Autoparts Asia september 2016

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Estech May Expand To Prototyping In India

RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

www.autopartsasia.in

Vol.No.2 Issue No 4 September 2016 | US$ 20 `200

AUTOPARTS ASIA | September 2016

Changing Landscape Of

Automotive

RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

Design IMI To Support Automotive Sector Skill Development Initiatives In India- Herbert Lonsdale

Ashok Leyland Explores Export Markets With New Products – Rajive Saharia


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Vol No 2 | Issue No 4 | September 2016

ISSUE

IN THIS

10

24

Müller To Head Electronics At Audi

Ashok Leyland Explores Export Markets

PEOPLE

INTERVIEW With New Products

6

IMPRESSIONS

28

7

EDITORIAL

- Changing Landscape Of Automotive Design

8

- Innovation Incredible

TRAILBLAZING TRENDS

10

PEOPLE

14

NEWS FOCUS

COVER STORY

- Estech May Expand From Digital Designing To Prototyping In India

- Müller To Head Electronics At Audi - Garcia Is New Executive VP, CFO of Visteon - Meritor Appoints Boise As General Counsel - New Senior Management Postings At Mercedes-Benz USA - Weimerskirch To Lead Lear Cyber Security Team - Weaver Is Director of Sales At Rear View Safety

- GST To Facilitate National Free Trade

18 INTERVIEW

- IMI To Support Automotive Sector Skill Development Initiatives In India - Ashok Leyland Explores Export Markets With New Products

38 SPECIAL REPORT

- Catalytic Converters Need Scale-Up To Meet Regulatory Standards - ACMA Steers Its Members On Road To Quality, Innovation - SIAM Shows The Way To Sustainable Mobility

2 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016


50

59 PREVIEW

Nationality And Road Safety

- Tips To Make Best Use Of AAPEX

INSIGHTS

- Automotive Megatrends Plans Three Events In Pune

FEATURES

50

68

- Nationality And Road Safety

- Hyundai Launches 6th Gen Elantra

INSIGHTS

GLEANINGS India - Renault Launches Kwid With New Powerful Engine

52

EVENT

- Firestone Brand Launched For Replacement Market

- Concerted Actions On Corrosion Control Under Way - Functionalism Gains Ground - TTT Expo 2016 Displays Innovative Products, Sets New Trends

62

ANALYSIS

- Vehicle Sales In India Pace Up In July 2016

70 GLEANINGS International

- AM Frankfurt Academy To Discuss `Tomorrow’s Mobility’, Related Issues - Harley-Davidson Launches New Milwaukee-Eight Engine - On Move In The Future Truck - New Mobility World LIVE In Hannover - Lear Plans New Leather Plant In Yangzhou - MAHLE To Expand Powertrain Operations - Genesis Allows Voice Command To Control Cars - e-Commerce Platform For Used Auto Parts German Auto Components Market To Cross € 51 Billion By 2021

78 80

CALENDAR OF EVENTS AUTO LAUGH

- Lonely In A Taxi

Cover Photos are representational. Courtesy: Audi AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 3




IMPRESSIONS

Colourful Edition Received your first anniversary issue. The Cover is good; giving different themes – nice and colourful. Kudos to your team. Roland Stevenson, Bethesda, MD, USA.

READERS’ LETTERS

Lubricants Flow With Times The cover story on lubricants is exhaustive. A few big players are not covered. The headline matched the current trend. Also enjoyed reading other stories. Gareth Mitchelle, UAE.

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 | SEPTEMBER 2016


T

he global automotive industry has been evolving ever since the first car – the Model T- took shape in 1908. Decade after decade something more was built on it to add to the passenger comfort and safety and the vehicle’s performance. It was largely driven by just one technology unlike now.

But the car of today, made with a combination of diverse technologies, integrates different streams of engineering, information technology, connectivity and software. The cars that will be launched in the coming years will have five times more the number of lines of code than the recently-inducted Boeing Dreamliner. Once launched, these technologies will be globally available. Development of infrastructure to handle the large quantity of data that the modern cars generate will be the limiting factor and dividing line. It is said that the autonomous cars spew about a gigabyte of data every minute of its operation. The same amount of data could be downloaded for various applications. Vehicles now need more than physical infrastructure. They want connectivity-related infrastructure also to be functional. Another game-changer will be the application of advanced materials in manufacturing. They will transform the automotive industry in the next few years. It will be a challenge for the leaders and policy makers to extend legislative and fiscal support to the ever- evolving modern mobility. The cover story: ‘Changing Landscape In Automotive Design’ unfolds the unforeseen changes in customer demands extending up to non-ownership of personal vehicles and preference for smart public mobility enabled by technology and new service providers. The recently-concluded annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) of India, had ‘Winning with Quality and Innovation’ as the theme. The focal point was the imperatives of quality, innovation and capabilities for new product development to be ready to tap the world markets. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) also held its Annual Convention with the theme, ‘Building the Nation, Responsibly’. The Indian automotive industry, expected to be among the top three in the world by 2026, is drawing a sustainable roadmap and seeking regulatory norms on safety, emission control, and fuel efficiency to be sustainable and globally competitive. AutoParts Asia congratulates Rattan Kapur on being elected as the President of ACMA, and Vinod Dasari on being re-elected as President of SIAM. We have other regular features and interviews to update you on the latest developments in the world of auto parts. Wish you a happy reading.

E DIT OR IAL

Modern Mobility Machines

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 | Contributor: Sham Prasad

September 2016 | Vol. 2 | Issue No. 4

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AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 7


TRAILBLAZING TRENDS

Innovation Incredible

T

he automotive components industry has been following the growth pattern of its mother industry, the vehicles sector. Since a decade, the suppliers have been involved in developing modules and systems for the vehicle manufacturers. A successful industrial evolution of the suppliers in future will be possible by contributing creatively to the emerging and challenging trends in the OEM sector like electrification, connectivity, emissions, electronics, autonomous driving, advanced or alternate material, light weighting and lowcost production process. Only the wheels of disruptive and distinctive innovations will carry each supplier forward. Denso, the global supplier of advanced automotive technology, systems and components to the world’s major automakers, has entered into a technical advisory contract with the Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Dr Takeo Kanade, a world-famous researcher in computer vision. Through this contract, Denso will expand its engineering expertise in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous drive, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Similar contracts and collaborations can fuel the innovative explorations and adventures of daring suppliers. Let me list the top trailblazers whom Automechanika has awarded for their innovations under eight categories. In the Electronics & Systems category, Portector won the award for its professionally-installed, tamperproof device that prevents vehicle theft without a key. It prevents all non-authorised communication with the vehicle’s systems using the on board diagnostic (OBD) port.

8 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

For Accessories & Customizing, Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH was awarded for the WinterContact TS 850 P with ‘Taraxagum dandelion rubber, an alternative to natural rubber. Along with other partners, Continental has developed Taraxagum dandelion rubber from the root of the Russian dandelion. For the WinterContact TS 850 P tyre, the tread is completely made from Taraxagum dandelion rubber. NGK Spark Plug Europe GmbH has been selected as winner in Repair & Diagnostics category. The award has been given for the world’s most compact and lightest multi-gas meter that supports engine / vehicle testing facilities and the emission test under realistic conditions.

By T Murrali its ‘Uniformity’ – the first tyre fitting machine with a diagnosis function. With press roll and laser sensors, it detects rim and tyre defects and supports the operator during the radial-rim-tyre fitting and thus eliminates general vibration problems arising from geometric defects of material irregularities. In Management & Digital Solutions, AVL DiTEST GmbH was nominated as winner for its Smart Service 4.0. This device solves problems before they arise – supported by completely new service interfaces. Developments in the field of device networking mean that service can be redefined. The analysis of device information guarantees product orientation fully in line with customer requirements.

Yet another trailblazing innovation is from Robert Bosch GmbH. The company has been nominated as winner under the Parts & Components category, for its M LiIon Motorcycle Battery (12 V starter battery LTX12-BS). This ultra-light battery with lithium-ion technology offers four times longer life span and greater cycle resistance than comparable lead-acid batteries. It is stated that the performance of the totally maintenance-free battery is reliable even at high temperatures. As the new battery does not contain any acid, it can be installed in any position and used even for the extreme conditions acting in sports and racing motorcycles, on long journeys or in demanding terrain. With space in motorcycles become premium, placing battery in ‘any position’ will help designers of OEMs immensely in packaging the product.

Under Car Wash, Care & Reconditioning category, WashTec Cleaning Technology GmbH won the award for its MultiFlex Side Washing System. The system pivots backwards when washing the rear of the vehicle. It adapts flexibly to the contours of the vehicle and washes them with maximum contact, including under the rear spoiler, in bumper depressions and around the C pillars.

Under Repair & Maintenance category, Corghi was the winner for

See you next month with more trailblazing trends.

In OE Products & Services, Valeo was the award winner for its Valeo SCALA Laser scanner. It is the first laser scanner for automobile mass production. The technology is a key factor for automated driving and operates by scanning the environment in front of the vehicle and detecting any obstacle in its path with extreme precision. Innovations continue . . .



PEOPLE

Müller To Head Electronics At Audi

Garcia Is New Executive VP, CFO Of Visteon APA Bureau

V

isteon Corporation, a global leader in vehicle cockpit electronics, has announced that Christian A Garcia has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective from October 1, 2016. Reporting to President and CEO Sachin Lawande, he will lead all financial activities for Visteon, including accounting, treasury, tax, audit and investor relations. He will also oversee mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and information technology. William R. Robertson, who has served as Visteon’s interim CFO since March 31, will continue with the company as

Thomas M. Müller

APA Bureau

T

homas M. Müller will be the new Head of Electricals/Electronics at AUDI AG. The 45-year old is considered a proven expert in the field of connected car and electronic systems. He will take up his new function at Audi in December 2016. Müller started his professional career in 1999 at BMW Group in Munich. There in the area of business IT, Müller accelerated the digitization of business processes. From 2009 to 2012 he was Director, Connected Car at BMW Group. Subsequently, he went to Volvo Car Group as the Vice President Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering. In 2014 he additionally took over responsibility for the unit E-Propulsion (electric drive). Since 2015 he has held the position of Vice President Electrics/Electronics and Chassis. “Thomas Müller is a proven expert in the areas of automotive electrics and electronics and will continue to advance the digitization and networking of our products,” Audi Board Member for Technical Development, Stefan Knirsch, said.

10 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Vice President and Corporate Controller. Garcia, 52, has more than 30 years of financial experience and has held a variety of leadership roles of increasing responsibility in the energy, software and consulting, and business equipment manufacturing industries. He recently was Senior Vice President, Finance, and Acting Chief Financial Officer for Halliburton Company, a global provider of products and services to the energy industry. Garcia has a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of the Philippines, and a master’s degree in Management from Purdue University.

Meritor Appoints Boise As General Counsel APA Bureau

M

eritor Inc. has announced that April Miller Boise has joined the company as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Boise has responsibility for the legal affairs of the entire corporation and will manage the corporate legal department. She also directs legal activities related to corporate governance, acquisitions and divestitures, litigation, business standards compliance, regulatory compliance and intellectual property. “April’s impressive background in corporate law will be a great asset to Meritor. We are very happy she has decided to join us as the next step in her career,” Jay Craig, CEO and President. “ Boise was most recently Senior Vice President,

Miller Boise

General Counsel, Head of Global Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Secretary at Avintiv Inc. Before Avintiv, she was Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Veyance Technologies, Inc. Boise earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago and Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.


Advt


PEOPLE

Weimerskirch To Lead Lear Cyber Security Team APA Bureau

L

ear Corporation, a leading global supplier of automotive seating and electrical systems, has appointed André Weimerskirch, as Vice President, Cyber Security for E-Systems. Weimerskirch brings a vast array of technical and specialized knowledge in creating security architectures ensuring data integrity, privacy, and authenticity for connected

car communications, including vehicle-to-vehicle applications. He will be responsible for driving Lear’s global cyber security technology strategy and implementation. His focus will include developing a holistic approach to automotive cyber security while aligning Lear’s security technologies with customer and industry requirements by integrating strategy, planning, development and implementation processes.

Weaver Is Director Of Sales At Rear View Safety APA Bureau

R

ear View Safety, the industry leader in the sales and distribution of backup camera systems, and a strong road safety advocate, has appointed Jean-Paul (JP) Weaver as Director of Sales. Rear View Safety joined the Safe Fleet Family recently. The Brooklyn- based company specialises in working with OEM’s across all industries to produce the highest quality and most effective camera safety solutions for their manufactured vehicles. Weaver will lead new sales 12 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

initiatives by creating fruitful partnerships with OEM’s, dealers, and customers. Prior to joining Rear View Safety, Weaver spent several years as a product manager for Yamaha Motor and Avery Dennison, as well as managing a small familyowned graphics business. “I’m excited at the opportunity to join the Rear View Safety team and drive the brand to higher levels in both the minds of the end-user and OEM level by selling the best Rear View solutions with the best customer service in the industry,” Weaver said.

New Senior Management Postings At Mercedes-Benz USA APA Bureau

M

ercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has made new appointments within its senior management team both at corporate headquarters in Atlanta, GA, and in its regional offices. Bob Yeatman, currently serving as the Regional General Manager for the Western Region will become Regional General Manager for the northeast region. Yeatman will report directly to Adam Chamberlain, Senior Vice President of sales, and will manage and direct regional staff as well as the sales and service field organization to support dealers in the region. Replacing Yeatman as General Manager of the western region will be Tracey Matura. In this position, Matura will oversee all service, sales, marketing, operations and dealer relations for the company’s western region in Irvine, CA, reporting directly to Adam Chamberlain. Mike Nolte will become Regional General Manager, central region. In his new role, Nolte will report directly to Adam Chamberlain, and will be responsible for all service, sales, marketing, operations and dealer relations for the company’s central region in Chicago, IL. Bart Herring replaces Nolte as General Manager, sales operations. Herring will oversee the development and implementation of all policies, programmes and activities in support of all Mercedes-Benz new vehicle sales and objectives. Matt Everitt: General Manager, General Counsel Matt Everitt, most recently General Counsel for Mercedes-Benz US International, Inc. (MBUSI) and MercedesBenz Vans Manufacturing, LLC, will become General Counsel for MBUSA. Everitt will be responsible for the legal department, which provides support, counsel and guidance for the company and its employees in the US.



NEWS FOCUS

GST To Facilitate National Free Trade APA Bureau

T

he expected date for the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is April 1, 2017. Before that it has to be ratified by 50 percent of the State Assemblies and then receive the President’s assent. Once the Bill gets the President’s assent, the GST Council, comprising the State Finance Ministers and the Union Finance Minister, will be set up. This council will decide on the tax rate that will be under GST, the revenue threshold below which traders will be exempted from the levy, and the administrative processes under GST. The next thing to watch out for is the rate of GST. The proposed tax rate is 18-20 percent. The final rate will be decided by the GST council.

Unified Taxation In simple terms, the GST means one tax to be imposed on all goods and services in the country. It will replace all forms of indirect taxes including service tax, central excise duty, value added tax (VAT) and central sales tax.

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) all kind of domestic indirect taxes would be subsumed in the proposed GST. This should include road tax and motor vehicle tax also. The unified tax system is expected to benefit the automotive industry, as it is heavily sensitive to the changes in the fiscal and financial policies. GST is being looked at as a significant measure to achieve free trade within the country. It will also help in attracting investments in manufacturing as it will boost the confidence of the business community and promote healthy business environment. Manufacturers of electric vehicles (EV) are also looking forward to the new tax regime. Ayush Lohia, CEO, Lohia Auto Industries, said, “As an

EV manufacturer, we are expecting a most needed boost in EV industry by implementing GST. In the current scenario, some States are still charging heavy taxes on electrical vehicles while some others charge around five percent. We expect that the GST rate would be in the lowest possible slab and reduce the total tax burden on EV. To make Central Government subsidies to be effective and to achieve the vision 2020, the GST percentage should be three percent on all EV components and the end-product”.

Positive Impact An important positive impact of GST on the automotive industry will be in vehicle prices. In the current system of taxation the excise duty on vehicles is divided into four slabs. The lowest tax rate is applicable to the small cars. With the GST system all indirect taxes will be subsumed into one. If the tax rate is 18-20 percent as proposed, the vehicle prices are expected to decrease. This will be a major push to the industry which has been facing challenges from inflation, increasing oil prices etc. While some categories may benefit from GST, it still remains to be seen 14 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016


US$ 1.6 billion

three

&

Please visit us at IAA Commercial Vehicle Expo, Hannover

Hall No. 24, Stall No. 18 A, 22-29 September, 2016


NEWS FOCUS

if there would be a dual tax structure for small and big cars. Another major benefit of GST will be the creation of one market. GST is expected to increase the ease of doing business and reduce the compliance burden to bring in more efficiency in the operations. The entire country will be treated as one market and the numerous taxes and different tax rates of different States will be done away with. This will make movement of goods across the State borders easier. With the going away of numerous indirect taxes the impact of tax cascading will go away reducing the overall cost of vehicle manufacturing.

The Challenges However, there are several aspects in the Bill where clarity is required. Some of the challenges are:Tax on incentives in States: Most of the investments by automobile manufacturers have been made in those States which gave tax benefits for setting up units. These benefits are mostly in the form of subsidies given by those governments. With GST coming in and unified taxation being implemented, the State of manufacture will not collect any existing incentives (in terms of CST exemption/deferral). Such States and companies would be affected. Valuation disputes: According to a report on GST and its impact on the automotive industry by

16 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

PricewaterhouseCoopers, the automotive industry has seen significant disputes under the Central excise valuation like sale below the cost for market penetration, inclusion of State industrial promotion subsidies retained by the manufacturer, deductibility of post-sale discounts from value under excise, valuation of demo cars, treatment of PDI charges and other dealer reimbursements, advertisement charges recovered from dealers etc., and sales through marketing companies and mutuality of interest. The Model GST Law continues with the concept of ‘transaction value’ which is a welcome measure. However, the powers for rejection of the transaction value are very wide, and could lead to significant valuation disputes. Exclusion of cess: The GST excludes taxes such as stamp duty and cess. Due to such exclusion, there could be a cascading impact of taxes for businesses, especially the automotive industry. This needs to be addressed. Credits on vendor tooling: PricewaterhouseCoopers also lists credit on vendor tooling as one of the challenges. It is a common practice in the automotive industry for vendors to develop tools/ moulds for manufacture of parts of automobiles. Typically, the ownership of such tools is transferred to the OEMs, and the cost is also recovered from OEMs. However, the tools are physically located in the vendor’s factory for manufacture of parts. Under

the Model GST Law, the definition of ‘capital goods’ covers only those goods which are used at the place of business or supply of goods. Thus, only goods which are used in the place of business of OEM seem to be eligible for GST credit in the OEM’s hands. This definition would pose a challenge to the OEMs in availing credits relating to tools located in the premises, on which cost is recovered by the vendors. This could possibly result in increase in the cost of tooling and the cost for manufacture. Problem of cash and carry: The vehicle manufacturers and their dealer network follow the practice of cash and carry during the advance supply with customers. Under the Model GST Law, the advance payment is considered taxable. This will result in significant changes in cash flow thereby changing procedures for manufacturers and dealers. Dealer incentive schemes: Currently, dealer incentive schemes are not subject to VAT, but there are issues on applicability of service tax on dealers, depending on the terms of each scheme. The industry is of the view that these schemes are not an independent service by dealers to the manufacturers, but are in the nature of post-sale discounts. The Model GST law does not state whether the dealer incentives and discounts are subject to tax or not. Despite the challenges, the automotive industry also is expected to benefit from the new regime. While the initial phase may require several procedural changes and reworking of the way manufacturers, suppliers and dealers operate and run their business, the effective implementation of GST will improve the ease in which business is done. NB: Photos are representational



INTERVIEW

IMI To Support Automotive Sector Skill Development Initiatives In India Plans ASDC/IMI Centres Of Excellence

Herbert Lonsdale

The UK-based Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has special programmes to promote automotive sector vocational skills training in several countries, including India. IMI is primarily interested in filling the skill gap in the Indian automotive industry to improve service and repair. It is reassuring to see that most people in India want to have an improvement in vocational training, Herbert Lonsdale, International Business Development Manager, IMI, in an exclusive interview, told T Murrali of AutoParts Asia. The edited excerpts: 18 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016


Q: What are the key IMI initiatives in India? Lonsdale: IMI is working globally to promote vocational skills training in the automotive sector, and to encourage governments and educationists to invest in vocational training for their students and employees. Part of that process led us to discussions with the government of India which is going through a major vocational training programme. The government is doing it in collaboration with the World Bank which gives funds to provide vocational training to about 200 million people. In the developing world the population is aging so there are skill gaps that could be filled by Indians. There is a growing awareness in India and elsewhere in the world that it is not enough to talk about growing the economy, but there should be talk about growing the people. Vocational training is to equip people with the right skills for the right sectors so that as individuals they gain employment to improve their lifestyle, family prospects, help their employers to be more productive and pay taxes. That is why IMI is encouraging stakeholders to promote vocational training. This has created an opportunity for the British and Indian governments to cooperate in different sectors with some funding from the India British International Research Agency. It is only a small amount but the purpose is to enable the Sector Skills Councils (SSC), appointed by the Indian government about four years

ago, to train and deliver vocational skills. IMI is the Sector Skills Council for the British Automotive Industry. We got involved in India’s Automotive Skill Development Council (ASDC) as it has the authority to award certificates to learners based on its standards. ASDC reports to NSDC (National Sector Skill Development Corporation) which works on behalf of the government to disburse the available funds. ASDC also gets funding from the employers who are involved in this. Q: How does IMI support ASDC? Lonsdale: An IMI working group has helped India to map the Indian National Occupational Standards. Mapping standards is a difficult process but ASDC has made a very good start. This has allowed us to understand what is now known as the Indian National Occupational Standard (Automotive) with over a number of occupations of mechanics from level 1 to 4. Following this process, this has

become known as Transnational Standards and we have now completed the mapping of ASDC versus IMI to identify any potential gap between the two. ASDC has been progressively introducing a Qualifications Pack through its centres in India that deliver automotive training, and this has been done against the agreed qualification criteria.


INTERVIEW

The main objective is to get to a stage where the Indian qualifications for automotive occupations will be aligned to IMI and European qualifications, and we will continue to work through this process alongside the government of India. Q: Was the IMI team in India working towards this goal? Lonsdale: We spent two weeks in Delhi; the first week we worked with NSDC to look at how we have taken the initiative further, and in the second week we set out to meet employers to understand more about the automotive skill development initiatives in India. During this visit we went to Ashok Leyland and met with the VicePresident, Services, where we held very interesting discussions on training their employees. We then travelled to see a local auto dealer and spoke to the sales and service managers where they do nearly 150 services a day. For the most part they try to find workers with ITI qualifications at the basic level and use their own training programmes to augment the workers’ skills. Following many discussions, they have welcomed an arrangement between ASDC and IMI since it gives their people a chance to get an international qualification. Q: What kind of gaps did you find in India compared to other countries? Lonsdale: The gaps are at the process level in terms of the National Occupational Standards. It is the 20 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

foundation on which you build qualifications. We have various units within our qualifications, so we are working with ASDC to help them get their units in the right order so that they have a genuine alignment of their qualifications with IMI qualifications. We also went to Mahindra & Mahindra to visit a dealership in New Delhi where they have a number of training programmes available. It is an ASDC accredited centre. We discussed the possibility of having ASDC/IMI centres of excellence in India as ASDC has around 1,400 accredited centres in the country. Q: What is plan of action for this? Lonsdale: The initial plan is to find a way for those Indians who wish to work overseas to gain qualifications that will enable them to get better paid jobs because, as it is said, one of India’s major exports is people. But Indians go to the Middle East and they often find themselves in relatively lower paid jobs because they don’t have the requisite qualifications. The first stage is to set up a selfselecting cohort of people that will direct workers to enrol at the right centre to get IMI qualifications. The Indian government has a system of paying the fees for those who cannot afford it, and the IMI qualification will be aligned with these Indian qualifications. It means that a person who has graduated from an ASDC centre of excellence will be able to go

abroad to get a better job and be recognised for his training. We have many centres in the Middle East and Malaysia so people there know about the IMI and workers are already being trained to the IMI standards. Q: You had earlier mentioned about collaborating with India. Is this the beginning of that? Lonsdale: We have still some way to go to have a number of ASDC/IMI centres of excellence but we hope to have some pilot centres in the near future. We are planning to map the process and aligning the qualifications. Once that is done we have to make a proposal to ASDC that will require funding to establish a working model. It is reassuring to see that most people in India want to see an improvement in vocational training. Q: There are skill gaps in the dealerships, service centres and on the manufacturing front of the automotive components space. Is there any slot to accommodate them? Lonsdale: IMI is primarily interested in sales, service, maintenance and repair. There is UK Skills Council that works closely with us called SEMTA which works inside the factory. If you want to grow the economy you have to grow the people and skill-up the people within the sector. Many governments around the world are now moving away from formal academic qualifications to vocational skills and training. There is a growing awareness of this need and India is



INTERVIEW

a good example of that; it is part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Q: The Automotive Mission Plan 2026 is an ambitious one to lead India to the third position in the world in passenger vehicles. Are skills the key for this? Lonsdale: Yes, skills are the key factor. One of the greatest advantages here is that Indians have a good eye for detail to bring out quality in a cost-effective way. However, there is a skills gap that the IMI is primarily interested in filling. Q: Are you planning to address any other markets? Lonsdale: Yes, we want to see a larger Indian population who are better qualified and well trained. The Middle East is one of those areas now. Of course there is a counter argument going on to train the local people rather than have expatriates like Indians or Filipinos working there. But the fact is that there is a skills shortage, so outsiders, like Indians, will have good opportunities in the Gulf countries, especially those with IMI qualifications. In South Africa we have signed a Memorandum of Agreement with merSETA which is a division of the South African government to 22 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

develop a RoI (return on investment) model for skills training. Similar to the Indian government, they want to encourage employers to train more people. We also have an agreement with RMI, an employer’s organisation, to do a comparative study on motor mechanics, spray painters and repair technicians, similar to the one done in the UK. This study will highlight the RoI for employers so that they are encouraged to hire and train people to make them more productive and efficient. In some businesses RoI is close to 300 percent. Q: Are you looking at any country in Asia? Lonsdale: Malaysia is a high priority for IMI as a strong focus on electric vehicle qualification, and Renault has just launched its own electric car. Hybrid and electric cars are the future, especially in countries where there is a strong Green movement but safety needs to be the key. IMI is very keen to promote professional registration in these areas, and people who meet IMI qualifications will automatically become registered professionals. In India we hope that Indians who achieve ASDC Indian and UK standards will be included on the

Professional Register. This means we are pushing standards up and helping the work force to be better qualified. The IMI Professional Register is an international data base of over 40,000 individuals across the world, and in India we will have a professional database that is equivalent. This means that an employer can interrogate that database to find qualified people having the necessary skill sets. We are promoting this as it is a way to help individuals as well as the employers, and ultimately the consumers, to benefit from vocational training. Q: What about China? Lonsdale: We continue to work in China; we have submitted a proposal to the Chinese Education Bureau to compare their conventional apprenticeship training with IMI. The Chinese have been driven by new car sales for decades. Now, new car sales are starting to plateau and new car registration in China is becoming more difficult so there is growth in used cars. This means you have to make provision for parts and skilled workers to service those vehicles.



INTERVIEW

Ashok Leyland Explores Export Markets With New Products With the Ras al-Khaimah Investment Authority, Ashok Leylkand has set up a state-of-the-art facility to manufacture 2,000 vehicles of international quality annually. Strategically located, this plant feeds the growing demands of the GCC and African markets. Rajive Saharia, President, Global Sales and Distribution, Ashok Leyland, spoke to T Murrali of AutoParts Asia about the export strategy of the company. The excerpts:Rajive Saharia

Q: What are the latest developments in Ashok Leyland? A: Let’s take a look at what we have done over the last three to four years and our plans for the future. You from AutoParts Asia have tracked us pretty closely and you know our growth, change in our market share, the way we expanded our product portfolio, our manufacturing capabilities and quality, including what we have done in the network and customer engagement processes. So the changes you see are because of them. Going forward, there are different growth levers that we are looking at. Right now we depend heavily on domestic trucks, the market for which has been fluctuating wildly. The last 18-24 months have been positive. We are not yet back to the level we were earlier. We are still at 75-80 percent of our 24 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

peak. The situation is not really rosy. The real growth will be when we cross the peak. So it is important to grow our nondomestic truck business. Some of the growth areas would be exports and aftermarket that is where my concentration is. Q: Which are the markets you target in the coming years and where you will build on your strengths? A: We have a strong presence in the SAARC countries, especially in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Some work has to be done in Nepal. That is one segment we are actively looking at. We are fairly strong in the Middle East where we are clocking 3,600-4,000 units a year. That has been stable for the last couple of years. Here there is a lot of scope. We catered mainly to the school bus and staff transportation, inter-and-intra city business.

There are other segments waiting to be opened up. Outside of the Middle East, Africa is interesting. We have taken small steps in East Africa and Kenya where we have distributors. We have a fair amount of activity going on in western Africa. The scope there is far higher. Then there are other emerging markets like Iran with great potential but still an enigma. The other market is Myanmar. Other than these, we want to ramp up operations in Russia but the economy there is in the doldrums. This is the time for us to set up a foundation there. It will be useful in the long-term. Q: Ashok Leyland, a domestic player is going global. What are the numbers you aim at? A: Our product portfolio has expanded to give us a comprehensive range except for the multi-axle luxury coach that is still under development. We do not have an inter-city luxury bus. Of course that is a small segment in India, not inviting much attention, but will be very much in our plans as we go global. Our product range has evolved from Boss to Guru, in the Intermediate Commercial Vehicle (ICV) range. Launched at the Auto Expo 2016, the commercial sales of Guru will start soon. You



INTERVIEW

have seen the Captain in two versions – the tipper (in 25 tonne and 31 tonne) and the 40-tonne tractor. We are going to expand this range so that you have an articulated tractor series and a complete range of tippers from 6/4 to 8/4 and possibly even 10/4. The cabin for the tractors are globally benchmarked with the drivetrain combining with the Neptune engine going up to 400HP complying with Euro-6 regulations. So with these cabins, drivelines, platforms, chassis etc., we have products that support our marketing. These products will take a couple of years to stabilise in the domestic market. For example, Boss is almost two years old and is now stable in terms of quality and production capability. The left-hand drive is ready and will go on sale in Russia, Middle East and West Africa (Ivory Coast to start with) over the next couple of months. With the products coming good it is important to get the rest of our acts together – distributors, dealers, workshops, branding. Q: Is there a particular strategy for you to take the exports forward? It is okay in India but at the global level it is a big challenge because of local regulations, tax structures etc.

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A: There is no single strategy for the global arena as the markets in Kenya, Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, Iran, Russia etc. are diverse. There has to be different strategy for every market. That is the only way to succeed. The same value system that helped us succeed in the Indian market has to be exhibited abroad. We also have to consider the need for localisation whenever we go abroad. We do the entire bodywork in UAE with a 40 percent local content. It will be similar in the other markets we enter. We have the determination to succeed everywhere and we have proven models to replicate production efficiency in different locations. Q: Is the capacity at Ras al-Khaima sufficient to serve the local markets? A: The capacity built at the Ras alKhaima facility is for the local market. The capacity can be ramped up to 3,600 units a year. Last year this facility had to divert orders to India as it could not meet the local demand on its own. For example, in Kenya if we have a production model that gives 150-200 units a month of trucks and buses, it breaks even. We are already at 100 trucks a month in Kenya with full CBU exports from India. If I ramp up my distributors and dealerships, there is a

potential to take it to 250. Q: Is there a plan to replicate Ras al-Khaima in Kenya? A: The plan is to replicate this model in as many places as possible. We have a proven business model that has grown in Ras-al-Khaima. We have grown 20 times from 10 buses a month. Now we have a specific plan for Kenya. Q: How many models are assembled in Ras al-Khaima? A: There is a basic model for staff transportation and a bus for schools. Now we are talking of premium transportation for the office through a new product we are offering. We are able to customise and cater to a larger spread of customers by expanding to global markets with special focus on the markets we are already in, and replicating the business models there. We have developed a local model for UAE called Oyster and it will be unveiled shortly. It has been completely designed and developed there. This is possible only if you have that level of understanding of the market, the customer needs, the benchmarking of competition and what is going around. It is not possible with just an overseas presence.



COVER STORY

Changing Landscape Of The aesthetics, form and functionality of a vehicle is born in the limitless and shapeless human imagination. They are unfolded in the exterior and interior design and colour and trim of vehicles – car, bus, van, truck, scooter or motorcycle. As the imagination, aided by the mind and senses, is ever dynamic and eternally evolving to ever new realms of creativity, designs change with time. Designs are in tune with the environment and the human milieu created by technology. Every automotive designer wants his product to be very dynamic, stylish and incredibly innovative. However, the landscape of automotive design is fast changing. The reasons include the transformation of the engineering technology of vehicles to electric and autonomous, the multiplicity and immense capability of digital technology and software, many alternative modes of mobility and the change in the aspirational levels of the young, the millennials. 28 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016


Automotive Design By T Murrali

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he world population will increase to nine billion by 2050 from the current 7.4 billion. In the emerging markets, where the aspiration levels of the new generation are scaling new peaks, personal transportation and ownership of vehicles will be very prominent. In the more developed markets a reverse trend is unfolding.

To Own Or Not To Own To own a car or not to own a car is becoming a global dilemma. In the emerging markets the trend still is towards the first horn of the dilemma, that is to own a car, a big, better and more beautiful car. The enthusiasm for cars among the Indian youth is evident from the continuing rush at the Delhi Auto Expo and at the regional motor shows. The automotive companies from Korea, Japan, the US and the European countries are vying with one another to cater to this still growing demand. There is also a perceptible difference in their offerings. The earlier trend was to put on road low-priced, fuel-efficient but well-designed cars in a price ceiling of Rs 5 lakh or USD 7,500. Now they have lifted the ceiling even beyond Rs 30 crore or around USD 4.5 million and offer premium SUVs with world-class designs. Designers work for many months to make their looks, style and surface more stunning. Similarly the proportions, shape, placement, form and function of the instrument panel, seats, door trim panels, headliner, pillar trims, lightings and the overall comfort and safety of the occupant is given utmost care. This detailed design care is given not only for cars but also for the twowheelers and commercial vehicles. The design dynamism is dancing on the road. Car manufacturers are elated. At the same time they are apprehensive. The present consumer enthusiasm and effervescence in the market may be ephemeral if the trend in the US and Europe is to be taken as harbingers of the doom days to come, even in India.

Not To Own Is Trendy About 25 percent of the global population is aged around 17. A good percentage of these millennials are averse to the concept of owning a car for their mobility or to show-off their socioeconomic position and prospects. Mobility is becoming more and more automatic, connected, AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 29


COVER STORY

electric and sustainable. In the developed countries people’s attitude towards owning a car is undergoing drastic changes. They consider a car to be a terrible asset to own as it is often 80 percent empty and 90 percent stationary. An indication to this is the rapid decrease in the number of new licences in the US and other countries. The personal ownership and usage also is down 50 percent. Car is no more considered as a best way to travel. Car-sharing options, more use of the more convenient public transport,

freedom from traffic jams and parking worries, the development of mobility as a service through car, and even bus, aggregators help this new trend. The shift is also on account of the increasing urbanisation and the myriad of problems associated with it, environmental concerns and the attractions of digital technology. These people want to do more than just driving a car along the traffic snarls. They think that the time spent on driving is increasing for even shorter distances and that they miss a lot of other better things. The

direct impact of this big change is on designers. They have to visualise and concretise products that the gen next will fall for, in spite of all these negative portends.

Changing Trends The designer’s task will be tougher as the cars become autonomous. The fun factor in driving is fading. Designers have to provide for the driver to be occupied. On the other extreme the style element itself will become less significant, if not irrelevant, as the cars will no longer be an expression of the personality. These millennials might travel in multiple modes of transport. They might use autonomous cars that can be an SUV one day and a compact car the next day and a sedan the following day or an electric vehicle. Autonomy is on centre-stage throughout the industry. What would be the role of the style element to excite the end-users is the big question. What will the designers, labelled as the futurists or futurologists, do?

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be designing cars for the emerging taxi segments such as Ola and Uber.

It is reported that Holland is full of Teslas. One out of three taxis is a Tesla and the number is increasing. The country has already achieved carbon-neutral or zero-emission standards since the energy required to charge electric vehicles is green power. These changes will spur car sharing and the design of cars will have to be on a broader base, not individualistic. In India also the Olas and Ubers are picking up fast. Even celebrities do not take out their expensive personal cars. Car designer at Tata Motors, Pratap Bose, few months ago said he foresees the day when we will

What he said has happened recently. Tata Motors has delivered the first 50 cars to drivers on the Uber platform in Bangalore, India. The initiative offers driver partners on the Uber platform a comprehensive vehicle purchase and ownership solution with a small amount as down payment and a speedy funding within seven to ten days. Vehicle sharing is increasing. Now the normal cars are being used for sharing. There is nothing different with specific functionality, features and style. This will change. Several niches will evolve. The designers will have to exert themselves more.

Customisation In markets like India where car is still a passion and essential part of style statement, the designers have to find

out the factors that will enthuse the customers. Dr Sumantran, Chairman of Celeris Technologies and advisor to several Fortune 100 organisations in automotive, industrial equipment, defence and aerospace, said: “There will still be demand for vehicles for personal transportation and the challenge for the designers is to come out with unique proposition. Form has to follow function. Form and design are influenced by the envelope of performance. Millennials ask not to classify them as part of any market segment. They are themselves, and unique.� Ramesh Manickam, CEO and Design Director, Centroid Design, said the consumer knows he wants something different, but do not know where should the difference be and how will that happen. The designers have to go along with them and gain insights. Unless the user needs are not understood, it would be difficult to cater to either personal or public transportation vehicle. No automobile is designed for kids or women. The present day models are not AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 31


COVER STORY

become more prolific in terms of styling, said Manickam.

convenient for women and children. They are trying to adjust with the existing features and facilities, Manickam said. Personalisation and customisation are important part of design, Sumantran said. The millennials may want to design their own cars. The challenge for the designers of the cars will be to offer them the flexibility to do their own changes. Challenge is more in driverless cars. How will the seat configuration be, is still not clear. The interiors have to be reconfigured to give a better experience in a driverless car, he said. “Design for cost innovation also is vital,” Sumantran said. In future there may spring up micromanufacturing sites where fitments are made according to the customer needs, uses and desires. In terms of personal transportation it has always been a status symbol – be it cars or two wheelers. Cars have been designed as a product of status symbol. After Tata Nano, which created a new segment, many things have happened. Even the entry level cars have

Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, said: “There will be product clinics where the clay models of product is displayed to get the customer views etc. But the question is who validates them. The call has to be taken by someone. This can be done only if the designers are connected well with the customers, the channel partners and the end users. The biggest requirement for this is a strong feet. It is necessary to walk the road. You have to walk the pace with the customers and see it for yourself. It is impossible to get the insights by sitting in the ivory tower. Every subtle comment that these customers make can be vital clues for the designers.” With the evolution of cars the designs can even be radical. Moving from compacts to sedans is a radical change. Emergence of crossovers and SUVs are also radical in terms of design. In a growing market subsegments will always emerge. The acumen of the marketing personnel lies in understanding and identifying which of the sub-segment will emerge as a segment by itself, he said.

Complexities For ages engineers and designers have opened new vistas and entered new frontiers to offer comfort, convenience and safety while projecting the signature style of their respective companies. Automotive design has been a profession that involved the development of the appearance and ergonomics of any kind of vehicle. The

designers have been playing their part in building the company’s reputation and unique position in the industry. For instance, light weight construction began more than eight decades ago, with the application of tubular frame with various cross sections. Things like the headlamp and the tail lamp were separate units earlier and these were planned to manage the glitches in manufacturing and assembling. Earlier, aerodynamics research was carried out with 1:10 scale models in wind tunnel followed by full testing with wind indicators. These initiatives led to the development of new, streamline bodies. Underfloor panelling, covered rear wheels and integrated headlights became standard to manage wind resistance. Vehicles became sporty, compact, functional and versatile Sumantran said the complexities in cars are more than anything else. While the fifth generation Fighter Jet F22 has software codes of five million lines and the Boeing Dreamliner 100 million lines, the modern S Class Mercedes has 200 million lines. Therefore, it is necessary to design for mobility. “We as designers have to start to learn how we deal with individuals in the very complex situation. We designers have great challenge. We have to design for the soul because the customer is the ultimate objective. It is impossible to look at the future of automotive design without looking at the past. Car is the dance partner for the driver on the track,” he said. According to Hyundai’s Srivastava, “The design element largely comes from the customers’ insights that we have been building up on and taking them forward towards futuristic designs. The younger population has been fast evolving – well informed, well connected through all the mediums including the social media. As a global company we are able to see the difference between


the younger population and others, across the world. As this is becoming a seamless world, what exactly a global manufacturer makes elsewhere in the world has to be introduced in India. If any manufacturer attempts not to introduce the global products in India, it will be a recipe for failure.” Customers are able to visualise what would be the next one ahead, with the existing product. They have a perception about what the future will hold towards a particular segment of a car in times to come. Therefore, the designers should have the insights by way of interacting with the customers, thinking that what the next generation is seeking. This is the toughest things to do and it comes only by way of experience, he said.

Commercial Vehicles What holds good for the passenger cars and two-wheelers, may not suit the commercial vehicles. They are different and have to be differentiated in form and function and styling. According to Sathiyaseelan G, Head – Styling (PD), Ashok Leyland, most of the OEMs do not bother about the aesthetic design of commercial vehicles, as they think these vehicles are looked at more as functional products. However, no one is realising that the form is the representation of function. “Everyone looks at designers as sprinters. They want the designers to be really fast in coming out with new and innovative designs. The time to ideate and conceptualise is not given. Also the anxiety and fear of failure dominates,” he said.

The drivers and users of commercial vehicles adapt themselves to the existing features offered by the OEMs. The requirements of the users are many though they may not reveal. It is the responsibility of the designer to observe and understand. Even a commercial vehicle has to be designed based on the user expectations to provide them the value, Sathiyaseelan said. For trucks, the fleet owners may not bother about aesthetics. But for LCVs it is different. More than 70 percent are owner-driven and it is almost like their personal vehicle. In the case of buses, especially in country like India, the users are generally not well informed about the design of bus, especially the exteriors. They only talk about the subtle understanding of their design. The designers’ participation in commercial vehicle is paramount in the perceivable aesthetic quality. The design should be more functional for commercial vehicles since they are revenue generators. For instance, even designing the handle to open the cabin has to be ergonomically and aesthetically designed.

others,” Manickam added.

Exterior & Interior Designing the exterior of a vehicle is constrained by certain aspects like the aerodynamics and presence of the essential parts like the lamps and radiator grills and vents. Manickam said that it is here that the designing starts. Making bold statements will help designers overcome these constraints. And these statements or stories will start flowing from customers or from some external inspirations. There can be bold statements in such a way that even part of the chassis may be made visible as a style element. However, it would be difficult for OEMs to make such initiatives. For the interiors the designers have to offer an experience to the users. The fast changing scenario, where the life cycle of products gets squeezed, is an opportunity for the designers.

The design challenge in commercial vehicle is in adapting the best practises from elsewhere in the world to the Indian conditions. “Design is about cohesiveness. Car is about bones and muscles while the commercial vehicles are extension of a living room; it is an architecture. Designer should be a poet and a corealtor,” Sathiyaseelan said. Designing public vehicles has to be given a special treatment. Like Facebook, these vehicles should enable the users to share with AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 33


COVER STORY

According to Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group, “Even the use of future car may be different. It may be an office on wheels, a drawing room, game room or theatre on wheels. When the car is driverless what do you do as you have nothing to do? This will be daunting question for designers.” The designers have to be agile as the cycle time for designing will be very short. Eventually the entire ecosystem that comprises of design, manufacturing planning, production, vendor development etc., need to be geared up to move in tandem with the fast pace of change. Design is not only the look and feel but a defining an experience. Therefore, it is necessary to go to the field and understand user concerns. The designers need to be both way connected.

Drawing Board Hurdles There are many practical hurdles the designers have to cross when practicing all the theories and lessons they have assimilated. For the immediate requirements the designers may not have flexibility. They will be limited by form, beauty and cost. In India most of the customers are looking at the immediate requirements. There will also be others who are long-term and futuristic in their present needs. The huge and hierarchical OEMs will resist even a small innovation if cost or time is at stake. Decisionmaking is slow as proposals have to pass through the corridors of power centres. “I believe that start-up are

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going to disrupt the eco-system and there will be many of them coming to the fore in the near future,” Manickam said. For the beginners failure is part of the growth process and the young designers with the will to conquer will succeed. This is not a culture with OEMs. The new developments like increasing electronics and internet of things etc, will be spearheaded by the new, smaller companies. The OEMs will continue to be adapters of these technologies. The challenge in transportation design is to give the user the maximum experience to make him get attached to the vehicle emotionally. There has to be an emotional connect. It has to fall in line with his sub-conscious system. By means of tweaking the profile, colour and making asymmetric the vehicle can be made to appear smaller. This will enable the vehicle makers to try different models without even changing the dimensions. When it comes to interiors of a bus where there will be multiple users, the objective is to follow all the regulations. Therefore, there is very little for the commercial vehicle designers to follow. However, this is a challenge if the designer has to really look at enhancing the looks of the bus, Sathiyaseelan said.

The Way Ahead Ultimately the designers have to be agile, nimble footed and should understand the needs of the endusers. Design for cost innovation is also important. The success of the design lies in the value proportions and the ambience and experience that the vehicle gives. The designs have to be synthesised into contemporary expectations with exotic surfaces and colours. This is possible only if the designers’ imagination is let loose and they make use of the opportunity to be free thinkers. Artist designers like Shombit Sengupta asks why a car should be symmetrical, why the tyre should only be black, why the interior should be of mono-colour. Such free thinking different initiatives have to be supported and encouraged by the management. The product also is very important; so is marketing. The marketing people have to set in around because the customer is buying a dream. In the dream the product is supreme, but not an end in itself. Sale depends on the strength and intrinsic quality of the product. Design should reveal this unique quality which makes the dream buy worthwhile. Finally in the present sustainable world order, designers have to think of the end. Earth is no more a junkyard. As Anirban Ghosh has put it, “We have to design disposal-friendly cars: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Photos Courtesy: Ashok Leyland, Centroid.



COVER STORY

Estech May Expand From Digital Designing To Prototyping In India By Sharad Matade

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stech India, a unit of the French high-technology design and prototyping company, which opened office in Pune in 2013 to focus on digital designing, plans to do prototyping if customers demand. Estech entered India with digital design services. Physical prototyping is the next stage. “In India we want to go step by step. We will expand according to the market needs,” Jonathan Balcerzak, Director, Estech India, said. The French company has designed more than 15 well-known concept cars including Renault’s EO Lab, Citroen’s Survolt, Tubik, Lacoste and Revolte, and Toyota’s Prius C and FT-CH. “Though many renowned automotive OEMs have their own design studios in India, they need suppliers who can provide service onsite or offshore in the areas of CAS and A-class services. We are such a high quality service provider and hence we are in India. Apart from this, we always prefer to work closely with our customers wherever they are.

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Our philosophy is to work with OEMs as business partners,” he said. Indian OEMs are planning to launch new vehicles in almost all the segments. Hence we see fair opportunity for us in Indian automotive market in the field of digital design,” Ghislain Cailliau, another Director at Estech India, said. India’s automotive industry is one of the most Jonathan Balcerzak competitive and largest in the world and also a company, it faces a few challenges. prominent auto exporter and has According to Balcerzak, the main strong export growth expectations. challenge is to get projects for The India office was established in off-shore development from India. Pune, considering the presence of “Indian automotive OEMs prefer to many auto companies and the lack of hire manpower on-site rather than design institutes in the city, he said. off-shore development. The intention is to control the confidentiality, the The Challenges provider’s time, activity, and quality. Though Estech prefers to be In Europe and the US, OEMs prefer considered as a business partner of off- shore development because OEMs in the field of CAS and A-class they see this as a practical and services, being an outsourcing efficient business solution to enhance


productivity,” he said. Another major challenge is pricing. “The Indian automotive OEMs offer low price and expect high quality output. Meeting pricing requirement is a big challenge for us. In digital modelling, quality is an important aspect. The data which the modellers produce are used for the production of vehicles and this can be achieved only if they have high level of knowledge and skills. It is a costly affair,” Cailliau said.

Skill Development In the designing field, having fair knowledge of engineering and design sense is essential and this type of skill is not easily available in India. Estech India has hired fresh graduates in their India office. “If a person is passionate about this field, he can gain missing knowledge. Fresh graduates are easily trained and moulded as per our company’s requirement. But we still face scarcity of good designing schools in India to churn out required designers,” Cailliau said. Currently Estech’s India office offers

only digital modelling service, though it intends to repeat the success story of its parent company in France. Estech France, established in 2001, started as a digital design company and later entered into prototyping for automotive and other industries. Today, it has more than 140 employees and primarily focuses on industrial design, computer graphics and real time visualisation, digital modelling and engineering and physical prototyping. “Globally, Estech is a brand that provides solutions for all OEMs’ needs in digital design and prototyping services to deliver project

in the given schedule with our excellent knowledge and skilled staff. We have a successful track record of 15 years of experience in European market equipped with a full- fledged physical prototyping workshop to make concept cars. A unique blend of corporate values, skilled and experienced staff, and state of the art technology are the key factors in providing a complete service, from advanced analysis and creativity phase to working prototype models, to customers across the globe,” Balcerzak said.

Design Process The company’s global process for design starts from analysis, design concepts, 3D concept modelling, A-Class modelling, real time visualisation, communication, milling for validation, human machine interface, mock-up, electronic, interior lighting and final functional prototype. Designing a concept car is a complex process and the design studios have to involve with the OEMs and other vendors in different stages of the development. “Except for the first stage (Styling done by the manufacturer), we play the main role in designing and building a concept car,” Balcerzak said. The process starts with the design and styling of the concept car provided by the OEM. “Sometimes, it could be a rough sketch of the concept car. Initially to develop A-Class data, we work closely with the styling team of the car manufacturer,” he said. In parallel to finalising A-class data, Estech’s technical team starts to define the main components of the concept cars: Chassis, mechanical components, engine, body

Ghislain Cailliau

openings, and interior and exterior parts. “In physical realisation stage, our team works on mould feasibility, and then build them. We realise the parts with composite process (carbon fibre), by milling or with rapid prototyping,” Cailliau said. In parallel, all the electric and electronic architecture is defined, realised and tested on separate test areas. “Pre-assembly is a key stage of the realization of the concept car. Before finishing the part, we mount all the part (interior and exterior), including the good gaps, to validate all the concepts and the assembly processes. In finishing operations, we prepare and finish all the parts by different process-painting, trimming, chroming etc. The last stage for a concept car is the final assembly. The different teams mount all the parts; E/E team integrate all the E/E system and cabling, and make the last tests and validation to ensure that the concept car will be fully functional,” Cailliau said.

AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 37


SPECIAL REPORT

Catalytic Converters Need Scale-Up To Meet Regulatory Standards By Louis Rumao

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ollutants from internal combustion engines have undesirable effect on air quality, environment, and consequently, on human health. Technologies like fuel-efficient engine design, superior tuning of the combustion process, fuel pre-treatment, or alternative fuels etc. are useful in reducing exhaust emissions. But a catalytic converter is found to be the best option to control HC, CO and NOx emissions from vehicles. A catalytic converter is placed inside the tailpipe and in a 3-way action oxidizes CO & HC into CO2 & H2O, and reduces NOx into N2 and O2. Catalytic converters came into widespread use after their rollout in the US market in 1975. Since then, catalytic converters have become the standard in exhaust pollution control. Significant developments in automotive catalytic converters have occurred, with three-way catalysts (TWC) representing probably the most important of these developments. Their efficiency at transforming carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and unburned hydrocarbons (HC) resulted in a dramatic reduction in air pollution even as more cars were added to the road. However, major challenges remain, particularly because of regulatory demands for increased performance. Design goals for the next-generation catalytic converters include: (1) high activity and selectivity; (2) very fast activity; (3) 38 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

high thermal stability; and (4) high oxygen storage capacity. Diesel engine emission control systems also require particulate filters for removing particulate matter (PM). In the current catalytic converter technology for lean burn diesel engines, the emission control system includes two separate components: A catalytic converter for oxidizing CO and hydrocarbons, and a separate device for capturing and reducing carbon particulate matter (PM) and NOx. As regulations continue to restrict the number of small particles that can be emitted by diesel vehicles, the importance of finding a highly efficient filter that does not compromise performance and fuel mileage becomes increasingly important.

Exposure To Catalyst The content of the platinum group metals (PGMs) in a converter depends on the engine displacement and the type of fuel used and varies dramatically. The formulation can consist of only Pt, or various ratios of Pt-Pd-Rh, Pt-Rh, and Pd-Rh. The recoverable amounts of Pt, Pd, and Rh in each can range from 1-2 grams for a small car to 12-15 grams for a big truck. Rhodium and palladium have increasingly substituted Pt, and iridium-based catalysts have recently been introduced. Some research data indicate that platinum concentrations in ambient air from exhaust range from

approximately 4 – 100 picogram per cubic meter, depending upon volume of traffic and severity of driving. The nano-crystalline platinum particles are attached to micrometer-sized aluminum oxide particles. Although the database on these platinum group metals is small, there is no evidence that they pose a health risk to the people.

Recycling Of Converters Most of the recycled catalytic converters come from cars manufactured 10 to 15 years ago. Catalytic converter recycling is a big business and plays a significant part in the effort to feed the constant demand for, and scarce supply of, platinum group metals (PGMs). There are dozens of companies that purchase spent catalytic converters to recover the PGMs. According to the 2015 Platinum Group Metals Mineral Commodity Study by the US Geological Survey, an estimated 155,000 kg of platinum, palladium and rhodium was recovered globally from new and old scrap in 2014, including about 50,000 kgrecovered from automobile catalytic converters in the US. The collected scrap converters’ steel casing is opened to separate the honeycomb-structured ceramic material. The ceramic is then sorted, crushed, milled. In contrast, converters with a metallic substrate are first shredded or milled,



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and then the metallic parts are separated using magnets. In both cases, the materials are pulverized to a maximum 250µm and then processed to recover the PGM catalyst. In many recovery techniques, large furnaces are used to melt the catalysts, along with fluxes and strong acids or chemicals. An Australian company, Wintermute Metals, has patented a process which does not use strong chemicals, as reported in the Mining Weekly magazine in August 2012. The patented Wintermute Process entails a dilute acidic, oxidizing leach of the crushed catalyst, says business development and investor relations director Barry Epstein. “The catalyst is removed from the steel containers, after which it is crushed and leached for a short period in dilute acid, which contains several chlorine containing compounds at a relatively low temperature (90 ˚C) 40 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

and at atmospheric pressure. This process converts the PGMs to water-soluble metal complexes, which are filtered from the matrix material and precipitated, by using recycled aluminum cans. The acid and reagents are then collected and reused for the next round of processing,” he explains.

Catalytic Converter Theft Catalytic converters are appealing to robbers as an easy source of quick reward! Unlike, many other automotive components, these generally cannot be traced back to a particular vehicle. Further, a catalytic converter can be stolen in less than two minutes using a simple wrench or a batterypowered reciprocating saw. Catalytic converter thefts typically happen to vehicles that are parked for prolonged periods in large lots, such as shopping centers, mass transit commuter lots or company parking lots. Vehicles that sit higher from the ground, such as trucks,

pick-ups and SUVs, are particularly vulnerable to catalytic converter theft because thieves can slide underneath without having to jack up the vehicle to gain access to the converter. According to various police departments, who investigate these robberies, thieves can sell catalytic converters to repair shops for about $100-150, while metal recyclers may pay $20-$200 for one depending on whether it contains platinum, palladium, rhodium or gold as the catalyst in it. The recyclers then extract the metal and resell it for as much as $200 a gram, as in the case of rhodium. It costs around $1000 to replace a stolen catalytic converter. To combat catalytic converter thefts, a number of localities have passed laws tightening the restrictions on metal scrap dealers. In many cases, dealers are required to verify the seller’s identity with a photo ID and maintain complete records of sellers for 5 years.



SPECIAL REPORT

ACMA Steers Its Members On Road To Quality, Innovation APA Bureau

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he 56th Annual Session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers’ Association of India (ACMA) in New Delhi underlined the importance of ‘quality and innovation’ for vehicle and component manufacturers to position India among the top three automotive industries in the world as the Automotive Mission Plan 2026 envisions. For this ACMA has armed itself with the theme ‘Winning with Quality & Innovation’ to sharpen the capabilities of the Indian automotive component industry to develop new and market-winning products. ACMA wants its members to be global in quality standards and technological excellence to be partners of OEMs in their new and challenging endeavours. Anant Geete, Union Minister for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, said at the session that , “the auto component industry has

42 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

displayed excellent performance in the last decade. The growth has generated tremendous employment opportunities for India’s population, of which 55 percent are young. Since the automotive industry will be the primary contributor to the growth of the manufacturing sector and to the ‘Make in India’ programme, we will help resolve all issues and concerns of the industry by giving it our full support. The implementation of GST will further boost the prospects of the industry.” Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, said, “this year the automotive industry had a satisfactory performance achieving an overall growth of eight percent with exports of Rs. 70,000 crore. In the coming years the government’s focus will be to adopt economic policies that are conducive to the growth of the industry and help strengthen exports.

Innovation, technology and quality will be the three main pillars for the competitiveness of the industry. We have the potential to grow exponentially from the current Rs. 4.5 lakh crore to Rs. 20 lakh crore in the next 10 years, making us one of the world’s foremost.”

Innovate To Succeed The world over, new manufacturing technologies and more stringent regulations are transforming the automotive industry. Electrification, connectivity, autonomous driving, and advanced materials for manufacturing are acting as the agents of the inevitable change. The component groups can hardly escape from the powerful impact of these emerging trends. The traditional suppliers will have to refashion their product catalogues to be relevant. Innovation is no more a choice but an irrevocable imperative. Only innovators and


disruptive players will emerge victorious. Competition is too tough to be complacent.

enable the industry and India to become an attractive destination for investments.

Arvind Balaji, President of ACMA, said, “Globally, the automotive landscape is rapidly changing with the integration of digital and intelligent technologies in vehicles, much stronger environmental considerations, reduced use of fossil fuels, enhancement of safety features and changing consumer preferences. The concept of digitization of the manufacturing sector is fast emerging. Changes such as these and others will have to be addressed by the auto component industry by investing significantly in R&D and creation of new products.”

Guenter Butschek, CEO and MD of Tata Motors, emphasised the importance of quality and innovation. “There’s no room for lack of transparency, there’s lots of room for communication. Quality and innovation are the cornerstones of success in today’s business environment,” he said.

“We as an industry have to graduate from one that merely ‘builds from print’ to one that ‘innovates and experiments’. To achieve this, the component industry needs to strengthen its relation with the OEMs to become development partners. This calls for ‘sharing risks’ in new areas especially those related to technology and product development,” Rattan Kapur, Vice President, ACMA & Chairman & Managing Director, Mark Exhaust Systems said. All of these would

R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India, said that the auto component manufacturers need to have a singular focus to scale up their businesses with quality and technology. “The industry needs to invest in design capability, and in world-class testing and manufacturing facilities. It has to improve profitability of operations to become integral to the global supply chains,” he added.

McKinsey Study ACMA released at the event a study conducted by McKinsey & Co. titled `Winning with Quality and Innovation’. It said the auto component industry, to stay competitive, will have to develop capabilities for in-house design, harness frugal engineering and create product differentiation

through innovations. The report indicated that culture is the most critical dimension of quality since about 30 percent of quality outcomes are linked to culture. However, these culture shifts are not possible without having leaderships’ commitment to quality and innovation. Historically innovations were driven by the European suppliers while the Asian counterparts lagged behind. In the changing global marketplace, the report observed, there is significant room for the Indian suppliers to innovate. The innovation need not be limited to products. Process, portfolio and business model innovations are equally important and value-creating. A move towards product and process innovation and organisation-wide culture of quality and innovation will be integral to this change. The study has outlined the emerging trends that help the component suppliers move to the next phase of growth. These trends indicate that by 2030, almost 65 percent of new passenger vehicles will be hybrid or electric, over 50 percent of them will have integrated infotainment units and there will be about 300 million lines of software code per vehicle. There will also be 20 percent AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 43


ACMA Award Winners - 2016

SPECIAL REPORT

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reduction in cost owing to poor quality over the next 10 years driven by precision manufacturing and tightening regulations that drive efficient powertrains.

beginning with the scrapping of commercial vehicles of more than 15 years. This will trigger 22 percent growth of the automotive industry.

Government Support

About one lakh acres have been made available in Kandla to make an auto cluster, where the old cars would be scrapped. The scrap aluminium, copper and steel would be supplied to manufacturers at cheaper rates The implementation of the

The recent Government initiatives such as the scrapping policy and the passing of the Goods and Services Tax Bill are going to give major boost to the automotive industry. The policy will be implemented in phases,

goods and services tax (GST) is expected to help the industry as it will help reduce logistic costs. As part of the programme awards were presented for Excellence in Exports, Excellence in Technology, Excellence in Quality and Productivity, Excellence in Supplier Development, Excellence in Manufacturing and Excellence in HR. Besides, awards were also presented to the 11th National QC Winners.

Rattan Kapur Is New ACMA President

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CMA has announced the appointment of Rattan Kapur, Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Exhaust Systems, as President, and Nirmal K. Minda, Chairman and Managing Director, Minda Industries, as Vice President, for 2016-17. Accepting the new responsibility, Kapur said, “It

is an honour and privilege to be appointed as President of ACMA, which is the apex body of the Indian Auto Component Industry. Serving as the Vice President of ACMA for the past one-year has given me an opportunity to work closely with its members, understand the issues, challenges and roadblocks that the auto components industry has been

facing.” “The auto component industry has progressed well in the last decade and is prepared for the next phase of growth. Going forward, the industry will have to focus on innovation and manufacturing excellence, with quality as the bedrock, offering distinct value proposition to rapidly globalising automotive supply chains.”

AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 45


SPECIAL REPORT

SIAM Shows The Way To Sustainable Mobility APA Bureau

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he Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) held its 56th Annual Convention in New Delhi with the theme, ‘Building the Nation, Responsibly’. The Indian automotive industry, expected to be among the top three in the world in engineering, manufacture and exports of vehicles and components by 2026, is drawing a sustainable roadmap and seeking regulatory norms on safety, emission control, and fuel efficiency. In order to act responsibly SIAM requested the government for a single ministry, and single clearance for the industry. It also urged the government to increase the outlay under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric (FAME) vehicles scheme. FAME is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan which was brought to promote eco-friendly vehicles. The scheme was launched last year offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for two-wheelers and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars. Reiterating the Government’s support to the Industry, the Minister of Heavy 46 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Industries and Public Enterprises, Anant G Geete, said that India is looked upon as the world’s youngest nation as it has the most number of people below 35 years. It should use this youth power by giving them jobs. And the automotive industry has the biggest scope for providing these jobs. If jobs fall in agriculture, only industry can make good this shortfall. “The automotive industry has played a key role in the ‘Make in India’ programme. Environment is one of the biggest concerns for the sector. We have therefore allocated Rs 14,000 crore for the FAME vehicles scheme for promoting hybrid and electric mobility, which will save Rs 60,000 crore fuel, thereby benefitting the environment,” the Minister said.

Single Window “We appreciate the support from the Minister and the Ministry of Heavy Industries. We welcome the Government’s efforts in passing the GST Bill, but request that there be no more than two rates for the automotive industry. The industry is facing new challenges in providing sustainable mobility for the masses. In order to make practical and

rational regulations, we seek a single ministry, single window for the industry,” SIAM President Vinod Dasari said. This is the second year of the twoyear pilot FAME scheme and the industry has seen quite encouraging response from the customers, he said. However, he said, the automobile industry suffered a loss of Rs 4,500 crore in the last eight months after the ban on the registration of diesel vehicles with engines above 2,000cc in Delhi NCR. This put manufacturers in a tight spot. Recently the ban was lifted with one percent green cess.

Shifting Game John Moavenzadeh, Head of Mobility Industries, World Economic Forum on Global Trends in Mobility, USA, said at the Convention that the world is witnessing the 4th industrial revolution and a shifting automotive game. “The 4th industrial revolution is not categorised by one single technology but by many. The global automotive industry is in the midst of a more profound transformation

M E


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not seen in the past 100 years. Automotive demand is undergoing a seismic shift between developed and emerging economies. The automotive game is changing from volume to value; from the customer’s focus on the product to the mobility experience; from customer-driven vehicles to software-driven ones,” he said. Ariel Sella, Managing Director, Capsula – Smart Mobility, Tel Aviv University, said, “In 1908, there was huge disruption caused by gasoline, with mobility moving from horse carriages to cars. Now in 2016, Smart Mobility is triggering disruptions. Smart Mobility is about applying data and sensing communications in vehicles.” “The automotive industry is conscious of its responsibility to provide cleaner and safer mobility. The industry will see a transition from horsepower to processing power,” Pawan Munjal, Chairman, MD and CEO of Hero MotoCorp said. The Indian automotive industry

needs to identify technologies based on global megatrends and regulations and deep dive into the industry to map products in order to be FutuReady, Guenter Butschek, Chief Executive Officer and MD, Tata Motors, said. “Taking into account challenges such as safety, pollution, unemployment and lack of adequate resources, it is imperative for the leading automobile manufacturers to focus on developing ‘sustainable mobility solutions’ in addition to nurturing skilled engineers and people managers rather technocrats and theory masters,” he said.

Collective Action According to a KPMG report, India is currently ranked sixth in terms of production of passenger vehicles, second in production of small cars, buses and two-wheelers and fourth in heavy commercial vehicles. It is the only developing country after China amongst the top vehicle manufacturing countries. This is because a lot of multinational

companies are exporting in large numbers from India taking advantage of the lower cost production. To seize the opportunity as well as make vision 2025 a reality, active participation and collaboration by public agencies, leading policy thinktanks, auto makers, parts suppliers, academia and research institutions is necessary. The KPMG report said by 2025’ the Indian auto industry is likely to have more integrated and intelligent transport systems aided by smart public transport solutions, dramatic reduction in accidents aided by smart infrastructure and vehicle technologies, a game changer in the field of green mobility. The future will be driven by the nexus of all these significant trends: ITS, multi-modal solutions, smart infrastructure and advanced safety and connectivity features in vehicles. Each of these measures is important in itself but collaboration and cocreation among the stakeholders, can create an unstoppable force for change.

SIAM Re-elects Vinod Dasari As President

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IAM has re-elected Ashok Leyland Managing Director Vinod K Dasari as its President. Ravinder Pisharody, Executive Director (Commercial Vehicles), Tata Motors will continue to serve as Vice President while Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Maruti Suzuki India, retains his position as Treasurer, SIAM.

48 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016



INSIGHTS

Nationality And Road Safety By Stefan Pertz

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t is a good question, what does my nationality have to do with road safety? I could tell you. In one word. But I would rather discuss this a bit. Several times I have been asked why I would get involved in road safety in countries that aren’t mine. I would answer: Why not? Just imagine a tourist arrives in a new country where he experiences how people drive. This is unavoidable as one would use taxis, walk around or even take a long distance coach to see the countryside. It is here where an opinion about road safety is formed. Such a tourist would come back and tell his / her friends about the conditions found there. I’ve lived in Malaysia for a long time, and I am not just a casual observer. I think, we can all make a difference when it comes to road safety. Why not tell the cabbie to slow down? Why not ask the trucker not to park in a way that would block the view onto the street when you exit your office building’s car park? Surely, this would impact you no matter what the colour of your passport is. I also stick my neck out to defend local truck drivers. Yes, there are some that aren’t adhering to the rules and it is those that we hope to reach with Asian Trucker and the activities we run. Sometimes I comment on Facebook posts that deal with road safety. Some respond by telling me that it isn’t my business as I am not a local. 50 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Stefan Pertz

Really? I think I have all the right in the world to talk about this as, even without spending every day around truckers, I can observe driving behaviour. Also, I may have some views that I bring with me and could constructively add to the discussion. Don’t you think that I should have the right to comment on behaviour of people around me? I could also comment that people are irresponsible when they throw rubbish on the ground. Or maybe I can comment on the skills of local chefs, comparing the cooking skills of locals with those in Europe. Oh, hang on, I can’t do this as I am not a local! I would rather ask what qualifies a local that hasn’t got much to do with commercial vehicles, other than sharing the road, to comment on such issues. Perhaps it could also be the case of the Japanese consultant that urged us to pretend to be a fish in a

bowl and jump out to get a different point of view? I would argue that sometimes we actually need outsiders to give things a fresh perspective or impetus. So why can’t a foreigner be involved in road safety? In short, my nationality has nothing to do with road safety. And yet, it is everything to do with it. Funnily, we get criticised when we get involved in something that the locals aren’t touching. If everyone would do their part for road safety, nobody would need to make noise, no foreigner, no local. And to those thinking that I am disqualified to talk about this topic as a result of having the “wrong” passport, I would like to remind them that I am also a participant on the roads just as they are. I invite those to join us in our effort to make the roads safer. (Stefan Pertz is the Editor of Asian Trucker Malaysia & Asian Buses; views expressed are personal)



EVENT

Surface Coating

Concerted Actions On Corrosion Control Under Way APA Bureau

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orrosion is an annihilator. It eats away about 4-5 percent of global GDP worth about $ 2.5 trillion. In India alone the corrosion loss is estimated to be $ 67 billion. If the damage to environment and the loss of production and resources are added, the magnitude of the global loss would be mind boggling Concerted actions are under way globally and nationally. India is finalising a National Chemical Policy and a National Corrosion Mission to bring corrosion control to the mainstream of programmes and projects in the industrial and other important sectors of production and processing. Every industry, big or small, will have to submit reports on their corrosion management plan as it will become a national priority. Preparation of a corrosion atlas of India also is proposed. Setting of a 10-year target to bring down the corrosion loss to one percent of GDP, and the need to move from systematic procedures to systemic plans and standardisation also are being highlighted.

52 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Corrosion management was the topic of deliberations at a recent conference and exposition organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Chennai, India. Key speakers like Baldev Raj, Chairman, CII Corrosion Management Committee and Director, National Institute for Advance Studies, said there should be a paradigm shift in the corrosion control procedures and processes by making them more pragmatic and bringing them to the shop floor. The environment-friendly and super-hydrophobic coatings developed in the laboratories should reach the end-users, he said. Creating quality awareness, presenting the best practices and guidelines on do’s and don’ts for the people engaged in corrosion management, and corrosion audits are important for preventing corrosion losses, he added. Another important aspect of corrosion control research and application is that “we have to look at the intrinsic corrosion resistance of materials. We have to make materials self-healing like the centuries-old iron

pillar in Delhi and the bronze statues of our ancient temples, Baldev Raj, a Nuclear Scientist, said.

Wide-ranging Deliberations The two-day conference in over 10 sessions, some running in parallel, on challenges in creating good surface, better coating and lasting performance, discussed topics like: Advances and new technologies in surface preparation; Latest trends and technologies in paints and coatings; Latest technologies in paint shop; Surface and coatings quality, testing and instrumentation; Environment and safety, the requirements and best practices; Future trends and specialty in coatings etc. John Kochilla, Worldwide Business Manager, Paint Support Technologies, Atotech Group, talked about low temperature / long life green pre-treatment processes. He explored the possibilities of obtaining real life economic, environmental and process improvement benefits through long life and low temperature cleaners coupled with zirconium


metal surface preparation. Sadasivan S Iyer, Senior Technical Manager (automotive coatings) Kansai Nerolac Paints, said the coating technology has developed progressively in line with other engineering innovations, especially with the evolving concepts like end-ofvehicle. He said it is necessary to consider certain key factors such as physical and chemical characteristics, weathering properties and resistance to gasoline, alkali and abrasion. Speaking on efficient and low complexity paint application, Pavel Svejda, Sales, Application Technology, Durr Systems, GmbH, said the eco-paint application system covers all aspects of efficiency in production process to keep the unit costs sustainable while ensuring better quality and low complexity. The continuous development and introduction of smart products serve as the basis for reduction of energy consumption, material usage and emissions. M K Ganesan, Managing Director, Prism Surface Coatings, said disruptive innovation is happening around us in every field but, “we continue with the same kind of practices over the last four decades. The breakthrough technology that the company presented can disrupt

current painting practices in surface coating industry, in addition to mapping the future potential�. Michael Ambachers, Senior Manger, General Finishing, Eisenmann SE, Germany, spoke about the ingeniously simple dry separation system for paint shop while Ravichandran, Director, Sartime Horological, presented a case study on zero discharge in automotive industry.

Factors Of Innovation Stephen Gaydos, Technical Fellow, Boeing Research and Technology, USA, said in order to address the innovation required to meet the emerging needs and challenges, the company considers three factors: Innovation will come from diverse areas; it is necessary to use less hazardous materials and lean processes and finally innovative technology solutions will need to be integrated across different fields of materials and processing. Onnen Von Bredow, Vice President and Head, Asia Pacific, Dorken MKS-Systeme Gmbh, said whether it is automotive or construction or wind energy, these industries have relied on zinc flake technology for over three decades. This

process plays to its strengths in the processing of small bulk parts with extremely low coat thickness and high durability; besides, it is also used on large parts with extensive coating surfaces. Speaking on powder coating with robotics, Suprotik Das, Managing Director, Nordson, said the benefits of High Density Low Volume (HDLV) power coating equipment, when coupled with robotics deliver advanced application and process technology thereby providing increased productivity and grater repeatability, resulting in better savings. X Arokianathan, Managing Director, Vitech Enviro Systems, talked about efficient power curing methods and technology while Mukesh Mendiratta, Vice President and COO, Nihon Parkerizing, deliberated on lubricant coating for cold forging applications.

Green Tech. The cleaning technology has evolved with the demand from the industry for zero-defect. Irrespective of whether it is simple painting or sophisticated thin film coating, cleaning is of utmost importance, said K V Aithal, Director, VPS Technology India. Speaking on green processes for plating on plastics and decorative plating, Joseph Randazzo, Decorative Plating Expert, Global OEM Team, Atotech, said with the use of auxiliary equipments and the recycling of valuable materials, Atotech is able to eliminate environmentally harmful ingredients and the increase the cost efficiency of plating technologies. AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 53


EVENT

Functionalism Gains Ground APA Bureau From the way the automotive technology is evolving, people speak of future vehicles as electric, driverless, autonomous, voice responsive and so on. But hardly anyone predicts how a future car will look: Its overall shape, the external contours, the interior, and its colour or colours. There will also be new challenges in giving shape to the shapeless fantasises and brilliant new needs. Functionalism is gaining ground in automotive design. The Tamil Nadu Technology Development and Promotion Centre of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), invited the present day automotive designers to dare a look into the future shape of the mobility tools, and the contradictions they may face, at the 2nd edition of the Conference on Future of Automotive Design, with the theme: `Design Empowering Tomorrow’, in Chennai on August 19, 2016. Some interesting observations are presented in the following lines.

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In

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utomotives which started as solution for pollution have become the cause of pollution and other allied problems like temperature rise and resource constraints. Society is responding to these challenges the Earth is facing by changing the methods of mobility. Most of the cars, even buses, in 2030 will be electric and self-driven cars. In the automotives IC (internal combustion) then will mean Integrated Chip. At the same time technology is helping to reduce people’s need to travel through video conferencing, virtual reality and internet of things. Radical change will happen in the nature of automotives. It will become necessary to design a vehicle in a world without oil, coal, nuclear power and very little natural gas, according to Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group. The seed for such a change is already sown. Weight reduction of vehicles, fuel efficiency, smaller batteries with longer range, change in the use of materials - from steel to aluminium, plastic to carbon fibre etc are happening. Tomorrow’s car may be made by entirely different

manufacturers. Designers have to be radically innovative as the use of future car may be different. “It may be an office on wheels, a drawing room, game room or theatre on wheels. When the car is driverless what do you do as you have nothing to do? This will be daunting question for designers,” Ghosh said. As the Earth is no more a junkyard, designers have to think of the end. They will have to design disposalfriendly cars.

Changing Perceptions A car has been the most preferred mode of mobility and acted as a symbol of one’s worth in many aspects. People have started thinking differently of this asset.

Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Jyot Chadha, Head, Initiative to Catalyze Urban Innovation, EMBARQ India, said many people now think that ‘car is a terrible asset to own. It is 100 percent owned by an individual, is often 80 percent empty and 90 percent stationary.’ As mobility is becoming more and more automatic, connected, electric and sustainable, people’s attitude towards owning a car is undergoing

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EVENT

four handles be of different size and shape? Why the inside of a car generally be of mono colour? Why is the dash board always of boring colour? Why are the engineering parts inside the bonnet generally balck? Why the tyres are black and rims boring? These questions were raised by Shombit Sengupta, Chairman, Shining Consulting Pvt Ltd, who said “my background is fine arts and fine arts is the genesis of automotive design.”

drastic changes. An indication to this is the rapid decrease in the number of new licences in the US and other countries. The personal ownership and usage also is down 50 percent. Car is no more considered as a best way to travel. Car-sharing options, more use of public transport which has become more convenient with no traffic jams and no worries over parking, and the development of mobility as a service through car, and even bus, aggregators are helping the new development. There are five discernible mobility trends: Shared mobility is opening new markets; Ride-sharing platforms are disrupting informal markets; Commuter experience is driving new business; Product innovation is changing human behaviour; and Data-driven decision-making is optimising systems and processes.

The Birth Pangs As concepts of a product changes the design process also should take new routes. The shape of things to come cannot just be taken for granted. Amit Jain, Country Head, Electronics Group, India Visteon, said that the design considerations like looks, the exterior or interior, the lights, the visual design or sound design cannot be an afterthought, an 56 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

addition to an already made vehicle. It does not work like that. There should a thought process, even a birth process to get not noises but a symphony. An interface has to be designed and created after you have engineered a product. Design considerations have to be there and they should be clear to all working on that product – one strategy, one design and one thought. In an automotive perspective we cannot ignore the developments in the consumer electronics. We have to design with it for seamless experience. Design to adapt, design to fit, design to SOP. We have to design for all these and build scalability in the product we try to design. It is important to stop the obsession with the number of features. Pursue user- driven concepts not the feature-driven concepts. Design for the user, not for the feature.

Farewell To Symmetry, Mono-Colour Symmetry is very important for automotive industry. There should be no compromise on the symmetry of the four wheels. Why not asymmetry on top of them? Why not asymmetry for a vehicle’s visible and touch points? Can’t the

He said he was not speaking for the making of an art car but a mainstream, hard core, mass car. He believes that the future cars will be very colourful. The blend of the company people, the product and the point of sale is required for making a volume that sustains. There should be emotional connect, functional connect, rational connect and a flawless product to make the people-product blend. As a conclusion for his call for a riot of colours in a modern, mass car, Sengupta called for a huge application of fine arts metaphors in automotive design. Address the latent super-blend of people and point of purchase. There should be an extra blend of product to perfect its emotive ability, purpose and flawlessness. Latika Khosla, Founder Director, Freedomtree Design, said the least expensive change that can be made to influence the market for a product is colour. Natural, social, and environmental changes influence colour trend. The importance of colour has been recognised by the automotive OEMs. Colour designers of vehicles think far ahead of time. They meet five years ahead and start working on new colours. There are several changing trends that influence colour choice. Only nature is constant.



EVENT

TTT Expo 2016 Displays Innovative Products, Sets New Trends APA Bureau

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he manufacturers of commercial vehicles and allied sectors showcased their products like different types to spares and supportive devices for trucks, tippers and trailers, hundreds of other related products at the first edition of Truck, Trailer and Tyre Expo (TTT expo) held during August 6-8, 2016, at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore. Innovative products like automatic load closing mechanism and a struggle-free device for tyre removal for replacement were among the attractive innovative products on display at the expo. Organized by the Media Day Marketing , the expo was supported by the Union Ministry of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, and the industry associations like the Hydraulic Trailer Owners Association, Coimbatore Lorry Owners Association, All India Transporters Welfare Association, Tamil Nadu Chambers of Commerce and Industries, the Tamil Chamber of Commerce, All India Motor Transport Congress, Namakkal Taluk Lorry Owners Association, Bangalore Petroleum Dealers Association, Automobiles Workshop Owners Association, and the Coimbatore and Chennai Goods Transport Association. The knowledge partners were Automotive Research

58 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Association of India and International Center for Automotive Technology. It was inaugurated by the President of Coimbatore Lorry Owner’s Association, K.S. Kaliaperumal. The exhibitors from the TTT and allied industries put up over 70 stalls. Seven of them were by the joint ventures of leading companies in the US, Japan, China, Turkey and Germany. The truck industry was represented by Ashok Layland, Eicher, and Volvo. The companies from the trailer industry that displayed their products were Tata International DLT Pvt Ltd, PL Haulwel, Amma Engineering, Transport Solution of India, Safetech Trailer, and King Kaveri Trading Company. From the tyre industry, leading manufacturers like MRF, Apollo Tyres, Michelin, Tyresoles and Tolllins were present. Among the exhibitors from the allied industries were Hindustan Petroleum, Indian Oil, Mansons International, Roop Polymers, Sarveshwari Technologies, KM Translogistic, Galipoglu Hidromas, Gibraltar Air Springs, JHR Overseas, Kross India, Faro Business Technologies, EDSCHA Trailer System, Luthra Industrial Corporation, International Motors, Jasleen Auto, Drives & Drives, Basant Metal Works, Saphire Blue, Auto International, Gajra Gear, ATS Elgi, Nova Gas Techniques, ABC Bearing, IMB Bearing, NRB Bearing.

I m Here, Roger Motors, Pricol Limited, Wheels India, Kalyani Maxion Wheels, Steel Strip Wheels, and JM Tyre Marc.

Visitors’ Profile More than 7000 trade visitors attended the TTT expo, 2016 mainly to gather information about the industry and for networking with the various exhibitors. The Indian visitors were from the cities of Coimbatore, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. They were also from Andhra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The International visitors came from China, Germany, and France. One of its kind, and organized at the level and standard of an international event, the TTT expo received overwhelming response from exhibitors and visitors alike, Director of Media Day Marketing, Mohammed Mudasir Ahmed, said. “It met most of the expectations of exhibitors and visitors and thus has started a new tradition of its own. The extraordinary support garnered by the event motivates us for continuous improvement for greater efficiency in meeting every stakeholder’s expectations and objectives”, he said. The western Tamil Nadu has very influential and powerful truckers associations that also own truck, spares and lubricant dealerships and fuel stations. They offer the products to their members at subsidised rates.


PREVIEW

Automotive Megatrends Plans Three Events In Pune APA Bureau

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utomotive Megatrends, the events division of the UK-based Automotive World, the leading provider of premium automotive industry information, is organising three events on heavy-duty (HD) truck, fuel economy, and connected car on November 29, November30 and December 1, 2016, respectively, in Pune, India. The conference and technology shows on these days will bring together the respective key stakeholders of HD truck, fuel economy initiatives and the people responsible for the revolution of the connected car to network and exchange knowledge to chalk out a roadmap for each of the segments. The conferences of Automotive Megatrends are designed to connect, inform and influence the people who are shaping the automotive industry of tomorrow. The industry news, analysis, research and data of Automotive World have been informing the decision-makers of the auto industry, including the world’s major vehicle manufacturers, since 1992.

HD Truck HD Truck Pune, conference and technology show on November 29, 2016, will discuss topics like Aerodynamics, Fleet Management, Lightweighting, Market Outlook, New Business Models, OEM Strategy, Powertrain Technology, Safety, Supplier Strategy and Telematics. Key stakeholders and experts will discuss the technologies and trends that will drive the evolution of India’s commercial vehicle industry over the next decade and beyond. In the discussions on ‘Improving the efficiency of India’s HD truck fleet’ leading experts will provide unique insight into the technologies and

trends that can boost the efficiency of India’s truck fleets, from driver training to telematics. The other important topics of discussion will be: ‘Recent trends in the development of non-manual transmissions for commercial vehicles’; and `Cost- effective solutions for HD powertrains for Bharat Stage VI.

Fuel Economy Fuel Economy Pune is a one-day conference and technology show on November 30, 2016, that will bring together the stakeholders tasked with creating the fuel-efficient and lightweight cars of tomorrow. The main topics of discussion will be: Alternative Powertrain Technology, Diesel Technology, Emissions Legislation, Gasoline Technology, Lightweighting, Market Outlook, OEM Strategy and Supplier Strategy. Key stakeholders and experts will discuss the powertrain technologies that will lead to greater fuel economy and emissions reduction in passenger vehicles over the next 10 years and beyond. They will also deliberate on the role of weight reduction in obtaining improved fuel economy and emissions reduction in

passenger vehicles. Another subject of discussion will be: ‘Advanced piston technologies to meet fuel economy and EU6 emission norms in India for gasoline and diesel passenger cars.’

Connected Car Connected Car Pune, the oneday conference and technology exhibition on December 1, 2016, will bring together the stakeholders responsible for the evolution of the connected car. The important topics of discussion and exhibition will be: Big Data, Cyber Security, Internet of Things, Location-Based Services, Market Outlook, Monetization, New Business Models, OEM Strategy, Personalization, Safety, Software & Apps, and The Customer. Panel discussion by key stakeholders will cover the technologies and trends that will shape the evolution of the connected car in Asia over the next decade and beyond. In a discussion on ‘Protecting the connected car’ experts will look into the hardware and software technologies designed to protect the connected car, its occupants and their data from online threats. AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 59


PREVIEW

Tips To Make Best Use Of AAPEX APA Bureau

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he Auto-Aftermarket-ProductsExpo-(AAPEX) in Las Vegas from November 1 to 3, 2016 is the single, most important event of the year for the global automotive aftermarket industry. With 2,200 exhibitors, 40-plus AAPEXedu sessions and so much to see and do in Las Vegas, unless well-planned, time can quickly slip away without giving maximum possible and adequate benefits. For the first-timers and even for those who are coming back, here are some tips that will help get the most out of AAPEX 2016. AAPEX represents the $328.2 billion global aftermarket auto parts industry. It is co-owned by the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), the light vehicle aftermarket division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).

Plan Ahead With manufacturers and suppliers from all over the world, the Expo has the latest aftermarket parts and products you need to stay ahead of the curve. It also features designated areas for Tool and Equipment, 60 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Remanufacturing, Automotive Technology, and Heat Transfer and Mobile A/C products (NARSA). To make the most of the Expo, identify the companies you’d like to meet well in advance of AAPEX. The Find Exhibitors and Parts search feature on the AAPEX website, www.aapexshow.com, and the AAPEX Mobile App both give you the opportunity to search by company, product or brand. Both have floor plans to help you see where exhibitors are located, while the Mobile App includes a Planner to help with setting up your itinerary. To download the AAPEX 365 Mobile App, visit:www.aapexshow.com/app.

Explore The New AAPEX is constantly adding new programmes. This year, there’s more technology than ever before. In addition to the all-new Automotive Technology section on the show floor, AAPEX is launching Let’s Tech presentations. Don’t miss these short, 20-minute or less, presentations on a range of technology topics and how they will impact your business.

To see a schedule of Let’s Tech presentations, check the AAPEX website. In addition, the 2016 AAPEXedu programme, beginning on October 31, 2016, will feature all new sessions on connected car opportunities, as well as sessions on next generation marketing, online parts sales, and building your brand and bottom line. All AAPEXedu sessions are offered at no cost. To register, visit: www.aapexshow. com/advert. To gain global insights, make sure to attend the AAPEX 2016 General Session during which retired four-star General Michael Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA), will speak. The General Session will take place on Wednesday, November 2, morning at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Make Reservations The restaurants in Las Vegas are everything you’ve heard and more. From deep-fried Oreos to six-course meals, your taste buds will face temptations they cannot yet imagine. Remember to make your dinner reservations as early as possible, as approximately 160,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from more than 140 countries are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX. To see a list of restaurants and things to do in Las Vegas, visit: www.lasvegas. com.

Onsite Resources To ensure you don’t waste a minute of your time at AAPEX, our team of Ask Joes will be throughout the Sands Expo to answer your questions. Fullserve and self-serve kiosks also will be available. There will also be maps, the AAPEX Buyer’s Guide, which will include a list of all exhibitors, and the AAPEX Express Daily.


Corporate sponsor:

Organised by

June 16-17, 2017 Hyatt Regency, Chennai, India

Breakthrough Technology for Sustainable Future Co- Sponsors

Tea & Coffee Sponsor

Media Partners

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Contact: Antony Powath Email: asp@abm.net.in Mobile: +91 9833 901586

www.atrc.in


ANALYSIS

Vehicle Sales In India Pace Up In July 2016 By ShamPrasad

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uly 2016 has given the right momentum to the ensuing festive season for the automotive industry as the domestic vehicle sales increased 13.22 percent to 1,833,976 from 1,619,771 units sold in the same month last year, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said in its monthly report. Passenger vehicle segment had 16.78 percent year on year growth in July, mostly driven by utility vehicles and new models. Two-wheeler sales continued its upward move on expectation of better than normal monsoon. Commercial vehicle sales recorded only a marginal growth of 0.11 percent. Experts suggest low-fuel cost, expectation of good 62 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

monsoon, and better rural demand led the overall growth.

New Models Passenger vehicles (PVs) had 16.78 percent year on year growth in July 2016 at 259,685 units compared to 222,368 units sold in the same month last year. Demand was mostly driven by utility vehicles, and new models like Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Creta, Toyota Innova Crysta, Mahindra KUV100 and Renault Kwid. Car sales still remained on the slow lane. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), India’s top carmaker by volume, witnessed 14 percent sales growth in the domestic market at 125,778 units compared to 121,712 units in last July. Together with the

export of 11,338 units, Maruti sold 137,116 units with an overall growth of 12.7 percent over the same period of last fiscal. Backed by the high demand for its compact SUV Vitara Brezza, MSIL recorded a whopping 151.3 per cent growth in utility vehicle segment at 17,382 units in July compared to 6916 units in the same month last year. Its utility vehicle segment includes Gypsy, Ertiga, Grand Vitara, S-cross and Vitara Brezza. However, MSIL’s passenger car sales had only a modest 2.2 percent growth. Sales of the small cars Alto and WagonR dropped 7.2 percent and of the compact cars Ritz, Baleno, Swift, Celerio and DZire grew just 4.1percent.


The domestic sales of the second largest carmaker Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) grew 129 percent in July at 41,201 compared to the same month a year ago. Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, HMIL, said that, “Hyundai continues to sustain growth on the performance of Grand i10, Elite i20 and Creta in a market showing improved customer sentiments led by good monsoons, low inflation, reduced interest rates and dropping fuel prices.” Hyundai exported 14,201 units in July 2016 as against 13,908 units during last July, a growth of five percent. Its total sales stood at of 55,807 units reporting an increase of 10.7 percent. The beleaguered German carmaker Volkswagen India sold 4,301 units in July this year as compared to 4,029 units sold in the corresponding month of the previous year. The brand has succeeded in drawing market attention to its made-for-India and made-in-India Ameo. In July 2016, Tata Motors passenger vehicles in the domestic market, recorded a sale of 13,547 units, a year-on-year growth of 31 percent, compared to 10,335 units sold in July 2015. Sales of passenger cars were 43 percent higher at 12,209 units, than the 8,520 units, in July 2015, due to strong demand for the recently launched Tiago. Cumulative sales growth of all passenger vehicles in the domestic market, were 45,062 units, a growth of eight

percent, compared to 41,823 units, in July 2015. Mahindra & Mahindra’s domestic sales were at 35,305 vehicles during July 2016, as against 31,087 vehicles during July 2015, a growth of 14 percent. It sold 17,356 passenger vehicles, which include UVs, cars and vans in July 2016 as against 14,456 during July 2015, a growth of 20 percent. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles segment sold 382 vehicles, registering a growth of 22 percent. Export for July 2016 was at 4,153 vehicles, a growth of 16 percent. Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive (Automotive), M&M Ltd., said, “We are happy to have achieved a growth of 14 percent during July 2016 in the midst of various regulatory challenges. The advent of a good monsoon so far, has brought in positive sentiment for the economy and that is somewhat reflected in our performance. At Mahindra our growth is being driven by the various product launches of the last financial year, which have been in sync with customers’ requirements. With a strong performance in our HCV business as well as our exports, we are hopeful of a positive outlook during the rest of the financial year”. Toyota Kirloskar Motor, which has customers waiting up to two months for the delivery of the new Innova Crysta multi-utility vehicle, posted three percent increase in sales to 12,404. Innova contributed more

than 60 percent to the sales by the local unit of Toyota Motor in July 2016. The company had 9,000 pending orders for the vehicle at the end of July. N Raja, Director of Sales and Marketing, said the performance could have been even better but for the restrictions on large diesel vehicles, which “has stalled the extent of our growth.” While Renault, Nissan Motor and Ford Motor posted strong sales growth in India, sales of Honda Cars India dropped nearly 25 percent.

Two-wheelers Two-wheeler sales continued its uptrend in July 2016 expecting better than normal monsoon and positive market sentiment. The segment recorded a growth of 13.5 percent in July this year at 1,476,340 units compared to 1,300,457 units sold in the same month a year ago. Good demand for scooters continues to pull the market. Most of the two-wheeler manufacturers have reported double-digit growth. The cult bike maker Royal Enfield had the highest 31 percent growth in July compared to the same month a year ago. The Eicher Motors-owned Enfield sold 52,128 units in July 2016 compared to 39,867 units in the same month last year. The Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Honda posted growth of 16 percent from 371,310 units in July 2015 to 429,527 units in July 2016. Its automatic brand Activa

AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 63


Corporate Sponsors

October 4-5, 2016, Sime Darby Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

GO GREEN: Retread, Rebuild & Recap In association with

An initiative jointly organised by

Contact: Antony Powath Email: asp@abm.net.in Mobile: +91 9833 901586

www.asianretreadconference.com Co-Sponsors:

First Day Lunch:

Second Day Lunch:

S R I SRI Elastomers

Supporters:

Tea & Coffee:

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Lanyard Sponsor:

Media Partners:

Associates


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6

Asian Retread Conference 2016 TENTATIVE PROGRAMME Day 1 Time 08:00 09:00 09:10 09:30 09:50 10:15

09:00 09:10 09:30 09:50 10:15 11:00

Tuesday, October 4, 2016 Speaker

Inaugural Session

Company

Title

Registration and Refreshments John Powath Asian Business Media (ABM), India Welcome Address Edoardo Salaorni Marangoni Meccanica, Italy Opening Address Dato’ Dr. Ong Eng Long MRPMA, Malaysia Keynote Address Datuk Dr. Mohd Akbar Md Said Malaysian Rubber Board, Malaysia Presidential & Inaugural Address Tea / Coffee Break and Tour of Exhibits

Session 1 - Industry Overview 11:00

11:30

Chin Hon Meng

TRMAM, Malaysia

11:30 12:00

12:00 12:30

David Stephens Tai Qisheng

12:30

13:00

Rajiv Budhraja

13:00

14:00

TRIB, USA GIIB, Malaysia Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), India Lunch Break

14:00

14:30

The Challenges Facing the Malaysia Tyre Retreading Industry Against the Backdrop of Economic Headwinds. An Overview of the Global Retread Industry and Current Challenges Retreads Future in a Price War – Environment or Profit? or Both? The Challenges of Cheap Tyres vis-à-vis Retread and New Tyre: The Indian Experience.

Session 2 - Machine and Equipment Sudarsan Varadaraj

Elgi Rubber Company Limited, India

Cost Reduction in Retreading Plants Tyre Retreading Process: From Craftsmanship to Industrial Process The Extrusion-Smearing Method for Applying Retread Cushion Gum Compared with Alternative Methods

14:30

15:00

Michele Sanseviero

T.R.M. Tyre Retreading Machinery, Italy

15:00

15:30

Dirk G.H. Reurslag

VMI, Holland

15:30 16:00

16:00 16:30

Mario Goldman

Tea / Coffee Break Zeiss Group, Germany

16:30

17:00

Alessandro Vignolini

17:00

17:30

David Wilson

17:30 18:30

18:00 22:00

Vinod Rai

08:00

09:00

09:00

09:30

Corporate Sponsors:

The Positive Commercial Impact of Shearography on Retreading Mould Curing: Alook into 4WD, Truck and OTR CIMA Impianti, Italy Tyre Retreading How the Retreading Industry Can Face Up To the Challenge of Retreading Business, Co-Sponsors: UK First Day Lunch: Budget New Tyres Bainite Machines, India Automation in Mixing and Cold Feed Extrusion Lines Cocktail & Dinner

Seco

S Wednesday, R I October 5, 2016

Day 2

SRI Elastomers Session

3 - Materials - Green

Tea /&Coffee Break Tea Coffee:

Supporters:

Dr Zairossani Mohd Nor

Malaysian Rubber Board, Malaysia

Applications of Ekoprena for Green Tyre Manufacturing

Schill + Seilacher “Struktol” GmbH, Germany

Green Processing for Green Retreading

09:30

10:00

Sascha Kriz

10:00

10:30

Gopinath Sekhar

10:30

11:00

Eric Yang

11:00

11:30

Lanyard Sponsor:

SRI Elastomers, Malaysia Evonik, Singapore

Media Partners:

Improved Sustainability with Devulcanized Rubber (DVR) Compound in Retreads The Better Balanced Rolling Resistance and Abrasion Resistance of Retread Compound

Tea / Coffee Break

Session 4 - Methods & Technology 11:30 12:00

12:00 12:30

Floriano Mota Chriss Bloor

Continental AG, Germany Giti Tyres, Singapore

Fleet Value Creation Conti360 Way The Impact of Cheap New Tyres on the Global Retread Industry.

12:30

13:00

Martin Kalagin

Marangoni Retreading Division, Italy

The Radial Tire Revolution in the Growing Economies : The Oppertunities for RetreadingAssociates Business

13:00

14:00

Lunch Break

Session 5 - Commercials and Economics 14:00 14:30

14:30 15:00

Tim Hercock Stefan Pertz

15:00

15:30

Bireswar Banerjee

15:30

17:00

17:00

17:15

17:15

17:45

Vacu-Lug, UK Asian Trucker, Malaysia Research Consultant to Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

The Advantages of a Hotcure Retread Fleet Offering Uncommon Sense in Running a Commercial Vehicle Fleet Methodology of Tyre Retreading and Its Significance to Economics and Environment’

Panel Discussion - Retreads vs Cheap Imports Closing Session / Vote of Thanks - Dato’ Mohamed Ishak bin Abdul Hamid Tea / Coffee Break

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ANALYSIS

contributed 19 percent to the total scooter sales at 309,144. Another Japanese two-wheeler maker Yamaha recorded a growth rate of 12 percent at 65,244 in July 2016 compared to 58,477 in the same month last year. The home-grown two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp recorded nine percent growth.

Commercial Vehicle In July this year, 51,853 commercial vehicles were sold compared to 51795 in the same month a year ago, recording a marginal growth of 0.11 percent. Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles (M&HCV) recorded negative sales in July at 7.61 percent compared to the same month a year ago. Light commercial vehicle sales grew 6.3 percent mainly driven by demand for goods carriers. The domestic sales of the leading commercial vehicle maker Tata Motors in July 2016 was two percent lower at 24,242 than in the same month a year ago. It’s Light Commercial Vehicle (LCVs) sales in the domestic market increased to 13,544 units, recording five percent growth over July 2015. Tata Motors exported 5,371 units, in July 2016, a growth of six percent compared to 5,078 vehicles sold in July 2015. The cumulative sales from exports 66 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

for the fiscal was at 19,187 units, three percent more than the 18,588 units, sold last year. Ashok Leyland sold 10,492 CVs in July this year as against 11,054 units during July 2015, registering a negative growth of five percent. The company sold only 8,182 M&HCVs last month, seven percent year-on-year decrease. After reporting two months of flat growth, the company’s LCV sales increased four percent to 2,310 units from 2,219 in July 2015. Ashok Leyland is expecting to achieve 25 percent sales growth in tractors in 2016. Last year the company had a market share of 23.8 percent of the total 41,000 tractors sold in India.

Three-wheelers Three-wheeler sales recorded a growth of 2.10 percent in July at 46,098 units compared to 45,151 units sold in the same month a year ago. Like LCV, the growth in three-wheeler segment has also been mainly driven by the 20 percent rise in goods carriers. The passenger carrier segment declined 1.2 percent in the same period. Experts suggest the influx of e-rickshaws also impacted three-wheeler passenger vehicle sales along with other factors.

Sales During April- July The sales of passenger vehicles during April-July 2016 grew 9.23

percent compared to the same period last year. The growth was for cars, UVs and vans by 1.36 percent, 39.03 percent and 7.72 percent, respectively. The CV segment registered a growth of 9.65 percent, M&HCVs 8.51 percent and LCVs 10.50 percent, during the period. Three -wheeler sales were up 17.32 percent. Passenger and goods carrier sales grew 18.23 percent and 13.27 percent, respectively. Two-wheeler sales registered a growth at 14.08 percent. Scooters, motorcycles and mopeds recorded 24.13 percent, 9.35 percent and 20.04 percent growth, respectively in April-July 2016 over April-July 2015.

Production & Exports The automotive industry produced 8,588,464 vehicles including passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, three wheelers, two wheelers and quadricycle in April-July 2016 as against 7,809,525 in April-July 2015, registering a growth of 9.97 percent over the same period last year. During thsi period the overall automobile exports declined 10.20 percent. While PVs and commercial vehicle exports registered a growth of 9.49 percent and 8.84 percent, exports of three-wheelers and twowheelers declined 40.42 percent and 10.03 percent respectively.


GLEANINGS-India

Hyundai Launches 6th Gen Elantra APA Bureau

H

yundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has launched the 6th generation Hyundai Elantra in India pricing it in the range of Rs 12.99 lakh - Rs 19.19 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The new car will be available in nine variants with a choice of five exterior colours. The Nu 2.0 MPi 1,999cc petrol engine produces 156ps of power @ 6200rpm, and maximum torque of 19.6kgm @ 4000rpm. While the diesel 1.6 VGT CRDi 1,582 engine churns out 128ps of power @ 4000 rpm, and 26.5kgm torque @ 1900-2750rpm. Y K Koo, MD and CEO, HMIL, said, “We are targeting market leadership with 30-35 percent market share in the Elantra segment.” The market size of this segment is around 1,000 units a month in India. HMIL, which has been present in this segment for over four years, commands a market share of around 15-20 percent.

are some of the notable features in the new Elantra. To reduce the noise inside the cabin the windscreen and all other windows have been provided with extra thick glass – about 20 percent more than the conventional glass. The vehicle is designed with top-of-the line active and passive safety features that ensure complete passenger safety in all condition. In addition to ABS it has six airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) and Hill-start Assist Control (HAC). To add strength to the body structure, the content of advanced high-strength steel has been increased to 53 percent from 26 percent in the fifth-generation Elantra. This offers a whole new level of ride comfort with smooth and precise handling, improved interior quietness and enhanced safety.

Two New Launches After two decades of its presence in India, HMIL is enhancing its brand positioning from the current compact segment to a higher level between the mass market and premium brands. In order to strengthen this new brand position, the company has already launched Santa Fe and Elantra, two of the four planned new modern premium products. Of the other two, Tucson, a SUV, will be launched in October. A sub-four meter SUV is expected to be launched in the next two years. Tuscon will be positioned between Creata and Santa Fe. Its price will be less than Rs 25 lakh. Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, HMIL, said that the company will reach this year a milestone of selling 500,000 cars in the domestic market.

Elantra is based on Hyundai’s Fluidic 2.0 design language and has several new features like - High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps, LED daytime running light with positioning lamps, projector fog lamps, split type LED tail lamp, shark fin antenna, welcome function with door pocket light (first-in-segment) and voice recognition. It comes with 6-speed automatic and 6-speed manual transmission. The automatic has two drive modes to select – Eco and Sport. Tenway adjustable power driver seat with electric lumbar support, smart electric sunroof, front seat ventilation system and hands-free smart trunk AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 67


GLEANINGS-India

Renault Rolls Out New Kwid With More Local Content APA Bureau

R

tensioners with load limiters, among others.

The new vehicle has features like sport designer graphics on the doors, and pro-sense seat belt pre-

Its 1.0 litre SCe engine is designed for better performance with 4 valves per cylinder of the Double Over Head Camshaft (DOHC) layout which ensures low pressure drop and super-efficient

enault has launched the new version of its small car Kwid powered by a 1.0 litre petrol engine and priced at Rs 3.82 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The car was built with 98 percent localization, enabling lower cost of ownership. It has been launched in two variants - RXT 1.0 (Rs 3,82,776), and RXT 1.0 (O) (Rs 3,95,776) (all prices exshowroom Delhi) and will compete with Alto K10 from Maruti Suzuki, which is a market leader in the segment.

valve lift for a higher air filling allowing it to make usable power at low end, mid-range and high-end rev bands.

Firestone Brand Comes To Replacement Market APA Bureau

B

share in that particular segment,” Vaibhav Saraf, Senior GM (Consumer Products), Bridgestone India, said.

“Firestone and Bridgestone will cater to two different markets. We have realised that there is still a market for value seekers and that has happened due to the competitive domain created by the industry. That is the reason Firestone will play a strategic role for us to improve our market

By reaching out with these tyres to the rural markets also, Bridgestone India expects to gain 20 percent share in the Indian passenger car tyre replacement market in the next five years. The FR500, built specially for Indian conditions, are available in 24 sizes that will range from 12 to 16 rim diameters, and the LE02 will be introduced in three sizes with 15 and 16 rim diameters, making it suitable for different models in the SUV segment. Bridgestone India will launch 11 new sizes for SUVs under the Destination A/T range in 2018.

ridgestone India has launched the Firestone brand in the Indian passenger car and SUV tyre replacement market. Firestone FR500, the passenger car tyre, and Firestone Destination LE02 for the SUV segment will be available at Bridgestone India’s 3,000 retail points from October this year. The company will produce the Firestone tyres at its plants at Chakan, in Pune, and Kheda, in Indore. They will have a combined capacity of 25,000 tyres a day. It has no immediate plan to supply them to OEMs.

68 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Kazuhiko Mimura, Managing Director, Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd. said, “India has emerged as a global economic powerhouse. It is one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world. Firestone at the outset will focus on the passenger car and SUV segments and subsequently expand the size range. We hope to garner our fair share of the market through a pan India network of dealerships and superior quality and service.”


GLEANINGS-International

AM Frankfurt Academy To Discuss ‘Tomorrow’s Mobility,’ Related Issues APA Bureau

A

utomechanika Frankfurt, from September 13 to 17, 2016, is the world’s leading trade fair for the automotive service industry. It is unique in product-range. The fair is also the shop window for innovations in the automotive aftermarket across the entire value chain. Automechanika Academy stands for high level conference sessions during the fair days. In line-up of lectures, seminars and practical furtherdevelopment courses, about 50 renowned international professionals from the automotive industry will discuss the latest topics like `Tomorrow’s mobility’, `Alternative drives’, `Connected mobility’ and `Cyberspace’.

Structure Of Events In order to structure the large number of lectures and events, and to make it easier for visitors to choose, the Academy programme has been split into two main tracks. In the ‘Festhalle’ (Hall 2), they have the opportunity to discover all aspects of tomorrow’s digitalised and networked automobiles, including servicing and repairs, on 13, 14 and 16 September.

The focus of the events and workshops to be held in Hall 11 and the adjoining Portalhaus from 13 to 17 September will be on everyday challenges in the modern workshop, especially the various facets of vehicle repairs in body and paint shops. The first intercontinental ‘Connected mobility – driving digitalisation’ road show will make its European debut in the ‘Forum’ of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre on15 September. The renowned representatives of the automobile industry, internet companies and start-ups will discuss the technological, ecological, economic and social opportunities, challenges and consequences of digitalisation and networking of automobiles, the infrastructure and the working world.

Future Mobility The events on `Tomorrow’s mobility’ in the ‘Festhalle’ are split into three themed days. On Tuesday, 13 September, the speakers will take a look into the future of mobility in the

next 10 years. In 30-minute lectures under the motto ‘Future of Mobility’, 12 experts will discuss the impact of digitalisation, networking and new car-sharing models. On 14 September, 11 lectures will present a variety of solutions and the challenges posed by alternative drive systems. The third day on 16 September is titled ‘Virtual worlds in the motor-vehicle industry’ and is likely to be of particular interest to workshop professionals because several of the nine lectures will examine the question of how digitalisation will affect working life in the automobile industry and the automobile service business.

For Workshop Professionals Expert speakers will give lectures for workshop professionals at the `Workshop Days’ to be held as part of the Automechanika Academy in the Portalhaus building on 16 and 17 September. Each of the 90-minute lectures on corporate management will be devoted to existential questions, such as how earnings and profits can be increased in a sustainable way (16 September) and how workshops can operate more successfully through active sales (17 September). AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 69


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GLEANINGS-International

Harley-Davidson Launches New Milwaukee-Eight Engine APA Bureau

H

arley Davidson has launched the all-new Harley-Davidson Milwaukee-Eight engine, the ninth Big Twin in its history, and the all-new front and rear suspension for its Model Year 2017 Touring motorcycle line-up. “These are the most powerful, most responsive and most comfortable Touring motorcycles ever offered by Harley-Davidson. You have to ride one to feel the difference – so we’re inviting all riders to visit a Harley-Davidson dealer and take a test ride,” Scott Miller, HarleyDavidson Vice President of Styling and Product Development Strategy, said. “ For the launch of the MilwaukeeEight 107 and Milwaukee-Eight 114 engines, Harley-Davidson – in a brand first – took fans to the floor of a Harley-Davidson factory in a virtual tour on Facebook Live to watch the making of its newest Big Twin engine. “With an all-new design, the new Milwaukee-Eight engine offers quicker throttle response, more passing power, purer sound, a smoother ride and more of the feeling riders want from a Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycle,” Randy Christianson, General Manager of Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations in Menomonee Falls, Wis., said

a

Power. Comfort. Control.

...

The new Milwaukee-Eight engine is a ground-up design that combines the classic look, sound and feel of Harley-Davidson Big Twin engines with improvements in performance, comfort and control.

...

...

....

...

...

Retaining the classic 45-degree V-Twin cylinder angle, the Milwaukee-Eight engine produces 10 percent more torque and features four-valve cylinder

heads that offer 50 percent more intake and exhaust flow capacity than previous year models. The Milwaukee-Eight engine is counter-balanced to cancel 75 percent of primary vibration at idle, retaining the classic feel of a Harley V-Twin engine while being very smooth at highway speeds. A new heat management strategy improves rider and passenger comfort.

New Announcements Along with the Milwaukee-Eight engine, Harley-Davidson announced the following:New Touring Suspension: Allnew front and rear suspension components enhance the comfort, control and performance of all 2017 Harley-Davidson Touring models. New dual bending valve front suspension technology provides the performance of a racing-style cartridge fork with linear damping characteristics and reduced weight. Screamin’ Eagle Performance: Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Performance will offer a full selection of street-legal performance components for the MilwaukeeEight engines, including Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight engine stage kits that deliver up to a 24-percent increase in torque over the stock

engine (availability varies by market). Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations: HarleyDavidson®Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) models combine prestige and performance in three limited-edition factory-custom motorcycles for 2017. 2017 Harley-Davidson Street 500/750 Motorcycles 2017: HarleyDavidson Street motorcycles are now available with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System with handsfree, proximity-based security fob, each as a factory-installed option. Powerful Cruiser Line-up: With the High Output Twin Cam 103 standard for all 2017 Softail models and Dyna models (the US models only) except the Street Bob model and the S Series cruisers with the Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110 engine, HarleyDavidson continues to offer its most powerful cruisers ever. On September 23, 2016, HarleyDavidson dealers across the US will host open house events so that “riders can throw a leg over our Model Year 2017 touring motorcycles and feel the difference of the allnew Milwaukee-Eight engine for themselves”, Dino Bernacchi, Director of the US Marketing at HarleyDavidson.” AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 71


GLEANINGS-International

On Move In The Future Truck New Mobility World LIVE In Hannover

APA Bureau

I

t is the year 2030. A “15” is flashing on the display of trucker Thilo Schneider’s tablet. Now he knows that in 15 minutes he will have to leave the convoy and take action himself, at least for a short period. But before that he still has time to check the GPS coordinates and update his destination. The traffic seems pretty calm today off the freeway. Just a quick look at his e-mails: There’s no important news. Schneider uses WhatsApp to inform the other trucks that he is about to leave the platoon. The more or less random series of trucks that get together to form platoons on the freeway represent real progress compared with the long, lonely journeys of previous years, when

again and again you were forced to brake by other vehicles, especially when going uphill, or when one truck pointlessly tried to overtake another. But now platoons of trucks have a uniform, brisk speed and what

is more, the 40-tonners are more economical and use the road far more efficiently – leaving more space for other road users. Furthermore, accidents have long been a thing of the past, ever since sensors and computers relieved the burdens on drivers in critical situations. The technology for this scenario has existed for a long time, allowing trucks from various manufacturers to form coordinated moving groups on the road. The vehicles communicate with one another smoothly, and thanks to unified systems there are no longer any language barriers like there sometimes used to be among the truck drivers. The autopilot gives the signal to leave the group in good time before the exit, and while leaving the freeway Thilo Schneider takes over control of the truck again. Although in fact he doesn’t have to. His truck would also manage this task by itself, but during the last few hours in the cab Schneider has sorted out his logistics online and now decides to enjoy a

72 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016


bit of nostalgia, even if the joystick for steering the 40-tonne truck does not really resemble the huge steering wheel that heavy trucks used to have up until the mid-2020s.

Without The Wheel Since large and small trucks have been connected and as a rule are on the move without needing a classical driver to take action, the large steering wheel is simply no longer required. Instead, in the cab you now fold out a small desk where you can deal with your everyday logistics tasks. Connectivity has completely changed both the truckers’ job and their image. Truck drivers used to be responsible mainly for driving and for loading and unloading, but today Schneider and his colleagues are not only trained to drive trucks – they have also completed an apprenticeship in logistics. The proportion of women is much higher than before. The higher qualifications are also accompanied by higher incomes. So Schneider can do his office work while his truck is travelling in the platoon or driving itself on special lanes on the freeway. After all, loads have to be confirmed today, especially because the clients will snap up unused space in the trucks on whatever route they are taking. First come, first served – as long as it makes logistical sense. Empty trips should always be avoided, and to this end your truck must always be connected with the planners at the various clients, and with the loading and unloading points. It’s hard to believe that back then – at the beginning of the 21st century – on an average the trucks were empty on around one third of all journeys. Some inefficiencies had made the transports unnecessarily expensive. Fuel consumption – and with it CO2 emissions – was much higher. It is true that diesel engines are still in operation, particularly in long-distance traffic. But they use

climate-neutral fuels. Electric-powered trucks and fuel-cell trucks are on the roads as well. Today the forwarders are connected and freight exchanges ensure that goods are distributed efficiently.

All In Place Thilo Schneider has now reached his destination – a large logistics hub close to a major city. Long-distance trucks have been kept out of inner-city areas for quite a while now, and only e-mobiles are allowed for deliveries and the last mile. And as he lives in a big city, he appreciates this. It has improved the air quality – and today’s quiet e-vehicles do not create the old traffic noise. As he drives through the main gate his display starts flashing again: He is to go to loading bay 14. He knows that the ramp will be free when he

gets there, so he will not have to wait. Since the grounds are spacious, he manoeuvres the truck himself – a little practice is not going to hurt. But he could just as well let the guidance system do the job, so the truck would take itself up to the loading point. When he arrives, a service vehicle is already waiting for him. His truck has registered tiny discrepancies in its AdBlue intake and passed this information on to the forwarder. The

service technician takes a look while the load is transported to the storage halls. Now that smaller repairs and maintenance measures such as changing the tyres are carried out promptly at such opportunities, the forwarder’s trucks are far more efficient and wear and tear has been reduced. During the fully automated unloading procedure Schneider checks his e-mail. He learns that he has to go back onto the freeway after picking up some goods in the nearby town. A parking space has been reserved for him at the next service station, where he can take his statutory rest period. After that he will join another connected convoy, this time as the leader. A lot of what Thilo Schneider will use in 2030 can already be seen at

the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover (September 22 to 29, 2016). The “New Mobility World logistics” will show visitors the future of the logistics industry in four themed presentations. They will include products, services and applications shown on the demonstration area “New Mobility World LIVE,” the guided tours, test drives, and congresses with discussion forums and exhibitions. AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 73


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GLEANINGS-International

Lear Plans New Leather Plant In Yangzhou APA Bureau

L

ear Corporation, a leading global supplier of automotive seating and electrical systems and the world’s largest provider of premium automotive leather, has signed an investment agreement with the Administrative Commission of Yangzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone to construct a state-of-the art premium leather processing plant in Yangzhou, China. “With 81 locations across Asia, including 47 in China, Lear’s AsiaPacific Operations continue to grow due to the efforts of more than 20,000 employees who deliver excellence in design and finished products to the

automotive industry. Over the past three years, Lear’s total sales in China have grown at an average annual rate of 17 percent”, Jay Kunkel, Senior Vice President and President, AsiaPacific Operations, said. The new plant will support Lear’s rapid sales growth and new business development in China. It will have about 300 employees in 2018 and will expand to 700 when running at its designed capacity.

“As the most vertically integrated automotive seating supplier in the world, Lear is pleased to build upon its global capabilities and expand its significant presence in China to better serve our customers in the region,” Ray Scott, Executive Vice President and President, Seating, said. “Our Eagle Ottawa premium leather team is integral to providing our customers with highly- crafted surface materials and complete seating systems,” he said.

MAHLE To Expand Powertrain Operations APA Bureau

M

AHLE Powertrain is opening new North American facility in Plymouth, Michigan, later this year as part of a $16- million North American expansion that will create new jobs and accelerate a variety of advanced engine development programmes. MAHLE Powertrain will enhance its current engine and vehicle testing capability with a 45,000-sq.ft building at 14900 Galleon Court in Plymouth, recently acquired from Westport Fuel Systems. The official opening of the new facility will be in early November. MAHLE Powertrain is a leading

engineering services company. The North American powertrain operation employs more than 40 people and will add up to 20 new powertrain engineering positions over the years. The new Plymouth location is equipped with a four-wheel-drive chassis dynamometer, seven vehicle lifts, five powertrain test cells and a wiring-and-instrumentation laboratory. Further expansion plans call for two additional powertrain test cells, upgrades to engine and vehicle test beds to meet regulatory requirements for certification, and additional equipment to support hybrid-electric

vehicle testing. “Our new Plymouth location will be one of the most technically advanced engine development facilities in North America. The new facility is designed to support a wide range of advanced engine development activities, including MAHLE’s Jet Ignition programme,” Hugh Blaxill, Managing Director of MAHLE Powertrain, LLC, said. “ Blaxill adds that the move also will enable MAHLE to provide additional customer support in advanced engine testing for gasoline, diesel, hybrid, propane and natural gas powertrains. AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 75


GLEANINGS-International

Genesis Allows Voice Command To Control Cars APA Bureau

“D

id I lock the car?” “How can I warm up my car on a snowy morning without going outside, get my news and still get to work on time?”

available now across Alexa-enabled devices. “We’re excited to bring the convenience of voice and Alexa to the Genesis G80 and G90,” said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Amazon Alexa.

These are questions that can leave many car owners feeling frazzled. But not G80 and G90 owners, as Genesis is the first automaker to launch an Alexa skill, allowing remote voice commands to control connected cars.

“With this innovative Alexa implementation, customers can now start their car, and get the heat going all just by asking Alexa from the comfort of their own home. We can’t wait for our customers to try it out.”

Genesis Connected Services can take care of these tasks and more from inside the home using the Alexa voice service on Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap. The new Alexa skill for Genesis is

“The Amazon Alexa skill for Genesis demonstrates our progressive commitment to technology that is intuitive and customer-focused. From remotely locking your car from your living room, to starting your G90 and setting the temperature

from your bedroom, the Alexa skill for Genesis offers a new level of ease for owners,” Erwin Raphael, General Manager of Genesis in the US, said.

How It Works Amazon Alexa allows customers to send remote commands to their car from inside their home using simple voice interaction through Genesis Connected Services and an Alexaenabled device. To send commands to Genesis vehicles via Alexa, users must enable the Genesis skill in their Alexa app available on iOS, Android and Fire tablets, and then link their existing Genesis Connected Services Account within the Alexa app.

e-Commerce Platform For Used Auto Parts P APA Bureau

artCycle Technologies has launched The PartCycle Marketplace, an e-commerce platform, for recycled and remanufactured original equipment (OE) auto parts. This would make it easy for collision and mechanical repair professionals, and consumers, to compare and purchase quickly the highest quality parts from professional automotive recyclers in the US. “We want to 76 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

make it easier for professionals to find the right parts. We have a huge network of professional recyclers who provide high quality parts, with warranties, and ship them fast,” Brandon Gillis, President of PartCycle Technologies, said. It has never been easier for collision and/or mechanical repair professionals to save time sourcing parts. PartCycle’s streamlined parts search and ability to purchase

multiple parts at once removes the need to spend hours calling and comparing prices, quality and suppliers. “That’s why we built the marketplace. We knew that if we could make it quick and simple to compare the price and condition of exact replacement parts, and if every supplier was someone you could trust, that people would love it,” Gillis said.


GLEANINGS-International

German Auto Components Market

To Cross € 51 Billion By 2021 APA Bureau

I

On the basis of vehicle type, the ncreasing vehicle production, to make Germany an automotive German market is broadly classified sales, and exports will fuel the components hub coupled with into five categories of automotive German automotive components continuous government efforts to components: For passenger cars, market in the coming years. attract foreign investments into two- wheelers, light commercial According to a global management the country are expected to boost vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles consulting firm TechSci Research’s German automotive components and for OTR vehicles. Among report: “German automotive market by 2021”, Karan Chechi, Germany Components toTechSci Grow at 4% until 2021 these, the passenger car segment components market Automotive by vehicle type, ResearchMarket Director, Research, dominated the market in 2015 with a by demand category, by component said. value share of over 75 percent. This type, competition forecast and The report has evaluated the future Automotive industry for around 20% segmentthe is expected to maintain its opportunities, 2011 - accounted 2021”, the Passenger car segment dominates growth potential of automotive dominance during 2016-2021. automotive components of Germany’s industrial market output ininthe termscomponents of country’s market, market automotive in Germany components and country willinsurpass € 51 Billion ($58 than 40 revenues 2015. Presence of more The German provides statistics and share information on75% in with a value of over 2015. The automotive component Bn) by 2021. automobile assembly and production plantsthe in marketsegment industry has size, consumer behaviourto maintain is anticipated its been facing stiff AsGermany Germanyhas is one of theasprominent challenge from the Chinese and trends. The report intends emerged one of the major dominance during the forecast period as well, global exporters of automotives, the component manufacturers, who have to provide cutting-edge market factors which has been supporting the OEM to expanding passenger car fleet size, surging demand in the international been exporting low-priced automotive intelligenceowing and help decision-makers demandis for automotive components in the markets expected to boost the rising per capita income and increasing to make sound investment evaluation. components to Germany. country. This is expected market to drive in thethe Germany automotive components consumer preference Besides, the report also identifiesfor andpassenger cars. Globally, Germany has evolved country. Moreover, the presence of a CAGRanalyses automotive components market at of the emerging trendsgrowth along expected in the Backed by strong into one of the leading automotive more than assembly around 4%40inautomotive value terms during 2016-2021.with essential drivers, challenges automobile market of Germany, the during the last manufacturers and production plants in Germany and opportunities in the automotive automotive components industrydecade. is poisedInto2014, German automotive the basis of vehicle type, the automotive is On a huge positive for its automotive components market of Germany. industry attracted R&D investments grow in the coming years. components market. components market of Germany is broadly of USD38.74 billion. The country is Four Percent Growth classified into five such categories Car manufacturers as – passenger car In Germany, the production of expected vehicles has to witness further increase Automotive industry accounted for components, two wheeler components, Volkswagen, Opel, Audi, and BMW in light in the R&D investment been increasing at a slow pace over thedomestic past 20 percent of Germany’s thecommercial country are driving the demandmediumaround vehicle components, & during the next five years. few years. However, demand for passenger industrial output in terms of revenues forheavy domestically manufactured commercial vehicle components and cars and commercial vehicles in theIncountry has 2015, South West region in 2015. The automotive assembly automotive components. OTR vehicle automotive components, amongst and production plants inatGermany been growing a comparativelydominated higher rate.the automotive “Expanding passenger car fleet which, the passenger car size, automotive components have beenFurther, supporting the OEM component the automotive industry in market in Germany, economic stability and favourable followed by South East region. forthe automotive components components segment dominated demand the country has been facing stiff challenge from government policies are expected Backed by the presence of leading ininthe country. This is expected to automotive components market of Germany Chinese automotive component to drive growth in the German automobile manufacturers in the drive components market at a CAGR 2015. manufacturers, whichduring have been exporting automotive components market in country’slow South West region, the of four percent in value terms the next five years. Growing initiatives Germany.dominance is expected to 2016-2021.priced automotive components toregion’s continue through 2021. Germany Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle Sales, By Volume, 2011-15 (Thousand Units) 3173.63

334.82 2011

3082.50

3036.77

2952.43

311.49 2012 Passenger Cars

305.28 2013

3206.04

333.78

319.94 2014

2015

Commercial Vehicles Source: TechSci Research

Germany is one the prominent global exporters of automobiles, and the country exports vehicles to various countries across the world. Backed by growing demand for automobiles

from international market, the automotive components market in Germany is anticipated to witness healthy growth over the next five years.

Robert Bosch GmbH was the market leader in the German automotive components markets last year. The company is expected to dominate the market through 2021 having the advantage of being the domestic manufacturer, wide distribution network and strong tie-ups with major car manufacturers. AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 77


CALENDAR

Moscow International Auto Show – MIAS, Russia, 24 Aug -4 Sep 2016 Exhibition Center, Crocus Centre Association of the Russian Automakers (OAR), Tel: +7 495 620 4580 – 6204578 www.oar-info.ru

Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association -SEMA Show, USA 1 – 4 Nov 2016 Las Vegas Convention Centre +1 224 563 3154 aapexsema@compusystems.com www.semashow.com

Automechanika Frankfurt 13 - 17 Sep 2016 Frankfurt am Main Messe Frankfurt GmbH, automechanika@messefrankfurt.com Tel: +49 69 75 75-0 www.messefrankfurt.com

Bus & Truck 2016 3-5 Nov 2016 Bangkok International Trade And Exhibition Centre, Bangkok, Thailand TTF International Co Ltd http://www.ttfintl.com/exposition.php

66th IAA Commercial Vehicles (2016) 21-29 Sep 2016 Exhibition Center, Hanover Verbanb der Automobilindustriee.V. (VDA) www.iaa.de Pune Machine Tool Expo 29 Sep- 02 Oct 2016 Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre, Pune Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association(IMTMA) http://tradeshows.tradeindia.com/mtxpune/ Asian Retread Conference 2016, Malaysia 4 - 5 Oct, 2016 Sime Darby Convention & Exhibition Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Asian Business Media Contact: Antony S Powath, VP Marketing +91 9833 901 586 asp@abm.net.in; asianretreadconference.com Automotive Testing Expo 2016, Novi, Michigan 25 - 27 Oct 2016 The Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi,MI, USA UKIP Media & Events Ltd E-mail: r.lengui@ukipme.com www.ukipme.com Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo - AAPEX Show, USA 1-3 Nov 2016 Sands Expo, Las Vegas Tel: +1 708 226 1300 Jim.winslow@aapexshow.com www.apexshow.com

78 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016

Automechanika Buenos Aires 9 – 12 Nov 2016 La Rural Trade Centre, Buenos Aires, Argentina Indexport Messe Frankfurt SA Tel: +54 11 4514 1400 E-mail: automechanika@argentina. messefrankfurt.com, www.automechanika.com.ar Los Angeles Auto Show 2016, USA, 14 - 27 Nov 2016 Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, LOS ANGELES, CA 90015 Tel: +1 310 4441850 www.laautoshow.com Auto Serve 2016, India 18 – 20 Nov 2016 Chenai Trade Centre, Chennai. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Tel: +91-44-42444555; www.cii.in 18th Oman Motor Show 7 - 10 Dec 2016 Oman International Exhibition Center, Muscat, Oman Comnet Exhibitions Pvt LTd Tel: +91 11 4279 5000 E-mail:amanpreets@eigroup.in www.comnetexhibtions.com 95th European Motor Show, Brussels 14-22 Jan 2017 Rue de la Science, 1020 Brussels, Belgium Brussel Expo Group http://autosalon.be/fr India Rubber Expo 2017 19-21 Jan 2017 Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai AIRIA http://www.indiarubberexpo.in/

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 ACMA Automechanika-India 21-24 March 2017 PragatiMaidan, New Delhi Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd http://acma-automechanika-newdelhi. in.messefrankfurt.com/newdelhi/en/ exhibitors/welcome.html New York International Auto Show 14-23 April 2017 Jacob Javits Convention Centre NYIAS http://www.autoshowny.com/ Automechanika Dubai 2017 7 – 9 May 2017 Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center Messe Frankfurt Middle East GmbH Tel: +971 4 389 45 00 E-Mail: au­tomechanika@uae.messe­ frank­furt.com www.automechanikadubai.com Rapid.Tech International Trade Fair and Conference for Additive Manufacturing 20 - 22 June 2017

Exhibition Centre Erfurt, Germany Organizer: Messe Erfurt GmbH www.rapidtech.de Tyre Expo India 2017 11-13 July 2017

Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai Singex Exhibitions Pvt Ltd tyrexpo@singex.com www.tyrexposeries.com/india ATRC 2017 Asian Tyre & Rubber Conference 16 – 17 July 2017

Hyatt Regency, Chennai Asian Business Media Contact: Antony S Powath, VP Marketing +91 9833 901 586 asp@abm.net.in www.atrc.in


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AUTO LAUGH

Lonely In A Taxi

S

ingapore is one of my favourite cities. Besides its clean cityscape, it also makes sure that the elderly are not left out of the benefits of technology.

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

As a boon to senior citizens in particular, I would say, the city state is set to offer driverless taxis. A company by name nuTonomy will run the small driverless electric cars equipped with software and cameras, in a 4 sq km area in the west of the city with designated pick-up and dropoff spots. I can’t wait to take a ride on this, even if it’s on trial. I just want to share my experience with my elderly friends and tell them that they should never fear ageing as technology will make life easier for them. It was while discussing this subject that my friend suggested our private yearly dementia test. It is important to keep ourselves mentally alert. If you don’t use your brain, you lose it! Here is a very private way

to gauge how strong your memory is. OK, relax, clear your mind and begin. 1. What do you put in a toaster? Answer: ‘bread.’ If you said ‘toast’ give up now and do something else. If you said, bread, go to Question 2. 2. Say ‘silk’ five times. Now spell ‘silk.’ What do cows drink? Answer: Cows drink water. If you said ‘milk,’ don’t attempt the next question. Your brain is overstressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading more appropriate magazines like AutoParts Asia. However, if you said ‘water’, proceed to Question 3. 3. If a red house is made from red-bricks and a blue house is made from blue- bricks and a pink house is made from pinkbricks and a black house is made from black-bricks, what

is a green house made from? Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said ‘green bricks,’ why are you still reading this? If you said ‘glass,’ go on to Question 4. 4. Without using a calculator, take this test: Think you are driving a bus from Mumbai to Pune. In Mumbai, 17 people get on the bus. In Washi, 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on. In Panvel, 2 people get off and 4 get on. In Khandala, 11people get off and 16 people get on. In Lonavala, 3 people get off and 5 people get on. In Pimpri, 6 people get off and 3 get on. You then arrive at Pune... Without scrolling back to review, how old is the bus driver? Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don’t you remember your own age? It was YOU driving the bus!! (Go back and look!). If you pass this along to your friends, pray they do better than you. Let me remind you that 95 percent of people fail most of the questions!! Next time when I go to Singapore, I’m sure to take a taxi ride at the Central Business District. When I hop on to a driverless taxi, I suspect I might feel sad. The sad part of technology is the replacement of the ever-friendly Singaporean taxi drivers. Driverless taxis leave a vacuum that will never get filled. There is a sense of emptiness when lonely in a taxi.

80 | AutoPartsAsia | SEPTEMBER 2016


SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY, SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE. Each bearing that rolls out of our plants passes under the lens of quality, precision and safety. Our Engineers adhere to the Total Quality Management norms to make one precise bearing. No wonder, we are Dependable Partners of many manufacturers across the globe. And, also the recipient of the prestigious Deming Grand Prize 2015, the highest in TQM Processes.

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National Engineering Industries Limited is a part of the CK Birla Group which is a $1.6 conglomerate with presence in Cement, Consumer Electricals, Precision Bearings, Heavy Engineering Products, Paper Building Products, Automobiles, Auto Components, Healthcare, Education & ITES.

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Estech May Expand To Prototyping In India

RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

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AUTOPARTS ASIA | September 2016

Changing Landscape Of

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RNI No. MAHENG.2015/64732

Design IMI To Support Automotive Sector Skill Development Initiatives In India- Herbert Lonsdale

Ashok Leyland Explores Export Markets With New Products – Rajive Saharia


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