio system or information technology, nice tyres and so on, they are entered by your car dealer and transmitted to the car manufacturer. This order with all your requests is separated in the MES. The MES receives the order from SAP and breaks it down to smaller orders for parts, for example, you may need a special chassis or engine. The MES system goes to the storage area and checks if parts are available or have to be produced. We start retrograde planning, which is working backwards from the finished car, and the schedule is built. The schedule is aligned in such a way that no parts will be stored for a long time. It’s just-in-time production and this is done with our tool, Preactor. It is a scheduling and planning tool with which you can plan mass customised production very well. The different recipes are automatically downloaded from a central recipe machine. Finally, what is important is that the machine checks if it is really producing the right combination. This is an example how automation technology supports mass customisation. Q: Does Energy Management start with data acquisition? Peter Haan: It actually starts with planning and design; all energy efficiencies which we design into a machine need not be saved for later on. Q: In this case, do you work with your customers from the design stage itself or from the concept stage? How do you go about it? Peter Haan: First we scan the market with market research to find where the best customers are ready to save energy. We have a super capacitor pack as an add-on for our drives that we show our customers, in the marketing phase, to demonstrate how much saving they could achieve, but we don’t go into all details. We are an automation supplier, so the machine builder goes into active flow with all his process knowledge, and uses our products and ideas to save energy for his machine. The same is also valid for endcustomers. What we offer is energy 30 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

assessment. We have the experience to know how much energy goes out of the factory, for example the pneumatic system. This can only be done with domain knowhow. We don’t have domain knowhow for all industries. It is not our target. We work mutually with our customer specialists to make and implement together. For example, replacing old DC motors with modern AC servo drives. Sometimes we suggest the customer to go to his machine vendor and discuss with him how to save energy. Q: Too much of electronics or systems also invites a lot of issues from the serviceability point of view. How do you address that, the after sales service? Peter Haan: To be honest, we do not need a lot of after sales services. We have a big installed base of Simatic S-5 technology-based machines in the field. This technology was discontinued in 1995. We have machines running for 30 years with S-5 but it is still working in the tyre industry. The most important thing is to have the highest quality in the products. Products are made in Amberg in Bavaria or in Shengzuo, China, where we have a very strict quality measurement system. High quality is important not only for our customers but also for our own success. In the tyre industry price pressure on automation technology is very high. If there are additional quality costs you reduce your profits. To minimize that, for after sales service purposes, remote access to the machines today is done at all the PLCs by means of the internet. Each one has a web server integrated to it. It is also a challenge because access to the controllers by our customers is not done unprivileged. We have a lot of special technologies with security and special routers, for example to make sure that no unauthorised approach and access can happen. For most of the numerically- controlled machines we monitor all the data on a regular basis. If the end- customer agrees, then the vendor of the CNC machines will connect it with the internet and Siemens automatically records all the production steps done with that machine and this data is used to inform the end-customer about

predictive maintenance by evaluating parameters like noise (very important for example in wind turbines). Conditioned monitoring, combined with predictive maintenance, is very important. In industrial production machines we are moving more and more towards this state. We offer different types of contracts according to the requirements of our customers like the replacement of parts in a fixed time period. This would help increase the output from the customer’s factory. Q: What is happening on the electric mobility front? Peter Haan: Considering electric mobility, it has to come from the market side; we have to distinguish the two markets here. In cities like Beijing, with high pollution, you may have to use your fork lights because you can’t see anything. In this market the government encourages use of its own power and trusts its own decisions. There is another market, where also Germany belongs to, where government does not dictate or take decisions in that strong way, and where pollution is not so bad. In such markets I see a good opportunity for e-mobility but the drivers are totally different. In big Asian or Chinese towns normally you do not move long distances. If you have a traffic jam you don’t need energy. If you just shut down it doesn’t require power from the battery, it is not a problem. On the other hand, electrical cars would definitely help Chinese society in their quality of living. If the government decides to shut down combustion machines, I think in general it would be accepted. Some people may be unhappyif they can’t use their SUV. But most vendors recognises that this may happen and offer low-price electric cars for ’green’ people as well as cars for those who want bigger models. Q: What is the automation role in supporting e-mobility? Peter Haan: We supply technologies like controllers, motors and drives for machines to produce battery cells, to improve the quality output of the battery cell line and reduce quality costs, especially for lithium-ion batteries.

COVER STORY

Testing Times For Indian Automotive I

32 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Industry

Automotive industry in India has been evolving in terms of performance, aesthetics, comforts, safety, connectivity and environmentfriendliness. The vehicle designers and developers have several challenges. Well-equipped automotive test centres with skilled people for testing and validating new technologies within a time frame are indispensable for the OEMs to be in the market faster with minimum failures and at competitive cost. The recently-unveiled Automotive Mission Plan (AMP 2026) has set targets and given the Indian automotive industry a roadmap for the next decade. But its accent on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;testingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which needs special focus to empower the industry to drive along the set growth tracks, seems to be inadequate. Only competent automotive testing facilities will make AMP 2026 a reality.

By T Murrali

new generation automotive, to be declared roadworthy, will have to undergo various kinds of testing including simulation, on public roads, virtual, traffic scenario, embedded software, reliability testing of software and hardware systems, engine and emission, safety, crash, fail-safe mode, cyber threat and impact on environment. Major OEMs and component manufacturers in the developed markets have made huge investments to create automotive testing infrastructure and to develop skills of the people who engage in the testing process.

Test Track at Daimler India Commercial Vehicles

In India test infrastructure is being developed by few OEMs in addition to the public sector institutions. Along with its automotive industry development programme under the AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 33

COVER STORY

ICAT Manesar

Automotive Mission Plan 2016, the Union Government had established the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP). In order to meet the objectives of NATRiP, test centres are coming up in seven locations -- Ahmednagar, Chennai, Indore, Manesar, Pune, Silchar and Rae Bareilly. There will be nine Centres of Excellence (CoE) specifically focusing on different streams of the vehicle. For example, International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Manesar, will have two centres for component development and testing NVH â&#x20AC;&#x201C; noise, vibration and harshness.. India has also initiated the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). It is being developed by the Institute of Road Traffic Education and the Government of India. The Indian NCAP is expected to start from 2018. Laboratories and other facilities are being built by several agencies. By 2020 new cars sold in India will need to comply with voluntary star ratings based on crash safety performance tests. Critical safety features such as airbags, ABS, and seat belt reminders will become standard in cars sold in India. The AMP 2026 seeks to define the trajectory of the progressive evolution of the automotive Demonstration test bed at AVL India

34 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Electric Mobility centre at AVL India

ecosystem in India during the next decade. They include specific regulations and policies that govern research, design, technology, testing, manufacturing, import and export, sale, use, repair, and recycling of automotive

vehicles, components and services. Since each stakeholder has a different perspective of the automotive sector, “AMP 2026 is attempting to provide a ‘same page’ view of the government and industry’s vision and policy goals for the automotive sector to all of them in a coherent and cogent manner”. The core objectives of AMP 2026 include promoting safe, efficient and comfortable mobility for every person in the country, with an eye on environmental protection and affordability through both public and personal transport options. It wants the industry to export 35-40 percent of production and make India one of the major automotive export hubs of the world. The automotive industry is very optimistic about the second edition of the AMP as its first edition, introduced in 2006, was instrumental for the commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles, and tractors to achieve the cumulative domestic sales targets. They are on course to reach the sales target of `5,49,000 crore and exports of `54,000 crore by the end of fiscal year 2016. The performance of the Indian Automotive industry in the AMP 2016 decade – 2006-2016 - has been quite commendable in spite of the global recession for five years and the financial crisis of 2008. However, the components segment, and the two and three-wheelers are likely to miss their targets. The auto component segment would be far behind the targeted `1,20,000 crore. The Vision of AMP 2026 is that by 2026, the Indian automotive industry will be among the top three in the world in engineering, manufacture and export of vehicles and AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 35

COVER STORY

Evolution of Automotive Testing In India Automotive testing in India has evolved over the last three decades from mere ancillary development stage to elaborate product validation testing. With the opening up of the economy, the automotive industry saw big changes. The major driving forces and their impact on testing had been evolving along with the industry performance. India was a sellers’ market before 1985 with a few local OEMs catering to the demand, which was always huge. Therefore, testing was merely on assessing road-worthiness and ancillary development. After the economic liberalisation, the county witnessed several global OEMs setting up shops. The Indian majors also expanded and diversified production. With these the automotive test facilities got multiplied. Eventually the scenario transformed to the buyers’ market fuelling competition among the vehicle makers. This created demand for simultaneous engineering with more sophisticated test facilities like computer- controlled test with real time simulations. Extensive new product development demanded accelerated testing labs and other facilities. With the advent of elaborate Central Motor Vehicle Rules, ‘Type Approval’ system came in to being. Alongside, the tightening safety and emission norms resulted in making Third Party Certification Testing mandatory. The journey picked up with the government decision to build testing and R&D infrastructure under NATRiP. Gradually the test facilities were decentralised with three centres Pune, Delhi and Chennai developing into Centres of Excellence. Proving ground and test tracks are being built at Pithampur near Indore under NATRAX Centre. The changes also incorporated the testing for export homologation and consumer testing, etc.

auto components. It aims at having safe, efficient and environment- friendly conditions for affordable mobility of people and transportation of goods in India comparable with global standards, growing in value to over 12 percent of India’s GDP, and generating an additional 65 million jobs. The automotive industry has to move forward on several fronts to reach these targets set by AMP 2026. The most important among them is the development of new vehicles and the infrastructure and the skill sets to test them for compliances on several parameters. While there are challenges for OEMs and their vendors in product development, testing needs special attention. Safe, efficient and comfortable are concepts contradicting one another in the current scheme of materials. The more comfortable and safe the vehicles, the less efficient they can be. Therefore, there is the need for deploying alternate materials. This calls for next generation testing technologies. 36 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Only competent automotive testing facilities will enable the vehicle manufacturers to market new designs faster, manage increased regulatory compulsions and maintain cost efficiencies and make AMP 2026 a reality.

Testing Challenges The automotive testing institutions under NATRiP are committed to supporting the vision of AMP 2026. According to Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, “Quality service at reasonable cost and timely deliveries have always been our policy.” Dinesh Tyagi, Director, ICAT, has said that, “We have designed and developed many test rigs such as radial fatigue test rig, cornering fatigue test rig, torsion moment test rig, and tyre endurance test rigs. These test rigs are technically competent and complying to ISO 17025. We have competitive testing equipments for wheel rims, pneumatic tyres, fuel tanks, hydraulic brake hoses etc.” However, “there are several challenges in carrying out testing in time at competitive cost”, he said. The main problem is in the time and high cost needed to develop testing infrastructure which often does not make sense in terms of return on investments, Tyagi said. Urdhwareshe also talked about the problems to cater to the emerging demands of the automotive industry, which has been evolving in terms of performance, aesthetics, comforts, being connected and environment friendly. Some of the important issues are the logistics of test samples coming from across the world, non-availability of specialised test tracks,

materials, and conducting crash test, testing is done on electric and hybrid vehicles, electronics in automotives, emissions, and new engines.

Alternate Materials ARAI has developed a ‘Material Data’ bank to address the emerging needs of light, crashworthy, high-strain and acoustic materials. The ARAI Director said that the institution has been identified as the Centre of Excellence for materials. It has also a special Forging Industry Division (FID). The challenges in testing alternate materials include non-availability of test procedures, test standards etc., which are basic inputs to develop testing solutions. Moreover there is need for creating awareness about the importance of testing and validation for the industry to use alternate materials. “India is a cost conscious country –either initial cost or the cost of ownership. Nobody will change the existing materials to fancy ones, if it is not required by law or emission requirements. However, there are initiatives taken by certain OEMs in looking at alternate materials,” said Shashi Singh, Managing Director, AVL India Private Limited. Globally AVL spends about 10 percent of its revenue on R&D. Most of the global OEMs are concerned about NVH besides, weight of the vehicle as it affects the fuel efficiency. Using alternate materials is not only on the basis of just replacement of materials but primarily on the performance of the vehicle itself. The thermodynamics of the engine, for instance, and the tyre movement etc, all these have to be considered. “Engines of Indian OEMs are as good as that of global OEMs; integrating engine and transmission to the vehicle is the key and this is where lot of things need to be done in India,” Singh said.

Crash Test

Different kinds of test tracks at Asok Leyland Technical Centre

resource crunch like land, infrastructure and power, decentralised testing with portability of results, disposal of tested parts, conflicting requirements in performance over aesthetics, and mutual recognition of test reports. With all these limitations and inadequacies, testing of several aspects of the automotive industry is being undertaken by these institutions. In addition to testing alternate

Passing minimum frontal and side crash tests will be mandatory for all new cars from October 2017. For the new vehicles of the existing models, the deadline will be October 2019. Currently very few OEMs including Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki have crash test facilities in India. ARAI has recently commissioned its new vehicle crash test facility in Pune. This facility contains an array of equipment that can be used to conduct full frontal crash test, side impact crash and offset frontal crash test by Indian automakers to test the safety of their vehicles. The home-grown vehicle makers have their own testing set-up. They get assistance from organisations overseas for facilities not available locally. Multinational companies AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 37

COVER STORY operating in India do not have largescale testing facilities as they leverage their respective facilities created at their headquarters or in some other locations. There is also hybrid kind of a structure, as in the case of Maruti Suzuki, where it has developed capabilities at a larger-scale in India to test its new vehicles.

Tyagi said that “ICAT has done work on alternate propulsion systems, particularly in hybrid and electric vehicles. We have also filed for patents on them. Currently we are in the process of optimising them to meet various norms and regulatory requirements.”

Enriching Electronics The electronic content is increasing even in the conventional vehicles, calling for the special attention of the testing institutions. About the increasing electronics content in automotives and the challenges and opportunities for the testing companies from a global perspective, the spokesperson of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG, said that there would be new challenges as the automotive industry moved towards fully automated vehicles. Now there is testing to verify the performance of sensors (radar, video, etc.) or the requirement to move large amounts of data around the vehicle from these sensor systems. The demand for high quality video for the passengers will require new high bandwidth data base such as Ethernet etc. GPS- based safety systems and the probable need for

The facilities being set up by the Government of India have been delayed. The capacities required are huge and have to be directly proportionate to the capabilities that the testing agencies need. Besides, there are limitations of skilled manpower.

Electric Vehicles Conventional powertrains are expected to hold sway for the next decade also. But hybrids and electric vehicles are likely to increase their share significantly. The Faster Adaptation and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric vehicles in India (FAME) policy lays down the roadmap to support the development of electric and hybrid vehicles market and its manufacturing ecosystem to achieve selfreliance by 2020. Technology development, demand creation, pilot projects and charging infrastructure are the focus areas of the scheme. A new generation testing eco-system has to be created. With the emergence of the electric and hybrid electric vehicles, testing standards, to suit alternate fuels in accordance with the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, had been developed. ARAI has also completed its test facility expansion for powertrains, Urdhwareshe said. The institution is getting ready with elaborate test facilities for structural dynamics and reliability engineering, powertrain test facility and crash testing. 38 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

a vehicle to be connected to the rest of the world using high bandwidth cellular technologies create further testing needs. Down the line, there would be future safety systems which would enable vehicles to communicate with each other. “Companies have been investing in several modules and it will be interesting to see how vehicle to vehicle communication legislation in different countries will help its mass adoption in the coming years”, the spokesperson said. Dr N Saravanan, Head – Engineering, Product Development, Ashok Leyland Technical Centre said, more than 60 percent of today’s passenger vehicle segment is made of electronic components. It would become the similar case for commercial vehicles as the

Public Sector Automotive Test Centres As part of the National Automotive Testing and R&D infrastructure Project (NATRiP), a public sector initiative, seven centres have been identified to set up test facilities. They are:ARAI: The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, is one of the premier testing facilities of the country which carries out more than 90 percent of India’s homologation activities. Its facilities are being upgraded by NATRiP to make it equal to the leading global technical centers. The facilities at the centre include Powertrain Lab (Center of Excellence), Fatigue Lab (Center of Excellence), Passive Safety Lab and Component and Material Lab. ICAT: The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Manesar, Haryana, was set up in 2006. It is the first of the new world-class centres under NATRiP). ICAT undertakes homologation and certification, development projects and testing, and automotive R&D projects. GARC: The Global Automotive Research Center (GARC), Orgadam, near Chennai, will have certification test facilities to conduct the performance testing of the full range of automotives. It will have a Center of Excellence for Passive Safety, EMC and Automotive Infotronics. The centre will also have Powertrain Lab, Fatigue Lab, Certification Lab, Material Lab, Component Lab and Homologation Tracks. NATRAX: The National Automotive Test

M&HCV segment in particular follows the passenger cars. The quantum of electronic components increases the necessity of a virtual testing environment. Most electronic systems have control logic that need to undergo a thorough test routine to simulate real life conditions in order to eliminate any possible failure in the field. This has brought in the need for real-time hardware-in-loop systems. Indian OEMs have realised the significance and advantage of ‘in-loop’ testing procedures and started to pump copious amounts in developing expertise on that domain, he said. The ARAI Director said that increasing electronics in the automobiles has led to creation of the Automotive Electronics Department at the institution. Its focus is on electric and hybrid vehicles. It serves the testing requirements of on-board diagnostics,

Tracks (NATRAX-Indore) will be a worldclass automotive proving ground being set up on 4,140 acres for comprehensive testing and evaluation of all type of vehicles. It will have all types of surfaces to test vehicles against varying terrains and stringency. NCVRS: The National Center for Vehicle Research & Safety (NCVRS), Rae-Bareli, is being planned to house a full-fledged homologation and performance test facility for agricultural tractors and off-road vehicles and the National Accident Data Analysis Center. The centre will have Powertrain Lab, Fatigue Lab, Driver Training Institute and Homologation Tracks. NIAIMT: NIAIMT, Silchar, Assam, has two campuses – Dholchera and Jaffirbond. This center has been created to test in-use vehicle by applying latest technologies, thus making the roads safer. It also houses Mechanics Training Institute, Driver Training Institute and Inspection Maintenance Station. VRDE: Vehicle Research & Development Establishment (VRDE), Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, is a premier laboratory of the Defense Research and Development Organisation. It is one of the authorised homologation center of the country. Under NATRiP, it has been upgraded to have stateof-the-art Electro Magnetic Compatibility Lab and multi-friction braking test track for ABS testing. It also has homologation tracks.

Intelligent Transport Systems, ElectroMagnetic Interference (EMI), Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC), battery- operated vehicles and their certification. Tyagi said that increasing electronic content in automotives has helped making driving easier and safer. Yet it has its own distinctive challenges. “During complex driving situations or manoeuvres, how these electronics interact with each other is very important for drivability, emission, and safety of the vehicle occupants and other road users. Extensive testing and validation is required from the components to vehicle-level under various climatic and driving conditions”, he said. Electronic content in automotive industry has provided lot of opportunities for developing low cost ECU Controllers that satisfies extreme Indian climatic conditions. ICAT has set up an exclusive AEEL (Automotive Electrical AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 39

COVER STORY

Skill Development Skilled manpower is a major concern of all industrial sectors including automotive testing. There is a proposal from the industry to have a dedicated curriculum in the academic institutions on automotive testing to enable the younger generation keep pace with the developments in the rest of the world and fill the skill gap in India. The Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) also could take up the skill needs of the testing segment. ASDC is jointly promoted by the Department of Heavy Industry (Ministry of Heavy Industries), Government of India, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations of India (FADA). ASDC is primarily engaged in the domain of skill development for the automotive sector, in the areas of conducting research related to skill gap, developing training course curriculum and training standards, training the trainers, assessment and certification of trainers and students. These activities are being carried out by the experts from the automotive industry and academia.

and Electronics Laboratory) which renders a variety of testing services to support the product development process related to automotive electronics,” Tyagi said. Singh said that increasing electronic content enhances complexity but is manageable. It is much more complex to alter the weight of the vehicle than adding electronics to support certain features. Like every other component or aggregate there is tremendous amount of durability testing even in electronics.

Testing Emissions Managing emissions is indeed a challenge for OEMs where there is lot of pressure on industry from various environmental stakeholders. “We are supporting OEMs by providing them development test facility in

our labs. In order to accommodate more new OEMs, we are increasing and updating our test beds and facilities. This helps OEMs not only save time and money but also ensure that their product is future-ready,” Tyagi said. ICAT has a new initiative to support automotive industry powertrain development and EMS calibration. Bharat Stage V emission norms may be adopted by India by 2019 for new models and Bharat Stage VI emission norms for four- wheelers by 2023. While there will be a gap of about four years between BS V and BS VI, by 2026, the lag between global norms and the mandatory norms in India can be brought down further. ARAI has state-of-the-art emission test facilities to address domestic and international norms. However, Tyagi points out that reference fuels for Euro 4 to 6 (almost equivalent to BS IV to VI) is unavailable in India. There is also shortage of skilled manpower for new technologies such as GDI (gasoline direct injection), Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), SCR (selective catalytic reduction), OBD (onboard diagnostics), safety etc to support new product development. “India is a fuel-economy driven market but with the tighter emission norms, additional safety and comfort, meeting fuel economy improvements and CO2 norms will be a big challenge. Moreover, longterm fuel and auto emission norms are not available. This leads to lot of development and validation challenges,” he said.

New Engines New engines have higher thermal efficiency with higher temperature range. ARAI has developed elaborate testing infrastructure like Transient Dynameters, Environmentcontrolled Chassis Dynamometers with four by four drive, etc. The corresponding engine cooling systems and necessary infrastructure have also been developed. ICAT, for instance, is fully geared to test and provide development support for upcoming technologies.

The US and EU are heading towards higher thermal efficiencies engines with higher operating temperatures, Saravanan said. Indian OEMs are gaining ground on that base with significant technological collaborations with global leaders in engine manufacturers and imparting frugality to those designs to suit the Indian market. High temperature engine dynamics need specific focus on testing protocols and methods. Primary change in the system to accommodate a higher operating temperature is the material change. Selection of a suitable material to handle such high temperature variations for different sections of an engine in itself requires enormous engineering effort. This focus is slowly and

automotive testing infrastructure, C V Raman, Executive Director, Engineering, Maruti Suzuki Limited, said the local presence of testing facilities would help the vehicle maker save the time spent on sending the prototypes overseas for testing and validation. Quality of feedback and implementation will be better from the local test facility. Maruti has been developing engineering capabilities. Off late it has also been developing capabilities for testing. It does a lot of testing activities, including for measuring emissions, strengths, NVH, field testing etc. The vehicle maker has set up a state-of-the-art test facility at Rohtak with crash lab etc to carry out engineering and development tests also. From the commercial vehicle manufacturer’s perspective Saravanan said, “We used to rely a lot on physical testing of full vehicles on actual roads. From that we moved to testing on a proving ground (with correlation between proving ground and road). We then moved to testing the full vehicle on 6-Poster & 4-Poster and Chassis Dynamometers. The next phase of evolution has been testing the various systems at the ‘component / systems’ in a laboratory. We are now focusing on a mix of ‘Virtual Testing’ (Computer Aided Engineering -CAE) and physical testing at the component / system level and minimising the physical tests on the vehicle level.

Conclusion

Road simulation laboratary at Asok Leyland Technical Centre

steadily catching up with Tier-I suppliers in India. In addition to the material change, the cooling philosophy for an engine needs some rethinking. Being the most sensitive component for fuel efficiency impact, any change in the cooling system specification is run through a battery of tests before being implemented on the vehicle, he added. AMP 2026 states that all the vehicles in the country will be subject to a test of roadworthiness periodically, in line with the laid down standards of testing. The results of such a roadworthiness test should determine the eligibility (or otherwise) of a vehicle to be on road. The Government may define the mandatory tests for roadworthiness for different categories of vehicles. Implementation of this policy may not only lead to ‘End of Life’ vehicle regulation but also scraping policy.

OEM Perspective Speaking from the OEMs perspective and welcoming the government’s move in creating

The challenge in automotive testing is not only about the setting up of the infrastructure facility but also about understanding the data for interpretation and judgement based on the statutory and market requirements. The key challenge is in developing the capabilities of the engineers involved in automotive testing. This is the key issue and it takes a lot of time. A dedicated curriculum in the academic institutions on automotive testing will help the younger generation keep pace with the developments in the rest of the world and fill the skill gap in India. The automotive industry is the mother of the manufacturing sector in an economy, as its performance directly impact the fortunes of several other manufacturing industries and service sectors. Unless the support given to the automotive industry is holistic, it may not yield the expected results. And testing is the key part of its eco-system. If all the testing facilities are available in the country, then the development cost will come down substantially as the time taken for counter measures will be less. It will also help develop better quality products. In addition to all these, there will be up to 20 percent reduction in testing time. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 41

INSIGHTS

Vehicle Safety And Durability Testing The cost and complexity of testing for safety and durability are very high. But the cost of not doing adequate testing can be the future of a company! By Louis P Rumao

t is one thing to test the durability of a particular material or component. When hundreds of components are put together, and subjected to vibration, impact, corrosion, temperature extremes, UV damage and other operational abuses simultaneously, predicting durability is not easy. Some recent examples, where adequate durability testing may have avoided high cost and bad publicity for the companies concerned, are presented here.

cost, involving some 8.5 million cars, was about $2 billion, equally split between repairs and in lost sales. The recall may have dented global demand for Toyota models by 100,000+ vehicles.

Takata Airbags More than 30 million vehicles, 2002 to 2014 models, made by 10 different automakers, have been recalled to replace driver and passenger airbags, made by major parts supplier Takata.

Toyota â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Unintended Acceleration In the 2009 and 2010 models, Toyota had problems related to floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals that may have caused unintended acceleration, leading to a recall of more than 10 million vehicles. The company modified gas pedals and floor mats and agreed to make brake-override systems standard on new models. The company was charged $1.2 billion in criminal penalty, the largest ever for a carmaker in the US. It also paid $66 million in civil penalties. It estimated that the worldwide recall 42 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Louis P Rumao is AutoParts Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Correspondent in the US. He is a Materials Engineer with over three decades of automotive experience. He is a consultant to automotive rubber and plastics suppliers.

Some of those airbags could deploy explosively, injuring or even killing car occupants. At the heart of the problem was the airbag’s inflator, a metal cartridge loaded with propellant wafers, which in some cases has ignited with explosive force. If the inflator housing ruptures in a crash, metal shards from the airbag can be sprayed throughout the passenger cabin—a potentially disastrous outcome from a supposedly life-saving device. Eight fatalities and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the Takata airbags. Although such incidents are very rare, it is a safety concern. In June of 2015, Takata stated that it was aware of 88 inflator ruptures in total - 67 on the driver’s side and 21 on the passenger’s side, just over 1.2 million airbag deployments spread over 15 years. Takata could face recall-related charges of between $4 billion and $5 billion.

GM Ignition Switches GM, the largest US automaker, recalled a record total of 30.4 million cars and trucks in 2014, costing nearly $3billion to repair the recalled cars. The most serious recall was related to a flawed ignition switch in 2.6 million cars that has been tied to at least 169 deaths and more than 300 injuries. These faulty ignition switches can unexpectedly slip out of the ‘run’ position to ‘accessory’ or ‘off’ position, causing engine shut-off and disabling airbags, power-brakes and power-assist steering. GM has set up a special fund of $575 million to compensate victims’ families with payment of at least $1 million each, and lesser amounts for other injury claims. The US government has agreed to drop criminal charges of wire fraud and scheming to conceal safety information from the regulators, with a fine of $900 million. Many Consumer Safety advocates are furious that government has been very lenient to GM, especially since GM could have avoided this problem by spending just one dollar more per vehicle for better switch design and testing!

Testing For Safety, Durability Environmental and durability testing can help manufacturers minimise risk from warranty, insurance and damage claims, by detecting design flaws early. Durability testing is becoming increasingly important as manufacturers strive to increase the reliability of their products. Testing at the early stages of product development can help to ensure quality. Identifying a weakness in a design can help improve the product and create greater revenue through customer satisfaction and retention. Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a classical safety analysis technique which is widely used in the automotive, aerospace and other safety-critical industries. In the process of an FMEA, analysts compile lists of component,

subsystem and system-level failure modes and try to infer the effects of those failure modes on the total vehicle. Vehicle engineers issue design verification plan for every component, subsystem and the entire vehicle, wherein all required tests are listed.

Materials Testing Every component is made of a material (metal, plastic, rubber), while dimensionless materials (oils, sealers, adhesives, paints) are needed in manufacture or use of vehicles. These materials are tested in accordance with respective standards or OEM’s own standards. Specifying the right material for a given component is the responsibility of the OEM. For a ‘black-box’ component (eg. tyre), it is the responsibility of the supplier.

Components And Sub-Systems The failure of a vehicle component or a subsystem (A/C, fuel pump, radiator, etc.) is an area which is likely to affect all of us at one stage or another, and OEM’s make every effort to ensure their durability. Component and subsystem suppliers initially perform all the design verification testing, and then perform on-going production verification testing according to their own control plan to ensure consistent quality. As a result of the commercial pressure, new methods of durability evaluation need to be explored. Automotive suppliers are now being asked to develop new components and subsystems in shorter times and using fewer physical prototypes. The need for verification of the existing methods for durability assessment has been increasing and new computational models to validate the final product within these reduced time scales and resources are being developed.

Vehicle Testing Vehicles are tested on OEM’s dynos and fourpost shakers, where each wheel of a car is on top of a hydraulic pillar. The pillars are linked to a computer which is programmed to simulate the jouncing and crashing the car would experience on a real-world road. Cars are tested on OEM’s own test tracks as well as with driving in various geographic areas to accumulate mileage in a hurry. OEM’s and other durability testing companies do the best they can with human operators behind the wheel, but safety limits the full spectrum of durability testing. The risk is just too high to execute unprotected rollover, high speed, or other dangerous tests. However, autonomous vehicle technology can accurately simulate human drivers in high-risk scenarios to a degree never before possible, while providing benefits in repeatability and precision. Vehicle automation is being recognised and adopted by automotive OEMs as a viable and competitive solution for durability testing in the future. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 43

PREVIEW

India 147 – US 307 Declared! Why Visiting Detroit Automotive Testing Expo Makes Sense! APA Bureau

he world’s leading automotive test and vehicle development engineering show continues to grow in India. However, the headline, Automotive Testing Expo, continues to be on the ones staged in Europe and the US. The 13th Automotive Testing Expo North America will be held between 20 and 22 October, 2015 at Suburban Collection Showcase Exhibition Halls, Novi, about 40 minutes from Detroit Wayne County International Airport and a few miles from Ford at Dearborn. There will be 307 exhibitors demonstrating the very latest technologies for full vehicle test and analysis, data capture, component testing, refinement engineering and validation. Visitors to the Testing Expo North America will be able to see the latest test technologies and services that are being used in the full automotive production process. From the initial prototype analysis through to end-of-line inspection and quality assurance, and every procedure in between, the exhibitors will display their very latest products that are all improving vehicle reliability, durability, safety and quality. The exhibiting companies will be out to demonstrate that their products are able to help with the ultimate 44 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

American Expos are that much bigger with many more exhibits to see. Well, yes bigger as in India we had 147 exhibitors and in North America this year there are 307.”

Tony Robinson

aim of eliminating recalls. These must surely be the drivers of any successful car industry. The Testing Expo North America 2015 is the prototype and preproduction ‘haven’ of the auto industry where the essential technologies for creating world class cars and developing refinement, durability, crash safety and overall reliability are being demonstrated. Technologies on show include test simulation, engine and emissions analysis, vibration, acoustic, mechanical and environmental testing, data acquisition, materials /non-destructive testing, track simulation and laboratory testing,

EMC analysis, structural and fatigue testing, suspension kinematics and compliance, simulation software, sensors and transducers, On-Board Diagnostics, wind tunnel technology, aerodynamic testing, NVH and quality testing/inspection. Speaking to AutoParts Asia, the Founder of the Automotive Testing Expo, Tony Robinson, said, “Automotive Testing Expo in India is a great show with plenty of technologies available to see. But, and this is a big but, for the people that really want to know more and push the envelope of vehicle refinement and quality our European and North

To a question on who will benefit the most from coming to North America from India, Robinson said, “There are two groups of people that will really gain a benefit fast. Category one will be test engineers from the OEMs and Tier 1 companies in India who want to leapfrog their position in terms of quality, durability and refinement. They will find even more of the technologies that have the potential to eliminate recalls which ultimately is a goal that everybody has and this is especially important for emerging companies and some of India’s older brands that are looking for global sales. The second group that should definitely be coming to North America are companies in India who are looking to represent US test equipment companies; in other words who want to be agents and distributors.” Also not to be missed is the free-to-attend Open Technology Forum, in which experts will discuss a variety of important industry topics.

PREVIEW

EMO Milano Opens As World Demand For Machine Tools Is Set To Touch € 71 Billion By 2018 APA Bureau

fter six years, EMO, the worldwide exhibition of machine tools, is back in Italy. Promoted by CECIMO, the European Association for Machine Tool Industries, it will take place from October 5 to 10, 2015 in the exhibition centre of Fieramilano, the leading exhibition group in Italy. Italy is the only country, - along with Germany - to host EMO

that, for this edition, opens under the best auspices, considering the already started recovery. The world demand for machine tools is expected to grow again constantly to reach € 71 billion by 2018. EMO is the ideal occasion for all manufacturing operators interested in assessing and planning new investments in production machinery. On the other hand, the professional profile of visitors, mostly from purchasing, production, management, research and development, fully demonstrates the competence of the visitors to EMO Milano 2015. The spotlight will be on the 46 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

wide offer of machine tools, capable of attracting users from all the main sectors that use metal working systems. The undisputed leading exhibition of the sector, EMO is a point of reference for the operators of the manufacturing sector, who will meet at an event that is capable of promoting the contact between the demand and the offer of manufacturing systems, irrespective of sector trends.

The halls of the exhibition centre of Fieramilano will showcase machine tools, robots, automation, additive manufacturing, mechatronic solutions and auxiliary technologies, expressing the sector’s international production, representing an industry that accounts for € 64 billion now. According to the figures processed by the international, econometric Institute Oxford Economics, after a period of general recession, starting from the present year, the world consumption of machine tools will grow again constantly to achieve € 71 billion by 2018 (+18% versus 2015).

Though all the main industrialised areas will be involved, the increase in the demand for machine tools will not be uniformly distributed. Asia is and will confirm to be the most important area with regard to consumption of production systems. The increase expected during 2015-2018 will be higher than that attained in the other areas of the world. In particular, the Asian consumption will grow from € 34.8 billion in 2015, to € 42.3 billion in 2018 (almost a double value versus 2008), thus recording a 21.6 percent upturn. The Asian consumption rate on the total world consumption amounts to 58.1 percent, in 2015, and in 2018 it will almost reach 60 percent, the study reveals. Europe,

the second consumption area, will report a growth in the demand for machine tools from € 14.8 billion in 2015 to € 17.2 billion in 2018 (+16.2 percent). The European consumption rate is slightly decreasing on the worldwide total: 24.8 percent in 2015, 24.3% in 2018. In 2018, China alone will take up 45 percent of the world consumption of machine tools. In the European panorama, Italy proves to have greater sprint than the whole area and even Germany with which it shares the title of leading country not only in the sector, but also in the whole manufacturing activity. In particular, the consumption of machine tools will increase from €1.6 billion to over € 2 billion (+23 percent).

PERSPECTIVE

Machine Tools And Automotives Are Deeply Intertwined By L Krishnan

utomotive Industry is expected to contribute to upwards of 40 percent of manufacturing GDP of the country for several years to come. Globally machine tool industry is recognised as the ‘Mother Industry’ which supports manufacturing. Automobile and machine tool sectors have a symbiotic relationship. The growth of a country’s automotive sector drives the demand for machine tools. Production statistics for 2014 from OICA, which speaks on automotive issues in world forums, reveals China as the world’s leading manufacturer producing a total of 23,722,890 vehicles with a growth of 7.3 percent. India should emulate this. As India upgrades its technology and design capabilities, it is becoming a primary source for automotives and auto components. The machine tool industry needs to stay tuned for this.

India’s economy is growing. The purchasing power of its middle class families has increased. India is emerging as one of the top markets for compact cars and two-wheelers. Many global auto manufacturers are already sourcing their components in India. They are creating engineering and design centres in India to capitalise on these skills. India has an advantage in terms of manpower and labour costs. The continued growth of the automotive sector will require building a sustained competitive advantage through various measures. Machine tool technologies will provide a primary input in this. Focusing on the latest technologies for producing modern machines such as grinding machines, lathes, 7-axis and 9-axis, multi-axes milling machines, among others, will push India up in the global auto market.

L Krishnan

As India puts its feet forward towards a high and sustainable growth, it has earmarked for its automotive industry a prominent role in its ambitious 8.5 percent GDP growth rate in the short-term. To fuel such a growth India should focus on bringing out products with “zero defect”. Once India strengthens the industry through research and development it can provide cost effective, low-priced and high-tech machine tools to auto manufacturers. India’s automotive sector (including automobiles and auto components) consume about 40 per cent of the output of the machine tool industry. According to the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), the country is the largest tractor manufacturer, second largest twowheeler manufacturer, second largest bus manufacturer, fifth largest heavy truck manufacturer, sixth largest car 48 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

PERSPECTIVE car manufacturer, and eighth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. It is heartening to note that many Indian automotive manufacturers are setting up production units overseas. Suppliers with good working relationships with such automotive manufacturers will be able to globalise products through exports or through setting up production units in target markets. Measured in terms of output, the machine tool sector might be among the smallest in manufacturing industry in the developed countries. However, it plays a crucial role in enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of larger manufacturing sectors including the automotive industry. According to the newly proposed `Automotive Mission Plan 20162026’, jointly developed by the industry association (SIAM) and the Government of India, the future challenge for Indian automotive industry will be to develop a supply base with emphasis on lower costs and economies of scale, develop technical and human capabilities,

stimulate domestic demand and exploit export and international business opportunities. The longterm growth prospects are positive, driven by auto sales and import substitution. Much of this will depend on the machine tool industry of India which is envisaging a growth of about 20-25 percent by the end of 2015. The machine tool industry needs to work together

Machine Tool Industry - Segments

CNC

Conventional

Forming

Rs. 126 Cr

RS. 336 Cr

Cutting

Rs. 3295 Cr

Rs. 473 Cr

Indian Machine Tool Industry 2013-14 & 2014-15 (INR Crores)

2013-14 2014-15 Growth Rate Production

3481

4320

22%

Exports

246

280

13%

Imports

4672

5317

14%

Consumption 7907

9358

18%

Indian Machine Tool Industry India stands 14th in production and 10th in the consumption of machine tools in the world as per the 2015 Gardner Business Media survey. The country is set to become a key player in the global machine tools industry and is likely to see substantial high-end machine tool manufacturing. With emphasis on Make in India and manufacturing growth, for which the machine tools sector serves as the mother industry. The Indian Machine tool Industry has around 1,000 units in the production of machine tools, accessories/attachments, subsystems and parts. Of these, around 25 in the large scale sector account for 70 percent of the turnover and the rest are in the SME sector of the industry. Approximately, 75 per cent of the Indian machine tool producers are ISO certified. While the large organized players cater to India’s heavy and medium industries, the small-scale sector meets the demand of ancillary and other units. Many machine tool manufacturers have also obtained CE Marking certification, in keeping with the requirements of the European markets. The Indian machine tools sector offers several opportunities for investment. Given the current gap between demand and supply, there is a clear need for adding capacities in this sector. The industry is moving towards increasingly sophisticated CNC machines, driven by demand from key user segments, such as, automobiles and consumer durables, Aerospace etc. Machine tool manufacturers need to develop capabilities to cater to this demand and investments in this area could yield long term benefits.

50 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

with the automotive OEMs and component manufacturers to deliver value to its customers. In the process it has to upgrade its capability and processes by benchmarking against the best in class globally. Technology development will help the industry meet customer requirement, fend off competition and substitute costly imports. Machine tool industry plays a vital role in a country’s economy through its multiplier effect. Many things that we use today come through manufacturing and manufacturing is not possible without machine tools. Nations with a developed machine tool industry bring forth products that are sold globally. The opportunity for Indian machine tool industry is tremendous. India must learn from the success stories of its global counterparts and benchmark itself against them. This will put it as a leader in the global map. L Krishnan is the President of Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) and views expressed are personal.

SPECIAL REPORT

Airbag Unit To Inflate Rane Group’s Growth Prospects By T Murrali

harat New Vehicle Safety

Assessment Programme, India’s equivalent of the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) will be a harbinger for safety for passengers in automobiles. Accordingly, by 2020 new cars sold in India will need to comply with voluntary star ratings based on crash safety performance tests. Critical safety features including airbags and ABS will become mandatory for cars sold in India. At present airbag is a standard fitment in passenger vehicles in most markets in the world; however, in India it is still in the evolution stage. Currently about 30 percent of the vehicles have this safety feature. According to industry estimates, 50 percent will have it by 2017 and 100 percent by 2020. The Chennai-based Rane group is equipping itself to be the market leader in the production and supply of vehicle airbags, when their OE fitment will be mandatory in the country. The Occupant Safety Division of Rane TRW Steering Systems Private Limited has recently commissioned its state-of-the-art airbag manufacturing plant in Singaperumalkoil, about 35 km south of Chennai. The facility of the company, a 50:50 joint venture between Rane group and ZF TRW, was inaugurated recently by Nigel Harris, Managing Director and President, Ford India. Airbag is one of the greatest inventions for the occupants’ safety in automotives. It is a large deflated heavy-duty balloon concealed in the steering wheel hub for the driver, and instrument panel, dash board, door panel, or seats for the other passengers. Airbag system is designed for rapid inflation of the balloon in the unlikely event of a frontal or side impact, to cushion and restrain occupants. One or more sensors trigger inflation

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within milliseconds by burning a solid chemical that converts to a gas to inflate the bag. The bag deflates also quickly for the occupant to breathe after the impact. The new plant in Chennai is the 18th location of ZF TRW to make airbags in the world. And it comes in the centenary year of ZF and 76th year of the Rane Group. Set up in eight months, with an investment of Rs 18 crore, the plant will progressively make all the parts required for the airbag, except the inflator, which is supplied by its partner ZF TRW. The new plant will mainly cater to the requirements of Ford India, which is in the proximity. Located adjacent to its seatbelt plant, the new facility, spread on an area of 1800 sq.m, will assemble driver and passenger airbag modules. The plant will have an installed capacity to produce around 500,000 airbags initially. It has space to expand as the market grows. The company is currently working to localise the airbag components to improve its competitiveness in the highly cost-conscious Indian market. Harish Lakshman, Managing Director, Rane TRW, said, “With the Government of India promoting occupant safety and road safety to reduce fatalities significantly, we expect the automotive industry in the country to introduce passive safety technologies to meet these requirements. The commissioning of this new facility demonstrates the company’s commitment to support technology evolution in passenger vehicles. We expect exponential growth in the application of frontal airbags.”

The new airbag plant of the Occupant Safety Division of Rane TRW

Lakshman is confident that the market for airbags will grow faster at the behest of the OEMs’ proactive initiatives in introducing the safety element to their vehicles. The company has bagged significant orders for seat belts and airbags and is gearing up to meet the increased demand for airbags due to the implementation of government regulations after 2018. Asked when the thought for the new plant came and how was it implemented, Lakshman said, airbags were a core technology of passive safety. “We were only a seatbelt manufacturing company and since long we have been discussing with TRW to add airbags into the joint venture. We were also closely monitoring the regulation implementation date from the Government of India. In early 2013, we decided that for the

and the new plant was setup in record time. According to the Chairman of Rane Group, L Ganesh, the company’s business plan shows a CAGR of 24 percent between 2014 and 2020. “We anticipate exponential growth in the application of frontal airbags over the next decade and Rane TRW will be well positioned to support both global and domestic OEMs located in India with their growth aspirations to bring in these technologies to their vehicles,” he said.

The Plant Assembly of an airbag module comprises folding of the bag, assembly of child parts in series of assembly station, final checking with traceability. The components in the airbag include bag, inflator and various child parts. Currently the company assembles the boughtout child parts. It carries out one operation per station. As per internal plan and customerdefined test frequency the airbags are put to thorough tests. While the driver side airbag is folded by machines the passenger side airbag is folded manually. There is a specific sequence of steps and each sequence is fool-proofed with sensors to eliminate errors. “This is a semi-automatic machine and not a manual machine. Continuous improvement is a basic element of our work. Automation is introduced where there is repeatability and possibilities of operators missing process or processes,” Alexander Heilig, Director Product Line (Global Steering wheel Systems), ZF TRW, said.

JV to grow we needed to have airbags as part of the growth strategy and discussed with our partners. Since then we have been working with the OEMs closely and have booked some orders which has resulted in getting the board of directors’ approval to expand.”

Project Airbag Rane Group approved the construction of the new airbag plant by the end of 2014

Setting up the plant to make a safety-critical part such as airbag, in eight months is a challenge. However, for the company it is part of the continued strategy. “To meet the start of production timing of the secured orders and to meet the legislation timing, we set up a taskforce to commission the new airbag plant in a record time,” Lakshman said. According to Heilig, the project planning was done concurrently keeping the cost and time aspects under control. Daily review of the progress with architect and contractors helped AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 53

SPECIAL REPORT in timely completion without any delay of key milestones.

Passenger Airbag

Rane Group practices Total Quality Management (TQM) and four of its companies – Rane Brake Linings, Rane Engine Valves, Rane Madras and, Rane TRW Steering Systems Limited (Steering Gear Division) have received Deming Awards. Except for Rane Engine Valves, all other companies have received the DGP, which is given to companies that sustain quality levels continuously for more than four years. Do the accolades help the Occupant Safety Division of Rane TRW Steering Systems in setting up the airbag plant? Lakshman said: “With TQM as a base, it was possible to achieve the timeline by close monitoring of each process.” “This is a unique achievement to meet the stringent timeline of customers and going forward we will benchmark this for every expansion,” Heilig said. Currently the plant is confining itself to only assembling operations. While the crucial component – the inflator - is imported from its partner ZF TRW, most of the other components are sourced locally. The supply chain is a closely knit unit and with close interaction between ZF TRW, customers, suppliers and Rane TRW, the company could develop locally a few critical components. ZF TRW and RTSSL as JV are following global standards, product, assembly and manufacturing strategy and the philosophy is standardised at all locations, Heilig said.

Inflators ZF TRW is among the world leaders in the design and development of inflator technologies for the full range of airbag systems, including driver, passenger, knee, side and curtain airbag modules. Single- and dual-stage options – as well as pyrotechnic and hybrid inflators are available with the global company. It has the capability to develop inflator designs tailored to suit the customers’ and global market requirements. The company has also evolved to be smaller and lighter, yet offer even greater levels of inflation pressure to allow overall airbag modules to be downsized for more flexible packaging. “We expect further market growth in India, so we will bring in over the time further airbag lines as well as go into a higher level of vertical integration of components,” Heilig said. 54 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Genesis Rane TRW Occupant Safety Division started the journey way back in 1997 with the manufacturing of safety seatbelts. The first customers then were Fiat, Mahindra and Tata Motors and it had a modest turnover of Rs 60 lakh in the first year of inception. The next five years saw the company growing along with the market and in the process also adding new customers like erstwhile Daewoo Motors, Ford Ikon, and also growing the business with the existing customers for their new models like Tata Indica. With the expansion of the customer base another milestone for the company came in the way of an order from Maruti Suzuki in 2003 to supply seatbelts for their flagship 800cc model. The company’s sales increased to Rs 14.4 crore in 2003-04. This was a significant milestone as Rane TRW became a safety product supplier to the country’s largest passenger car manufacturer. This breakthrough setup a ‘technical partnership’ with Ashimori, Japan and this partnership led to further successes with Maruti Suzuki. The turnover jumped to Rs 81 crore in 2009-10. Some reputed models in which Rane TRW seatbelts were fitted include, the Tata Nano, Renault Logon, Mahindra XUV5oo, Maruti Suzuki A-Star, Ritz and Ertiga, and Fiat -Linea and Punto. All along, the partnership with TRW also strengthened significantly and the global company supported the JV with new generation seatbelt technologies to be introduced in the Indian market. The next significant milestone for the company came when it bagged the first export order from Renault Brazil for seatbelts. It eventually changed the strategic orientation of the company. Going forward, Ford will be the biggest customer of Rane TRW in the coming years. It will supply, seatbelts and airbags to Ford, for their Ecosport and Figo Aspire models. In addition the company will export seatbelts, to Ford Thailand, Russia and Vietnam. In 2013, the JV added the new technology with two products, the driver and passenger airbags and the production commenced for both the products from the same year. The Rane Group was founded in 1929 as a distributor of automotives and auto components. It diversified into manufacturing in 1959 and continues to be the preferred supplier of auto components to major OEMs, both in India and abroad. The group serves a range of industry segments including passenger cars, multi-utility vehicles, commercial vehicles, farm tractors, three-wheelers, two-wheelers, stationary engines and aerospace.

SPECIAL REPORT

Sankar Sealing On A Roll The Chennai-based gasket maker has developed an innovative raw material that can offer 25 percent weight reduction with improved performance By T Murrali

ankar Sealing System Private Limited, the flagship company of the Sankar Group of companies, will shortly set up a plant in Chakan, Pune, to make new generation gaskets and heat shields. According to the Joint Managing Director of Sankar Sealing System, Jaishankar Unnithan, the plant is being set up to meet three objectives: • To cater to the requirements of the OEMs in the western region. The group is supplying to several OEMs in the commercial vehicle segment, passenger cars and engine manufacturers. • To house a Research and Development Centre to broadbase the group’s research and product testing initiatives. • To produce the new generation gasket materials and next generation heat shields. It will be producing high technology heat shields for automotive applications using the patented `Embrella’ embossment technology. Unnithan told AutoParts Asia that the plant would commence commercial production from early 2017. “In order to strengthen our research 56 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

capabilities we are looking for Government support as we feel that this initiative goes along with the Make in India campaign,” he said. Rapid changes in engine technology demands variety of gaskets produced to international standards and to individual customer’s drawings. The Sankar Group of companies manufacture over than 4000 varieties of automobile gaskets, heat shields, shims and related products for leading automobile and engine manufacturers. The products are exported to 50 countries world-wide. The Group companies are: Sankar Elastomers Pvt Ltd, Sanko Jointings Pvt Ltd, Sivapriya EXIM Pvt Ltd, Cortica MFG (India) Pvt Ltd, Sankar NP Japan Pvt Ltd, and SSJP Sealing Technologies Pvt Ltd. Unnithan said that one of the group companies, Sankar NP Japan Private Limited, has been selected for developing gaskets for a new Toyota engine. Sankar Sealing had established a technical collaboration with Germany-based FrenzelitWerke GmbH & Company and it continues to make cylinder head gaskets for many OEMs including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, in significant volumes.

Jaishankar Unnithan

SSJP Sealing Technologies is a 60:40 JV with Japan Metal Gaskets to manufacture the latest cylinder gaskets. A dedicated plant has been set up in Sriperumbudur, about 40 km south of Chennai, and the plant meets the gasket requirements of commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle manufacturers. Japan Metal Gaskets is the pioneer in the new generation gasket technology. Unnithan said the joint venture with this Japanese company was unique due to its reciprocal approach in sharing technologies for mutual benefits and for independent applications. This joint venture has developed a new technology that can be used globally. The joint development has been channelised to develop a new material, high-performance coating that can enhance the life of the engine. The coating helps dissipate heat faster and enhance the life of the engine

New generation Heat Shields

strategy early in 2007. Of the three major impediments for the OEM, the key concern from its customers was oil leak and this was addressed by special gaskets developed by Sankar Sealing. Today it is the single supplier for the two wheeler maker. This association has been extended to Eicher Polaris now. The gasket maker has been selected as a partner for the development of gaskets for

as a whole and of the critical components like piston. The joint venture company has also developed a new technology that deploys gaskets with dual purposes –improving sealing properties and reducing NVH (noise, vibration and harshness), which are Gasket manufacturing in progress higher in diesel engines. The the engines to be manufactured gasket will dampen vibration by Eicher Polaris. The Multix at the source itself. The new that the OEM launched is technology gasket is under powered by Greaves engine, validation at Tata Motors for which has gaskets made by oil sump application. The Sankar Sealing. company hopes to begin serial production very soon. Sankar Sealing has indigenously developed rubber coated steel, which is the key raw material for gasket manufacturers. This is being looked at as a major breakthrough by its partner Japan Metal Gaskets. The indigenously developed material has better sealing performance, bonding strength and anti-stick properties besides, giving better resistance to temperature and fluid. The company had developed gaskets for Royal Enfield when the OEM was scripting its new

Novel Heat Shield

Sankar’s unique innovation capability has enabled the bringing together of two high performance technologies to create heat shields with superior performance. The company has tied up with Fukai Corporation of Japan for the patented ‘Embrella’ embossment. Sankar combines the Embrella embossment with high performance heat isolation materials from Frenzelit-Germany to create a composite material that forms the backbone of the heat shield. According to Unnithan this

material outperforms most of the comparable technologies in the world. The uniqueness of this technology is that it is one of the most cost competitive designs as the higher stiffness created by the Embrella embossment enables 25 percent weight reduction and its unique form has high heat isolation properties. “We have the rights globally for this technology. We are in talks with a few companies in the US that can support this technology for production and supply to the big three OEMs, he said. Sankar Sealing Systems has manufacturing facilities in Chennai and Uttarakhand and caters to Tata Motors, Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Kirloskar and Wabco. Sankar JP Sealing Technologies has a plant in Sriperumbudur and supplies to Tata Motors, Mahindra, Nissan, Honda, Suzuki Powertrain, Eicher Royal Enfield. With its plant in Thirumazhisai, about 25 km south of Chennai, Sankar NP Japan Private Limited has been catering to the requirements of Royal Enfield, TVS Motors, Mahindra Two Wheelers and a few manufacturers of small engines. Sankar Gaskets are exported to more than 50 countries worldwide. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 57

SPECIAL REPORT

The Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26 (AMP 2026), the collective vision of the Government and the Indian automotive industry, aims to make the industry one of the top three in the world in engineering, manufacture and export of vehicles and auto components. It also wants to create affordable mobility of people and goods in safe, efficient and environment-friendly conditions comparable to global standards. By 2026, India could stand first in the world in production and sale of small cars, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, tractors and buses, and third in passenger vehicles and heavy trucks.

Unveiled At SIAM Meet, AMP 2026 To Drive Indian Automotive Industry To Global Peak programme, as it is amongst the foremost drivers of the manufacturing sector. • Make it a significant contributor to the ‘Skill India’ programme and make it one of the largest job creating engines of the national economy. • Promote safe, efficient and comfortable mobility for every person in the country, with an eye on environmental protection and affordability through both public and personal transport options. • Scale up exports of the automotive industry to the extent of 35-40 percent of production and become one of the major automotive export hubs of the world. • Create a comprehensive, stable and predictable policy regime for the distinctive contribution of the automotive Industry to the socioeconomic development of the country

APA Bureau

MP 2026 is expected to grow in value to over 12 percent of India’s GDP and generate an additional 65 million jobs. In real terms the growth will be to about Rs 16,16,000 – Rs 18,88,500 crore by 2026, from its current output of around Rs 4,64,000 crore. It seeks to define the trajectory of evolution of the automotive ecosystem in India including the glide path of specific regulations and

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policies that govern research, design, technology, testing, manufacturing, import, export, sale, use, repair, and recycling of automotive vehicles, components and services.

Objectives The core objectives of AMP2026 can be summarised under the following five themes:• Propel the automotive industry to be the engine of the `Make in India’

AMP 2026 envisages that the Government and the automotive industry will work together to address all the key issues to take India to its rightful position in the global auto industry’s sweepstakes. It will help the automotive industry to focus on its strengths and improve its competitiveness in select segments. In order to help the industry scale these peaks, the Union Government will make policy interventions on issues like auto fuels and emission norms, safety regulations, inspection & certification, end of life (EoL) policy,

trade policy and taxation and fiscal regime. The second edition of the Automotive Mission Plan, after the 2006-2016 plan, aims at creating world class infrastructure to the automotive industry focussing on power supply, ports, railways, and roads. It will clear unnecessary bottlenecks in obtaining clearances etc., and facilitate the goal of the government to translate ‘Red Tape’ to ‘Red Carpet’. The AMP 2026 document was unveiled in Delhi at the 55th Annual Convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex industry body representing 48 leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India. Dr Pawan Goenka, Past President, SIAM, and Executive Director & Group President – Automotive & Farm Sector) and Member of Group Executive Board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., who chaired the session said, “We are happy to achieve the targets in several areas as mentioned in AMP2016. Despite two major slowdowns faced by the industry in the last nine years, the automotive industry has achieved several of the laid down objectives. Today the automotive industry contributes over 7.1 percent overall to GDP from what was five percent nine years ago, 26 percent to industrial GDP, and 45 percent to manufacturing GDP. Direct-indirect employment supported by the automotive industry is almost 30 million people. Large employment opportunities are offered by the sector in rural areas with auto component manufacturing, dealerships, vehicle repair and servicing, petrol pumps, insurance, banking institutions etc.” The government’s ambitious initiatives like ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’ and ‘Smart Cities’ catapult India’s growth story. The direction the Indian auto industry would take was

very closely related to the requirements of these initiatives to succeed, he said. “Thanks to these initiatives, leaders across the globe are eager to partner with India in some shape or form. This will not only see investments flowing into India but will also generate numerous opportunities for India, Inc. The AMP 2026 goes beyond numbers. It will put brand India in an orbit shift over the next decade”, Goenka said.

R Raghuttama Rao, Managing Director, ICRA Management Consulting Services (IMaCS) presenting the vision of AMP2026 to the gathering said that “the industry is poised to generate more than 35 million jobs by the end of 2016 and it is on-course, as per the AMP 2016 to hit the base-case target of Rs 5,49,000 crores of industry revenue by the end of fiscal 2016”. One of the key learnings, he said, was “the need of greater institutional coordination.” Dr R S Katoch, Secretary, Department

of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, said that the first AMP so far has witnessed several progressions of evolution of the Indian automotive industry with many of its objectives being met, while others were being fulfilled by the end of the stipulated period.

Fundamental Difference Rao said that “One fundamental area of difference of AMP 2026 is its scope. The first AMP was inward looking, looking at production, manufacturing, design and competitiveness in industry within

itself. Today the automotive industry has changed globally as well as in India. The debate now needs to shift outside the automobile industry, into communities, society, on the roads and in the environment”. AMP-2026 recognises that the game is going to be played on much wider platforms and therefore needs to address issues that are more than design, engineering, production or sales. Almost 90 percent of their lives post manufacturing, automobiles operate out in society; how do they interact with the environment? That aspect is really getting importance in AMP-2026”, he said. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 59

arms at various levels to ensure stability in availability of fuel at fixed prices, and have fixed standards for fuel efficiency”. Coming to electrification, he said the government should be clear about the kind of incentivisations that should happen if electric vehicles came to the market and to make

with global norms; the problem of component counterfeits has to be tackled. Use of technology for traffic management, pedestrian access and better signage should be implemented. AMP talks about them in greater detail. Vinod Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland and (subsequently

The key lessons from AMP-2016, Rao said, was that it was not the responsibility of one ministry or one department to formulate this plan but it was the collective responsibility of several arms of the government at the Central, State and local levels. “AMP2026 communicates in one voice with the government and industry together and the world at large, stakeholders outside the industry who have some say in how the auto industry should evolve and be accountable, what they should expect in the next 10 years. About the necessity of policy interventions, Rao said that the industry should not be stranded if the government policies changed suddenly. “The government has the responsibility to coordinate its various

them more indigenous in design and content. Regarding safety, Rao said that there has to be a road map to make Indian vehicles compatible

elected as President of SIAM) said that “the auto industry is at a very important juncture, taking into account the future safety and emission road maps up to 2026. There is an urgent need to notify the emission road maps for Bharat stage-5 & 6. This is of critical importance particularly for the CV segment which is presently at Bharat stage-3. This will lead progressively to Bharat stage-4 from April 2017 when it will be implemented across the entire country. There is a commitment to go to BS-5 within 2 years from April 2019 and BS-6 in 2023 despite it being a tremendous challenge in terms of resource commitment and technology upgradation, particularly in the CV segment”. He said the future safety regulations should be based on sound scientific analysis of Indian driving conditions and road infrastructure as well as accident analysis. We need Indiaspecific solutions. The Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, Takeshi Uchiyamada,

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AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 61

SPECIAL REPORT said that the global market was evolving and therefore, it was imperative for India to win against global competition. If the products made in India met global standards they could be exported. “This must be the primary aim; if the government provides full support for this challenge the global market will come to India”, he said. He talked also about his experience in developing the first hybrid car – the Prius - that is being produced in large scale now. He said the initial goal of 1.5 times more than the then fuel economy for a gasoline engine, was revised to two times as the need for the 21st century was much higher. Uchiyamada, the father of Prius, told

India, existing for centuries, there is a brand India already out there that has been built up over many years. “It’s one thing creating a brand image for a new brand but changing a brand that has already been established is something else. You have to take into account the heritage of the brand which is already there. From

Auto said, “There are two strategies broadly to bring out a brand. One could be called the strategy of familiarity - go to what is familiar to the customer and hope for the best. But as you all know ‘familiarity only breeds contempt.’ Only novelty breeds desires. The other strategy is one of differentiation. See what is out in the marketplace and do something significantly different from that so that you create a market that you can own, dominate and prosper on”. Bajaj said that the “discussion should not be on establishing brand India on a global platform but it should be on establishing a global India on a brand platform. We are the guys who can build the brand that can build the country.” Recalling Japanese manufacturing expert he said, in the manufacturing context, “If you take care of the components, the product will take care of itself. If each of us takes care of our brands, India will take care of herself,” Bajj said.

the audience how his team couldn’t get the first Prius prototype to move for 49 days. “We had no idea what was wrong, so we worked late every night trying to figure it out. Finally we got it to move around Christmas time, but it went only 500 meters.” Twenty years later, Toyota has crossed a significant milestone by selling over eight million units of its hybrid car.

Brand India Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors, in his address on ‘Establishing Brand India outside India on a global platform’, said that for a country like 62 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

the automotive point of view brand India is already out there, evolving holistically; in the last 20 years the evolution has been very strong,” he said. Complementing the auto components industry Pisharody said: “Today, 28 percent of Indian auto producers’ turnover comes from exports - they are exporting to first world countries, the large European and American manufacturers. They have been able to overcome problems on safety, quality and reliability and exploit some of the other benefits that include scale”. Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj

Ambuj Sharma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Enterprises, said that the Brand Auto India can and always will be a subset of brand India and brand Indian Industry. AMP 2026 was an exercise in that area. “We have come a long way in frugal engineering to produce good quality at low cost, as demonstrated in the Nano experience. Now we need to shift a gear up and try to achieve the next stage of advanced, top level technological competence, to create new technologies within the Indian automotive setup. Automotive electronics is one area where we plan to work between the government and industry. We would like to work with the industry on centres on infotronics, light-weighting, computerised design and things of that kind to advance on so that the next level of technological competence of Indian automotive industry can be built up.

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SPECIAL REPORT

ACMA Bid To Make ‘Make In India’ Happen developing critical parts and systems along with the OEMs to be more profitable”, he said. The Chairman and CEO of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Osama Suzuki, said the development of the automotive industry would directly result in the development of all other industries like fabrics, iron, steel, electrical goods, and virtually every field. The players invested in the automobile industry in line with the national policies at that time and continued to do so for many years as pioneers. This has resulted in the prosperity of the Indian automotive industry and has also contributed to the development of all industries ranging from household goods. “Recently the Indian government has been making efforts in popularising and promoting small cars so that India can establish itself as the sole hub of small cars,” he said.

Osama Suzuki

APA Bureau

he automotive components manufacturers are exploring options for the successful implementation of the present government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, and the objectives of the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2026. The recently- concluded 55th Annual Session and National Conference of the Automotive Components Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) has set the tone for striving to achieve these goals. According to the AMP 2026 the automotive industry is expected to grow in value to over 12 percent of India’s GDP and generate an additional

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65 million jobs. A substantial portion of job creation has to be at the components segment as it is the most labour-intensive. SIAM President Vinod Dasari said there would be changes in emission and safety norms and the challenge for the components sector would be to gear up to face the situation. Since components account for over 75 percent of the cost of the automotive manufacturers, their performance depends on the suppliers. “Therefore, the component manufacturers must strive to meet their targets through innovative methods and not just imitate the western concepts. They have to move up the value chain by co-

The small, affordable and fuel-efficient car has been widely accepted in India. It has enhanced competitiveness in the overseas market and increased exports.

Quality India Going forward, the Indian component manufacturers should look at ‘quality’ as a harbinger of growth. “If all suppliers in India produce quality components, they will be able to hold the challenge from America and China or any other country and attain the number one position in the global market,” Suzuki said. For the continued growth of the Indian automotive industry, which is leading in the manufacturing sector, the components industry will

have to grow as well. He asked the players to focus on investment and reinvestments. “I request all of you to reinvest your economic profits that you are earning from components manufacturing into the same business. Please do not divert your profits in making investments in hotels or leisure. Let me share with you that this is going to be the most critical point which is going to determine whether you are going to acquire the leading position in the global market or not. This will be the key point. When you make profits from one plant, you have to invest in a second plant and go on,” Suzuki said.

McKinsey Report During the last decade, the automotive components industry has grown three folds and exports five folds with the contribution to manufacturing GDP increasing from three to five percent. This has been driven by strong growth in the domestic market and increased globalisation of Indian suppliers. However, there is room for further growth, states the McKinsey report under the title ‘Make in India – Making it happen.’ The report says that the automotive components industry will have to adapt and reshape itself to align with

the evolving forces. To accomplish the objectives set in AMP 2026, the industry will have to attract about $100 billion investments. Besides, it is necessary to ensure skill development of the present talent pool to realise the complete job creation potential of the industry. The key drivers to attract investments include increasing the profit generated by automotive component players and strengthening India’s competitiveness as an investment destination for manufacturing by improving the ease of doing business. However, India’s manufacturing sector is not operating at its full potential. Across two key measures of the share of manufacturing in GDP (India at 13 percent while China at 33 percent) and share of exports in manufacturing (India at 23 percent and China at 40 percent), there is significant room for growth, the report adds. The Director of McKinsey and Company, India, Rajat Dhawan, said even as 90 percent of the auto component firms in India make positive earnings before taxes, depreciation and amortization, only a third of them make positive economic profit or have returns greater than the cost of capital. Component makers need to generate greater economic

profit to match the lines of China, Germany, the US and South Korea. It is observed that countries with high economic profit have attracted over two-thirds of global investments in the last five years. The ease of doing business is critical to attract investments. In terms of investor protection and credit availability, based on the World Bank’s 10 themes for ease of doing business, India ranks among the top 40 nations. It also ranks among the bottom 20 on the ease of starting a business, dealing with construction permits and enforcing contracts. India’s competitiveness as an investment destination needs to be improved. In a panel discussion which followed the presentation of the McKinsey report, Pawan Goenka, executive director of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, attributed the low economic profit to the automotive industry’s heavy reliance on imports of critical components. To a question on why even Indian companies look at import of components, Goenka said that OEMs go by the merits of the solutions provided by the component makers. Invention plays a vital role in deciding the suppliers and therefore, he asked the vendor community to look at innovation more seriously. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 65

SPECIAL REPORT

ACMA Honours Achievers

Excellence in HR MSME Category CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION: Autostart India, Faridabad Small Category GOLD: A Raymond Fasteners India, Pune SILVER: Abhijeet Techno-Plast (I), Nashik SILVER: Ecocat (India), Faridabad Large Category GOLD: HVCC, Bhiwadi SILVER: GKN Sinter Metals, Pimpri SILVER: Pranav Vikas (India), Faridabad Special Category GOLD: Gabriel India, Gurgaon SILVER: Bosch, Nashik SILVER: Subros, Noida

Excellence in Quality and Productivity Small Category GOLD: Nippon Thermostat India, Gumidipoondi SILVER: Lumax Cornaglia Auto Technologies, Pune CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION: Besmak Components, Sriperumbudur; CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION: Stork Rubber Products, Chennai & Gurgaon. Large Catergory GOLD: Neolite ZKW Lightings, Bahadurgarh SILVER: Hella India Lighting, Derabassi BRONZE: Chang Yun India, Gurgaon

Excellence in Exports Small Category 66 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

GOLD: Abilities India Pistons, Ghaziabad SILVER: Bohra Rubber, Faridabad SILVER: Stork Rubber, Gurgaon Large Category GOLD: Endurance Technologies, Aurangabad SILVER: Bharag Gears, Faridabad SILVER: Global Autotech, Greater Noida BRONZE: Mayur Uniquoters, Jaipur

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GLEANINGS - International

Honda Builds 30 Millionth Automobile In North America

APA Bureau

he Japanese multinational Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd, crossed a milestone when its auto plants in the US, Canada and Mexico reached the 30 million mark in total automobile production. Honda started auto production in North America in Marysville, Ohio, on November 1, 1982. Last year, more than 97 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the US were produced in North America. “The production of 30 million automobiles in North America is the result of the support we have received from our customers and the communities that serve as a strong foundation of our operations in North America,” Takuji Yamada, president of Honda North America, Inc., said. “This is an incredible achievement by Team Honda – including the tremendous dedication and teamwork of our associates, past and present, together with our suppliers, dealers and business partners – all focused on creating joy for our customers,” he said. Honda’s automotive manufacturing operations produce 11 different

68 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

models, including five passenger cars and six light trucks, and have the capacity to produce 1.92 million automobiles each year. Honda is supported by a network of 713 suppliers in North America. Purchasing of parts and components last year exceeded $26 billion. Honda was the first Japanese automaker to begin production of automobiles in the US and North America. Since production started in Marysville, Honda has established automobile manufacturing operations in East Liberty, Ohio; Lincoln, Ala.; Greensburg, Ind.; Alliston, Ontario; Canada; El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico and Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. A fifth auto plant, the Performance Manufacturing Center, in Marysville will begin next year production of the next-generation Acura NSX supercar. Honda auto production in North America is supported by engine manufacturing operations in Anna, Ohio; Lincoln, Ala.; Alliston, Ontario and Celaya, Mexico and by the production of automatic transmissions in Russells Point, Ohio, Tallapoosa, Ga., and Celaya. Total investment in Honda’s

North American auto, engine and transmission facilities tops $17 billion. These operations now employ more than 28,000 associates. Honda established operations in America in 1959 and now employs more than 40,000 associates in its North American sales, R&D and manufacturing operations with total capital investment in North America exceeding $23 billion. Based on its longstanding commitment to “build products close to the customer,” Honda operates 18 major manufacturing facilities in North America. Using domestic and globally sourced parts, these plants produce a wide range of Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products, such as lawn mowers, mini-tillers and general purpose engines, and the HondaJet advanced light jet. Honda also operates 14 major research and development centres in the US with the capacity to fully design, develop and engineer many of the products Honda produces in North America.

GLEANINGS - International Sommer said. “Even if we devote all our efforts to develop the electric drive, ZF will also have to look closely at driveline hybridisation to increase the efficiency of cars and reduce emissions further.” The plug-in hybrid is an important bridge technology from today’s world of the combustion engine into the new world of pure electromobility.

APA Bureau

ZF Celebrates Centenary, Eyes Electromobility APA Bureau

ne hundred years after the day on which ‘Zahnradfabrik GmbH’ was entered into the trade register, ZF Friedrichshafen AG celebrated its momentous anniversary on the evening of September 9, 2015. Around 1,500 international guests from the automotive industry, business, government, and the community as well as friends and business partners of the company travelled to Lake Constance to attend the gala event at the trade show grounds in Friedrichshafen. On September 9, 1915, ‘Zahnradfabrik GmbH’, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, was entered into the trade register of the Tettnang district court. The aim of the newly founded company was to produce gears and transmissions for aircraft, motor vehicles, and motorboats. It was not long before ZF began offering its technology to automobile manufacturers and advanced to become one of the leading automotive supply companies. “Even one hundred years after its founding, ZF is still

driven by its desire to invent new technologies and perfect existing ones,” the CEO, Dr Stefan Sommer, said in his speech during the celebration event. “Reliability and innovation represent the general values of our company and are the basis of our actions.” Sommer said that in light of increasing digitalisation and networking in automobiles, it is not enough to simply collect components: “Intelligently combining mechanics, electronics, and big data is decisive in developing adequate solutions for the mobility trends of the 21st century. ZF is now very well positioned, as a system supplier, to be a global partner for automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturers. It has the capacity to be a one-stop shop for supplying the right products and technologies”. The trend toward autonomous driving and electromobility will change automobile use and technology more than any other previous developments. “Nevertheless, it will probably take more than two decades before electromobility achieves a dominating market share,”

Sommer said that ZF intends to further bolster the Groupwide technology transfer from the passenger car to commercial vehicles and industrial technology: “In view of our long-term strategy, we want to expand further the nonautomotive segment to achieve greater diversification.” Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), in his speech underlined the importance of the German automotive industry for the German economy. “Cooperation between manufacturers and suppliers is the core reason for the leading technology position that the German automobile industry has established for itself. Our joint goal must be to link innovative value-added structures so that we grow exactly where our markets are growing – and, at the same time, keep Germany as a manufacturing location strong”. With its expertise and its impressive range of products and services, “ZF Friedrichshafen AG is perfectly positioned to take on future competition”. Also, the future potential of the German automotive supplier industry is huge, the VDA president said. “ZF ranks among the global players. Where there is motion, ZF is there! And as a result of strategic decisions, it has created the necessary conditions for future growth.” As part of the anniversary celebrations, ZF also published a new company history; the new technology history will be officially presented this month. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 69

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GLEANINGS - International

Honeywell Unveils 2-Stage Turbochargers

APA Bureau

oneywell, the leading global developer of automotive turbochargers, has recently introduced its newest two-stage Variable Nozzle Turbine (VNT) turbocharger system for diesel engines offering auto makers even more flexibility in improving fuel economy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Honeywell’s VNT technology uses a row of pivoting vanes that move to match continuously the turbine flow capacity to the actual exhaust flow and drive the compressor to deliver the exact boost requirements that the engine needs. The development of a two-stage series sequential system, using VNT turbochargers for both the high pressure and low pressure stages, demand strong competencies

in performance modelling, aerodynamics, heat transfer, material science, mechatronics and control. Together these sciences and system design deliver exceptional low end torque, transient and steady-state performance at class leading fuel economy and meet the stringent CO2 targets of Euro 6.2 regulations when coupled to a modern after treatment system. Honeywell is using two different size VNT turbos in its most recent two-stage system for the new BMW 4-cylinder diesel engine in the 125d, X1 2.5d and 225d. In this application, two variable geometry turbos are located above and below the exhaust manifold. The smaller high-pressure turbo is mounted on top and larger low-pressure turbo below. The combination creates new levels of responsiveness at all speeds and helps the engine perform more efficiently to improve mileage and emission control. “With its versatility in range and ever-improving capabilities, VNT will remain the leading turbo technology for diesel engines for the foreseeable

Future Turbo Applications Honeywell sees the evolving needs of auto makers driving not only turbo adoption globally to 47 percent by 2020, but an increasing appetite for turbo technology innovations that enhance a vehicle’s overall powertrain system, reduce complexity and are tailored to local market needs. Honeywell has unveiled its annual survey where the next evolution of turbocharger applications can be seen in diesel, gasoline and hybrid models from entry level to luxury segments. According to the survey, auto makers are focused on rightsizing engine technology, more than simply downsizing engines, to optimise vehicle performance and

fuel economy as global regulations continue to drive more fuel efficiency. “The Golden Age of Turbo is gathering momentum globally as the industry numbers indicate,” Terrence Hahn, Honeywell Transportation Systems President and CEO, said. “But there is a clear demand for more sophisticated turbo technology that covers the entire powertrain performance envelope. Auto makers are turning to suppliers like Honeywell to meet the unique needs of fuelefficient 3-cylinder engines, increase power from 4-cylinder engines with advanced aerodynamics, and soon deliver electric boosting and energy recovery systems for advanced hybrid powertrains.”

future,” Craig Balis, Chief Technology Officer for Honeywell Transportation Systems, said. “Five product generations later, Honeywell has shipped nearly 60 million VNT turbos worldwide and introduced many innovations that have gone on to become benchmark features of modern turbocharger products. It’s clear that the technology has a great future ahead of it, particularly with ongoing advances in aerodynamics, bearing systems and materials science.” Honeywell is celebrating its 25th anniversary of gasoline VNT technology and the 20th anniversary of mass production diesel VNT in passenger cars. This trademarked technology has changed an industry and helped enable the modern diesel powertrains that are driven today. Honeywell’s fifth generation VNT technology delivers benchmark transient response, low-speed efficiency, reliability, weight savings and packaging flexibility. Honeywell Aerospace products and services are found on virtually every commercial, defense and space aircraft, and its turbochargers are used by nearly every automaker and truck manufacturer around the world. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 71

GLEANINGS - International

Johnson Controls To Develop Seats For Car Of The Future APA Bureau

y 2020, the CO2 emissions limit for new vehicles in the EU will be 95 grams per km (152.9 g/mile), which amounts to around four liters of fuel consumption per 100 km (58.8 MPG). This target is to be achieved through both alternative drive systems and lighter vehicles. Even in hybrid and electric vehicles, every gram of weight saved helps conserve resources and increase range. With the move toward autonomous driving, the requirements for vehicle interiors and seating will also radically change. As the global leader with decades of seating expertise, Johnson Controls is ready for such a change. The company was quick to identify the task at hand, and has for years made lightweight construction a priority in its research and development. It is also getting ready to face the challenges of the ‘Car of the future’, the self-driven cars. “By using a wide range of technologies, we have been able to reduce the overall weight of our seats by 20-30 percent over the past 10 years,” Dr Detlef Jürss, group vice president and General Manager Product Group Seating Components at Johnson Controls, said. “As recently as 2010, a front seat

72 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

structure weighed 14 kilograms; in 2015, we were able to reduce it to around 10 kg. Our express goal is to reduce the weight to well under10 kg by 2020, while ensuring that these seats also meet the highest safety and quality standards,” he said. Johnson Controls’ expertise can already be seen in many of its current development projects, such as CAMISMA (Carbon-AmideMetal-based Interior Structure using a Multimaterial system Approach), Tailored Hybrid Tubes and the RECARO Sport Seat Platform (RSSP), which is ready for series production. The focus of the multimaterial approach is on increasing the amount of lightweight materials, such as Fibreglass-Reinforced Plastic (FRP), carbon or aluminium, in the finished seat. Besides using lightweight materials, Johnson Controls also manages to reduce weight with new seat concepts featuring integrated functions that require less material. “As with all new developments, the cost factor must always be borne in mind”, Jürss said. A high level of cost efficiency and global availability will also be ensured in the future

through the modularity of non-visible structural components in the backrest and seat substructure. This base can be customised and equipped with various optional features. Trim covers and padding can also be designed to suit individual needs. They were displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Seat of Future In the car of the future, assistance systems will play an increasing role turning the driver’s seat into a comfortable control unit. “Autonomous driving is on its way. It is not something that will happen overnight, but rather over a period of gradual development,” Jürss said. Along with the changing roles of the driver and vehicle, new and higher demands are being made of seating, which is in line with the very diverse challenges in individual

mobility that global markets are facing. “Johnson Controls has concerned itself with the challenges that such mobility trends bring to our specialised field of car seating for many years now. Therefore, we see the shift from a purely driver’s seat to an active safety system as a key starting point. The seat will become much more of an integral part of occupant protection, which will be linked with all active safety systems within the vehicle”, he said.

GLEANINGS - International

GKN Develops New eAxle For Next Generation Hybrids a 60kW, 240Nm GKN EVO electric motor which drives an electric axle with a transmission ratio of 1:10. A dual-clutch Twinster system then vectors the resulting 2,400Nm of torque between the rear wheels. The company will demonstrate the torquevectoring eAxle system in action in early 2016 at its proving grounds in Northern Sweden.

AWD For Ford

APA Bureau

KN Automotive, the global leader in driveline technologies, has developed new electric “torque-vectoring” axle technology that will make next generation hybrid vehicles more dynamic. The technology will help hybrids compete successfully against conventional powertrains on performance, not just efficiency. GKN plc is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components company headquartered in Redditch, Worcestershire. The driveline company believes the technology has the potential to become a standard element in hybrid drivetrains, broadening their appeal and accelerating their adoption, and could make hybrid all-wheel drive the set-up of choice for most drivers by 2025. The new eAxle system integrates GKN’s Twinster dual-clutch drive module, using it to seamlessly distribute more torque to an individual wheel to help the vehicle turn faster, greatly enhancing cornering response – a process called “torque vectoring”. GKN Driveline Senior Vice President of Programme Management and Strategy, Jim Voeffray, said: “GKN’s torque-vectoring eAxle system is a big step forward in terms of

the driveability of hybrids: higher performance cars that are better to drive and more efficient. GKN has been building the momentum towards electric torque vectoring for some time, establishing the core eAxle and torque vectoring technologies in production and proving our expertise in driveline systems integration on a series of high-profile programmes.” The technology has a number of application opportunities, from automakers that want to produce hybrids with great off-road performance, to performance-focused cars that require greater levels of onroad traction and cornering capability. By 2025, GKN forecasts that almost half of all vehicles will have some level of electrification, with a greater proportion of the power delivered by electric motors. Currently conventional hybrids derive just 30 percent of their energy from a battery; GKN expects that in future vehicles small, powerful, torque-vectoring electric axles could help deliver 60-70 percent of the power. Automakers are already using GKN eAxles to build more driver-focused plug-in hybrids such as the Porsche 918 Spyder and BMW i8 that blend efficiency with all-wheel drive performance. GKN’s new torque vectoring eAxle module comprises

GKN Automotive has developed a new version of its Twinster torque vectoring all-wheel drive (AWD) system for the Ford Focus RS. An innovative combination of new gearing ratios and control algorithms over-speed the rear wheels, helping Ford to create a car with unprecedented dynamics, feel and handling. It has also developed GKN Automotive President of Engineering Peter Moelgg said: “GKN’s AWD technologies and torque vectoring expertise are helping auto manufacturers take their cars into new territories. AWD is becoming the driveline of choice for performance cars as it is the most effective way of putting power onto the road, from the track to the Arctic Circle, with precision, efficiency and intelligence.” GKN was awarded the Ford Focus RS programme just 18 months ahead of launch. In that time GKN engineers designed and integrated both the Torque Vectoring Rear Drive Module (RDM), as well as the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) and CVJ side shafts into the base front wheel drive platform. This required major reconfiguring of the system componentry to fit the packaging space available. GKN’s inhouse software and calibration teams worked in collaboration with Ford and its vehicle dynamics engineers on new control algorithms for the torque vectoring system to give the driveline four different driving modes. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 73

GLEANINGS - International

All seats can be adjusted independently or in unison

Vehicle Interior

APA Bureau

he Germanybased Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, which manufacturers innovative mechatronics systems for vehicle doors,

steel doors. Brose is already supplying door systems made from this material.

With its drive for side doors, Brose has

Using an innovative platform, Brose has introduced the complete electrification of all seat rows. Based on this system approach, the company makes it possible for passengers to have a highly functional and

presented a new solution for comfortable vehicle access.

flexible car interior. All adjustment levels can be fully remote controlled.

Door Systems

The driver can configure the complete interior at the touch of a button, adapting it to everyday situations. Depending on personal requirements, the settings can be made and saved enabling maximum individualisations. An innovative rail concept for the seat length adjustment ensures that vehicle interiors conjure up a sophisticated and ordered ambience. Additionally, there is considerably more legroom for rear passengers.

achievements. Once you stop trying to be better, you stop being good,” Jürgen Otto, CEO of the Brose Group, said.

Brose Brings Innovations To Car Doors And Seats seats and electric motors, presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show developments and ideas that will make driving safer, more comfortable and more efficient in the future. With the theme ‘Competence for Tomorrow’s Mobility’, which expresses its goals, Brose showcased new side door drive that could be controlled with a smartphone, and fully electrified seat platform for flexibly adaptable interiors. The company took a step towards system expertise in drivetrain actuators with its electric oil pump. “We want to play a major role in shaping the future of the automobile. As a technological leader in mechronics – the interaction of mechanics, electrics and electronics – we have set high standards for ourselves, always thinking one step ahead and outside the box, and never settle for past 74 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

The Brose innovation moves hinged doors electrically and offers optional control with mobile devices. A capacitive anti-trap protection feature ensures the necessary level of safety when the door is being shut. An integrated variable door check makes it easier to close the door manually. Brose has also made some breakthrough in lightweight design, through further development of its door system made of organo sheets (long-fiberreinforced thermoplastics). The material saves up to two kg in the vehicle compared to conventional plastics, but it can absorb four times as much energy. The reduction in weight is even five kg when compared to conventional

Drivetrain Actuators The electric oil pump represents another step in the company’s development to becoming a system supplier in the area of drivetrain actuators. The product comprises an electronically commutated motor, the

control electronics and an integrated pump. The coordinated components ensure improvements in efficiency, acoustics and weight. The (auxiliary) electric oil pump enables the start-stop function as well as coasting, since it maintains pressure in the transmission when the engine turns off. It is possible to reduce emissions by up to 10 grams of CO2 a km without placing constraints on driving dynamics. Restarting, for example, is faster. The mechatronics specialist has already been awarded contracts and series production will start in 2018.

On Growth Track Currently, Brose ranks 37th among global automotive suppliers and is the fifth-largest family-owned company in this sector. At the end of June 2015, there were about 24,000 employees worldwide working for the familyowned company, around 1,200 more than the year before. Brose consistently invests in expanding its expertise and setting up new locations. The automotive supplier also increased its development and production capacities in 2015, and is planning investments of around € 350 million. In addition to stepping up the company’s strong presence in Asia and North America, it will be investing considerably in expanding the German locations.

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GLEANINGS - International

Renault-Nissan Alliance, Daimler Start New Projects APA Bureau

he partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler AG accelerated and strengthened as it entered its sixth year in 2015 with new joint projects, the companies’ leaders said at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of the Alliance, described the partnership as “one of the most productive in the auto industry.” “It has accelerated the time-to-market for vehicle launches and has been an obvious strategic advantage for each partner,” Ghosn said. “We look

Groundbreaking JV plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico

New Milestone Nissan and Daimler recently broke ground on the (US) $1 billion Aguascalientes plant, which will produce next-generation premium compact vehicles for Infiniti from 2017, and MercedesBenz starting in 2018. Nissan and Daimler will co-develop the vehicles. The plant is expected to produce more than 230,000 cars a year by 2020. They will also be produced at other Daimler and Nissan plants in Europe and China. The joint assembly plant is located next to the Nissan plant in Aguascalientes.

Pickup Truck Dieter Zetsche and Carlos Ghosn

forward to its continued growth, with more joint projects in the future.” Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “Since the start of our cooperation in 2010, our joint projects have created value for our customers worldwide. This year we further deepened the collaboration and announced two completely new projects. We cooperate when it is mutually beneficial. And that is the way we will keep it.” 76 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

Earlier this year, Daimler and Nissan announced development of the first Mercedes-Benz entry into the pickup segment. The new pickup will share some of its architecture with the all-new Nissan NP300, but will be engineered and designed by Daimler to meet the specific needs of its customers in Europe, Australia, South Africa and Latin America. The truck will be built by Nissan in the Renault plant in Cordoba, Argentina, along with the Nissan NP300 and a Renault 1-ton truck, for Latin America. The three trucks will also be built at the Nissan Barcelona plant in Spain. Production of the Mercedes-Benz truck at both

plants will start before the end of the decade.

Infiniti Q30 This premium active compact shares components of Daimler’s compactcar architecture but was engineered and designed by Infiniti from scratch to meet the specific needs of its customers. The car made its public debut at the Frankfurt show. Production will begin at Nissan’s Sunderland plant in the UK later this year.

EV Versions These all-new city cars have been on the market for nearly a year; they and the Renault Twingo were the first vehicles built on a common platform between Daimler and the Alliance. Customer reaction on all three models has been highly positive. As announced by the two executives, EV versions of the smart fortwo and forfour will go on sale in late 2016. Both vehicles will be fitted with an electric motor produced by Renault’s Cléon plant in France, the same one used in the Renault ZOE. The battery of the new smart electric drive will be produced by the Daimler subsidiary, “Deutsche ACCUmotive,” in Kamenz, Germany. When the Daimler-Alliance partnership was launched in April 2010, the scope of the original collaboration was limited to three projects, primarily in Europe. Since then, the combined portfolio shared between the partners has more than quadrupled to 13 projects in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

GLEANINGS - International

shoppers locate the actual vehicle they seek is also going digital. Nearly one-third (30 percent) of the newvehicle shoppers find the vehicle they purchase on either a manufacturer website, a third-party website or their dealer’s website. In addition, new-vehicle shoppers are initially contacting their dealer digitally. While a majority of shoppers make their initial contact by simply walking into a dealership, nearly one-fourth (24 percent) do so digitally by email, the dealer website, request an online quote, text, online forum or Facebook.

Vehicle Shopping Goes Increasingly Digital APA Bureau

bout 51 percent of the new-vehicle Internet shoppers use a mobile device to digitally conduct automotive research on the Internet to help them find the right vehicle, at the right dealer for the right price, according to the J.D. Power 2015 New Autoshopper Study. The study analyses how new-vehicle buyers use digital devices— tablets, smartphones and computers—to gather information prior to purchase, as well as which websites and apps they use during the shopping process. The study also examines what content new-vehicle buyers access during their shopping process and which content they find most useful. The proliferation of digital information accessible through mobile devices continues to change the way new vehicles are shopped for by consumers. Since 2012, the use of tablets for automotive shopping has increased by 83 percent and smartphone automotive shopping has increased by 70 percent. They use a mobile device to gather automotive information prior to purchase. In particular, 34 percent of new-vehicle

shoppers use a smartphone for automotive research and 33 percent use a tablet, says the study by JD Power, a brand of the US-based McGraw Hill Financial, a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company’s other brands include Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, and CRISIL. “Outside of the home, the location where new-vehicle shoppers most frequently use their smartphone to conduct auto research prior to purchase is at a dealership,” Arianne Walker, senior director, automotive media and marketing at J.D. Power, said. “Nearly half (48 percent) of the new-vehicle buyers that shop on a mobile device use their smartphone and 13 percent use a tablet for information gathering while at the dealership primarily to access vehicle pricing as well as model information, inventory searches and special offers and incentives.” The manner in which new-vehicle

More of these new-vehicle shoppers are entering the process with a specific make or model in mind.

Websites Used More than nine in 10 of new-vehicle Internet shoppers visit at least one manufacturer brand website when shopping for a vehicle. Site visitors find manufacturer brand websites to be most useful for their model information and vehicle configurations. While 83 percent of new-vehicle Internet shoppers visit at least one dealership website, 75 percent visit their selling dealership’s website. Eight in 10 new-vehicle Internet shoppers visit a third-party site for automotive information. The three most frequently visited third-party sites have remained consistent since 2012. They are (listed in alphabetical order, Consumer Reports, Edmunds.com, and Kelley Blue Book. Among the 35 third-party sites measured in the study, TrueCar has experienced the largest increase in site visitation. Compared with other automotive sites, third-party sites are found to be especially useful for vehicle comparisons and vehicle ratings/ reviews. The 2015 New Autoshopper Study is based on responses from more than 18,900 purchasers and lessees of new 2013 to 2015 model-year vehicles who used information gathered digitally during the shopping process. The study was fielded between February 6, 2015, and July 7, 2015, according to the company. AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 77

CALENDAR Brake Colloquium & Exhibition - 33rd Annual 4-7 Oct, 2015 Charleston Area Convention Center Charleston, South Carolina, USA SAE: Melissa Jena mjena@sae.org https://www.sae.org/events/bce/

Electric Powertrain Technologies Symposium 17 Nov, 2015 Maritim Hotels - Hotel Stuttgart Stuttgart, Germany SAE; Brandie Schandelmeier brandie@sae.org http://www.sae.org/events/epts/

EMO Milano 2015 5-10 Oct, 2015 Fieramilano Exhibition Centre, Milan Alfredo Mariotti exhibition.director@emo-milan.com http://www.emo-milano.com/

Auto Guangzhou China 20 - 23 Nov, 2015 China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex, Guangzhou Comnet Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd +91 11 4279 5000 Email: amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibitions.com

SA Shows Messe Frankfurt 14-25, Oct, 2015 Johannesburg Expo Centre, Cnr, Rand Show and Nasrec roads, Johannesburg, SA SA Shows Messe Frankfurt jms@sashows.com www.jhbmotorshow.co.za Automotive Testing Expo North America 20-22 Oct, 2015 Suburban Collection Showplace Novi, Michigan, USA Renata Lengui renata.lengui@ukipme.com http://www.testing-expo.com/usa/ Transmission & Driveline Technologies Symposium 27-28 Oct, 2015 The Inn at Saint John’s, Plymouth, Michigan, USA SAE; Sherry McCaskey kramer@sae.org http://www.sae.org/events/ctf/ AAPEX/SEMA Show 3-6 Nov, 2015 The Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA SEMA Show sales@sema.org http://www.semashow.com/ Active Safety Systems Symposium 4-5 Nov, 2015 Plymouth, Michigan, USA SAE; Marc LeDuc mleduc@sae.org http://www.sae.org/events/cass/ Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Forum 4-5 Nov, 2015 Crowne Plaza Century Park Shanghai Shanghai, China SAE; Sherry McCaskey kramer@sae.org http://www.sae.org/events/eser/ Small Engine Technologies Conference 17-19 Nov, 2015 Osaka International Convention Centre Osaka, Japan Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc SETC2015office@jsae.or.jp http://www.setc-jsae.com/

78 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

EXCON 2015 India 25 - 29 Nov, 2015 BIEC, Bengaluru Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) +91-44-42444555, Email: excon@cii.in www.cii.in Vehicle Electronics and Powertrain Technologies Forum, 3-4 Dec, 2015 Shanghai, China SAE; Sherry McCaskey kramer@sae.org http://www.sae.org/events/vept/ Automechanika Shanghai 2-5 Dec, 2015 National Exhibition & Convention Centre Shanghai, China Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd auto@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com www.automechanika.com AAITF (Auto Aftermarket and Industry Trade Fair) Bangkok, Thailand 9 – 11 Dec, 2015 Comnet Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd +91 11 4279 5000 Email: amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibitions.com UKIP Media & Events Ltd 19-21 Jan, 2016 Korea International Exhibition Centre (KINTEX) Seol, Korea Renata Lengui renata.lengui@ukipme.com http://www.testing-expo.com/india/ Automechanika Middle East 26-28 Jan, 2016 Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events Saudi Arabia Messe Frankfurt Middle East GmbH gazi.bilikozen@uas.messefrankfurt.com www.automechanikajeddah.com

Hybrid and Vehicle Technologies Symposium 9-11 Feb, 2016 Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, California, USA’ SAE; Brandie Schandelmeier brandie@sae.org http://www.sae.org/events/hybridev/ AAITF (Auto Aftermarket and Industry Trade Fair) Shenzhen, China 26 – 28 Feb, 2016 Comnet Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd +91 11 4279 5000 Email: amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibitions.com UKIP Media & Events Ltd 20-22 April, 2016 Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, Chennai, India Renata Lengui renata.lengui@ukipme.com http://www.testing-expokorea.com/english/ Lagos Motor Fair Lagos, Nigeria 28 April – 4 May, 2016 Comnet Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd +91 11 4279 5000 Email: amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibitions.com Automechanika Dubai 8 – 10 May, 2016 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai Messe Frankfurt Middle East bilikozen@uae.messefrankfurt.com Telephone: +971 4 389 45 00 www.automechanikadubai.com

automechanika@messefrankfurt.com Telephone: +49 69 75 75-0 www.messefrankfurt.com

Advertiser’s Index A ACE MICROMATIC

Aldowbi

Alsaeedi

Back Cover

Auto Expo 2016

Automechanika Shanghai

Auto Show, Pune

D Desma

E Elgi Rubber

ELOFIC

F Far East Enterprise

FIEM Industries

G Gold Seal IMTMA

Indonesia

INDIAN RUBBER EXPO

IP RINGS

AAITF (Auto Aftermarket and Industry Trade Fair) Mexico City, Mexico 1 – 3 June, 2016 Comnet Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd +91 11 4279 5000 Email: amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibitions.com

Omron Automation

Automechanika Frankfurt 13 - 17 Sep, 2016 Frankfurt am Main Messe Frankfurt GmbH,

AAITF (Auto Aftermarket and Industry Trade Fair Jakarta, Indonesia 21 – 23 May, 2016 Comnet Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd +91 11 4279 5000 Email: amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibitions.com

Automechanika Birmingham 7 - 9 June, 2016 NEC Birmingham, United Kingdom Forest Exhibitions Ltd info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Telephone: +44 (0) 1483 483 984 http://www.automechanika-birmingham.com

MSC Software

front inner cover

N New Swan Auto Comp

O 5

P Polymer & Tire Asia

R ROOTS INDUSTRIES

Rubber Asia

Rubber World Show

T Titan Company TURBO ENERGY

Back Inner Cover

Correction The company name ‘Bosch’ was incorrectly printed on page 28 in the September 2015 issue. The inadvertent error is regretted - Editor AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015 | 79

AUTO LAUGH

Cryptic Choice

here was this old country preacher with a teenage son. Being a doting father, he was always anxious about his son’s future. It’s the age boys begin to love fast cars, crazy bikes and fast girls.

John S Powath He lives out of a suitcase. He keeps pace with the growing global footprint of Asian Business Media publications. John has a sense of humour whether engaging in business in Kuala Lumpur or Shanghai, Panama City or Akron. His anecdotal comments keep readers and executives in good humour

Obviously the concern has been getting heightened as the boy is growing to adulthood. To ensure that he does not fall into wrong company, the clerical impulsion has been to provide him a spiritual ambience at home and plenty of encouragement to study well.

see which object he picks up.’ He reasoned: If it’s the Bible, he’s going to be a preacher like him, and what a blessing that would be!; if he picks up the dollar, he’s going to be a businessman, and that would be okay, too; but if he picks up the bottle, he’s going to be a no-good drunken bum, and Lord, what a shame that would be; and worst of all, if he picks up that magazine he’s going to be a skirt-chasing womaniser.’ With bated breath, the cleric waited behind the curtain,

The result was there for anyone to see. It was but natural that the preacher was getting obsessed with protecting his son from evil that might strangle him at this young and impressionable age. His anxiety grew in proportion to the growing adulation and attention the boy was getting in the school and local community. Most parishioners felt that the teenager was conducting himself as any normal boy in the community would be doing. For instance, he was fond of fast cars (which he was not legally allowed to own because of his under age) and bikes. But the boy was growing audacious about fast cars, speaking about various accoutrements that any auto-loving man would use to enhance the vehicle’s sex appeal. He imagined himself driving the fastest sports car in town. The priest was increasingly getting scared thinking about how his son would shape up in future. He shuddered to think about the temptations that his son might fall into. The cleric thought it was time he should firmly guide the boy in choosing his career or profession. The fact was that like many young men of his age in the village, he didn’t really know what he wanted to do and he didn’t seem too bothered about it either. One day, while the boy was away at school, the priest decided to try an experiment to gauge his son’s likings. He went to his son’s room and placed on his study desk four objects: A Bible, a silver dollar, a bottle of whisky and a Playboy magazine. He hid behind the door, and said to himself: ‘When he comes home from school today, I’ll

80 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2015

and soon heard his son’s foot-steps. He entered the house whistling, and headed for his room. The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eyes he walked over to inspect them. First, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He then picked up the silver dollar and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a swig while he admired the centrefold of Playboy. The old preacher muttered disgustingly: ‘He’s gonna be a politician! He would drive the people and the nation crazy. It is better to see his son at the wheel driving at blazing speed than behind the wheel of the nation going downhill.

Sankar Sealing On A Roll

RNI No. MAHENG13758

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Vol.No.1 Issue No.5 October 2015 | US$ 20 `200

AUTO PARTS ASIA | OCTOBER 2015 RNI No. MAHENG13758

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