AutoParts Asia May 2016

Elofic To Make Plastic, Rubber Products

RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

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Vol.No.1 Issue No 12 May 2016 | US$ 20 `200

AUTOPARTS ASIA | May 2016 RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

Ashok Leyland Innovates To Be BS 6-Ready By 2020 Anuj Kathuria

Jeff D Stevenson, Todd Morgan

Remanufacturing Emerges As Ecological, Economic Imperative

Varroc Lighting Lights Up OEMs’ Brands

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Vol No 1 | Issue No 12 | May 2016

ISSUE

IN THIS

36

COVER STORY

- Remanufacturing Emerges As Ecological, Economic Imperative

16

10

Magna International To Be Key Supplier For Car Of The Future

Uhlenbecker Is CEO Of Akebono

CORPORATE

PEOPLE

6

IMPRESSIONS

7 EDITORIAL 8 TRAILBLAZING TRENDS - Electrifying Efficiency

10 PEOPLE

- Uhlenbecker Is CEO Of Akebono - Elio Motors Names Johnston As VP - Chassix Appoints Beyer As CFO - Fulton Is CEO Of Mercedes-Benz Canada - Rajkumar Appointed Director Of IRMRA - Schloeder Is Acting President of BMW Group India - Evans Steps Down As Meritor CEO, Chairman - Faurecia Employees Win 2016 STEP Ahead Awards

16 CORPORATE

- Magna International To Be Key Supplier For Car Of The Future - Elofic To Make Plastic, Rubber Products Through Backward Integration

22 INTERVIEW

- Ashok Leyland Innovates To Be BS 6-Ready By 2020 - Varroc Lighting Lights Up OEMs’ Brands

48 SPECIAL REPORT

- Visteon Emerges As Technology Leader In Cockpit Electonics - Aurangabad Electricals Moves On Growth Track

2 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

22

INTERVIEW

52

48

Aurangabad Electricals Moves On Growth Track

Visteon Emerges As Technology Leader In Cockpit Electonics

FOCUS

Ashok Leyland Innovates To Be BS 6-Ready By 2020

SPECIAL REPORT

FEATURES

56

EVENT

- Automotive Testing Expo India 2016 Showcases Latest Tools To Evaluate Vehicles And Sub-systems - CV Industry Seeks Policy Support To Be On Growth Track - Indian Rubber Product Companies Showcase New Capabilities

54

PREVIEW

- CAPAS 2016 - Fringe Programmes Offer Scope For Information Exchange

66 GLEANINGS International - Denso Invests In TriLumina - Hella Lamps To Light Up Vehicle Side Area - GM Awarded 2016 INFORMS Prize - Mazda Produces One-Millionth MX-5 - ContiTech Honours Suppliers Of The Year - Delphi Unveils 48-volt Hybrid Technology - Brose Receives Awards For Quality Worldwide - Bosch Motorcycle Technology Sales To Be â‚Ź1Billion By 2020

64

GLEANINGS India

74

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

76

AUTO LAUGH

- Cavendish Acquisition To Help JK Tyre Enter New Segment - Elektrobit Expands Global Footprint - Mahindra Launches New e2o In London

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 3

Please ll 2, at Ha visit us 44 ACMA 0 B Booth Pavilion ia d In

READERS’ LETTERS

IMPRESSIONS

More To Cover

Timely Focus

I’ve just gone through your April issue. The cover story, ‘Software Softens Hardships In Automotive Testing’, has dealt with simulation, testing and such things. You have covered in detail two companies, but there are quite a few players in this space.

When Industrial Safety has been taken up only as a compulsion, I was happy to read an in-depth article on Safety Systems and Software in your magazine. The initiative taken by a few companies that you have covered is much appreciated. Keep up the good work.

William K Gardner, Plymouth, Michigan.

Balasubramania Raju, Pune.

We Welcome Your Comments We will bring to you every month AutoParts Asia magazine with the latest news and trends in Indian, Asian and global automotive industry. We present them in the way we think is the best. But you may think differently. Your different perspective may be a stepping stone to our ambitious target of achieving superior quality in content and style of presentation.

We want to make every edition better than the previous one. You can help us in this task by writing to us your evaluation, appreciation, comments, and suggestions.

Kindly mention your full address and phone number.

Our e-mail address is: tm@abm.net.in You may visit www.autopartsasia.in for instant updates on the automotive industry developments.

6 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

A

utomotive industry has been evolving rapidly during the last two decades. Empowered by electronics, more changes happened during the last decade than in the whole of the last century in enhancing comfort, convenience and productivity of vehicles. The evolution continues targeting automated and autonomous cars.

These advancements in technologies improve drivability. At the same time, there are distractions in the form of infotainment and connectivity, making the driver more vulnerable. Another problem is in the management of used vehicle parts and vehicles.

Weight reduction and addition of convenience and comfort features have to be looked at holistically. The process has to be sustainable, nature and humanfriendly. The automotive industry has to conserve natural resources and focus on 3 Rs – Reduce, use only what is needed, Recycle and Reuse the vehicle parts to the maximum extent possible. This will minimise the impact on the environment. It will also be economical.

The message of our Cover Story: “Remanufacturing Emerges As Ecological, Economic Imperative”, is exactly this. The story was thought of owing to the multiple benefits of the use of remanufactured parts in the automotive industry. It can preserve the existing resource, reduce carbon footprint and eliminate waste.

According to published reports, the world market for remanufactured automotive parts is projected to be worth about $140 billion by 2020. The growth in this segment is fuelled by the growing concerns about the mainstream manufacturing, and by the environmental and economic advantages.

Remanufacturing is popular in many countries. It is yet to find acceptance in India, though the country, according to Automotive Mission Plan 2026, will be one among the top three in the world by 2026. With the regulations on the End of Life for vehicles on the anvil, remanufacturing, in spite of the scepticism about its viability, can be a boon for the Indian automotive industry in the future.

In addition, we have special reports on Visteon, Elofic, and interviews of top brass from Ashok Leyland and Varroc Lighting.

We hope you will enjoy this issue of AutoParts Asia, and as always, we welcome your thoughts and suggestions; please send us your feedback.

E DIT OR IAL

The 3 Rs Of Auto Industry

Kurian Abraham Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief: Kurian Abraham | Chief Executive Officer: John S Powath | Editor: Murrali Thalor | Associate Editor: KS Nayar Executive Editor: P Raghav Varma | Assistant Editors: Prof T N Kalamani, A Saj Mathews, P Venugopal | Correspondent: Sharad P Matade

May 2016 | Vol. 1 | Issue No. 12

Subscription rates 12 issues: Rs. 2,100/24 issues: Rs. 4,000/Single copy: Rs. 200/US$20 Overseas: 12 issues: US$200 24 issues: US$400

Printed, Published and Owned

by Antony Scaria Powath, and Printed at Five Star Offset Printers, Building No. 1/151, A.B & C, Nettoor, Maradu Municipality, Ernakulam District, Kerala State & Published from: 20th Vaikunth Apartment, Mount Mary Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai 400 050.

Editor: Murrali Thalor

Regd/Marketing Office: Asian Business Media LLP : 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 Editorial /Marketing Offices: KOCHI: #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. CHENNAI: # 22/37, 1st Floor, Karpaga Vinayagar Koil Street, Alandur, Chennai - 600 016 INDIA, Phone: +91-44-42641425,+91-9841274461,+91 9940172323, Email: deva@abm.net.in, tm@abm.net.in, DELHI: Anil Nair Email: lugenterprises@ gmail.com +91-9810525069 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 |Middle East: Dubai, UAE - Markose Chenthitta, Email: 101@hotmail.com & Varghese Philip, Tel: +971 4 2276825, Mob: +971 50 7480984, Email: vp39386@gmail.com

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 7

TRAILBLAZING TRENDS

By T Murrali

Electrifying Efficiency

R

ecent months saw several trailblazing trends in electric systems and electric vehicles. Mahindra launched in the UK the e2o electric city car, Delphi Automotive unveiled a 48-volt vehicle solution, and GKN Automotive and Volvo Cars presented the new Volvo S90 plugin hybrid.

Designed specifically for easy urban commuting, the e2o features a host of connected technologies like the e2o RemoteTM smartphone app. It allows users to pre-heat/cool the car, start and stop charging, set the route plan and search for nearby charging stations.

Remote Charging SchedulerTM, an intelligent app, allows users to schedule charging when electricity rates are at the lowest, making the car truly smart. ReviveTM, the remote emergency charging feature, enables the driver up to eight miles worth of range if the battery is depleted.

Delphi Solution Delphi Automotive’s 48-volt vehicle solution is going to be inevitable for automakers to meet the future emission regulations without sacrificing performance or customers.

The company is working with two global automakers for commercial production in 18 months.

Showcased in a Honda Civic 1.6-liter diesel vehicle at the company’s annual investor update, Delphi’s 48-volt, mild hybrid

8 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

technology enables ‘intelligent’ electrification. The customised vehicle architecture maximises the use of the 48-volt electrification to minimise the demand on the engine, and improve performance while lowering CO2 emissions by more than 10 percent.

According to the CTO of the company this intelligent approach to vehicle power, wiring and data management will improve fuel efficiency, create a world-class driving experience, give additional power for active safety systems and provide increased connectivity in the car. These will cheer the OEMs struggling to reduce a vehicle’s ecological impact.

Delphi will have a competitive advantage in 48-volt, mild hybrid system because of its efficiency in system design, proprietary engine management software, and expertise in electrical architectures.

I have been able to see the inductive or chord-less charging of passenger electric vehicles during a visit to Delphi’s technical centre in Michigan, about five years ago.

Volvo S90 GKN Automotive and Volvo Cars continue their driveline development partnership with the new Volvo S90 plug-in hybrid. By producing an eAxle system that fits in the same space as a standard rear drive module, GKN innovation enables Volvo to offer customers a plug-in hybrid as a simple, highperformance upgrade.

Interestingly the eAxle takes power from a 65 kW, 240Nm electric machine with a nominal maximum input speed of 13,000rpm and through a two-stage single speed gearbox with a ratio of 10:1, and delivers a nominal output torque of 2400Nm. The speciality of the system is that it supports both pure electric driving and full all-wheel drive capability where the rear wheels are driven by electric power and the front by a combustion engine.

Hyundai-Cisco Link Sharpening its focus on the next generation of in-vehicle networks at the core of connected car technology, Hyundai Motor Company has accelerated its initiatives by collaborating with Cisco, a world leader in IT and networking equipment. The cooperation is part of Hyundai Motor’s wider strategy to establish an industry-leading connected car platform through collaboration with leading technology partners.

Yet another trailblazing trend is the initiative taken by General Motors to recycle used water bottles into a noise-reducing fabric insulation that covers the Chevrolet Equinox engine. The bottles, collected from some of its Michigan facilities, are also being turned into air filtration components and insulation in coats for the homeless community.

Innovations will continue . . .

See you next month with more Trailblazing Trends.

PEOPLE

Uhlenbecker Is CEO Of Akebono APA Bureau Uhlenbecker who has held a series of leadership roles throughout his career, most recently was President of MAHLE Behr USA, Inc., where he led the acquisition and integration of Delphi’s Thermal Management North American business into MAHLE Behr. He joined Behr in 2007 as Chief Operating Officer of Behr America and became its President and Chief Executive Officer.

A

kebono Brake Corporation has announced the appointment of Wilm Uhlenbecker as its President and Chief Executive Officer. He will succeed interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Kanji Miyajima, who will now serve as Executive Advisor to Uhlenbecker.

Akebono Brake Corporation is a leader in advanced brake and friction material development and production.

“We are excited to have Wilm join the Akebono family,” Hisataka “Chuck” Nobumoto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Akebono Brake Industry, Co., Ltd., said.

APA Bureau

E

10 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

APA Bureau

C

hassix, a global automotive supplier of precision casting and machining solutions, has named Michael Beyer as Chief Financial Officer. Reporting to Doug DelGrosso, President and CEO, Chassix, Beyer is responsible for providing strategic guidance and oversight to corporate finance,

Uhlenbecker’s prior experience includes management positions in engineering, quality, and operations. He holds a Doctorate degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree from RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

Elio Motors Names Johnston As VP lio Motors, Inc. has named Jeffrey W. Johnston as Vice President of Engineering for its three-wheeled vehicle. The announcement was made by Paul Elio, founder and CEO of Elio Motors. Johnston will be responsible for all engineering of the full Elio vehicle. “Jeff Johnston’s personal values of high product quality, exceptional value and on-time delivery perfectly align with those of Elio Motors, making him a natural choice as our Vice President of

Chassix Appoints Beyer As CFO

Engineering,” Elio said.

Johnston has more than 30 years of experience working for Top 10 automakers and suppliers in the international automotive arena.

Johnston began his career with General Motors, and then he accepted an engineering position with TRW Automotive to work with occupant restraints. After TRW, Johnston worked for Morton ASP (now Autoliv). Prior to Elio Motors, Johnston was with Takata Corporation, a global supplier of occupant restraints, including seat belt systems and airbag systems.

treasury, financial planning and analysis, reporting, tax, and investor relations.

“Michael’s extensive knowledge in the automotive industry and his significant finance and accounting background will serve us well as we move on our path of continued growth,” DelGrosso said.

Beyer has over 25 years of financial and accounting management experience, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer of Wolverine Advanced Materials.

Previously, he served as Corporate Controller for Affinia Group, and held increasingly responsible finance and accounting roles over a 14-year period with Dana Corporation.

Beyer holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Toledo and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Bowling Green University.

PEOPLE

Fulton Is CEO Of Mercedes-Benz Canada APA Bureau

B

rian D Fulton succeeds Gareth T Joyce as President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. Fulton was the Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS) and member of the Daimler Financial Services (DFS) Americas region Operating Committee (OC). He reports to Dietmar Exler, President and CEO of MBUSA and NAFTA Regional Head.

Brian began his career in the automotive finance industry in 1985, after earning his bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He worked at Ford Motor Credit and Toyota Motor Credit before joining Mercedes-Benz

Financial Services Canada in 1994 as an Assistant Regional Manager.

Since then, he has held leadership positions in Canada, the US and Asia.

Prior to his current role, Fulton was President and CEO of MercedesBenz Auto Finance China where he was responsible for the overall financial services operations for China and Hong Kong. Fulton has also served as the President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Canada.

Robinson Is VP Of MBFS Geoff Robinson, Vice President of Marketing and Chief Digital Officer, is appointed Vice President of

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS). He will be responsible for financing and leasing-related sales, marketing and dealer relations activities of Mercedes-Benz and smart products in the US. He will also become a member of the company’s Americas region executive leadership team. Robinson succeeds Brian Fulton.

Rajkumar Appointed Director Of IRMRA APA Bureau

K

asilingam Rajkumar, who was given additional charge of the Director of the Indian Rubber Manufacturers Research Association (IRMRA), on March 2015, was appointed as its regular Director on March 29, 2016.

IRMRA, which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (IPP), the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry, did not have a regular director since March 2014.

Rajkumar has more than 18 years’ experience in the rubber Industry.

He has spent most of his career at IRMRA, which he joined in March 1999 as a Senior Scientific officer. He has been serving IRMRA at different capacities since then.

After graduating from National College, Tiruchirappalli, Rajkumar

12 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

did his MSc in Chemical Sciences, at the Central University, Pondicherry, M.Tech at IIT Kharagpur, and PhD in Polymer Nanocomposites at the Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. He also took MBA Degree in Operation Management from Sikkim Manipal University.

As a part of his R&D career, Rajkumar developed several critical products for nuclear and defence sectors. He is also involved in the installation and functioning of Radiation Lab at IRMRA. He is a Technical member of AIRIA and an Associate Member of Institute of Engineers (India), Calcutta.

Rajkumar is a Certified Lead Auditor for ISO-9001 quality management system. He has presented several technical papers in national and international conferences and has published many technical papers in the reputed national and international journals.

Rajkumar says that his vision is to make IRMRA a world- class Research and Learning Centre in Rubber Technology for Asian countries.

PEOPLE

Evans Steps Down As Meritor CEO, Chairman APA Bureau

I

vor J. Ike Evans has stepped down from his position as Executive Chairman of the Board of Meritor Inc. He will continue to serve as a director of the company.

“My decision to step down reflects the successful and planned transition to new leadership. It has been a privilege to serve Meritor as both CEO and Chairman during the last three years,” Evans said. “I look forward to supporting the Meritor Board of Directors and am confident in the future of the company.”

“On behalf of management and the Board of Directors, I want to express our appreciation for Ike’s significant contributions to the company,” Jay Craig, CEO and President of Meritor, said. “Ike served as Chairman and CEO of Meritor during a transformational period for the company as he successfully led the launch and execution of our M2016 plan, which has fundamentally improved the operations and financial health of the company”, he said.

William R. Newlin, currently lead independent director for Meritor and a member of the Compensation and Management Development Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, has been elected to serve as non-executive Chairman of the Board.

14 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Schloeder Is Acting President Of BMW Group India APA Bureau

F

rank Schloeder (41), the Director Marketing, BMW India, is appointed acting President of BMW Group India. In his new role, Philipp von Sahr (58), so far President, BMW Group India, will head BMW

Niederlassung in Berlin, Germany. During his tenure in India, Sahr successfully stood ground in a fiercely competitive environment and maintained the BMW momentum in the Indian luxury car market.

Born in Trier, Germany, on November 14, 1974, Schloeder completed International Studies in Business Administration from University of Munster, Germany, and Montpellier Business School, France. He began his career with BMW in France in 1997.

Faurecia Employees Win 2016 STEP Ahead Awards APA Bureau

T

wo Faurecia employees received the 2016 STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award from the Manufacturing Institute in recognition of their excellence and leadership in the manufacturing industry.

Janie Fowler, a Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) coordinator at Faurecia’s automotive seating plant in Cottondale, Alabama, and Lisa Viazanko,

global acquisition manager, at Faurecia’s Auburn Hills Technical Centre in Michigan were awarded the honours recently in Washington, D.C. Among their distinguishing qualifications, Fowler implemented actions and training that resulted in a decrease in occupational incidents and accidents.

Viazanko successfully led business acquisitions totaling $126 million in product sales. Previously, as the

Concept Engineering Manager for North America, she supported over $2.1 billion lifetime sales in business acquisitions.

“The STEP Ahead Award reflects Faurecia’s ongoing commitment to education and leadership at every level. Janie Fowler and Lisa Viazanko are a great representation of our ongoing commitment to excellence,” Faurecia North America President, Mark Stidham, said.

VISIT US AT STALL No. SR-C 09 AUTOMECHANIKA

DUBAI, 8-10 May, 2016

CORPORATE

Magna International To Be Key Supplier For Car Of The Future

By T Murrali

T

he Canada-based Magna International believes that powertrain and electronics will play a significant role in the car of the future and the company wants to strengthen its leading edge and technical advantage in this area.

The company considers the products to be sustainable in the long-term. “We have a broad portfolio and it is important for us to understand the overall trends to be relevant and stay ahead of the market”, Swamy Kotagiri, Chief Technology Officer, Magna International, told AutoParts Asia.

“When we talk about legislative and regulatory as one trend we have to understand the needs of our emission requirements, and the fuel efficiency requirements specific to the Magna portfolio. We can address them in different ways, for example, by downsizing and down speeding from the powertrain perspective. At the same time we cannot give up performance, and therefore, we have to look at lightweighting. There is always a trade-off; the challenge is to manage the optimal line,” he said.

Magna considers the changing consumer habit to be another major trend. “The way our generation and the previous generation bought cars was based on engine, transmission, styling, and ride.

All these influenced consumer buying habits. But today we have to take it further down to the data flowing in and out of the car, to the ways to address security concerns, data privacy and so on. That is

Bi-Metallic Engine Cradle

16 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Swamy Kotagiri

the framework of how we look at things and why we look at megatrends”, Kotagiri said.

The increased concentration of population to mega cities is a major variable that Magna considers to be a megatrend to be followed. “The population today is seven billion and could stabilise at around 9.5 billion, this is a long-term macroeconomic trend. It means there could be concentration of people in mega-cities. How will that affect transportation and infrastructure? Are we going to have a different class of vehicles; are they all going to be electric; since we do not need to have a much larger range; will the design be different from the conventional one? So these are some of the things we have to take into account. Hopefully, our crystal ball is

Closures

better than others’ to help us manage our product portfolio.

That is the way we look at megatrends”, he said.

going for a 3-cylinder engine but focusing on advanced combustion processes like Miller cycle. That is the broad perspective of how you can get to downsizing and downspeeding. The other way is to improve efficiencies, reduce parasitic losses and reduce drag”.

Unique Perspective Magna touches the broader products in a car than most other Tier-1 suppliers. Kotagiri said that “our contract manufacturing and engineering experience is higher, this gives us a unique perspective as to how all these integrate together”.

But this does not mean that the focus is lost. “The way Magna is structured helps us keep focus.

Each of these operating units is set up from the perspective of running a global business. Each one is run as a business unit as if it is a separate company. Magna comes in to get the overall picture of what makes sense for us from a product portfolio view.

From the Magna perspective it is the car of the future,” he said.

At present there is a lot more coordination among various industries. There will be a lot of interaction between hardwaresoftware data providers and even service providers like telecom.

Kotagiri described it as “part of an evolution. The path of managing data and providing the services will have to converge. You want to have that transition of lifestyle in your car.

It is a demand by the consumer, it is only natural. The interesting challenge would be the convergence of the development cycles. The requirements from the liability and warranty perspective will be much

Industry First Technologies - BMW i8

eDrive

more stringent. I see a dual path in the way these things come together”.

Hands-free Car Magna continues to add features to the assisted driving or hands-free car tested about a year ago. It is providing such features and systems to the OEMs as the 360-degree view on the Ford F-150, automated emergency braking, lane keep assist etc. “It comes to us as a package of requirements from the OEMs that we continue to provide either with camera and ultrasonic or some other sensor. This will continue to evolve”, he said. The hands-free car has been commercially made and Magna provides these multiple features to FCA, Opel, Daimler, and others.

On down-speeding and downsizing, Kotagiri said: “We look at it from a broader perspective when we have discussions with our customers. Each of them has his own strategy. It could be range extenders and hybridisation, downsizing the engine with a strategy for supercharging and turbo charging,

He said that the ways to downsize the engine without losing performance included light-weighting everything, electrification of pumps, power on demand and quick disconnect in driveline as it senses when the torque is required. These would improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, he said. All the things like advanced tensile steel, aluminium or boron steel are light-weighting initiatives.

The aerodynamics is restricted to the spoilers at the back and seals at the bottom to direct the air flow to help reduce drag.

Future Growth The geographic footprint of Magna covers Americas, Europe, China, India and Russia. For the future growth there is no specific focus area for it. “It is not a specific focus. We will continue to see where we have the customers and the programmes.

The one area we continue to look at with interest is China for volumes as it will be a substantial economic power in the long-term. Even when we say China is slowing down we are still talking of four to six percent growth which a lot of countries would love to have. We will continue to look at that – it is a continuous evaluation. We have a significant presence in North America and Europe; because of the volumes in China, the growth rate is much faster in APAC than North America”, he said.

Mini Paceman - Instrument Panel AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 17

CORPORATE

M S Sahni, Chairman is flanked by K D Sahni, Joint Managing Director and M B Sahni, Managing Director, Elofic Industries

Elofic To Make Plastic, Rubber Products Through Backward Integration

By T Murrali

T

he Faridabad-based Elofic Industries has established its presence in niche product areas of filtration, lubricants, coolant and gaskets during the last 65 years. The company is planning to expand its production facilities for rubber gaskets and components along with plastic parts through backward integration. The company is studying the financial implications of the new project and the investment requirements.

M B Sahni, Managing Director and K D Sahni, Joint Managing Director, Elofic Industries, told AutoParts Asia, that, “We are the only company in India in the filter industry which has got complete backward integration from doing child and plastic parts, sheet metal, paper induction, and string manufacturing. The next in the plan is rubber components which 18 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

will make us self-sufficient, doing the entire range of components in-house. This would give a very strong foothold in terms of quality of subcontracts. This is our strength, our plus point. We are right now discussing the investment requirements. We are going to import technology and this is going to be a state-of-the-art manufacturing unit�.

Elofic has three plants in Faridabad, in Haryana where it is headquartered, and one each in Noida, Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh, and Hosur in Tamil Nadu. The company is planning to set up a plant in Gujarat investing about Rs 80 crore, including the cost of land and machinery. The plant, to come up in an area of about 30 acres, is expected to contribute an

additional 25 percent to its current capacity. As an acclaimed leader in the Indian filter industry, Elofic is looking abroad to acquire suitable companies as “we are looking at global markets. Make in India is important but for other strategic reasons and growth one has to look at other areas. We are already working on it but nothing concrete has come up so far,” the Sahnis said.

M B Sahni, Managing Director, said that by the end of next fiscal, Elofic would reach a turnover of Rs 500 crore. “We are moving towards our turnover goal and could achieve it in 2017-18. Our exports have always been 30 percent of total turnover, domestic aftermarket is 40 percent and remaining 30 percent is domestic OE. Out of the 30 percent exports, 22 percent is OE and eight percent export aftermarket, primarily to the US and Europe. We have also entered South America and South Africa,” he said.

Elofic is doing backward integration within the company in a big way to improve the production and product quality. It has started producing different raw materials like steel and paper and also different types of plastics, rubber, and springs. The company plans to have 100 percent backward integration in most of the components from the present 70-80 percent. The only exception would be packaging materials. It has been continuously working to achieve solutions that are at par with the latest technical innovations globally through the product innovation centre at its corporate office in Faridabad.

Pursuing the philosophy of continuous improvement, the company houses latest machinery to produce products of highest standards. Advanced manufacturing facilities, backed-up by highly trained and experienced work force, ensure the manufacturing of quality products in short lead time.

Catering To OEMs Elofic’s range of oil, air, fuel and hydraulic filters have gained worldwide acceptance by various OEMs and aftermarket customers.

The filters manufactured by the company share a common bond of trust, durability and performance and find application in multifarious segments like automotives, agriculture, industrial, small engines, two-wheelers, earthmovers, marine, airconditioning, industrial heating and petrochemical.

Elofic has many new OE customers.

“We are working with several German companies from whom we have received LOIs, primarily for filters. We are developing filters for OEMs for Euro-6 kind of environment levels. We have developed also cabin air filters recently and are having discussions with OEMs and AC manufacturers for the product.”

“Besides that we are also developing masks for industrial applications and day-to-day road work, something which is user-friendly unlike the ones available in the market today. That R&D is going on with our team of 3035 people that we may expand

The company has consistently introduced new products in the domestic market. It has also been exporting two-wheeler filters to the US and European markets for several OEMs including Honda and Suzuki. The company’s product range includes elements for filters, plastic moulded air filters and foam filters for almost all the vehicles manufactured

by Hero MotoCorp, Suzuki Motorcycle India, TVS Motor, Royal Enfield, India Yamaha Motor, Bajaj Auto, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI).

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 19

CORPORATE

according to need,” K D Sahni said.

Elofic, in its plan to give a complete protection package to the customers, entered the lube market, as no machine can run without lubricant and where there is lubricant there is a filter.”After giving quality filters we are now offering quality lubricating oil. The market is huge. The focus is both on OEMs and the aftermarket,” he said.

two regional warehouses in Hosur and Nagpur, with GST in mind. We will open another two or three in the next one year. These will take care of all our distribution network. They are all on modern concepts with WMS and web-based portals given to customers to enable them see stocks in the warehouses. We have in-house software in place for this,” Sahni said.

The company has been maintaining a fine balance in sales to OEMs, aftermarket and exports. If one is down, the other segments will balance the fall. This helped the company to grow at about 20 percent every year in spite of all the ups and downs in the market.

The company has also launched an App with the product catalogue that could be extended. “The portal we are talking about will be linked with the App. The customer can place the order with a click. Right now the orders come to the distributor but it will go down to the dealer level.

However, there are connectivity issues to be taken care of,” he said.

Expanding Aftermarket In the aftermarket Elofic has established itself as a reliable brand with about 1,000 distributors and 30,000 dealers. The spread and penetration are increasing. “But we want to be lean and mean.

We had 15 offices which are now reduced to eight. We have set up

20 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Elofic has consistently been at the forefront of the quality movement in India. It received ISO9002 certification in 1995 and was among the first 10 companies in the country to be awarded the QS9000 certificate in 1997 and upgraded its ISO9002 Certification to 9001 in 2000. It was the first filter company to be awarded the TS 16949:2002 certificate in 2004.

It was also the first filter company to be awarded the ISO9001 certificate for all its branch offices for marketing across the country.

The company won the Rajiv Gandhi Award for Quality in 1998 and the ACMA Quality Award in 1999, Sahnis said.

Elofic Chairman, M S Sahni, received the All India Best Entrepreneur award in the medium industry category for 2007. The company is certified for ISO/TS 16949:2009, OHSAS 18001:2007 and ISO 14001:2004, they added.

The Beginning Tracing the history of the 65- year Elofic, M S Sahni, said, “Before partition we were in the transport business and the automobile trade.

We had two shops selling auto parts, in Rawalpindi and Jhelum. After partition we were looking to start some business and I decided to make oil filters. I was only 20 years old then. At that time I bought filter paper from Chiradiri Paper Mills”.

“In the meantime diesel vehicles came into India, beginning with Tata Mercedes. These trucks required diesel fuel filters, which I started manufacturing. I started with oil filters as at that time cars did not use fuel filters. We became the pioneers in filter manufacture as nobody was making it in India. Today, we are the only company that has a government approved laboratory. We have our own technology, not dependent on anyone. All our competitors are multinationals”.

Sahni added that, “In the true sense we ‘Make in India.’ We are the only company which is 100 percent Indian and we have grown slowly but steadily. Our first plant was in Sadar Bazaar (a refugee colony after partition) in Delhi, a small place with only five workers. Slowly we grew and now we are into filters, the allied segments and lubes. Soon we will go into gaskets as we have a rubber plant.”

INTERVIEW

Anuj Kathuria with the new Euro 6 prime mover

Ashok Leyland Innovates To

Be BS 6-Ready By 2020 The automotive industry is gearing up to be BS 6 compatible in a few years. It will be a jump from BS 4 and can also impact market demand. In an exclusive interview to T Murrali of Autoparts Asia, Anuj Kathuria, President - Trucks, Ashok Leyland, explains the challenges involved in the new developments and how the company moves forward foreseeing market trends. The excerpts:22 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Q: What innovations does Ashok Leyland make to manage the emerging BS 6 emission norms?

Kathuria: The entire country is working for a cleaner environment. The government is taking the lead in bringing stricter emission norms. For the commercial vehicles BS 4 is already mandatory and is going to be pan India from April, 2017.

It is said that we will skip BS 5 and go directly to BS 6. While it is welcome we know that no country has gone from Euro 4 to Euro 6 in three years. We are going to try for that.

There are two parts to it. One is the availability of fuel and the

other is technology. There is another dimension that is more India-specific. It is the cost of technology, the acquisition and operating cost. The other thing we need to take note of is that the Indian incumbent players are a little behind in technology compared to the other international players who are setting up shops in the country.

We are ready and would try to do it in the best possible way to suit Indian conditions.

Q: What would be the average price difference between the pre and post-BS 6 vehicles?

Kathuria: It depends on which after-treatment you are thinking of – which vehicle, which

application, what HP – it’s a combination.

So giving one figure is not possible but the impact will be less than five percent.

The change from BS 3 to BS 4 may not be that high but definitely BS 4 to BS 6 will be a big thing. There will be more pre-buy but we will have to wait and watch as it is coming in stages. Buses are now BS 4 in most States; the smaller LCVs will also go in for this change. BS 3 will be phased out.

The entire impact will not show up in one quarter or so. Some States will go for BS 4 in April and some in October; some like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will do in April 2017. Till then, at least the haulage vehicles will all be on national permits.

Q: Will ESC and ABS work in tandem with the complete vehicle system - in the tractor and trailer. In that case would you supply this as one unit, how do you plan it?

Kathuria: Both options are available. In some cases we partner with the trailer manufacturer and supply the complete unit. India being a very price sensitive market, many of the operators have their own trailers. It also depends on the applications for which the trailer is used.

Today, many of them are coming up with the side-walled trailers because then they can put a container or carry some market load. If the ABS is on the tractor but not on the trailer it may create a challenge.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 23

INTERVIEW There was a time, about 10 years ago, when the trailers were not even having the matching brakes of the same braking power. If you can get a cost-effective solution on the tractor, it can be horizontally deployed on the trailer.

Q: This will be an option or a standard?

Kathuria: It has to be an option because the customer would like to configure it according to his needs.

Q: Do You use alloy wheels?

Kathuria: Alloy wheels are to showcase that we can bring down the weight further but the standard version would be coming with the normal wheels.

Q: Coming to the larger picture, the industry is recovering from one of the largest recessions.

Last year (2015) has been good for the MNC segment. But the suppliers say that it is only replacement demand and no new purchases are

24 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

happening. When do you think there will be improvement with new purchases?

Kathuria: What you say is only partly correct. There were two years when the total industry volume had fallen to almost 50 percent of the peak in 2012. Now the demand is being driven by certain projects that have kicked off. People are having the confidence to replace their fleet and there will be future demand. Most of the fleet operators are replenishing their vehicles; some are doing it to have a new fleet before the BS 4 comes in. Some other segments have also opened up.

But nothing much has happened on the infrastructure front. This year has been good for demand and we expect 2016-17 also to be good as it would be the last year to get BS 3 vehicles for the haulage.

Q: When will LCVs recover?

Kathuria: It is difficult to say.

Q: What is the major reason for that? Is it oversupply?

Kathuria: There was a phase when LCVs grew very rapidly but now it has reached its saturation level. If it sustains it’s good. Take for example hub and spoke. It’s yet to mature in India as with hub and spoke certain segments may disappear. In the Middle East market where hub and spoke is in a matured form, it’s either the tractor-trailers or L-series and S-series. The medium 16 tonners and all that are not there. India being heterogeneous it may not happen that fast.

Q: Talking about the impetus for growth, one is the pre-buy. Will there be any other growth drivers from this year?

Kathuria: One of the key factors would be infrastructure. We are expecting something better than 2015-16. If construction and mining projects open up faster, they will

naturally drive growth. The other thing that can drive growth is the restriction on 10 to 15 years old vehicles. This would help the replacement cycle. This has started in some States, in some pockets.

In Delhi there is a fine on polluting vehicles. So the good news is that there is concerted and focused effort from the government to create cleaner environment.

Q: What could be some of the impediments for growth?

Kathuria: There will be some impact of the global slowdown in demand.

How it will impact India, we will have to wait and watch. Drop in oil prices would aid initially but its effect on a continuing basis has to be seen; 2008 had nothing to do with India.

The US was the first to get affected and the last to recover. Generally when a global slowdown happens, people become a little conservative in their approach.

Q: The CV industry has been facing a cyclical trend – ups and downs in demand. Do you have something for AL to insulate it from the vagaries of this trend?

Kathuria: We have a slightly different approach on this. Rather than insulate we do a better forecasting and understanding of the market so that it gives us a longer lead-time to respond and plan. On one side we are working on that and on the other side we are looking at how to reduce our response time and make our operations more nimble-footed so that we can respond faster to changes in the environment.

Q: Can you elaborate?

Kathuria: We have run a programme called PRISM for our frontline team. It’s ‘Practical Improvements in Sales and Marketing’. This has given us a deeper and sharper insight into how we collate the demand; how we understand the entire country in terms of micro markets and sub-segments, what are the other parameters like customer behaviour etc.

Already we have started seeing results from PRISM on how to use the data and do lot more analytics to get a better understanding of the entire market.

While we have to be efficient, we have to be effective. We also have to reduce our response time.

Q: The entire supply chain has to be tweaked accordingly; this intent has to buckle it down. How do you do it?

Kathuria: It is identifying our suppliers who will play a vital role in this and partnering with them we have a concept called ‘point of origin to point of use.’ Suppliers should be next door with a satellite plant or an ‘intelligent’ warehouse where some value addition can be done. Our MRP (Material Resource Planning) finally gives out schedules to the suppliers. Earlier SAP would do it on a weekly basis but today with MRP I can do it every day. So every day real-time schedules are going out; this gives maximum response time to the supplier. Most of this is in place today so we are able to respond much faster to opportunities that come from the marketplace. Our fulfilment of demand has become that much better.

Q: How flexible can the vendors be?

Kathuria: We don’t expect the vendors to do everything; we partner with them.

We have a classification for our vehicles: runners, repeaters and strangers.

The suppliers are given a sharper understanding of what is a runner AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 25

INTERVIEW

model, what will be the changes he can expect in this.

We are working towards a modular approach, trying to remove the long tail in the part numbers so that the supplier has to deal with a limited set of part numbers and his variants are also brought down to a certain level.

So it has been a journey where a combination of different levers had to be synchronised.

Q: Earlier you had only limited number of products, now you are present in many segments. You are also giving customised vehicles; there are more varients in every model; You are pulled apart on one side by customers demanding variety, and on the other side by the cost. How do you really manage?

Kathuria: There are trade-offs but it has to be smart trade-offs. When you consider cost, 80 percent of the value will be in 20 percent of the part numbers. There you have more customisation and you don’t have to worry on cost. That’s why we are working on a modular approach.

Going forward we will be having a complete modular programme on the entire business.

Q: Will the modular concept will apply across all units?

Kathuria: Ideally yes. We will get there, but we will start only with trucks as the volumes are more.

26 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Q: Anything to do with the dealerships?

Kathuria: Everything, right from the way we design, configure, produce, source, distribute and reach to the end-customer. It’s a complete end-toend process.

Q: How do you inculcate this into new product development?

Kathuria: There are several ways to do it. We are still to get to that level where we can say this is the one we have chosen for ourselves but that work is in progress.

This should happen in the next six months or so.

Q: What’s the update on the capacities? Are they fully utilised now?

Kathuria: Overall industry capacity is way beyond the demand. Everybody has created capacity so we should not expect higher capacity utilisation.

We should be very efficient so that our break-even is quick.

Q: You will be happy with the present capacity for the next 5 years?

Kathuria: Capacity is something that has to be understood with the products you have to deliver. It is not only about numbers but it is about the mix, which has to be tweaked when required, with facilities to handle highstrength material.

Q: What is the difference you see in the Indian CV industry and the global plants?

Kathuria: Their power-to-weight ratio and operating conditions are generally very different from India.

Even an 8-T vehicle would be powered by an 180hp engine. Their road conditions are better and it’s a more homogeneous market. Their standards on reliability, capability etc. is very high. The consequential impact on vehicle off road is low. We need products that can withstand the conditions here. The international market has also segments like firsthemisphere markets and some which are similar to Indian markets so it makes a lot more sense to focus on India-like markets.

Q: How do you see the capability of vendors in India evolving?

Kathuria: My view on this is that they have been catching up very fast. They are almost there. Many of these suppliers are international players and some of Indian origins are also venturing into international markets. They have understood that if they have to sustain profitably over the long-term, quality is the only way forward.

Gone are the days when the suppliers talked only about cost. OEMs are also now changing the focus; suppliers’ nomination and selection criteria is also undergoing change. Earlier it was cost focused but now it is beyond cost. We look at quality, reliability and technology. Earlier, there were tighter internal controls in the OEMs; now OEMs also want to partner with the bigger suppliers, the Tier-1s. So there has been an evolution in this.

Going forward, I feel that there will be very little difference between international suppliers and ours.

Technology today is accessible either through technology partnering or joint venture – it is available for everyone.

You have to be a keen business man to understand which technology will work for you. You can’t do a cut and paste of the technologies that work in Europe and expect it to work here. It has to be adapted to Indian conditions with the frugal approach – this is very important. There has to be an Indigenised way of looking at it especially from the price sensitivity point of view; price sensitivity will remain in the Indian context.

Please do visit us in: AUTOMECHANIKA DUBAI: Stall No. 2-A34 located in Hall number 2. at Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE FROM 8TH TO 10TH MAY 2016

INTERVIEW

Varroc Lighting Lights Up

OEMs’ Brands Lighting in a vehicle is more than a functional necessity.

It has become an essential part of the style statement of the automotive. Lighting provides the ‘wow’ impact and makes every brand a distinct entity. In an exclusive interview to T Murrali of AutoParts Asia, Jeff D Stevenson, President and Todd C Morgan, Senior Vice President, Global Product Development, Varroc Lighting Systems, throw more light on the various aspects of the new technologies and their relevance in the emerging competitive markets. The excerpts:-

28 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Q: What are the current trends in automotive lighting; do you see the return of old designs?

Morgan: In the past lamps were quite small, just functional. Then they started getting bigger. Now the trend is to go back to small.

This is driven by a leading technology that allows us to go into a low profile. The LEDs enable us to go with smaller modules.

Stevenson: It is not the size but the sleekness that we are

Jeff D Stevenson & Todd Morgan

looking for. Lamps help to define the brand. They provide the ‘wow’ impact. This is what excites a customer when he comes looking for a vehicle. The design and get-up of the lamp are very important.

Q: Isn’t downsizing driven by space constraints in the vehicle?

Morgan: Today we see the appearance of separate lamps because we are trying to give a different look and appearance

to the vehicle. Lighting is being used as an accent but it still has to be functional. Safety and functionality have always been the primary reasons for lighting. Now we have the ability and options to move the lamps around the vehicle.

Q: LEDs are the order of the day – they are attractive, energy-efficient, and durable. There is also the organic LED. What is your take on this?

Morgan: We are working on the organic LED. The prototype is ready for implementation – for tail functions and side markers. We have some more work to do on turning indicators and day-time running lamps as they are of higher power and sensitive to humidity and temperature.

Organic material is on a substrate encapsulated with a cathode and anode. We need to make sure that the material is protected from humidity.

If encapsulation fails, humidity gets in and those terrible black areas will appear. It is something we are very careful about.

Q: While this is an issue, what are the advantages of organics?

Morgan: Two things: One is that it is very thin so you can get light in areas where you could not get it before. Second is that there are two different types of organics. When the light is turned off they look like very shiny metalised portions and they can also be transparent. When they are transparent you can see through them and when the light is turned on they appear and glow. The metalised is more efficient – light goes in both directions and comes out one way.

The transparent one is less efficient

as light goes in both directions. But it allows us to perpetually layer functions behind each other. It is very interesting from the styling perspective.

Q: Another new trend is the Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) which you are already supplying.

Global market penetration is 15 percent. Do you see further growth and, as a designer, what is your plan for capitalising on this technology?

Morgan: More and more Citroen DS3 Rear lamp with an ‘infinity mirror effect’ which is the functionalities have come styling signature of the vehicle. in. We are going to move into things like matrix of lamps. You do not have a vehicle technology with addressable arrays. that just has AFS. You always have a Today AFS is dynamic bending where base model with halogen technology you turn the steering wheel and the in place. It is a matter of different lamps also rotate. We will move away levels of functionality. Above that from mechanical movement into we need to adapt ourselves to the solid state solutions. There are many customers’ needs. What we design things like the yaw rate of the vehicle, for a Jaguar or Land Rover is different steering wheel sensor, accelerationfrom what we would design for a deceleration of the vehicle, and speed Mahindra or Ford. It depends on the of the vehicle that come into play now. customer, the application and the The matrix can beam into cameras to market you are addressing, so you detect incoming traffic and track it. It need to be flexible. You have cost is all about extended functionality. targets and functionality targets.

That is why we spend so much time Stevenson: I think the technology with our customers to understand is very interesting and a number of their needs and the needs of the Safety institutes believe that it saves market. In India you do not drive at lives. Safety regulatory groups are 200 kmph but in Germany they do. starting to insist that this technology So the beam pattern has to change be put on more and more vehicles. for Indian markets. We have a very Q: What percentage of the Varroc’s strong programme for Indian market portfolio has AFS? applications where we have adapted Stevenson: About 10-15 percent. our designs to meet those market needs.

Morgan: There are different levels

Goniometer checks photometric and color requirements for signal lighting.

Headlamp performance is checked using a goniometer to ensure all photometric requirements are met and the beam is smooth and homogeneous.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 29

INTERVIEW

HL robot plasma filtered: Headlamp lenses are glued using robots to ensure a water proof seal

Tight process parameters during the vacuum metallization process to ensure our products have high quality appearance and meet all photometric requirements

30 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Q: Is the Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) technology in the offing?

Morgan: Yes, it is a matrix with ADB driving beam.

There are different variations of this. One, which is on the road today, is where you can see the individual elements in the hi-beam.

For pixel hi-beam we are taking it one step forward and also adjusting the low beam. For example, when you drive slowly you take the beam and spread it out so you have a programmed wide beam. As you speed up it starts to get narrow. We also tie-in with the camera so that it can detect street lights. As you speed up, the street lights are turned away and you increase intensity to narrow the beam and shoot down the distance.

Q: Do you take inputs from the electronic control unit or the engine management system for the speeds?

Morgan: For speed all these things are twirling around in the camera so we can detect oncoming traffic, cars following them, we can see and measure the distance.

All the information runs around the CAN Bus in the vehicle and we can draw it into our control module.

Q: It’s not only lighting, it is software development and integration with engine management systems. Companies like Google can help you in finding locations; is that the next step?

Morgan: We have a system called predictive AFS where we can take information off the map on the navigation system and detect the curve coming on the road. The lamps will turn before you turn the steering wheel. We have this in our algorithms already. In the UK and Europe where there is left and right hand driving you have left hand and right hand beam. You can change

the ‘cut-off line’ with matrix technology automatically. It is only a matter of software because matrix and pixel let you control the beam in any way you want.

Q: Will you be working with new generation vendors from the software development space?

Morgan: We have to determine what autonomous driving means to lighting.

We need to understand what do the sensors and the rest of the vehicle need from the lighting perspective.

In night driving we have to think about what kind of beam pattern we need to change to complement autonomous driving. We are working with various partners to try to define this.

Q: Coming back to ADB, what is your outlook?

How will that get into the market, the penetration levels? Currently it is about three percent.

Morgan: It is going to accelerate quickly. We have several programmes right now in development.

Q: What are the driving forces for this?

Morgan: First of all there is competitive pressure. More and more people are taking notice of lighting. You are seeing it in advertisements and journals. For example, it is like an arms race between Audi and BMW on laser headlamps. All these things are getting very popular as the push on safety is increasing. You really see the difference in your vehicle when you use ADB. You have full hi-beam on both sides and you are not blinded by oncoming traffic.

It is a completely automatic system. I think it will come faster than expected and the key is that there are different levels of it. We can design a fantastic pixel system for a Land Rover Jaguar but for the mainstream market we will work on opti-matrix.

INTERVIEW

Q: What’s that?

Morgan: Opti-matrix is basically a low cost version of this system where we use reflectors and reduce the number of elements but allow the same level of functionality at a much lower cost.

Stevenson: We want to drive innovation to mainstream vehicles; safety must be for all – not merely for the rich. We have to find a way for that innovation and those technologies so that all can take advantage of it.

Q: People are now giving more value to safety and not much worried about cost. This trend is seen even in emerging markets like India.

Stevenson: We have an aging population and people say they cannot see driving at night. We provide a much better driving experience as they can drive with their hi-beam turned on all the time.

Q: But the younger people will be seeking more flashy looks in the vehicle, so you are pulled apart in two directions – one, to cater to these two extremes, and two, to provide a solution at an optimal cost. How do you do it?

Morgan: That is a good point. How do we take safety and functionality and blend it with sexy, smart looking styling? It is the front part of lighting, taking engineering and art and bringing them together. This is where companies like Varroc play a major role. We get involved now much earlier with OEMs, we do design workshops with them and get them involved in styling.

In the past technology was always a limitation; today we can do much more. We have design workshops with styling studios to show vehicle designers what we can do. Daytime

running lamp is a legal requirement in Europe where it is a huge selling point. People don’t totally understand why they want daytime running lamps. We have data that show it saves lives, so what better technology can you have. People want it because it looks cool and it saves lives. This is something that Indian regulations should look at very seriously as fatalities are high here. We would recommend making daytime running lamps mandatory for the Indian market.

Q: Will Varroc focus more on the matrix segment?

Morgan: From the global perspective, definitely yes. We have a few programmes already under development using matrix technology.

Q: What’s your take on laser headlamps?

Lens multi-colour injection filtered: Muti-coloured injection molding process provides high quality and appearance to the rear lamps

32 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Morgan: They are very expensive, about 50 percent costlier. But there are a few things. One is that today hi-beam laser is used as an additional hi-beam for longrange visibility. It does not give you a huge volume of light but a high intensity of light. That is why it is good for the hi-beam. In the future the flux will come and we will get sufficient light volume. The eventual advantage of laser will be very low profile lamps because we will have high intensity in a very small space.

Q: How do you see the next five years from the perspective of the global slowdown and the opportunities available?

Stevenson: In the lighting industry we are not feeling the slowdown because OEMs are no longer releasing vehicles for a five or six year life cycle. Many OEMs think of lighting as the jewellery on the exterior of the vehicle.

So they are turning their programmes over every three years. It is a two-and-a-half or three year cycle. Because so many exciting things are happening in lighting, the OEMs are releasing a lot of different variants that in turn increase revenue. With Laser and AFS going into the vehicle, the end-revenue for lamps also is increasing. In certain cases like China the revenue has dropped and

the Indian market has been a bit sluggish but our revenues continue to escalate through the trends going on in lighting.

Q: Will this tend help Varroc in the long-run?

Stevenson: It will definitely help. What we are focused on is addressing customer issues, where do we fit in their solutions. Many customers may be looking at going to lower cost regions in the future, so we are constantly looking at how we can fit in what they want and give them better service.

Q: Coming to specific regions you have a strong foot-hold in North America and large presence in Europe. What is the revenue from each region?

Stevenson: Europe is our largest site and over 40 percent of our total revenue comes from there. We are also in Mexico, China and in India. When you compare Varroc to other global lighting suppliers, our footprint is very attractive. We are in some of the low-cost, high-developing areas. We have a very desirable footprint and we are looking to expand it and take it to other areas where customers have grown.

Q: Which are the markets you are looking at to expand your footprint?

Stevenson: Areas that are challenges for the OEMs. We

Scan: Tight tolerances are applied to all components, and these need to be checked using precision optical scanners.

Electronic content in lighting is growing, and it’s critical that these components meet the stringent vibration requirements in the automotive industry.

Bentley Continental Headlamp with signature LED high beam and DRL

have three sites in China and one site in India and we will grow in these regions as the OEMs grow.

There are also other challenging markets we are looking at like Brazil and Morocco. We are thinking of Eastern Europe. At the end of the day it has to make good business sense. Russia is a difficult market and we made a decision that it was not the right period for us to enter there. But we might do so in the future. We will look at all options, including likely market share, before deciding.

Q: You said 40 percent of the revenue comes from Europe.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 33

INTERVIEW What about the rest?

Stevenson: The second largest region would be Mexico followed by China and India.

Q: Europe is getting into the recovery phase. Since you get the bulk of your revenue from Europe do you think Varroc will grow there in the near future?

Stevenson: The market in Europe is growing at three percent. Customers are investing more in lighting that could go up to eight to nine percent in the future. So you have the growth of the region as well as the growth of the product line. Our strategy is going after the lower-cost manufacturing footprint, following our customers, to reinvest everything back into the business. We have a big capital budget that goes in and as we continue to grow we are looking to follow where the customers want us to grow.

Morgan: Technology drives revenue that is why our focus is to take technology and drive it into the higher volume programmes. Our goal is to bring technical innovation into the mainstream.

Q: Has the Volkswagen scandal affected you?

Stevenson: Not so much. It is an important customer but we are not heavily dependent on it. The diesel programme is a small portion of our total revenue.

Q: The sales of Volkswagen are falling. Will it have any impact on Varroc?

Stevenson: We have not seen anything significant so far.

Q: The Asia – Oceania region is

Vibration Testing with temperature allows Varroc to guarantee its products perform flawlessly under extreme environmental conditions according to the customer specifications.

34 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

witnessing rapid growth due to lowcost manufacturing and rising production levels.

Mini LED Projectors: LED’s allow for There is a lot of an infinite number of styling possibly, one example are mini-projectors that headroom available provide state of the art performance here, so do you with an innovative style. see more business digit growth rates YOY and we are coming from countries in these quite proud of it as it is. We try to stay regions including India? well focused on the customer base Stevenson: Yes, part of our growth we have right now which is really in plan is to continue to expand in the passenger car segment.

India as the market evolves. One of Morgan: CV’s have unique the things with our product line is engineering requirements; they have that it is expensive to ship. So you different temperatures, vibration have to be closer to the customer requirements, voltage and operating if you want to be successful. This conditions. Serviceability is very also lowers the total cost and helps important for them. But we do see you do full development. In each CVs moving towards more traditional of our manufacturing sites we have plans with classic lenses etc. As we engineering personnel who can move in that direction there will be interact with our customers on a dayopportunities available. We are seeing to-day basis and deliver what they are that CV manufacturers are quite looking for. interested in lighting – what can be Q: What about challenges in done with lighting as they go forward. catering to the CV segment?

Q: What are your short-term and Stevenson: The CV segment is an long-term plans for Varroc? area of opportunity for us. In the Stevenson: First of all we have been past when we were part of Visteon very fortunate in joining the Varroc they focused heavily on passenger family three years ago. We have cars, so we really have very limited gone from a small division in a very business on the CV side. It is an large company (Visteon) to the most opportunity for us to look at in the significant division now within Varroc. future as we joined Varroc, which is Varroc purchased Visteon lighting very successful in the CV side. They in 2012 and our focus has been on are teaching us that portion of the stabilising our business, making sure business. that we had a very transparent and Q: In India you are catering to a lot successful transition from Visteon to of CVs; what about globally?

Varroc. We continue to grow.

Stevenson: Yes, but globally we do Growth is not just your top line very little as it has not been an area of revenue and bottom line profit but it is focus, but that will be a focus area in also growth in innovation, technology, the future. We are growing at double people and so many other areas.

RL welding filtered: The vibration welding process provides a water proof seal between the lens and the body with extremely tight dimensional tolerances.

I am proud of the success we have had in these three years. Going forward, it has to be focused around the people, technology and customers. Each functional group within Varroc Lighting Systems is a key piece in our overall success, supporting customers with the best designs possible at the right price. We try to bring technology to the mainstream, to understand what our customers want and how we can adapt to their means. It is part of our long-term vision, to go into new regions and develop those.

COVER STORY

Remanufacturing Emerges As Ecological, Economic Imperative

36 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

The world market for remanufactured automotive parts is projected to be worth about $140 billion by 2020. The demand will be driven by the growing concerns about the mainstream manufacturing, and by the environmental and economic advantages. Remanufacturing existed in the US for the last 70 years, in Europe for over 40 years, and in China probably less than 10 years. In India it is yet to find a viable position. Automotive industry is one of the early adopters of remanufacturing. The used mechanical auto parts like engine, transmissions, starter motors, alternators, clutches, steering racks, turbochargers, cylinder heads, brake callipers and similar other parts are remanufactured for reuse. The Asia-Pacific region (excluding India for now) is forecast to emerge as the fastest growing market for remanufactured automotive parts. The rapid expansion of the auto parts manufacturing, rising average vehicle life, increase in the number of vehicles on roads, rise in vehicle-miles travelled, growing consumer awareness about the environmental and cost benefits offered by the remanufactured parts are among the key drivers of the reman industry growth.

By T Murrali

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 37

COVER STORY

T

he Leaders’ Declaration of the G7 Summit 2015 in Germany includes ‘circular economies, eco-design, sharing economies and remanufacturing,’ as subject areas that will be addressed in a series of workshops to initiate the process under the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency. The Alliance will provide a forum to exchange and promote best practices and foster innovation together with business (Business 7) and other stakeholders, including from the public sector, research institutions, academia, consumers and civil society, on a voluntary, nonbinding basis.

Green procurement is one of the 12 recommendations made by the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group (APSRG) report, which details how each stage of the UK supply chain can become more resource-efficient and cut waste.

Other recommendations include more funding for remanufacturing research, trade bodies reviewing the inbound / outbound flows of materials and goods and the Government issuing a call for evidence on the state of play of resource efficiency in the UK companies.

38 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

Remanufacturing existed in the US for the last 70 years, in Europe for over 40 years and in China probably less than 10 years. India is yet to find its need. During World War II there was a tremendous need to reuse automotive and truck parts.

Natural resources were scarce, since much of them were devoted to the War effort to build planes, ships, tanks, etc. Ford and others were working to keep the automotive industry going by remanufacturing engines, transmissions, power train components etc. Since the end of World War II remanufacturing enjoyed steady growth in the US and later in Europe. In Germany, Volkswagen started remanufacturing in 1947.

Bosch followed in the 1970s.

lowers prices and offers more purchasing flexibility. Its sustainability is explained in three words: Quality, Value and Green.

Reman Redefined

Academic studies show that on an average, 94 percent of an engine can be recovered for remanufacturing. A remanufactured engine saves 55kg of steel and 8.3kg of aluminium, reduces CO2 emissions by 565kg, NOx by 1kg and sulphur dioxide by 3.9kg.

Remanufacturing minimises the impact on the environment, conserves natural resources by reusing raw materials and reduces the generation

Remanufacturing is the rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts. It requires the repair or replacement of worn out or obsolete components and modules, called the ‘core.’ Remanufacturing benefits business, creates jobs, reduces material and energy consumption,

The core components of good environmental practice and remanufacturing are the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Remanufacturing is a long process of bringing back products to their original design specifications by restoring or replacing components.

The costly mechanical parts like engines, gearboxes and turbo chargers are stripped from a used or donor vehicle. They are dismantled, cleaned and repaired, reassembled and tested for reuse. Recycling is removing a part, like a sliding door on a van, and fitting it directly to another.

of waste by keeping old parts out of landfills.

According to the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA), a remanufactured part fulfils a function which is at least equivalent and comparable to the original part. It is restored from an existing part using standardised industrial processes in line with technical specification.

A remanufactured part is given the same warranty as a new part and it clearly identifies the part as remanufactured.

A remanufactured part is different from a reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, reworked or reconditioned part. Remanufacturing is an essential part of the automotive aftermarket with growing relevance in the future. It is a best practice of circular economy. A remanufactured product is the best value proposition for the end-customer. The positive impact of remanufacturing on economy is in generating employment and providing the best choice for the end-user by offering the best quality at a reasonable price compared with a new unit.

In the US and Europe remanufacturing is supported by all original equipment component manufacturers. In Eastern Europe remanufacturing emerged in the middle of the 1990s and continues to grow.

A recent report by The European Remanufacturing Network (ERN) considers remanufacturing as an important component of a resourceefficient manufacturing industry and a key strategy within the circular economy. The top motives for businesses to remanufacture are higher profit margins, environmental responsibility, a strategic advantage and increased market share.

China embarked on a remanufacturing programme in 2008 and it has gone far ahead with both policy and infrastructure support. India is not yet ready for remanufacturing, especially of automotive components.

Key Drivers The outlook for the world remanufacturing industry in the near future is very positive and encouraging. The European Commission recently released its

Circular Economy Package which details remanufacturing as an integral aspect of waste reduction and lowering emissions. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) specifically allows for the free import and export of cores for remanufacturing in the 12 Pacificrim countries involved. And the US has passed legislation requiring the Federal fleet vehicles to use remanufactured parts when possible for repair.

think ‘remanufactured’ means ‘used’ and the connotation of the term is misconstrued. It can be frustrating for a remanufacturer with a quality product carrying the same warranty as a new product, but for only 60 percent of the cost, to overcome quality misconceptions held by customers,” James Zhu, President and Chairman of Duxes Consulting and Board Member of APRA AsiaPacific, has said.

The key drivers of growth of the remanufacturing industry are:-

Trade policies of some governments

• Aging automotive sector meaning more repair needed for older vehicles.

• Environmental benefits in extending life of the resource, less water and energy used for remanufacturing than making a new product.

• Internet of Things (IoT) and predictive maintenance emerging as new technologies and processes which complement remanufacturing services.

• The adaptability of remanufacturing to electric vehicles and other new technologies.

Business analysts specialising on remanufacturing say that the main motives for businesses to remanufacture are higher profit margins, environmental responsibility, a strategic advantage, increased market share, a secure spare parts supply, potential to lower product prices, opportunities through alternative business models, reduced resource security risk, customer pressure, asset and brand protection, and reduced lead times. All these benefits ensure the future of the remanufacturing industry.

Roadblocks To Reman The major challenges to the remanufacturing industry include competition from recycled and repaired parts, the narrowing price differences between original and remanufactured products and extended vehicle component warranties by the OEMs. Despite the economic and environmental advantages of remanufacturing, there are still a few issues which have been preventing it from reaching its full potential. Consumer recognition is one barrier which has been difficult to overcome. “Many consumers

James Zhu

have also been inhibiting the reman industry in certain countries and regions. The US, Australia and European Union have very favourable reman conditions. There the industry is completely unregulated or even widely promoted. But many Asian countries, including India, have bans on the import of cores. Cores are the lifeblood of the remanufacturing industry, and every remanufacturer needs quality cores to operate.

Governments block the import of cores since they consider them to be ‘used’ products instead of as a resource.

US Remanufacturing Automotive parts remanufacturing in the US, it is reported, represents the largest market worldwide. By the government statistics, three years ago the US market for remanufacturing alone was worth $43 billion. The key drivers of growth for the remanufacturing industry in the US are: The concern about the carbon footprint of new manufacturing; environmental problems associated with the dumping of end-of-life automotive parts; demand for remanufactured diesel engines; and the increased use of remanufactured AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 39

COVER STORY

have a market share of about 50 percent.

Announcing the market study carried out by consultancy Oakdene Hollins on the network’s behalf, ERN recently said: “Remanufacturing is considered an important component of a resource-efficient manufacturing industry and a key strategy within the circular economy. By keeping components and their embodied material in use for longer, significant energy use and emissions to air and water can be avoided.” transmissions in hybrid and electric vehicles.

On October 8, 2015, President Obama signed the remanufacturing legislation (The Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act) which requires the Federal agencies to prioritise the use of remanufactured parts in servicing the Federal vehicle fleet, the non-military fleet. There are 588,000 vehicles with a yearly spend of about a billion dollars ($975 million). Though usage is not mandatory, the government will have to investigate the use of remanufactured products. The Federal Trade commission (FTC) requires that remanufactured auto parts be labelled as such so that they are not mistaken as new.

Among the major players in the US remanufacturing industry include Marshall Engine Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Genuine Parts Company, Robert Bosch GmbH, Jasper Engines and Transmissions, Cardone Industries, Inc., Ford Motors, Andre Niermann, ATC Drivetrain Inc., ATSCO Remanufacturing Inc. and BORG Automotive A/S. According to Joe Kripli, President, Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association, the US market for remanufactured auto parts is going to be very favourable. Car sales in the US almost doubled to 17.4 million in 2015 from nine million in 2009. In three years, as cars come out of warranty, reman will come into play. “It is going to look really good. We supply only to OEMs, not to the aftermarket. The OEMs keep increasing their warranty period, from one to two to three years, which really helps us. Some vehicles 40 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

get you a seven-year warranty. If anything fails the consumer will not go to the aftermarket, he will go to the dealer, who will use reman products to cover the warranty.

So I have a captive audience for seven years. When the OEM keeps increasing warranty, it increases our capture,” he said.

Kripli said that in the US remanufacturing has been very well accepted. After the recession of 2008-2011 it has been growing in Europe also.

European Reman Remanufacturing is well established in Europe. It is supported by all original equipment component manufacturers. A study by the European Remanufacturing Network (ERN) estimates that the European remanufacturing industry, with supportive governmental policies and industry investments, could be worth €90 billion and employ around 500,000 people by 2030. In Europe remanufactured starters and generators have a market share of 80 percent. Other car components

Alan H Smart & Joe Kripli

The study has suggested that there is need for a ‘European-level solution to encourage remanufacturing throughout Europe.’ It has focussed on nine key sectors to reveal economic value, employment and approximate carbon benefits. The sectors studied in the report include aerospace, automotive, electronics and electrical equipment (EEE), furniture, heavy duty and off-road (HDOR) equipment, machinery, ships, medical equipment and rail rolling stock.

Among the suggestions in the study for policy measures that would support remanufacturing were tax relief for customers buying remanufactured products, and obligations on manufacturers to create a certain amount of remanufactured products and design for the practice and the encouragement of publicsector procurement to focus on remanufactured products.

A survey carried out as part of the study found that customer recognition, the availability of ‘core’

– a used part intended to become a remanufactured product – the quality of core, and high labour costs are among the top barriers to remanufacturers.

In Europe, particularly in the UK, which has the fastest growing economy in Western Europe, the reman products market is steadily growing, Alan H Smart, Chairman and Chief Executive, ATP Industries Group Ltd, UK, said.

“The UK has always been extremely strong in the aftermarket and the repairing of multi-vehicles.

Compared to mainland Europe, the UK economy is very strong now. We just had the best sales of cars for the last 40 years, and 2015 is going to be remembered forever. So I can’t see remanufacturing reducing at all in the UK, it is actually growing. My company has never had so many enquiries for reman products. We get enquiries even from German OEMs”, Smart said.

In the UK, British Gas is one of the fleets saving money and the environment by using recycled parts for its 13,000-strong fleet. Through a partnership with My Green Fleet, which provides traceable recycled vehicle parts, the energy giant is cutting its CO2 emissions. “My Green Fleet is a subsidiary of FAB Recycling, which is one of the UK’s largest specialist vehicle dismantlers, providing customers with new, used and reconditioned vehicle parts.

Reman Drive in China The National Development and Reform Committee (NDRC) of China had begun a pilot programme for auto parts remanufacturing in March 2008 in an effort to develop a green economy and establish an energysaving and environmentally friendly society. In December 2014, NDRC and five other ministries issued “Implementation Plan on Important Resource Recycling Engineering and Technology Promotion, and Equipment Industrialisation,” specifying remanufacturing as one of four important resource recycling aspects.

NDRC and three other ministries issued the first public notice in 2015, listing ten remanufacturing

pilot enterprises and product type and promotion price of their related remanufactured products. These ten enterprises could enjoy “Oldfor-Reman” policy according to the notice.

In China, recently the government has launched pilot programmes in remanufacturing, and the 13th Fiveyear plan is expected to address remanufacturing as an industry to be promoted. As environmental concerns around the world begin to shift government policies and business practices, remanufacturing is emerging as a solution to extending the life of valuable resources while lowering a (re) manufacturer’s carbon footprint.

In May 2015, The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) and Duxes (Shanghai) Business Consulting Inc. signed a ‘Strategic Alliance’ to boost remanufacturing in China and Asia. Duxes has been working in remanufacturing since 2008, to help remanufacturers and OEMs better understand local markets and develop the industry in the AsiaPacific region.

APRA is extremely knowledgeable and many members have long histories in remanufacturing. APRA, which started in the US in 1940, is a global association with more than 2,000 member companies.

Its objective is to promote the general business interests of the remanufacturing industry and foster the spirit of recycling for a better environment. APRA has a European Division also.

Based in Shanghai, China, Duxes has been involved in remanufacturing since 2008 when the first Chinese governmental reman pilot was released. Since then Duxes has worked to help people better understand the AsianPacific remanufacturing market and government issues. It has been working closely with government bodies, officials, associations, various remanufacturers and businesses which make up the remanufacturing industry chain.

After signing the agreement, James Zhu, Duxes President and Board Member of APRA Asia-Pacific, said AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 41

COVER STORY

that “Remanufacturing first developed in America and Europe; however, I believe its future growth and development will be focused in the China and Asia-Pacific Region, with the surging number of vehicles and equipment being used and produced there. By utilizing both Duxes’ and APRA’s advantages, I think we have reached a consensus on the specific steps we need to take to advance remanufacturing in this region in the near future.”

The APRA President Joe Kripli said, that “there is no doubt that with the number of cars, trucks and off-highway vehicles entering the Chinese market, China will quickly become the largest consumer and producer of remanufactured products, not only for economic reasons but for environmental and raw material reasons.”

APRA and Duxes want to promote Chinese and Asian remanufacturing in two aspects: One is at government level, among policy makers and regulators. The second is among the general public by increasing awareness, convincing them of the benefits in choosing reman products, and encouraging them to preferentially procure remanufactured products. The mission of APRA and Duxes is to advocate the idea of reman: how environmentally-friendly it is, the cost savings in purchasing a high quality level reman product that is as good as new or better than the original, at an affordable cost.

42 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

“Increasing awareness is not enough; consumers must understand the benefits. When they are faced between the choice of a remanufactured and new product, they should choose the reman one,” Zhu said.

Daimler-Lingang Deal On December 18, 2015 Daimler-Benz reached an agreement with Shanghai Lingang Remanufacturing Industry Demonstration Zone (SLRIDZ) to establish a remanufacturing facility.

Finalised after more than two years of negotiations, the Daimler-Benz facility will be 66,600 square meters situated on over 100 acres, and cost 600 million RMB. It will be the largest remanufacturing facility in the world.

Scheduled to be completed in 2018, the facility will remanufacture Mercedes engines, gearboxes, and control units for the Chinese and Asia-Pacific market with an expected revenue of 1 billion RMB a year.

This deal is a breakthrough for international OEMs that have been considering opening remanufacturing facilities in China, and may be a precursor of an evolving industry, an official press release said.

World Summit In Beijing The World Remanufacturing Summit 2016, the 6th China Remanufacturing Summit and China Remanufacturing, Refurbishing and Equipment Remarketing Exhibition (3R China Expo 2016) will be held in Beijing,

China, from May 25-27, 2016. This exciting conference rotates annually between Europe, Asia and the US. It is the premier forum to address and showcase the latest technology trends in the field of remanufacturing.

High-level leaders from industry, academia and science will come together to present cutting-edge research and innovations from the field. The summit serves as a forum for international remanufacturing research and industry-related collaboration. There will be keynote speeches, panel discussions, and parallel sessions.

3R China Expo is the largest reman expo ever held in China. With the rapid development of the Chinese reman industry, several multinational companies are looking for business opportunities there. The 3R exhibition is to promote further progress in the industry and to enhance greater awareness of remanufacturing to a wider range of people. Reman products in the automotive, offhighway vehicle, leasing, commercial vehicle, and mining and construction equipment industries will be on display. It will also provide opportunity to exhibit the latest technology and achievements and to exchange ideas with professionals throughout the whole reman industry.

The conference and exhibition are being organised with the support of remanufacturing industry associations like Auto Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA), Reman Standardization Committee, Malaysian Automotive Recyclers Association, National Key Laboratory for Remanufacturing (NKLR), China, Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, and International Association of Engine Remanufacturers (FIRM). Founded in 1958 in Vienna, FIRM is the European umbrella organisation representing the interests of engine remanufacturers and rebuilders.

to reman does not exist in India,” Mehta said.

Ten national trade associations representing more than 1,000 engine remanufacturers and rebuilders are members of FIRM. Based in Brussels, FIRM is a recognised discussion partner of the European Institutions, fellow associations across the world (AERA, APRA, NZERA etc.) and other international and European trade federations of automotive sectors.

India Yet To Find Need In India remanufacturing, especially of automotive components, may be a reality in the future. “But in the short-run, India is not ready for remanufacturing; today we have a vibrant automotive market for both vehicles and components. The automotive industry has painstakingly invested in creating capacity and building skills to manufacture stateof-the art vehicles and components at probably the best price in the world that are exported across the globe,” said, Vinnie Mehta, Director General, of the Automotive Components Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA).

Remanufacturing, like recycling, has its positives including conserving basic raw materials and energy, however the concept might be a bit pre-mature for India, he said.

“Remanufacturing, as of now, is relegated to the informal segment of the aftermarket in India. The automotive market is yet to evolve sufficiently to allow for this and India needs manufacturing jobs, which reman will not be able to generate,” Mehta said.

Remanufacturing involves value recovery and reuse of used products.

While this may be a substantial segment of the automotive industry value-chain in the developed world, the sector formally does not exist in India; formal existence of any particular segment of the industry depends upon the evolutionary stage of the industry. The automotive industry in India is relatively young and evolving, further, remanufacturing may not give significant cost advantages compared to production of new components, he said.

“Now the remanufactured products are equated with second-hand goods and India does not permit import of such goods. While the unorganized sector may be engaged in ‘remanufacturing,’ the term is somewhat ambiguous as there is no proper definition of remanufacturing in the context of Indian industry.

Clarity is needed on the IPR front, on standards, homologation and performance. In fact the ecosystem

Dr Uwe Thomas

Uwe Thomas, President, Automotive Aftermarket, Robert Bosch Gmbh, said that, “India has been a repair market for many years; you see repair facilities and workshops everywhere.

Everybody tries to do it at the lowest cost possible. This is unorganised, while remanufacturing would mean repair in an organised way. It will come step-by-step to India bringing in new technology. We already have remanufacturing for big engines in India, with new technology for diesel engines. You can already see it in the market and it will grow over the next couple of years”.

Thimmaiah NP, Managing Director & CEO, Meritor CVS India Pvt Ltd, said, “we are into remanufacturing

NP Thimmaiah

globally but in India, the overall infrastructure is not ready for this kind of activities. Largely, the trucks get the repairs done on the roadside with local mechanics, where they manage with existing resources. Secondly, this is linked to scrapping policy.

Today, people do not care about the downtime of the trucks once it crosses 10 years of life. Productivity of vehicles, especially of tractors or the prime mover, is much lower in India.

There is no policy support to use one tractor to haul different trailers. The productivity of the prime mover is being wasted during the loading and unloading of cargo.”

The reverse supply chain also is not effective in India. The current technologies help the mechanics to repair the parts at about 30 percent of the cost of the original part, while the AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 43

COVER STORY

Remanufacturing Is

Green

R

emanufacturing is considered as a standardised industrial process just like new manufacturing. “When we talk about remanufacturing we are talking about manufacturing processes, manufacturing technologies and manufacturing jobs.

What we mean by that is if you walked into one of our member’s manufacturing facilities, you start your tour at the end of the line, you dig into a new manufacturing facility,” John R Chalifoux, President and COO, The Motor and Equipment Remanufacturers Association (MERA) US, told AutoParts Asia. MERA is the remanufacturing division of the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), which has been advocating on behalf of the motor vehicle supplier industry since 1904.

“Typically, remanufacturing is more labour-intensive than new. Remanufacturing may not give you high volumes like new manufacturing. You need more flexibility. A lot of

44 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

times you will see automation but you will see more physical labour too. We say we manufacture parts that are as good as or better than new. They cost John R Chalifoux less to produce and purchase, Often a remanufactured and minimise the impact on product might last longer the environment. Ideally, the than the original part. The part that is taken out goes remanufacturers have back into the supply chain’s engineering departments that reverse logistics, back into would find out why the part the remanufacturing matrix,” had not performed well, and Chalifoux said. would offer new solutions.

The remanufactured parts are sold by new car dealerships.

They can be used in warranty, sold in an independent repair shop, or sold over the counter by retailers. “We are trying to educate users to demand remanufactured products.

We are trying to educate the installers to recommend it to their customers. In order to get the value you need to give up the old part, return the core. If you do not return the core you are paying approximately the price of a new part,” he said.

Chalifoux said the Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act was an achievement for the MERA members as it would help the sale of remanufactured parts to the government. “It will help raise awareness and acceptance of our industry and make the policy makers of the US understand the quality and value associated with remanufactured parts. It is a great thing for us, something we did not have before”, he said.

COVER STORY

remanufactured part costs around 60 percent of the original part.

However, Thimmaiah said, “once the BS 6 emission norm is in place, the road infrastructure improves, vehicle horsepower increases and the overall price of vehicle goes up matching the load carrying characteristics, then people may not want the vehicle to remain idle; that will be the time for the remanufacturing as a concept to take off in India”.

Auto parts remanufacturing is not very popular in India. However, In India also “it is beginning now”, Alan H Smart, Chairman and Chief Executive, ATP Industries Group Ltd, UK, and Joe Kripli, President, Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association, USA, said.

“Want of technology may be preventing India from taking the remanufacturing business seriously.

The technology to remanufacture modern products is very high.

Everything on a car today is highly technical. There is nothing that is not controlled by electronics. The automatic transmission today is totally controlled by a computer that is inside the transmission. It is the complexity of the product that has to be taken into account. Older companies that cannot understand this are out of business; the technology has jumped over them and is moving away. Today, you need very clever people and very clever equipment,” Kripli said.

The consumer has to be educated to create demand for the remanufactured products. He has to ask for it. Educating him is the key. In the UK people buy remanufactured products by default. Most of the time buying is determined by price. “It is an interesting business now as there are many exciting challenges to be tackled,” Smart said.

Corporate Initiatives Leading automotive manufacturers are developing technologies and processes to save high-value automotive mechanical parts from scrapeyard. Robert Bosch Gmbh has been having remanufacturing locations in the US since many years covering starters, generators, injectors, instrument clusters, electronics and even ECUs. “We do remanufacturing for car radios, navigation systems and many other things embedded in the vehicle.

We started remanufacturing and repair offerings for fully embedded instrument clusters and then decided to do it for ECUs too. This is important to reduce scrap and reduce raw material intake. We have an entity in North America for this; in Europe we have been doing it for decades. We are thinking of it in India too”, Uwe Thomas, said.

Ford Motors has developed a hightech Plasma Process that can give a new lease of life to old engines that would otherwise be scrapped.

“We have taken a process that was originally developed to enhance performance models such as the allnew Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350R and used it to remanufacture engines that might otherwise be scrapped, Juergen Wesemann, Manager, Vehicle Technologies and Materials, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, said.

Plasma Transferred Wire Arc coating technology applies a spray inside of the wornout engine block that helps restore it to its original factory condition. CARDONE Industries has introduced remanufactured diesel particulate filters (DPF).

Historically, when a DPF failed, the only option was to replace it

46 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

with an expensive, brand new unit.

A1 CARDONE Remanufactured DPF provides an alternative for light to medium duty trucks and passenger cars at a significant cost savings over new.

The Detroit Reman has been operating a network of six specialised remanufacturing facilities in the US and Mexico to supply engines, transmissions and axles. The company also provides remanufactured automated and manual transmissions.

Cummins ReCon offers factory remanufactured Cummins L10, M, N and X engines as well as mid-range B, C and L engine model. The Mack Truck’s REMACK Operation offers E6, E7, E-TECH and ASET models featuring a remanufactured cylinder block, heads, crankshaft, connecting rods and oil pump. New piston rings, liners, bearings, bushings, gaskets and seals, push rods, rocker assemblies and cylinder head covers are included.

REMACK also offers Mack Maxitorque T200 or T300 five- to 18-speed transmissions in over 25 different models. The remanufactured transmissions include new bearings, seals and gaskets.

The Eaton FLEX Reman transmission portfolio with standard or forward shift housings are available for a variety of Eaton transmissions, including FR 10-speed and RTLO 13- and 18-speed models.

Joseph Vackayil contributed to this article.

Photos of engines and vehicles are used for representational purpose only.

SPECIAL REPORT

Visteon Emerges As Technology Leader In Cockpit Electronics

By T Murrali The US-based Visteon Corporation, from being a multi-business Tier-1 supplier, is now focussed on electronics with six product lines – instrument clusters, central information display, infotainment, audio, telematics and the head-up display.

“These product lines cover virtually everything that modern cars need in the cockpit. We are one of the

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only two suppliers who have all six products. In every product category we compete with a different set of competitors. We want to emerge as a mega supplier of these products.

We want to be, if not at the top, among the top three,” Sachin Lawande, President and CEO, Visteon, said.

Lawande stated that technology for the sake of technology is not good

enough; it is necessary to be the cost leader and must have a global organisation. “We need to have the same capabilities here in India that we have in Germany or the US. We want to operate with speed – delayer and decentralise. I am very confident we will achieve this. We ended 2015 on a very good note.

From a balance sheet viewpoint we are probably the best company in the industry right now,” he said.

Importance Of India For Visteon, India and Make in India are important. The company has plans to make its Chennai facility a base for manufacturing for India and manufacturing beyond borders.

Lawande believes that it can be done, though there are some issues like weak supply chain, especially for some products including plastics.

However, he believes that these are addressable.

India is important for Visteon owing to its sheer market size. Now the Indian passenger vehicle market is at three million units. It is expected that in the next five years, this would be seven million to eight million. “Then it would really be a meaningful market for us. Today’s three million consists mainly of A-segment vehicles which are very price sensitive. When you grow beyond five million you get to see more of B and some C. That is our sweet spot. When that volume itself touches two million or so, it becomes a very interesting market for us. Our expectation for a market like India, where we are one of the largest in the field, should be about 20-25 percent of the market of that segment. That is why investing in India is very important for us,” Lawande said.

Visteon is looking for talents to make this major turnaround. It needs people who can take the company from here and grow. He is aware of the fact that it would take a few years, but a steady drum beat is warranted to spread the name out.

About this journey to the top slot accommodating the OEM demand for continuous price adjustments, Lawande listed out three trends that drive the industry: Connected cars, selfdriving or autonomous cars and shared mobility. When these trends play themselves out, they will merge. When that will happen is anybody’s guess. It could be by 203035. When that happens, transportation will completely change. Until 2020, connected cars will be the most dominant of the three trends in terms of products.

On the need for providing for the on-going technological changes, he said Visteon was Sachin Lawande building fully digital clusters as the OEMs are not able to level two which means that we can predict the nature of information they take two functions and combine may have to show in future. If a new them for interesting capabilities. For technology comes in and allows example, forward collision warning more information to be shown, and automatic braking. If the car the cluster cannot be completely calculates that the speed at which redesigned. The product gets it is going will probably hit the car outdated very quickly. Hence the in front, it automatically applies the easy option, according to Lawande, brakes,” he said. is to go all-digital.

Level three is much higher and is able to do limited self-driving, also Leap-frogging known as highway chauffer. Visteon Technologies is not a player in that; however, it has The first phase of the automotive a strategy to leapfrog it. The beauty technological evolution is the of it is that it is not compelling to go connected car, which would sequentially through it because the peak in 2020. At the same time technology is changing very fast. A autonomous driving technologies great example is Lidar (Light Radar), are going to take off; it will also which absolutely obsoletes some of move in phases. “We are now at the earlier technologies. At

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 49

SPECIAL REPORT

every step there is a transition and inflexion point that carry some new capability. The company’s focus is to become the software leaders in a multi-sensor fusion- based autonomous approach. It does not believe that one sensor can do it all.

The CEO of the global company said the next level of learning based on certain inputs is that, “you generate a programme to handle other inputs and that loop continues to make that programme better and better. The more you use it the better it gets – that’s learning.

We are in the early stages of that.

Until we have that technology really well done, taking your hands off the car completely and having it work under all conditions is not possible.

That is going to take a lot of time.

So the ultimate fully self-driving car is a little while away; nobody has the lead on this capability.”

Visteon wants to be one of the winners here, independent of the sensors. It has all the sensors – ehorizon, V-to-X, camera, radar, lidar etc. The quality of products will be high due to multiple sensors and therefore, the cost escalation. It is possible to drop couple of them and deliver a lower level but still a usable programme. It can give a scalable solution without redoing this all the time. This takes really high math. Basically, the key lies in creating a platform that allows mathematicians or programmers to evolve algorithms.

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Lawande has set his goals clear.

He wants Visteon to go beyond the domain of sensors. What does the sensor do at the end of the day? It detects an object at some distance and frequency – that is the end of it. These can be given as a platform to really good mathematicians with a programming language that they

can do something with. It can then completely transform this industry.

That’s what Lawande wants to do and be ahead of everybody else. “We have to place some bets and invest millions of dollars, hopefully in the right way.

I am confident we have the people to do it. In the next two to three years we must have the products that represent

the next generation; and wouldn’t it be great if that comes out of India,” he asked.

Cyber Security On issues relating to cyber security, Lawande said Visteon has the best vision for that. According to him the I-phone, for example, has the best cyber security in a device so far.

Automotive industry has caught on to the fact that it needs better cyber security. With connected cars the hackers were always able to break into them but it required proximity; close proximity to the vehicle to get into the tyre monitoring system or the OBD port. For the first time the hackers were able to control a running vehicle completely over the air; turn the engine off, turn the brakes off etc. How did they enter the vehicle? Through the infotainment system, he said.

The industry has reacted to this and there is a standard called SHE (Secure Hardware Extension).

Visteon will be the first company to offer a SHE- compliant device that is tamper-proof. If anybody tampers with it, it will self-destruct.

All data that is stored is encrypted and any software introduced has to be authenticated. Automotive has to be very cognisant of start-up time, response time and so on as this is a real time system. Cyber security is more of a DNA that the organisation has to adopt. There is a new framework proposed by SAE called J-3061, which is a cyber security framework. It establishes a frame work to enable organisations to respond to cyber security threats.

Future Tech Lab How does it relate to India?

Lawande said that it is essential to design, implement, test and validate the requirements for every single product that needs cyber security. Yet another requisite is to conduct different forms of testing including penetration testing to resist black and white-haired hackers. Black-haired hackers are people who do this for personal gain while white- haired hackers are the ones who show that the system can be broken so you can fix it.

“We want to build our own whitehaired hackers so that we can make sure that the product building design is as good as it can be. It doesn’t make it fool-proof but it’s a huge step forward. We will establish that lab in India; one of our facilities in Chennai, Bangalore or Pune will be the centre for cyber security testing and we hope to be one of the first in the industry to have that capability. There are companies in India offering this service, but for websites. So acquisitions may not be out of order. It is not just our development; we have to extend it to half the qualified suppliers. Some of the processes do not exist so we have to define those,” Lawande said.

Amit Jain, India Country Lead, Visteon, said that “both the engineering centres in Chennai and Pune are global centres for us. The work done for Indian programmes is just 10 percent or less, over 90 percent is for our global programmes. That is where my strength comes from in India. Our people work on the technology for global OEMs which are six to eight years ahead of Indian OEMs, so the companies here see the advantage in it. They come to us because we have that engineering capability, perhaps the best in India.”

Engineering Expertise The 1,000 Visteon engineers, about 260 are based in Pune and the rest in Chennai, offer very specific expertise. “Pune has a very strong mechanical engineering capability. They are not just CAD or mechanical engineers but engineers who do simulation studies for OEMs. The biggest studies we do for instrument cluster is visibility – how the steering wheel will not block the view of instrument cluster etc. There should not be any washout situation in sunlight.

What is the curvature of the lens you create – only Visteon has that capability, none in the competition has any,” claims Jain.

He said the OEMs approached Visteon for specific studies on: Rim block, sun washout, head impact and readability. Its hardware capability also is very strong.

“We have every single domain

Amit Jain

here, right from requirements capture, mechanical and electrical engineering, systems engineering, eCAD, mCAD, software validation – the entire scope of things”.

The Pune centre comprised two different centres earlier: Visteon’s mechanical engineering centre and JCI’s engineering centre. When Visteon bought JCI these two centres were combined into one.

The centre in Chennai is much bigger, and it is software- focused.

“We do reconfigurable clusters there, high-end infotainment, Wi-Fi and connectivity, videos and media.

They play a much bigger game,” Jain said.

Visteon makes about two million clusters today. In the Chennai facility it makes 500,000 audios and infotainment and 500,000 climate control heads. “We can go to four million to five million instrument clusters easily. The great thing about the company is that the leadership has not waited for the business to come and then put up the facility. In fact, we have won a lot of business because we had this facility which is as good as any in Europe or the US. Our entire electronic facility is a 100-percent ISO class-8 clean room with full ESD, temperature and humidity control.”

Infotainment will be a focus area for Visteon. “Infotainment piece is going to be a big element of whatever we do here in India. Twowheelers are going to be the key and there are certain OEMs we do not do business with - that is where our focus will be,” Jain said.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 51

FOCUS

Aurangabad Electricals Moves On Growth Track

By Sharad Matade Rishi Bagla

A

urangabad Electricals Limited (AEL), the flagship company of Bagla Group, is a global ‘Full Service Supplier’ of aluminium cast and machined components.

With eight manufacturing facilities spread over western and northern India, the company manufactures a wide range of die cast (HPDC & GDC), electrical components for 2&3 wheelers, passenger cars, and commercial vehicles. AEL has joint ventures with, LI-IN of Taiwan (Electricals), OMR of Italy (HPDC)and Fontana Gruppo of Italy (Fasteners) and exports auto components to the US, Canada, Europe and Africa.

“With the present turnover of Rs 800 crore, and an annual growth rate of 10 percent, AEL is inching toward a Rs 1000-crore-revenue mark”, the Bagla group Chairman and Managing Director, Rishi Bagla, told AutoParts Asia.

AEL has been investing in creating state-of-the-art facilities, world-class capacities, and capabilities. “We have built up a strong capability in design, engineering and valueadded services, which give AEL a full service supply capability from product conceptualisation to designing and manufacturing”, he said.

In 1986, AEL was started in Aurangabad, Maharashtra,

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manufacturing magnetos for Bajaj’s two-wheelers and it was Bajaj Auto, which also has a manufacturing plant in Aurangabad, put the Bagla family in aluminium die casting component business.

international companies for different products for the automotive industry “with the sole purpose of cementing its position in the international arena as a quality product maker,” Bagla said.

The Bagla group has some big expansion plans in pipeline. “AEL will invest Rs 200 crore by 2020 on its plants and will have new joint ventures in both automotive and non-automotive business of the group. It is very important that we are bringing more and more technology, which will be import substitutes, to India because that is what is going to sustain”, Bagla said.

The Bagla Group’s first joint venture was with LI-IN Electricals of Taiwan for relays for 2&3 wheelers and automotive industry. ” Our joint venture with LI-IN Electricals gave us an idea about what global technology could be and helped us bring international technologies to India. However, over a period of time, the Bagla Group has evolved to a situation where it was able to do its own R&D and develop products and supply to customers at much faster pace than if we had given our product to be developed by our joint

Joint Ventures Bagla Group has entered into many strategic joint ventures with

venture,” Bagla said. LI-IN continues to extend technical supports whenever needed, he said.

The second joint venture of the Bagla Group was with Officine Meccaniche Rezzatesi (OMR) of Italy for its aluminium die casting components business. The group gets technical and as well as buyback support from OMR. “This joint venture continues to grow very well,” he said.

Bagla Group signed a joint venture agreement with the Italian company, Fontana Gruppo, for fasteners business. Fontana has bases in the Americas, Europe, and Japan.

“Fontana Gruppo has many global patents which are now available in India. We expect many technologydriven products through this joint venture. Fontana has customers in India and across the world and this will help us grow exponentially,” he said.

The Bagla group’s joint venture with Danielson Performance Engineering Ltd is for designing, prototyping testing of engines. “We are looking forward to upgrade the technologies of small engine manufacturers to take to the next BS levels,” he said.

The Bagla Group has bought land and set up a company in Germany, AE Deutschland GmbH, to manufacture forward integrations of aluminium die casting products. “Our objective, through this subsidiary is to create a German footprint. However, we are evaluating the situation in Europe which is changing every day. These joint ventures helped us get better access to technology and understand global business,” Bagla said. The joint ventures with international companies have also helped the group prepare for tightening legislations “Being a global company, we are already adhering to standards needed for developed markets. We have this earlier- mover advantage. The joint ventures with the

international companies have given us those technologies required for the tightened environmental norms,” he said.

to be a continuous sustainable process and for this, we need to have good machines, process, men and method,” he said.

Alternative Materials

According to him, the Indian workers can understand the need for change and they are ready to accept changes. “This attitude of the workers make it easy for companies to teach them new technologies. Companies should spend more time to handle modern machines.”

Many auto companies are looking for alternative raw materials for traditional metals such as steel to make vehicles lighter and safer. Currently aluminium is the most favourite metal for replacing steel to meet the growing need of lighter weight. However, going forward the known substitute of aluminium will be either magnesium or high-end plastics. But both these options have limitations. Steel will continue to face a challenge from aluminium as most parts of engine, transmission, suspension and also chassis is moving to aluminium to light weight the vehicle. Magnesium may pose a threat to aluminium; the company is working on plenty of opportunity in aluminium,” Bagla said.

In-house Process Talking on global trends in automotive industry, Bagla said, there are very stringent norms that global customers are expecting and as a result what was not thought of five years ago has to be achieved today to meet the requirements. Many technological changes have happened over the years. “Because of this, it is not possible to neglect anything. It has

Europe, the largest export market for Bagla Group, has seen a tough time recently. Sharing his experience of the European market, which is reviving, he said, “We have observed an interesting phenomenon. When the market is down the competition among the suppliers gets intense and only a few efficient suppliers survive and the rest fall by the way side.”

“During the slowdown, many companies get wiped out. Similarly among the automotive manufacturers, there are some who grow, some who remain flat and some others who record negative growth. If the suppliers are linked to the growing companies, they succeed, otherwise the challenges to survive are severe. The Bagla Group is in an advantageous position. We are very bullish about the future of the Indian auto component industry and are investing for the future”.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 53

PREVIEW

CAPAS 2016 - Fringe Programmes Offer Scope For Information Exchange

APA Bureau

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he Chengdu International Trade Fair for Automotive Parts and Aftermarket Services (CAPAS), the onestop automotive industry platform, is the arena to participate in trading, marketing and information exchange on numerous topics within the automotive and aftermarket industry.

The CAPAS fringe programme offers exhibitors and attendees a unique opportunity to add value to their experience and achieve improved results. Many events will be taking place over the three days of CAPAS, from May 19 to 21, 2016 at the Chengdu Century City New International Exhibition & Convention Centre.

One of the predominant fringe programme events this year is the China Auto Venture Capital Summit & China (Chengdu) New Energy Vehicle Industry Investment Conference, which is co-organised by the People’s Government of Sichuan Province and CAPAS organisers. The conference has invited many high-level industry speakers including the president or CEO of Baidu, Bosch Group (China), CHANGAN Auto, Geely, Letv, Tesla, Volkswagen China, and WM Motor, among others.

The conference will be an all-

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encompassing gathering discussing the recent development trends of the automobile industry and the hot topic of the new energy vehicles industry in China. Additionally, there will be sessions discussing the new study of the automotive aftermarket, automotive financial services, internet + aftermarket and more. Each subject will be expertly presented by management from industry-leading companies.

Mr Li Gang, President of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Sichuan Council describes the collaboration between his organisation and CAPAS organisers as mutually beneficial. He said, “Sichuan province has experienced increased manufacturing growth in recent years, especially in the automotive sector. CAPAS is becoming a wellknown event in this industry and we think this is an opportune time and location to promote the Sichuan province’s strengths. Also, Messe Frankfurt is a world-renowned global trade fair organisation and the exhibitions the company organises are high-standard and esteemed events. We thus hope to attract the attendance of many professional industry players and bring more investment into the region by holding the conference at CAPAS.”

CAPAS Academy 2016 There are exciting new trends circulating through the automobile and aftermarket industry. One of the most prominent at the moment is intelligent manufacturing, which falls under the umbrella of Industry Revolution 4.0.

The use of computerisation in manufacturing will continue to be developed intensively in the automobile and auto parts industry.

CAPAS Academy 2016 will be of great benefit to parts manufacturers, automotive electronics enterprises, IT service institutions and other relative sectors within the industry.

The CAPAS Academy 2016: Auto Parts Intelligent Manufacturing is co-organised by the Chengdu Automobile Industry Academy and CAPAS organisers.

CAPAS 2016 is an unparalleled place for advanced training, whether it will be through the CAPAS Academy 2016 or through the many fringe programme events held throughout the exhibition. There will be several additional opportunities for knowledge exchange with top players in the industry through training, activities, seminars, product presentations and networking events covering automotive parts and aftermarket services topics.

EVENT

Automotive Testing Showcases latest tools to evaluate vehicles and sub-systems APA Bureau

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est and evaluation continue to be key areas of the automotive manufacturing process. They have moved to the centre-stage with the vehicle makers and components suppliers losing billions of dollars because of product recalls. This shift was evident at the recently concluded Automotive Testing Expo India at the Chennai Trade Centre during April 20-22, 2016, in which over 110 exhibitors from across the world participated. They presented advanced equipment for all sorts of vehicle test assessments, from stress and durability test equipment to fullscale test rigs, test simulation and aerodynamics development tools, engine testing equipment, wind tunnels and full test track facilities.

The visitors were from different segments of the automotive industry including vehicle manufacturers, components

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suppliers, testing companies, test equipment manufacturers and the allied industries like robotics and automation.

There was no specific theme for the expo. However, the systems to reduce testing time and optimising resources provided a common link. The show featured state-ofthe-art technologies that would enable vehicle and component manufacturers to produce cost effective, safe and reliable products at international standards.

The next-generation vehicle measuring and proving technologies were also presented. They included mobile measurement and testing solution for RDE; test automation and scheduling platform; dynamic signal analyzers; new X-ray tomography system for high-density spray analysis; cutting-edge environmental test chambers; extensive HiL testing

system; diverse shielding products; high-precision 3D measurement devices; electrical test technology bonanza; high-performance vibration test system; revolutionary vehicle network interface; mobile test data display; lightweight 6-axis measurement wheel; turbocharger rotation speed measurement system; high-performance hydraulic power generation units; digital measurement expertise; new professional driver services facility; test devices for heating and cooling products; and superior power transmission testing.

HALT/ HASS Systems CM Envirosystems (CME), a simulation technology giant manufacturing environmental test chambers, launched its HALT/ HASS( Highly Accelerated Life Test/ Highly Accelerated Stress Screening) systems, developed in partnership with the US-based

Expo India 2016 Hanse Environmental Inc. These systems play a major role in product development, in reducing testing time, and identifying failure rate in far shorter time than the traditional environmental test chambers.

Another introduction by CME was Solar Simulation Test Chamber to assess the impact of solar radiation on a product under testing. Under sunlight vehicle colours can fade, rubber parts can lose elasticity and cause heat-related aging.

The company also launched a series of mechanical test systems, which can identify and arrest mechanical failures, and enable the manufacturers to increase product quality.

Emission Measurement Horiba India presented Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS), a revolutionary onboard emission measuring product for the automotive industry. With the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) regulation in place, PEMS will be useful for

the light and heavy duty vehicle manufacturers.

LMS testing solutions software / data acquisition and others.

The company showcased the exhaust gas analysers for all vehicle segments. Horiba, through its analysers, is supporting the R&D engineers to fine tune engine for fuel economy. The company introduced also the ‘on-board emissions measurement system – OBS – ONE series,’ which is a portable unit designed for engine/ vehicle certification under real road conditions. It measures concentrations of emissions, particulate matter, and air-to-fuel ratio, exhaust flow rate, GPS data, and environmental conditions and calculates mass emissions.

Test Equipment

Siemens Industry Software NV displayed, among other things, the ‘passer-by noise measurement system’ that measures the contribution of noise from all the sources in the vehicle including exhaust, engine and tyres. Earlier Siemens was not present in this segment. The company exhibited also

The company has association with over 20 international brands and it is present in simulation, testing components, powertrain, emissions, NVH, passive safety, active safety and HVAC. It is also into sensors, data acquisition system and software for performance testing, handling and duty cycle applications.

Automotive Test Systems, which caters to the needs of the automotive industry in the field of testing and validation, has grown from being a provider of test instrumentation to developing products. The company displayed products like test rigs, automation systems for powertrain labs and for establishing testing services, for software development and assistance in data analysis and for imparting training to automotive engineers. They were manufactured

by Automotive Test Systems and its associate companies.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 57

EVENT Sushma Industries focused on its core strengths in test equipment for measuring force, torque and pressure. It also provided solutions for measurement, calibration, data acquisition, crimp testing, automotive component testing for performance and endurance.

AVL displayed its M.O.V.E. iS System, which offers exact test execution according to legislative requirements that include recording and automatic time alignment of data from different devices; fast and reliable data post processing based on RDE standards; and smooth data exchange between development stages.

The solution covers all these aspects by making use of a central data control system (System Control Unit), which offers the user an intuitive and graphical user interface with step-by-step guidance through the relevant legislative testing procedures.

In addition the visitors could find more on AVL’s Concerto M.O.V.E. post processing software, which is capable of evaluating test data according to European RDE standards with just a few mouse clicks. It has been designed to make the evaluation of test data easy, even for non-expert users.

Offering easy user access and control, the latest ET-Series environmental test chamber from Envisys Technologies has been designed for a variety of product testing with a standard range of temperature, relative humidity and volumes.

This latest model, which offers high performance and inherent reliability, is the outcome of rigorous research and development into improving its design and meeting user demands for the very latest features in environmental testing technology. For example, a built-in web server provides users with remote monitoring and operation of the test chamber from any PC or smartphone that is connected to the internet.

Envisys Technologies is an ISO 9001-2008 certified company 58 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

that manufactures customised environmental test chambers, thermal chambers (temperature and humidity), salt spray chambers, dust chambers, rain chambers, thermal shock chambers, ESS chambers, altitude chambers, walk-in/ drive-in chambers and solar radiation chambers. This product range is enough for the variety of environmental testing requirements demanded by the automotive industry, from small component testing to large-sized end-product testing according to various international standards.

Virtualisation Tools With the increasing challenges in automotive development such as time to market, cost and competitiveness, the development cycles have shortened considerably and the industry is increasingly looking towards optimisation on the whole. Early validation in the development of embedded software systems saves time and improves quality.

However, it comes with lot of challenges.

ETAS Automotive India solutions for virtualisation offered an attractive answer; in the embedded software development, virtualisation comprises the early execution of testing, validation and calibration by simulating the object under test and its environment without necessarily having the complete hardware availability.

ETAS provided details of the new desktop version of its successful LABCAR testing system, which enables users to carry out initial tests from the comfort of their own desks. The compact and attractively priced DESK-LABCAR system offers the familiar testing environment of established LABCAR-RTPC (Real-Time PC) technology. It enables developers to test ECU configurations in early development phases, so they do not have to wait around until a fullscale LABCAR system becomes available.

ETS-Lindgren used the expo to promote the technology behind its semi-anechoic and reverberation chambers. Having

V

VISIT

EVENT built an industry-first automotive EMC reverberation chamber with a dynamometer, the company has designed and executed many largescale projects globally. In India it has built automotive EMC test chambers for Nissan, Honda, Volvo, General Motors, VRDE and NATRIP.

CAM Devices FARO Business Technologies showcased a range of industryleading computer-aided measurement (CAM) devices and software, including portable equipment that permits high-precision 3D measurement and comparison of parts and compound structures within production and quality assurance processes.

IMV Corporation showcased its newly developed high-performance A-series vibration test system for the global automotive market. Offering a huge improvement in performance, the new A-series increases the relative excitation force compared with conventional shakers.

Intrepid Control Systems, a worldwide provider of vehicle network tools, exhibited its new all-in-one CAN FD, LIN, DoIP, XCP/CCP network interface, standalone gateway and data logger. neoVI FIRE 2 is Intrepid’s fourth generation neoVI tool and includes evolutionary features stemming from its long-standing predecessor, neoVI FIRE. neoVI FIRE 2 also includes revolutionary features not found in any of today’s vehicle network tools.

Visitors searching for a flexible, wireless platform to display test data did confluence at Ipetronik India’s booth to see IPEmotion app for Android devices. Using the IPEhub2 module and a Wi-Fi connection, it is possible to transfer CAN data to mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Michigan Scientific Corporation (MSC) showcased its new LW12.8-T Lightweight Wheel Force Transducer (WFT) system, a 6-axis measurement wheel suitable for installation on passenger cars and SUVs. As light as many of the standard aluminum rims it replaces, the system comprises a titanium transducer, aluminum rim, titanium hub adapter, amplifier package and slip ring. Similar to all MSC WFTs, the LW12.8-T is completely weatherproof (IP67), 60 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

extremely durable and is not affected by the extreme heat of brake testing, which make it ideal for all types of harsh vehicle testing.

This WFT system replaces a standard wheel and measures three forces, three moments and two accelerations with a radial capacity of 35kN. The accompanying CT2 transducer interface box provides the user with easy system setup, user configurable webpage options, and both analog and CAN signal outputs. This lightweight system is also available in a telemetry configuration.

Hydraulic Power A new family of high-performance hydraulic power-generation units from MTS Systems, the SilentFlo 515 HPUs, was showcased at the expo.

Clean, compact and quiet, just like earlier SilentFlo models, the nextgeneration SilentFlo 515 HPUs feature innovative energy efficiency, health monitoring and system integration options to help users reduce total cost of ownership.

They are designed to reduce energy waste, and equipped with highefficiency motors and improved cooling circuits, making them up to eight percent more energy efficient than previous SilentFlo models.

SilentFlo 515 HPUs are easy to operate and maintain, featuring fewer parts, accessible controls and improved filtration. New features such as tuned tubes, which reduce outlet noise ripple, and advanced pressure controls, yield improved performance.

Smart monitoring capabilities increase lab productivity by lending

ready access to a SilentFlo 515 HPU’s performance information, enabling the preemption of service disruptions and more efficient resource management.

Productivity is also enhanced by this new HPU’s compatibility with legacy SilentFlo units. A common interface enables seamless integration of all HPUs, extending the operating life of your lab and maximizing your current investment.

Digital Technology The Japanese testing and measuring instruments manufacturer Ono Sokki India highlighted its application of digital technology for measurement test products, with a broad line-up of sound and vibration, displacement, dimensions, RPM, speed and torque measurement equipment.

On display at the Chennai Trade Centre were fuel flow meters, GPS speedometers, engine tachometers, pilot fuel-injection measurement systems, sound level meters, sound calibrators and accelerometers. The visitors could find out more about the company’s impulse hammers, vibration comparators, laser Doppler vibrometers, FFT analyzers (mobile and PC based) and a range of postprocessing software, with systems including engine dyno test benches, 2/4 wheel emissions, performance chassis dynos, gear testing and tyre testing systems.

Along with the exhibition there was a technology demonstration area where the participating companies hosted a series of presentations. Some of the companies that gave presentations were: ETAS, Vector Informatik, Ono Sokki, IMV Corporation and ARAI.

EVENT

CV Industry Seeks Policy Support To Be On Growth Track

By Sharad Matade

T

he 5th India Commercial Vehicle Summit, organised by Lnoppen in Pune, on April 7 and 8, 2016, concluded with a note of the emerging needs for industry-friendly policies to promote public transportation systems, ITESenabled commercial vehicles and alternative fuel options.

Today, India holds seventh position in commercial vehicle segment globally and is expected to reach the third position by 2030, according to Srikanth Manda, Associate Director, Automotive and Transportation at Marketsandmarkets, a global consulting firm.

Commercial vehicle sales in India has seen a growth of 11.5 percent in fiscal 2016 on growing economy, growing investment in infrastructure and mining sector, and improving financing. The country is set to become an export hub to ASEAN, Middle East and African countries, he said.

Though the Indian commercial vehicle market has been dominated by the Indian companies, the foreign vehicle makers, especially who has joint ventures with local companies, are gaining space in the market.

According to Manda, the commercial vehicle segment in the country is likely to grow at a CAGR of 11.63 percent to 2.09 million units by 2026.

However, the competition in the

domestic market is being fuelled by the growing presence of the new entrants, Manda said.

Illustrating the poor availability of buses in the public transportation system, P. S. Ananda Rao, Executive Director, Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU), said,” In India less than 1.5 buses are deployed per 1,000 people as compared to 6 buses for every 1000 people in China. Around 10 lakh more busses are needed to meet the transportation need of people.”

There are around 16.76 lakh buses in India, of which 15.44 lakh buses owned by private operators According to Rao, 50 cities with a million-plus population and another 500 cities and towns with more than 100,000 people in the country need quality and organised transport system. Of the 5,93,000 villages, 4,13,000 inhabited villages need to be connected with public transport system. The lack of public transport system has led to an increase in private vehicles in India.

Advocating the need for biofuels, Per Albey, Director, Buses and Coaches, Scania Commercial Vehicle Pvt Ltd, said, “bio-fuels meet all requirements of urban areas for sustainable transport system.

Public transportation running on biofuels will be an effective option for eco-friendly and cost-effective

transportation system. It gives clear air, local jobs and turn waste into energy and could be an economical option for diesel.”

Dr Dhanjay Kumar, managing director, Thor Power Corporation, shared his views on the future of autonomous driving system for safety, comfort and infoentertainment. “Autonomous vehicle will give four years to your life and give a $422 billion in productivity,” he said.

S Rajesh, vice president, Bus Platform at Ashok Leyland, said the biggest challenge is to make buses to meet passengers’ and operators’ requirements. Initiatives such as Make in India and Smart cities will fuel demand for road transportation sector.

AS the total cost of ownership is being prioritised by consumers, manufacturers are facing challenges on technology innovation, cost optimisation and green technology, Shyam Maller, Senior vice president, sales and Marketing at VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., said To encourage the bus transportation system, there is a need for building political consensus and the will to prompt public transport and include all stake holders in the process and educate citizen, said Prasanna Patwardhan, President , Mahasangh, and CMD of Prasanna Purple Group.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 61

EVENT

Indian Rubber Product Companies Showcase New Capabilities

By Sharad Matade

T

he Indian rubber products manufacturers showcased their strength at the first edition of Rubber Dies and Moulds Expo (RDME) held in Pune on April 21 and 22, 2016. Over 40 companies presented their products for the domestic and international markets. There were over 3000 registered visitors.

In the inaugural speech, Arun Firodia, chairman of Kinetic Group, manufacturer and exporter of twowheelers, recalled how rubber product makers helped him make the country’s first light-weight moped, Luna, in the 1970’s. He said, “when we decided to make Luna, our aim was to make a moped that would be light and good in mileage and affordable to the common man”. In that effort, the Indian rubber product manufacturers were pioneers to make special belt, tyres and rubber bellows, he said.

“Now the scenario has changed and to survive, one has to have global scale. One has to select one or two products and put efforts to serve mass population rather than making a few high- tech items to 62 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

serve niche customers,” Firodia said. The Pune-based S&S Tooling, which manufactures rubber mould, plastic moulds and blow moulds, participated in the event to identify new customers. Santosh Pawar of S&S Tooling said, “The current rubber mould and die market is sluggish due to global slowdown. This segment needs support from the government.

Make in India, initiated to boost local manufacturing sector, has not made any impact on small-scale units. I think it may take some more time for that. Our industry also is lacking skilled labours,” Pawar said.

Nilesh Agarwal of PDM, said, “the main challenges for us are designing of the products, choosing raw materials and getting quality mould makers. We need some subsidies to participate in expos such as RMDE at national and international markets for exposure.”

Oerlikon Balzers Coating India, which is in the business of providing high vacuum thin film PVD wear resistant coatings on various applications like Rubber Moulding Tools, Plastic Moulding Tools, Metal Forming Dies, Cutting Tools, etc. participated in the

expo. Coatings increase hardness of tools, exhibit low coefficient of friction, sustain high temperature and enhance corrosion resistance.

Van Walworth, TechnoBiz USA, presented a paper on transfer pot design and injection runner design and registration and tear trim and parting lines, at the one-day conference held on April 21, 2016.

Rajesh Bhide of Oerlikon Balzer spoke on PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating for dies and moulds. T Anandan from Schill+Seilacher Struktol GmbH, spoke on PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating for dies and moulds. Rajnikant Nandurkar of Mclube Asia discussed the issues related to mould release and cleaning agents.

Vinod Patkotwar, Chief Convener, RDME, said, “the response to the expo was very encouraging. The rubber fraternity has come forward very positively to this out- of- box thinking and has pledged their support to be part of this event in full spirit of fellowship. Organising such events provides opportunities for members to get together and to exchange ideas and to meet and greet.”

GLEANINGS - India

Cavendish Acquisition To Help JK Tyre Enter New Segment APA Bureau

J

K Tyre & Industries has acquired Cavendish Industries, a unit of BK Birla Group’s Kesoram Industries Ltd, for Rs 2,195 crore.

The deal was funded through Rs 1495-crore debt and Rs 700-crore fresh equity. Cavendish has three tyre plants at Laksar (Haridwar) that manufacture a range of tyres, tubes and flaps.

The money for the acquisition was raised by Cavendish itself and JK Group’s associate firms such as Bengal & Assam Co. Ltd (the holding company) and Valiant Pacific LLC, a trading firm.

JK Tyre which invested Rs 450 crore will hold 64 percent stake in Cavendish, while the rest will be held by Bengal & Assam and Valiant.

The acquisition is expected to increase JK Tyre revenue from operations in India to Rs 10,000 crore in the next financial year from about Rs 7,800 crore expected this fiscal. This will

also help it enter the two and three-wheeler tyre segment.

“With this acquisition we have boosted our position in the truck and bus radial segment. It also gives us opportunity to enter new segments – two and threewheelers, Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries, told reporters in Delhi.Along with the acquired units, JK Tyre will have 12 tyre manufacturing plants, nine in India and three in Mexico. Total production also will go up to 347lakh crore units a year from 266 lakh crore units. Cavendish has about 5,000 employees and JK may rationalise the manpower “We will study it as the size looks huge,” he said.

The acquisition would boost the global ranking of JK. “We expect to be among the top 15 tyre manufacturers in the world in the next three years,” Singhania said. Now JK Tyre is ranked 22nd globally.

Elektrobit Expands Global Footprint APA Bureau

E

lektrobit (EB), a leading developer of cutting-edge, embedded technology solutions for the automotive industry, has set up centres in Bengaluru and Timisoara in Romania. The expansion will add up to 80 developers. With these additional resources and skilled developers, EB plans to support current development of its EB tresos line of solutions, and expand its efforts in the next generation of 64 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

AUTOSAR. With millions of vehicles on the road around the world, the EB tresos product line is leading the industry.

EB provides top automotive manufacturers and suppliers with software and services in a variety of areas including driver assistance, navigation, infotainment, connected car and car infrastructure. Its stateof-the-art AUTOSAR-compliant solutions for electronic control units (ECUs) include basic software,

operating systems, configuration tooling, functional safety solutions, testing and integration services.

“Automakers are demanding more sophisticated features and connectivity for their vehicles, without sacrificing security. That’s why EB has made it a priority to expand its activities in the area of advanced ECU solutions,” Alexander Kocher, President and Managing Director of EB, said.

GLEANINGS - India

Mahindra Launches New e2o In London

APA Bureau

T

he Mumbai-based global automotive and technology company, Mahindra, has launched in the UK automotive market its innovative e2o electric city car. At an event at London’s Design Museum, Mahindra Group Chairman, Anand Mahindra, unveiled its pricing and other specifications.

“I am very proud to announce that the e2o is now available in the UK and this marks a true milestone for the Mahindra Group. I invite people to come and test drive the Mahindra e2o ‘ElectriCity Car’ and help drive a positive change to the air quality in their cities.

Sustainability is at the heart of Mahindra’s business practices and with the introduction of the e2o to the UK market, we are offering a product that perfectly encapsulates our corporate philosophy,” Mahindra said.

e2o City is priced at £12,995, while the higher-spec TechX version retails at £15,995. In addition to its competitive purchase price, e2o owners that drive an average of 7,900 miles a year, and who charge at home at night on an Economy tariff, will pay under £10 a month on fuel, while also eliminating the release of airborne pollutants within their city environment.

Designed specifically for easy urban commuting, and featuring a host of connected technologies, the Mahindra e2o will be available in two trim levels. The entry-level

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said, “I want to congratulate Mahindra on the launch of their new electric car.

Supporting ultra-low emission

Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive of Mahindra’s Automotive operations, said that the e2o was the right car at the right time for the UK market. “There has never been a better time for people to make the change to electric, and with the e2o there has never been an easier or more affordable way to make this transition. The e2o is the ideal urban runabout or second car for the 2.5-million UK households that can charge the car at home in a driveway or garage.”

vehicles has been a priority at City Hall as they can boost air quality, help tackle climate change and reduce fuel costs and I look forward to seeing e2os on London streets.”

Connected Features e2o RemoteTM smartphone app - allows users to remotely control key functions including the ability to pre-heat/cool the car, start and stop charging, route plan and search for nearby charging stations.

Remote Charging SchedulerTM - a clever app that allows users to schedule charging at a time when electricity costs are at their cheapest rate ReviveTM – remote emergency charging feature to grant the driver up to eight miles worth of range if the battery is depleted.

The e2o’s tall-boy design offers superior visibility for a compact city car and comfortably seats four adults. It is equipped with dual SRS airbags, ABS, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and a Regenerative Braking System (RBS).

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 65

GLEANINGS - International

Denso Invests In TriLumina APA Bureau

D

enso International America, Inc. has invested in New Mexico-based TriLumina Corp., an innovative semiconductor laser technology company that focuses on providing light sources for LiDAR and interior illumination products. The company is looking to speed up the adoption of LiDAR and driver monitoring technologies in Advanced Driver Assistance systems, which are key technologies used in autonomous vehicles. This strategic investment enables TriLumina to gain broader access to the automotive market.

TriLumina has developed eye-safe semiconductor lasers that are among the most versatile laser illuminator solutions available in the market.

TriLumina is helping to accelerate the automotive industry’s adoption of semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles by providing lasers for 100 percent solid-state LiDAR products and advanced driver monitoring systems (DMS).

“As a supplier of advanced driver assistance systems, Denso is eager to work closely with TriLumina to bring high-performance, cost

effective light source solutions to the market,” Tony Cannestra, director of Corporate Ventures for DENSO International America, Inc., said.

TriLumina is targeting LiDAR and DMS in the Advance Driver Assistance System, as well as depth sensing and gesture control for the industrial robotics, commercial and consumer electronics markets.

“It’s critical to work with leading Tier-1 suppliers like DENSO as we introduce and deploy technology that will shape the automotive industry for years to come”, Kirk Otis, chief executive officer of TriLumina, said.

Hella Lamps To Light Up Vehicle Side Area APA Bureau

the ground for more than 12 feet on both sides of the vehicle.

Micro-optics specially designed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering are used to precisely direct the light to defined areas on the ground. The design of the lenses is unique, with each lens actually crafted from a number of micro lenses.

Because a single lens generates a very weak strip of light due to its small size, combining a large number of these small projectors is used to create a brighter light pattern.

P

ressing a button on the key fob of the new BMW 7 Series is all it takes to find the way to a dark and unlit parking lot. A radiant carpet of light illuminates the ground under both sides of the car to guide the driver to it. The lamps that generate this effect were designed by

66 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

lighting experts at HELLA and are the first of their kind.

Unlike earlier systems that were installed in an outside mirror or the underside of the driver’s door, Hella’s LED modules are mounted in the rocker panels behind the car’s front wheels. The lights uniformly illuminate

Along with the light carpet, HELLA also developed the BMW 7 Series light guides used for ambient lighting and the rear-passenger interior-reading light, which uses LED technology to produce a flat light that provides a warm glow for the rear of the vehicle cabin.

NB: Photo used for representational purpose only.

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GLEANINGS - International

GM Awarded 2016 INFORMS Prize APA Bureau

T

he Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS), the leading association for analytics professionals, has announced that General Motors, which is using big data and advanced analytics to predict failure of certain automotive components and systems before customers are affected, is the winner of the 2016 INFORMS Prize for operations research and management science.

Industry-first Proactive Alert messages sent to customers through GM’s OnStar system covering potential issues with a vehicle’s battery, fuel pump or starter, can

transform an emergency repair into a planned maintenance. It is a recent example of applying operations research and management science (OR/MS) to the most complex issues the company faces.

“Over the last seven decades, OR/ MS techniques have been used to improve our understanding of everything from prognostics to traffic science and supply chain logistics to manufacturing productivity, product development and vehicle telematics and prognostics,” Gary Smyth, Executive Director of GM Global R&D Laboratories, said. GM has hundreds of OR/MS practitioners worldwide

who play a vital role in everything from designing, building, selling and servicing vehicles to purchasing, logistics, and quality. The team is constantly developing new business models and vetting emerging opportunities.

The INFORMS Prize honours effective integration of operations research into organisational decision-making.

The award is given to an organisation like GM that has repeatedly applied the principles of OR in pioneering, varied, novel, and lasting ways.

Past recipients of the award include Intel, UPS, HP, IBM, Ford, Procter & Gamble, and GE Research.

Mazda Produces One-Millionth MX-5 APA Bureau offering customers the joy of driving with this model, which has become a symbol of our brand. Mazda aims to create a special bond with customers and become a ‘one-and-only’ brand they will choose again and again,” he said.

As a way of expressing thanks to MX-5 fans and owners, the One-Millionth MX-5 will be displayed at fan events in Japan and around the world.

The tour begins on May 3 at the Hiroshima Flower Festival where the car will participate in the Flower Parade.

T

he production of Mazda MX-5 Miata (Mazda Roadster in Japan) reached one million units on April 22, 2016. The milestone figure was achieved over 27 years, with mass-production of the MX-5 starting at Ujina Plant No. 1 in Hiroshima in April 1989.

“From the first generation through to today’s fourth-generation model, 68 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

the reason we have been able to continue selling the MX-5 all these years is due to the strong support of fans around the world,” Masamichi Kogai, Representative Director, President and CEO, Mazda Corporation, said.

“Mazda was founded in Hiroshima 96 years ago, and as we move toward our centennial year we will continue

The one-millionth will be in the US in September, making stops around the country before its final destination at the annual `Miatas at Mazda Raceway’ event on October 1 and 2, 2016.

MX-5 has held the Guinness World Record for the best-selling open-top two-seater sports car for many years.

With the achievement of one million units of production, Mazda will now attempt to break its own record.

GLEANINGS - International

ContiTech Honours Suppliers Of The Year APA Bureau

A

t Hannover Messe, a leading trade fair in Germany for Industrial Technology, during April 25-29, 2016, ContiTech honoured its Suppliers of the Year 2015 in the fields of anti-vibration technology and noise isolation. The five companies – Karl A. Sass GmbH & Co. KG, Shanghai HEBA Die-Casting Co. Ltd., Brugger GmbH, BASF SE, and Chosen Moulding & Assembly Co. Ltd. – displayed impressive performance in 2015.

“Our suppliers are key to the success of our company. We can maintain the highest quality standards and achieve technological progress only with the support of our partners,” Hicran Hayik-Koller, Lead buyer for raw materials and chemicals at ContiTech Vibration Control, said.

He, together with Diethard Schneider, Head of lightweight construction pre-development, presented the certificates.

Innovative Suppliers Suppliers Brugger GmbH, Shanghai HEBA Die-Casting Co. Ltd., and Karl A. Sass GmbH & Co. KG have already been awarded the title of Supplier of the Year on several

occasions. “Brugger, which received the award for the eighth time, works to high standards and the company is sustainable and environmentally conscious and yet manages to remain competitive,” Hayik-Koller said.

Chosen Moulding & Assembly and BASF SE received the title of top supplier for the first time. BASF SE is a longstanding partner of ContiTech and supplies high-tech materials that enable modern lightweight construction solutions for engine and chassis mounting systems in vehicles.

This year, ContiTech evaluated a total of 200 suppliers and subsequently selected five companies to hold the title of Supplier of the Year 2015 for a whole year.

ContiTech bases its evaluation on various criteria. Product quality, good supplier performance with fast availability, and a high level of development expertise are among the deciding factors.

Karl A. Sass manufactures stamped and drawn components as prototypes as well as in production and offers its customers advice in the development of these components. The primary business areas of the company

include sheet-formed parts for metalto-rubber components, air spring pots, suspension for dirt absorbers, and clinched and butt-joint rings.

The Die-casting specialist Shanghai HEBA Die-Casting Co. Ltd. supplies the ContiTech plants in China, Mexico, and Slovakia with aluminum die-cast components from China.

Brugger GmbH is one of the leading manufacturers of permanently magnetic assemblies and supplies the ContiTech plant in Hannover.

Brugger supplements and finishes metal-to-rubber elements from ContiTech Vibration Control with magnet systems. The Performance Materials division at BASF combines all of the materials expertise of BASF under one roof for the production of innovative, customised plastics.

Chosen Moulding & Assembly Co. Ltd., a specialist in precision metal stamping, casting moulds, and manufacturing facilities, develops and produces its products in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and China. Its range includes plastic injection moulding and aluminium die-casting as well as processing right up to the manufacture of the entire product.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 69

GLEANINGS - International

Delphi Unveils 48-volt Hybrid Technology APA Bureau

D

elphi Automotive PLC has unveiled its 48-volt vehicle solution that could prove pivotal for automakers in meeting future emission regulations without sacrificing performance for customers. The company confirmed it is working with two global automakers and could see production within 18 months.

Delphi is a high-technology company that integrates safer, greener and more connected solutions for the automotive sector. Headquartered in Gillingham, the UK, Delphi operates technical centres, manufacturing sites and customer support services in 44 countries.

Showcased in a Honda Civic 1.6-liter diesel vehicle at the company’s annual investor update, Delphi’s 48-volt, mild hybrid technology enables `intelligent’ electrification.

The customised vehicle architecture maximises the use of the 48-volt electrification to minimise the demand on the engine, improving performance while lowering CO2 emissions by more than 10 percent.

“This is not only a significant step forward with reinventing the electrical architecture for dual voltage

70 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

capability, but also is a triumph of software,” Jeff Owens, Delphi’s Chief Technology Officer, said.

“This intelligent approach to vehicle power, wiring and data management will improve fuel efficiency, enable a world-class driving experience and provide additional power for active safety systems and increased connectivity in the car,” he said.

The solution allows automakers ample room to innovate without moving up to bigger engines to get more power. This technology leverages what engineers call an `e-charger’ for improved vehicle launch. Delphi’s demonstration vehicle increases low-end torque an average 25 percent.

According to Owens, Delphi will have a competitive advantage in 48-volt, mild hybrid systems because of the company’s deep history in system design, proprietary engine management software and expertise in electrical architectures.

“Car buyers will buy 48-volt, mild hybrids for the added performance and car companies will offer the technology because it will help them comply with environmental

regulations,” Owens said According to IHS market research, the industry is going to see a sizeable shift within the next decade. “One out of every 10 cars sold globally in 2025 will be a 48-volt, mild hybrid,” he said.

“To put that into perspective, that’s 11 million units a year – three times the volume of pickup trucks sold annually and more than half of the world’s anticipated diesel passenger car market.”

From an environmental viewpoint, the savings have great potential. It is estimated that 11 million 48-volt, mild hybrid vehicles would reduce oil consumption by four billion gallons (more than 15 billion liters) over the life of the fleet.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the impact of not burning that much fuel would equal the carbon sequestration of a forest the size of the state of New York or all of Iceland.

As for greenhouse gas emissions, it would have the same effect as conserving 124 million barrels of oil or not burning 57 billion pounds of coal, according to the DOE.

GLEANINGS - International

Brose Receives Awards For Quality Worldwide

APA Bureau

T

he automotive OEMs presented supplier Brose, with awards for top quality in China, India, the Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Canada and the US in 2015. Brose is a leading automotive supplier that develops mechatronic systems for vehicle doors and seats, and electric motors and drives, at 60 locations in 23 countries, including India. A total of 16 customer awards confirm the high quality of its business divisions. Ford, Volkswagen and Volvo acknowledged this excellence with multiple awards.

“We are a stable, reliable partner for our customers. In every key automotive market and across all our product groups, our company has proved that we deliver top performance,” Bernd Schieweck, Vice President Quality Brose Group, said. A special incentive for the mechatronics specialist is the renowned “Volkswagen Group Award 2015,” which the carmaker presents to honour the entrepreneurial performance of its best international suppliers.

The award-winners were distinguished by their “innovative power, product quality, development competence, sustainability and

professional project management”.

Reliability In Europe The German production facility in Coburg received the ‘Jaguar Land Rover Q Award’. Each year the Brose plant delivers around half a million lift-gate drives in 16 variants to five customer locations in the UK. The “Volvo Cars Quality Excellence Award” also went to Coburg. The Swedish car manufacturer also recognized the Brose Group’s largest production facility in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The “Quality Excellence Award” is proof of the company’s very high quality and 100 percent delivery reliability. The plant produces 750,000 closure systems for the V40 model annually.

Good Show In Asia Half of all of the awards Brose received for the quality of its products and processes went to Asia. The joint venture FAW-VW recognised Brose Electric Motors in Shanghai as an ‘A-Class Supplier.’ Brose Changchun received the same certificate for window regulators, seat and display adjustment systems.

Dongfeng Brose Automotive Systems in Wuhan received the ‘Excellent

Supplier Award’ from the Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company. In recognition of the outstanding performance and the successful expansion of the collaboration between the two companies, Volvo presented Brose Chongqing with its “Quality Excellence Award 2015”. Ford honoured the high quality level in the plant with its ‘Q1 Award.’

Brose India also received Ford’s ‘Q1 Award.’ In addition the plant was presented with the General Motors ‘Supplier Quality Excellence Award.’

A total of 490,000 window regulators leave the production facilities in Pune each year, bound for the Ford EcoSport and the Chevrolet Spark and Sail models.

Preferred In America Brose plants in America received multiple ‘Ford Q1 Awards.’ The automotive supplier manufactures around 550,000 cooling fan modules and HVAC motors each year for the customer at its Mexican location in Querétaro El Marqués. Volkswagen America conferred its ‘Formula Q Capability Certificate’ on the Brose plant in London/Canada. Seat systems for the Jetta, Golf, Beetle and Passat models are produced there.

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 71

GLEANINGS - International

Bosch Motorcycle Technology Sales To Be €1Billion By 2020 safety is growing in the emerging markets. In Thailand and Indonesia, for example, some 21,000 people die in motorcycle accidents each year.

The antilock braking system (ABS) can prevent one-quarter of all motorcycle accidents that result in casualties.

Worldwide, more and more countries are promoting motorcycle ABS. Throughout the EU, all newly-sold motorised two-wheelers with more than 125 cc displacement must be fitted with ABS system by 2017. Starting in October 2018, Japan will be mandating ABS for new type approvals for motorcycles with more than 125 cc. Brazil and Taiwan, too, have already passed laws mandating ABS in the future. The issue is also on the political agenda in India and the US.

APA Bureau

T

he Bosch two-wheeler and powersports unit continues to gain momentum in the global motorcycle market.

Since the business unit was founded in Japan in April 2015, sales of motorcycle technology have risen by more than 20 percent, though the production of motorised two-wheelers have grown only by less than five percent. This success is built on the broad product portfolio of motorcycle safety technology; its side view assist is the world’s first assistance system for motorcycles. The business unit supplies also efficient injection technology, smart connectivity solutions and modern display instruments.

Around the world, the unit’s 130 associates – three times as many as a year ago – can draw on a worldwide network of several thousand engineers, as well as on the manufacturing capacity of the Mobility Solutions business sector. The unit is well positioned for the future. “In 2020, we want to achieve sales of one billion euros in motorcycle technology,” the Bosch Management Board Member, Dirk Hoheisel, said. In the future, Bosch will generate more than half these sales in Asia as almost 90 percent 72 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

of all motorcycles are produced there.

Studies indicate that by 2021, the annual global production of twowheelers should be over 160 million – roughly one-third more than today.

Almost 90 percent of these will be built in China, India, and South East Asia.

These vehicles also face the challenge posed by stricter emission legislation. In Asia, many two-wheelers with internalcombustion engines are still equipped with outdated carburetor technology. In contrast, Bosch offers its electronicallycontrolled fuelinjection system, which can reduce fuel consumption by up to 16 percent depending on the situation. This is Bosch’s contribution to reducing emissions in countries like India.

Safe And Connected Along with a requirement for more efficiency, demand for increased motorcycle

The future of the motorcycle is not only safe and clean but also connected. Bosch has two motorcycle connectivity solutions in its portfolio: The ICC integrated connectivity cluster, a rider information system that connects motorcycles and smartphones and can be used to operate apps, and CCU connectivity control unit to connect motorcycles with the cloud.

This makes it possible to implement functions such as eCall, the automatic emergency call service. eCall is not yet mandatory for motorcycles in the EU, but from April 2018 it will be mandatory for all new type approvals for cars and light trucks up to 3.5 metric tonne.

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74 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

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18th Oman Motor Show Omen International Exhibition Center, Muscat, Oman 7 - 10 Dec 2016 Comnet Exhibitions Pvt LTd +91 11 4279 5000 E-mail:amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibtions.com

MALCORP 21

CII EXCON 2017 12 -16 Dec 2017 Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Email: excon@cii.in Website: www.cii.in

Surface & coating Expo 2016

IMTEX 2017 & Tooltech 2017 26 Jan - 01 Feb 2017 Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) Indian Machine Tool Manufacturer’s Association(IMTMA) E-mail:mtx@mtx.co.in; www.mtx.co.in

N NRB Bearings

Inside front Cover

R Roots Industries

9

S 59

T Titan Company Truck trailer & Tyre Expo Tyre Asia Tata Motors

11 55 67 Back Cover

V Varroc 5

W Waxpol Industries

15

AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016 | 75

AUTO LAUGH

No Parting With Auto Parts

C 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

an anyone today imagine living without a cell phone? Well, it’s just impossible. It has become an extension of our body and soul. It is so indispensable. We may live even if the spleen or a kidney is removed, but not without cell phone.

You may not miss your dearest ones when they are not at home even for a week. But without your cell phone, you cannot live even for an hour.

Can you imagine a day without texting?

You can’t blame the CEO at a critical board meeting taking a moment off to text his girlfriend while the company discusses its future.

The school, we had walked to together from home, was tracked by the GPS. The familiar road appeared on the screen as impersonal lines. The cursor moved as the car travelled.

I realise that we are getting more dependent on machines. It would not surprise me if one day we switch on the GPS with the cell phone stuck to our ears to go to the washroom from the bedroom!

I feel it’s time we replace GPS with TPNS (two point navigation system). Throw away the GPS, radar or magnetic compass. Use TPNS to get to where you want to go. It does not require satellites or power sources and looks

Cell phone and other modern communication tools have also made us paranoid.

Irrational worries overwhelm us when friends fail to pick up the call or do not respond to SMS. In dining halls, even in cinemas, radio waves sweep us away from our real life.

I fear that verbal communication is becoming passé.

Look at another creation of man, GPS or the Global Positioning System. This satellite-guided navigational system tracks our movements. The system is put on our cars to let us know the current location and guide us to the destination we go to.

GPS has become so common that it has removed the pleasure of getting out of the vehicle and asking passersby the way to your destination. This device, like cell phone, has erased for ever our pleasures of personal communication. Human interaction is becoming minimal.

The other day I was travelling with a friend in his car. We were going to our school where we had studied together for ten years. Soon

76 | AutoPartsAsia | MAY 2016

after he started the car, he put on the GPS.

attractive on any vessel. Fitting TPNS gives more than twice the fun, as it can be mounted anywhere. It is time to join the growing band of happy navigators who find so much relief and satisfaction in using TPNS. These days we are talking of driverless cars. I wonder whether any of these gadgets can be mounted on the cars of the future. The world is changing very fast and in the coming years, you will find on cars all sorts of auto gadgets.

Driverless they may be, but the future vehicles will have an array of auto parts. One can imagine the huge and roaring business prospects for them for years to come.

w w w. e l o f i c . c o m w w w. e l o f i c . c o m

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Elofic To Make Plastic, Rubber Products

RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

www.autopartsasia.in

Vol.No.1 Issue No 12 May 2016 | US$ 20 `200

AUTOPARTS ASIA | May 2016 RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

Ashok Leyland Innovates To Be BS 6-Ready By 2020 Anuj Kathuria

Jeff D Stevenson, Todd Morgan

Remanufacturing Emerges As Ecological, Economic Imperative

Varroc Lighting Lights Up OEMs’ Brands