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www.autocomponentsindia.com Vol 6 Issue 10
December 2019
COMPONENTS
INDIA
VOICE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS
Automation Expo 2019 Report Inside
WESTERN INDIA TURNS TO COBOTS
Pedal-Assist Systems l Smart Autonomous Cobots /autocomponentsindiaofficial
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CONTENT
DECEMBER 2019
y r o t s ver
Co
COVER STORY 20 Smart Manufacturing by B&R 22 Smart Autonomous Cobots 28 Polarity Pedal-Assist System
06 | NEWS
Tata Motors’ new Tech centre
14 | CORPORATE BKT partners LaLiga
42| EVENT
Intelligent Mobility Summit 2019
18| Q & A
Osram-Continental Mission ‘Make in Asia’
32| ALLIED INDUSTRIES Henkel 2020 Strategy ZF allies with Mobility as a Service New test facilities at ICAT Elgi Equipments wins 2019 Deming Prize Cummins BSVI mobile training fleet TVS Chairman bags the Deming Prize BorgWarner agreement with ChangAn
GIL India 2019 Summit Automation Expo 2019 Self-healing Paint Protection Film with PPF
58| INTERNATIONAL ZF EVplus concept vehicle
44 AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n DECEMBER 2019
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EDITOR KEYS IN
It’s Business as usual
AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
105-106, Trade World, B-Wing, 1st Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India. Tel +91 22 43525252, Email us at a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.net Executive Editor Ashish Bhatia Editorial Advisory Board H. S. Billimoria, Aspi Bhathena Correspondent Sricharan R (Chennai) Head - Design & Production Ravi Parmar Asst Art Director Ajit Manjrekar Production Supervisor Dinesh Bhajnik Publisher Marzban Jasoomani General Manager – North & East Ellora Dasgupta General Manager – South Girish Shet Deputy General Manager – North & East Chanchal Arora (Delhi) Regional Marketing Manager Salma Jabbar (Chennai) Marketing Manager Minocher Parakh (Mumbai) Manager Circulation - North and East Kapil Kaushik (Delhi) Subscription Supervisor Sachin Kelkar Tel +91 22 43525220 Apple Newsstand & Magzter Queries: help@magzter.com Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation) Srinivas Gangula (Hyderabad) Cell +91 09000555756 Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation) Vidyasagar Gupta (Kolkata) Mob: 09804085683 REGIONAL MARKETING OFFICES Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. 105-106, Trade World, B-Wing, 1st Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India, Mumbai -400013. Tel +91 22 43525252 26 B, First Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Okhla Phase III, New Delhi - 110020, India Tel +91 11 42346600/78, Fax +91 11 42346679 Unit No:509, 5th Floor, ‘B’ wing, Mittal Towers, MG Road, Bengaluru - 560001, India Tel +91 080 66110116/17, Fax +91 80 41472574 Cenetoph Elite, No.5, Cenetoph 1st street, Teynampet, Chennai - 600018, India Tel +91 044 421-08-421/044 421-75-421 Devendra Mehta - Mob No.- 09714913234 Ahmedabad S.No.261/G.L.R.No.5, East Street,Camp Pune - 411001. Tel + 91 20 26830465
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I
t’s been two decades since Special Agent Jim West and inventive US Marshal Artemus Gordon, two of the best agents in the Wild West teamed up to save the world from Dr Arliss Loveless’s enormous steam-powered tarantula. Flash-forward to 2019, it looks like the Auto Components fraternity has taken a cue from the fictional characters. They have taken it upon themselves to spur a revival after the prolonged slump; effects of which continue to loom large. Despite the prolonged political impasse in the State of Maharashtra, a key region in West India it’s business as usual for component manufacturers. The fraternity has gone back to the drawing board to iron out the creases when the chips are down. I would like to draw attention especially to the component sourcing hubs like the twin cities of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Chakan, Bhosari and Talwade, all of which play a key role in the state of Maharashtra, contributing to an estimated 35.1 per cent of the country’s output of automobiles in value terms. It would be unfair to overlook the backing the state receives from key industrial zones spread across Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur, Jalgaon, Raigad, Amravati and Ratnagiri. With such a legacy, it was a bitter pill to swallow when key stakeholders in West India admitted to braving ‘zero-growth’ months on end. The de-growth led to manufacturing and production volumes nose diving by (-) 3.90 per cent in September 2019 over the same period in 2018. On the whole, manufacturing and production levels between 2006 and 2019 averaged at 5.84 per cent. Interestingly, the all-time high in ‘Manufacturing Production Levels’ of 24.30 per cent was achieved over a decade back in June 2007. The record low of (-) 9.10 per cent was recorded in February 2009. While there is no debating that the situation continues to remain grim post a period of deafening silence on shop floors, it is also true that the industry has seen tougher times only to come out stronger. Even though India’s growth forecasts have been cut by different rating agencies including IMF, World Bank, Moody’s and S&P, the fact remains that the country has gained 14 places in the ‘World Bank’s annual Ease of Doing Business 2020 ranking’ report card. India has jumped in the rankings this year to the 63rd position, up from 77th last year. In the December Issue, we highlight some of the smart innovations from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises ( MSMEs) of Western India which seems to have got its lost mojo back. Ashish Bhatia Executive Editor | a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.net /autocomponentsindiaofficial
@ACImagazine
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Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. does not take responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or other material. All material published in Auto Components India is copyright and no part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the express prior written permission of the publisher Printed by Marzban Jasoomani Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 105-106, Trade World, B-Wing, 1st Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India.. Published by Marzban Jasoomani on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 105-106, Trade World, B-Wing, 1st Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India. Printed at Spring Graphics, 215 & 238, Shah & Nahar Industrial Estate, Sun Mill Compund, Lower Parel (West), Mumbai 400013, India. Published at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 105-106, Trade World, B-Wing, 1st Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India.
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All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. Auto Components India does not vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. The editor, publisher, printer and employees of the publication shall not be held liable for any consequence in the events of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only. Editor Ashish Bhatia
DECEMBER 2019 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
55
News
Tata Motors’ new Tech centre
T
ata Motors Ltd. inaugurated the Advanced Power Systems Engineering Tech centre at the company’s Engineering Research Center (ERC) in Pune. Set to play a key role in engineering, testing and development of cutting-edge powertrain solutions for the original equipment manufacturer’s range of passenger, commercial and electric vehicle, the new facility will focus on future developments like Bharat Stage VI emission norms, Real Driving Emissions (RDE), CAFÉ II, hybridisation, electrification and BSVII. With an aim to strike new synergies between product lines, platforms and teams, the new centre is spread over 12,000 sq. m. Averred Guenter Butschek, CEO & MD, Tata Motors, “We have been consistently gearing up for the future through strategic investments in our product development and engineering capabilities. I am delighted to witness our new ‘Tech Center’ in Pune go live in a record time of 15 months.” Boasting of future-proof design elements, the facility
is equipped to meet the development, calibration and type approval requirements of light and heavy-duty
powertrains. It is also capable of testing the range, power, drivability and durability of electric vehicles. ACI
ZF allies with Mobility as a Service
Z
F announced its participation in the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) alliance. A special interest group the latter focuses on the European regions with an objective to bring about a paradigm shift in urban mobility, promote networked mobility concepts, and create uniform standards for technologies and legislation. Apart from focusing on linking public transport and services such as shared mobility providers to form a seamless network, MaaS focuses on autonomous and zero-emission cargo. It also
focuses on future people movers like autonomous, on-demand Robo-taxis among others. As the first automotive supplier to join MaaS, ZF will offer components from a single source. It includes sensors, mainframe computers, software and functions, actuators (like steering systems and brakes), e-drives and a comprehensive range of safety products. Aiming to identify and find sustainable solutions for the challenges posed by the new mobility concepts, ZF, through Maas, is setting the base for the future. ACI
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News
New test facilities at ICAT
F
ormer Union Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises (HIPE), Arvind Sawant inaugurated new testing facilities at International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) in Manesar. Part of the 46.6-acre land parcel, which also houses the new NVH, passive safety (crash lab), tyre and EMC testing facilities set up in May 2019, a new adjacent track will enable the testing and validation agency to expand its scope of services offered to OEMs and component suppliers in the automotive industry. Built in an oval shape, the 1.85 km long track comprises of two 700-metre straight sections and two 250-metre banked portions to allow uninterrupted vehicle motion at high speeds without the need for braking while cornering. The banking range of 35 degrees to 55 degrees at its highest point allows a vehicle to maintain a maximum speed of 90 kmph while negotiating the corner. This is followed by a straight patch where vehicles can notch a top
speed of up to 160 kmph. The inner periphery has multiple tracks that include an ABS test track with a wet surface, steering pad track to measure and test the steering torque, an external noise track built with ISO-standard bitumen to test the tyre at speeds of up to 50 kmph, and an elevation track to test gradeability
at ascent and descent besides testing the hand-brake. The water wading track tests underbody seepage and battery security for EVs. The setup built over a timeframe of one year entailed an investment of Rs.50 crore for NATRIP. The cost of land, equipment and a Test Track Management System (TTMS) are exclusive. ACI
Elgi Equipments wins 2019 Deming Prize
I
ndustrial air compressor manufacturer Elgi Equipments Ltd. won the 2019 Deming Prize for excellence in Total Quality Management (TQM) in Tokyo, Japan. Dr Jairam Varadaraj, Managing Director, Elgi Equipments received the coveted medal from Hiroaki Nakanishi, Chairman, Deming Prize Committee at the ceremony. Dedicating the award to all the employees at ELGi, said Dr
Varadaraj, “On paper, the path to success is pretty straight forward. But succeeding requires a secret sauce.” “TQM was that secret sauce for the company,” he quipped. With the company’s TQM journey known to have started in 2008 and gained momentum in 2014, the company aspires to be the second-largest manufacturer of air compressors in the world by 2027 up from the seventh position it holds. ACI
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News
Cummins BSVI mobile training fleet
C
ummins India launched its first fleet of eight BSVI mobile training vans in India to educate and offer training to OEM dealerships and authorised workshops on the technology of BSVI engines. Having set out to multiple cities across the country
starting from November 06, 2019, in phase one, the fleet will travel across major cities like Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Chennai, Cochin, Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Jaipur. It will reach out to technicians, bodybuilders, drivers,
and customers in a bid to create awareness. It will offer participants a hands-on training experience without the trainees required to travel to centralised training centres. Ashwath Ram, Managing Director, Cummins India, said, “At Cummins, it is our constant endeavour to power our customers through innovation and dependability through a suitable strategy that addresses market requirements. In India, following the success of BSIV Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology, it’s natural and easy for us to be the enabler of the technological upgrade from BSIV to BSVI.” He drew attention to more than one million Euro6(BSVI equivalent) vehicles globally powered by Cummins engines and after-treatment systems. Ram highlighted the vans are equipped with cut sections of BSVI engine parts and the SCR system. The single module after-treatment system from the company will help personalise the experience while the LCD displays fitted in the vans will be used to impart information. ACI
TVS Chairman bags the Deming Prize
V
enu Srinivasan, Chairman of TVS Group has been conferred with the 2019 Deming Prize for his contribution towards Total Quality Management. With it, he becomes the first Indian industrialist to receive the award for ‘Distinguished Service Award For Dissemination and Promotion Overseas’.“I am truly honoured by the recognition conferred upon me by the prestigious Deming committee and JUSE. This stands as a testament for me and all my colleagues and associates who have worked hard to implement TQM at Sundaram-Clayton and TVS Motor Company since 1989”, expressed Srinivasan. Having chaired as President of CII and Chairman of National Committee
for quality in the past, Srinivasan is known to have played an active role in accelerating TQM promotion in India.
His efforts have resulted in more than 100,000 practising managers being trained on TQM methods. ACI
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VLC 200 GT
HIGH PERFORMANCE HARD MACHINING FOR GEARBOX PARTS PRECISE
DYNAMIC
PRODUCTIVE
COMPACT
Gearbox production with 12 tool position tool turret and internal/ external aluminum oxide/CBN grinding spindle.
HIGHLIGHTS + Reduced machining time: The combination of hard
pre-turning and finish grinding reduces machining time.
+ Maximum workpiece quality: A combination of the best technology and a single clamping operation is used to ensure the best workpiece quality.
+ Shorter process chain: By combining the different processes, the process chain can be shortened.
+ Maximum technological diversity: Internal and external grinding spindles, tool block holders or the time-tested EMAG turret equipped with 12 tool positions are available.
Technical data for the VLC 200 GT: Chuck diameter, max. 210 mm I Swing diameter, max. 270 mm I Workpiece diameter, max. 160 mm I Workpiece length, max. 100 mm I Travel distances X (total stroke from pick-up to turret) / Z 1,700 / 250 mm I Loading time (depending on clamping device) 6 – 10 sec. I Main spindle capacity: 40% duty cycle / 100% duty cycle, 22 / 18 kW I Main spindle torque: 250 / 202 Nm I Main spindle max. speed: 3,000 rpm I Spindle bearing dia., front: 110 mm
www.emag.com 11
EMAG India Private Limited “Technology Centre” I No. 17/G/46-3 · Industrial Suburb I 2nd Stage · Yeshwanthpur I Bangalore · 560022 I Karnataka · India Phone Sales: + 91 80500 50163 (Sales) I Phone Service: + 91 80500 50165 I E-mail: sales.India@emag.com I www.emag.com
News
BorgWarner agreement with ChangAn
B
orgWarner entered into an agreement with ChangAn Automobile of China to supply its triple-clutch P2 drive module and electro-hydraulic control unit for the latter’s next-generation hybrid transmission. It is aiming to achieve mass production of its P2 modules by 2020. The integrated P2 drive module and electrohydraulic control unit are claimed to offer improved fuel economy and emission levels to inturn offer higher efficiency and performance levels. The scalable and modular design is said to cover different torques and will be made available with an optional e-motor. It is compatible with high voltage PHEV, high voltage HEV and 48V systems. The lightweight S-wind motor with a compact design, offers high torque density, especially suitable for P2 hybrids expected to become the mainstay of hybrid architectures. Available in an off-axis configuration, the design places the electric motor parallel to the main axis and connects the system via one of the company’s durable chain technologies, ensuring maximum torque transfer. The company’s P2 drive modules give OEMs the flexibility to place the electric motor in existing architectures, either on- or off-axis. By using the S-wind wire-forming process to create the motor, the P2 drive module is claimed to produces high power and torque densities in an extremely compact package. By placing the electric motor directly between the internal combustion engine and the transmission, BorgWarner’s on-axis P2 drive module delivers cost-effective hybridisation. Compatible with existing vehicle platforms, the P2 module opens up the possibility of integrating up to three clutches, including a disconnecting clutch, which allows the system to decouple from the engine for pure electric driving, enabling customers to achieve both their individual fuel-efficiency and performance goals. In addition, BorgWarner can supply
the electro-hydraulic controls for actuating the wet clutches, giving customers the option to choose individual components or a complete system. The innovative manufacturing process is claimed to allow BorgWarner to produce smaller, more powerful high-voltage electric motors on a mass scale and besides helping drive growth in the hybrid
and electric vehicle market. Unlike other off-axis P2 solutions that use a belt to attach the system, BorgWarner’s off-axis drive module delivers top performance from connecting the P2 through the chain drive technology. The solution offers stop/start, regenerative braking and supplemental electric propulsion. It is made available for 48-volt and highvoltage hybrid systems. ACI
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www.autocomponentsindia.com
More spindles. More efficiency. Our success depends 100% on your productivity. That is why we developed ‘multi-spindle machining’ up to four times more production out-put without any additional floor space requirement. Be productive. be SW.
Local contact in India: EMAG India Pvt.Ltd sales.india@emag.com | Phone: 08050050163 www.sw-machines.de | Made in Germany
T ECH N O LO GY M ACH I N ES S Y ST EM S
CORPORATE
BKT partners Laliga Off-Highway tyre manufacturer, Balkrishna Industries Limited (BKT) has partnered with LaLiga to attract its existing and potential customers over football. Story by: Bhushan Mhapralkar
T
aking pains to find out that its customers watch football in their spare time, BKT found it suitable to link up with Laliga. As the men’s top professional football division of the Spanish football league system, it ranks fifth among professional sports leagues in the world by revenue. The current
viewership is pegged between 150 million and 400 million. So, when Balkrishna Industries Limited (BKT) got Diego Forlan to India, it made for big news of its partnership with the Spanish football team LaLiga. Specialising in the manufacture of off-highway tyres for vehicles in the agricultural, industrial,
earthmoving, mining, ATV and gardening sectors. It, therefore, decided to connect with LaLiga to highlight the fact that it believes in the philosophy of performance having no limits like it is in the case of a sport like a football. BKT has made it clear that it is in no mood to let go of any opportunity that will
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CORPORATE take it closer to its clients. The partnership taking immediate effect, and valid for three years until the end of the 2021/2022 season, should promise the off-highway tyre major scope to score some very decisive goals as far as its reach in the exports markets and the domestic market is concerned. Expressed Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director, BKT, that the football world with both its rules and dynamics is in-line with his company’s values regarding determination and an uncompromising wish to win. Present in 160 countries in the world, and with offices in Europe and US, BKT has been associating itself with many sporting organisations the world over to increase brand awareness. Looking at sports as an instrument, which perfectly supports its message on a global
level because of its characteristic traits such as fair play, respect for the opponent, competition and strategy, the company, through
LaLiga is looking at engaging with its clients at a different level altogether. Especially in Spain, which is a major strategic market
15 15
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DECEMBER 2019 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
CORPORATE in Europe for its agricultural equipment tyres. Elevating its capabilities through the establishment of world-class R&D centre and well-equipped manufacturing facilities at Aurangabad, Bhuj, Bhiwadi, Dombivali, and Chopanki respectively, BKT has been steadily gaining a share of domestic market. Offering articulated dump truck tyre, dozer tyre, grader tyre, load haul train tyre, load haul dump truck tyre, loader tyre, tipper truck tyre, rigid dumper tyre, scraper tyre and underground mining vehicle tyre under the OTR range, BKT is today witnessing close to 40 per cent of its production going into the domestic market. Putting its plan to build a plant in US on hold by citing ‘difficult macroeconomics’ and ‘volatile climate conditions’, the company has been quite successful in reducing its dependence on the exports market, which was at one time as high as 91 per cent. Riding on the boost the Indian government has provided for infrastructure development and rising farm mechanisation, BKT has been going to great lengths to increase brand awareness. In terms of capabilities, it has been steadily ramping up
production of carbon black at its Bhuj plant. Starting trial production earlier this year with an initial production capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes, it is keen to take the capacity to 80,000 metric tonnes in the 2021 financial year. Chalking out plans to upgrade its Aurangabad plant at the cost of USD-five billion to turn it into one of the most advanced integrated units that the company has, BKT is confident of achieving good growth in the exports as well as the domestic markets. In anticipation to that, the company, apart from hiking the capacity at the Bhuj plant to 5000 metric-tonnes, is said to be looking at building a warehouse and a mixing plant at the same location. Leaving no stone unturned to keep growing despite the challenging business environment, BKT is elevating its capabilities to increase its brand recall. It was perhaps not for no reason that Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director, LaLiga India mentioned, that they are excited to welcome BKT, a brand that shares the same values as LaLiga, as their partner for the next three years to keep both the brands growing internationally. ACI
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Q&A
OSRAM-Continental Mission ‘Make in Asia’
Mustafa Yesilgoez, CEO Segment APAC, OSRAM Continental and Managing Director, OSRAM Continental India (Bangalore) speaks to Anwesh Koley about the company’s mission to attain 100 per cent localisation levels in Asia.
Q. What are the expectations from the Osram Continental JV formed last year? Yesilgoez. The Osram Continental JV commenced its journey in July last year and soon after, the Indian operations commenced in Bengaluru. It is also the R&D hub for the company for the whole of Asia Pacific. The key segments for Osram Continental are in the passenger vehicle and two-wheelers segment. We also have a few niche products in the off-highway segment, which we are trying to leverage and make inroads into. This segment is currently dominated by halogen lighting and we believe it is important to educate customers about the benefits of LEDs. A portion of both Osram and Continental was moved to the JV formed in 2018. The Bangalore unit takes care of the back-end electronic development for light control units. The focus in this R&D unit is more on the development of hardware and software. Software testing systems and other related activities except for mechanical operations are the focus areas. Our mission and vision in India are to be capable of developing everything for Asia, in Asia. Q. How does the JV company perceive the Indian automotive lighting business? Yesilgoez. The Indian Passenger Vehicle and two-wheeler segments are still halogen-based. The LED lighting units are slowly but gradually gaining acceptance, with OEMs fast adopting this technology for safety and ergonomic concerns. Today when we talk about alternative lighting, it is LED lighting. This comes from emission standards required for the upcoming BSVI standards as well as the electrification drive shaping up on a global scale. We believe LEDs can contribute significantly. While original equipment manufacturers are upbeat about LEDs, the additional cost is often counter-productive. However, given the design versatility and longevity offered by an LED unit, OEMs are finding merit in the technology. LEDs are not only more compact, but they also help in reducing weight along with advantages like reduced power consumption. This, in the long run, proves to be a great additional value proposition. Q. Do you expect Asian markets to drive the change in India? Yesilgoez. With electrification, autonomous driving and big
data being handled by the automotive industry, Asian markets are driving a significant portion of this technology turnaround on a global scale. The Chinese, Japanese and Korean markets are fast-moving ahead with the recent advancements in LED technology. In India, this could challenge the predominance of Halogen lights. We are hopeful of policies like the FAME II scheme backed by the influx of new designs and variants offered by LEDs compelling vehicle manufacturers to opt for this radical technology in the future.
Q. How are you leveraging global megatrends? Yesilgoez. Electrification, digitisation and autonomous driving are all megatrends which we are addressing across global markets. Currently, our portfolio contains LED-based lighting projector modules. The company is also developing pixel LEDs. R&D is constantly underway to enhance the safety and visibility of its lighting modules. Today, automotive lighting is fast becoming a communication factor. In the future, given the deliberations about autonomous driving, there will not be a driver behind the steering wheel. This will provide further impetus to interactive lighting, which will be responsible for safe mobility, whatever be the illumination conditions outside. Q. Which are the new products you expect to commercialise? Yesilgoez. Osram Continental is currently working on a digital headlamp technology with multiple pixels. Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs) have up to one million pixels or Ivios technology, which uses pixellated LEDs as well. Besides headlamps, the company is also focussing on tail lamps, interior and ambient lighting solutions. When autonomous driving becomes a norm, passengers would like their vehicles to have customised lighting as a way to enhance travelling experience. Hence, along with external LEDs providing the vital safety quotient, internal lighting technology will play an aesthetic role in vehicles of the future. Projector technology is another area where Osram Continental has its expertise. Currently we are offering static logo projectors, which illuminate the vehicle surroundings, thereby cautioning oncoming vehicles. ACI
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Q&A
“The Chinese, Japanese and Korean markets are fast-moving ahead with the recent advancements in LED technology. In India, this could challenge the predominance of Halogen lights.� 19 19
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DECEMBER 2019 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
COVER STORY
Smart Manufacturing by B&R Pune based B&R Industrial Automation offers smart manufacturing solutions for maximising productivity in automotive shop floors. Story by: Deven Lad
T
The nextgeneration Industrial Transport technology SuperTrak.
he automotive factories of the future are expected to be driven by integrated automation. While concepts like ‘Just-In-Time’ management of inventory system that exists today, help align raw materials with production schedules, integrated automation is the need of the hour. Both machines and assembly lines are required to be connected for seamless operations at shopfloors. Pune based B&R Industrial Automation (B&R) believes it has the right tools to address the void. Its solutions are claimed to integrate machines and assembly lines on a shop floor seamlessly. Using advanced automation technology the company claims to maximise the productivity of an entire manufacturing line. Automation backed solutions, it is believed, can help the shopfloors at Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and ancillaries to attain the desired levels of agility and
flexibility in order to realise ondemand manufacturing. The company’s product range also offers solutions to reduce the downtime, lower frequency of ad-hoc failures, improve changeover efficiency and set real-time data-based predictive maintenance schedules. Averred Sivaram PV, Non-Executive Chairman of B&R Industrial Automation India, “The focus of the Indian automotive industry today is more towards an increase in diversity of applications rather than a temptation to obtain and deploy new or latest gadgets.” Expressed Sivaram that the Integrated Automation solutions provider had over 35 years of experience in the domain giving it the confidence to deploy scalable solutions and cuttingedge technology from its portfolio. The Company gave a sneak preview of just that at the recently concluded Automation Expo 2019 held at Bombay Exhibition
Centre (BEC), in Mumbai. With advanced automation as the underlying theme, the technology walls at the B&R booth caught our attention. B&R drew attention to a suite of services, solutions and products like ACOPOStrak, Integrated machine vision, edge architectures, digital twin and asset performance monitor. The nextgeneration Industrial Transport technology SuperTrak displayed by the company, for instance, makes use of magnet technology to guide individually controllable shuttles along a track using long stator linear motors. It is scalable, offers space savings and is easily adaptable. Process control systems like APROL Solutions come bundled with OEM Licenses for Control Computer (CC). With its suite of solutions for the metal industry, the company claims to offer suitable technology for foundry and tooling of engines, blocks, turbochargers
20 20 AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n DECEMBER 2019
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COVER STORY and crankshafts. The company also highlighted vendor-independent, open communication protocols OPC UA, Ethernet POWERLINK and openSAFETY. Through IO-Link, a short distance, bi-directional, digital, point-to-point, wired (or wireless), industrial communications networking standard, digital sensors and actuators, explained a product head, are connected to either a type of industrial Fieldbus or a type of industrial Ethernet. It forms the basis of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), an extension of the Internet of Things (IoT) 4.0 standard that finds application in automotive industries and applications. The resultant Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, big data and machine learning are all claimed to offer enhanced levels of reliability and operational efficiency. Among other solutions on offer are a suitable fit to the integration of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems customised for varied business use cases. Open communication for Industry 4.0, business Intelligence, energy monitoring, scalable, powerful and rugged industrial PCs, customised HMI products can help manufacturers with integrated and web-based diagnostics. Technologies for presses, metal cutting, bending and roll-forming are developed in-house at the company. B&R also offers hardware and software solutions for fast and easy development of mechatronic machines
q For Light-weighting
Light-weighting with its set of benefits like fuel-efficiency requires manufacturers to ensure material composition to comply with the requisite safety standards. To help
address the issues faced while bonding structural elements like composites and low-density metals, automated solutions can help ease tasks at assembly stations by facilitating the communication between multiple assembly lines depending on the assembly model and the conveyor systems. Mathematical modelling and simulations are used in the early stages of design and development. This helps significantly reduce production lifecycle of the vehicle and in turn to shorten of the development time of a new model. The models are known to be generated from the data gathered through simulated kinematic and dynamic behaviour of individual components or entire modules in the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) based systems. The company also offers advanced solutions for the production of plastics, textile, wood, glass, and electronics among other such ancillaries in the vehicular production chain.
q Cloud-based applications
The company’s Asset Performance Monitor (APM) is claimed to be the first cloud application based on ABB Ability, ABB’s unified, and cross-industry offering of digital solutions. Claiming to
offer a reliable overview of all machines in the field, it facilitates identification of potential improvements and helps take the service operations to the next level. This is considered to be crucial when unlocking new business models and revenue streams. Globally the APM churns out data on metrics like production rate, energy consumption and temperature. OEMs can also see their machines being operated and can monitor real-time status paving the way for scheduled preventive maintenance at regular intervals. Suites like Automation Studio 4 are claimed to help optimise the development workflow and further accelerate time-to-market. B&R Automation Studio 4 utilises OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) for its direct connection to the plant management level. A bidirectional interface with the database system of the ECAD tool, EPLAN Electric P8, helps synchronise electrical and hardware configurations to avoid redundant or inconsistent data entry. Integration of MCAD designs and plans for hydraulic and pneumatic components is also made feasible by the company. ACI
The B&R Automation Solutions wall for Machine and Factory.
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COVER STORY
Smart Autonomous Cobots Alstrut India Pvt. Ltd. is banking on its range of smart autonomous collaborative robots to alter the levels of automation in the auto components industry. Story by: Deepti Thore
C Cobots have brought a complete shift in the perception of automation.
ollaborative robots or cobots are designed to work in close proximity with the human workforce. Relatively unguarded, they are easy to integrate. The objective being to keep humans from working on repetitive and dangerous tasks. With the advent of cobots by 2008, the belief that
humans can be better utilised by ensuring they devote time to higher valued, manual tasks, both upstream and downstream has only got stronger. According to MIT researchers, humans working in tandem with robots have found to be 85 per cent more productive than those working alone. Cobots
also help eliminate the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) as per the study. Opined K Srinath, Business Head - Robotics, Alstrut India Pvt. Ltd., “The cobots have brought a complete shift in the orientation of how automation is looked at.” “Using human intelligence, the level of automation
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COVER STORY
actually required gets reduced. While in the past the popularity of smart sensors was found in plant operations, the collaborative robots on the other hand, with the help of human intelligence have been able to reduce the concerns pertaining to the handicap failing to work on an application in the absence of the sensor,� he explained. Srinath claimed that the combination of a human, performing the tasks of the sensor in collaboration with a robot, is the USP for the Chennai based company with its cobots deployed at multiple client sites in India and globally as a testimony. It has a serious potential to alter the levels of automation in the auto components industry. Alstrut India is driving a change in the automation segment with
its claims of deploying over 100 cobots in India for various applications including pick and place, palletising, machine tending, vision-based bin picking and sorting using an advanced gripper. The company’s programming services are specifically focused on Universal Robots (UR) such that the cobot is programmed to work for the desired application. Universal Robots is a manufacturer of flexible industrial cobots arms, based in Odense, Denmark with over 34,000 units sold and 65 patents registered. With support from such a globally reputed partner, the company can also help integrate various other automation elements to work together like special grippers, vision systems, force-torque sensors, etc. Besides collaborative robot planning, Alstrut India offers
robotic and end of line automation solutions in discrete manufacturing industries across India. It also offers services across Design and Consultancy, Programming PLC, Control Panel Design, Proof of Concepts or tryouts, Process Visualisation, Simulation and Training. Alstrut’s auto components clientele includes companies like Amara Raja, BorgWarner, Bosch, Brakes India Limited, DelphiTVS, Endurance, Federal Mogul, Fleetguard, Oerlikon, Indo-Mim, Rane, Saint-Gobain, Spark Minda, Toyota Kirloskar, Visteon and Voith to name a few. Its Original Equipment Manufacturer clients include Ashok Leyland, Bajaj, FIAT, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Royal Enfield, Toyota and Yamaha.
Cobots with the aid of human intelligence has addressed the handicap of not being able to work without sensors.
The company is banking on two 23 23
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COVER STORY types of cobots - Universal Robots (a six-axis robot ) and Mobile Industrial Robot (Autonomous Mobile Robot). The UR series claimed Srinath, facilitates easy integration in existing production environments making them a good retrofit option. Using six articulation points and high flexibility, the series is built on the fundamental of mimicking the motion of a human arm.
Q. How big is the market for Cobots? Srinath: Our company has been growing at a 2x to 3x rate and so are our partners. The parent company itself has been doubling its business. Looking at these indicators, I think the market size we are talking about is very huge. In comparison to what it is in other parts of the world, the adoption of automation in India is just one-third as compared to south-east Asia. Compared to China, it could probably be onetenth. Opportunities and the problems are very similar whether it is in India or China as both use the same machines. It is just that they are putting more robots and we are deploying less of them. The challenges faced by China remain the same as India due to the availability of manpower considering both the countries have high human population. So we are just scratching the surface of this opportunity. Q: Do you think the industry is fast evolving in IoT and automation? Srinath: I think there is evidence of that. The smart manufacturing companies and especially the government is encouraging programs towards these initiatives. We have witnessed the change in different industries, ecosystems, vendors and government. I think this is the best phase to make manufacturing smarter and adopt such autonomous solutions. India being very good in IT sector has its services offered globally and so much of that is extending itself to the Indian
Among key noteworthy advantages claimed by the company are lesser implementation cost compared to traditional robots, fast setup, lightweight built, ease of programming, flexible deployment, highly collaborative and safe to work and easily replaceable joints. The product portfolio includes the UR3, UR5, UR10 rated for 3 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg payloads respectively and the e-Series UR5e cobots.
K Srinath, Business Head - Robotics, Alstrut India Pvt. Ltd manufacturing companies as well. It gives us an opportunity to deploy technologies to enhance Indian manufacturing companies in order to reach the next level and compete globally. Industry 4.0 awareness is much higher than it was three years back and we no longer have to explain companies to adopt smart approach to make manufacturing better. Q: Does the ongoing economic slowdown threaten to impact business negatively? Srinath: In the collaborative robot space, there is not much of the impact. We are just scratching the surface and for us it is still raw, primarily because every manufacturing company
The UR5, for instance, is already in use at the Cummins Emissions Solutions Components plant in Pune, India to pick and place parts. Take the top of the line UR10 cobot for instance. At 28.9 kg, it has a reach of 1300 mm with a (+ or -) joint range of 360 degrees. The base and the shoulder can operate at a speed of 120 degrees per second, with wrist 1,2 and three rated for a speed of 180 degrees
experiments with just one collaborative robot. There are many auto components companies and we have still not entered that segment yet where the slowdown is affecting the business. When these companies witness a slowdown, we will find an opportunity to automate their processes to ramp them up for the future. In times when people are loaded with work, they often tend to worry about the outcome of automating their machines, or what happens to production during that time. But now due to slow down, there is enough time for them to automate the product and worry less about the outcome since they can stop the machines if necessary and work around the solution while business becomes stable. Q: What are the growth areas and challenge areas from short term to medium term and medium to long term perspective? Srinath: The growth challenge for us comes largely from our own talent because even though these technologies are great, to conceptualise the idea and to deploy it seamlessly we depend on talented engineers. These are not the areas which have been around for a very long time. So the engineering colleges are yet to reach a point where such topics are being taught. Hence, our main focus is to educate our employees in all dimensions when it comes to automation. This is one major thing that I foresee for the future growth plans of Alstrut India.
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COVER STORY per second and a tooling speed of 1 m/s or 39.4 in per second. With a degree of freedom of six rotating joints, the UR10 features 2 digital in, 2 digital out and 2 analogue I/O ports. Designed to work with the TCP/IP 100 Mbit: IEEE 802.3u, 100BASE-TX Ethernet socket & Modbus TCP communication protocol, the cobot is operated by a polyscope graphical user interface connected to a 12-inch touchscreen with mounting. The IP54 robot is claimed to have a power consumption of 350 Watts and is tested for operations in a temperature range of 0-50 degrees. At high continuous joint speed, said Srinath, the ambient temperature is reduced. Expressed Srinath, that the partnership with Universal robots, a pioneer in collaborative robot space and with Mobile Industrial Robots, a pioneer in autonomous mobile robot space have been an important milestones for the
company. “ The two collaborative robots have enhanced the company’s ability to create valuable solutions for manufacturing companies. The company recently also launched the new ‘Cobotizur’, a modular, plug and play equipment which can be integrated with the UR10 or UR10e collaborative robot from Universal Robots to provide the user with a ‘collaborative robot palletiser’. Known to automate palletising of carton boxes onto the pallet, Universal Robots has certified the Cobotizur as a UR+
product. With a higher speed of implementation, it is claimed to have a small footprint too. Other noteworthy advantages include a vertical seventh axis, cobotizur palletisation software, touch-panel HMI and high uptime.
The UR10 features 2 digital in, 2 digital out and 2 analogue I/O ports.
The partnership with Universal robots and Mobile Industrial Robots are an important milestone for Alstrut. 25 25
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COVER STORY powerful combination of human intelligence and the ability of a robot to perform repetitive tasks, Srinath believes the company is in a good position to acquire the desired growth aspirations with its other set of partners in OnRobot, Pick-it, Robotiq, Weiss Robotics, Modu Systems, and Omron Microscan.
Cobots in no way will replace humans 100 per cent from operations.
Seeing maximum traction from the segment witnessing manpower challenges especially where a lot of people fall are said to belong to the higher age bracket, Alstrut India aims to automate the operations that are unsafe or are repetitive in nature. Srinath opined, doing so, would be a step in the right direction to upgrade skillsets
of the existing pool. Allaying fears of automation causing job losses, Srinath mentioned that the company did not replace humans completely from any given operation. He reiterated that the next-generation solutions will continue to be humanoperated where-in the worker and the robot will collaborate to finish the assigned task. With the
As per a study by Universal Robots, Rethink Robots and FANUC, the market for cobots could be pegged at USD 3.1 billion by 2020. Declining prices are said to have only helped this valuation. Falling at a rate of three to five per cent on an annual basis, from an average price of USD 28,000 in 2015, cobot prices are expected to correct to USD 17,000 by 2025. China is among the largest markets for cobots and also among the fastest-growing markets. In India, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are expected to drive the boom. According to IFR reports, 4,500 industrial robots made their way to India in 2018 alone. ACI
China is among the largest markets for cobots and also among the fastest-growing. 26 26 AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n DECEMBER 2019
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COVER STORY
Polarity Pedal-Assist System Polarity Smart Bikes address range anxiety associated with EVs through Pedal-Assist System. Story by: Deepti Thore
R
ange anxiety in case of EVs is a real-world issue. It has posed a hindrance to the mass proliferation of EVs. To overcome this range anxiety, Pune based Polarity Smart Bikes registered under SJ Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd. is banking on the Pedal-Assist Systems (PAS) which the company showcased on its ebikes at the launch earlier this year. To tap the pull for EVs created by policies and incentive campaigns built on over the last decade, the company built on the Pedal-Assist Systems to address the existing void. Positioned as India’s first Personal
Mobility Vehicle (PMV), Polarity’s electric pedal-assist bikes are an interesting option for those looking at emission-free means of transportation. The pedal-assist system used in bikes is not a new concept per se. Globally known as pedelec, over the last decade, the concept of Pedal-Assist Systems has positioned itself as a viable option on the top of the ebikes classification. Pedal-assist ebikes work such that they draw power from the motor to help pedal with ease and set in motion faster than conventional bikes. It allows one to choose the level of assist desired by pedalling to get the
motor to inturn supply the desired level of power output. Compared to conventional pedal-assist bikes it may require only short bursts of the pedal. The pedal assist bikes have for long drawn comparisons to the hand throttle models people are used to. It is believed that the next decade holds even far greater potential for the evolving category. Explained Anand Mohan, Executive Director, Polarity Smart Bikes that it’s the technological innovation and low cost of electric components used in Pedal-Assist Systems that make it an attractive proposition for
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COVER STORY prospective buyers. In an effort to further classify, he added that the company is addressing two different ends of the spectrum through the ‘S’ Sports Series and the ‘E’ Executive Series. Through the ‘S’ series, the company is targeting sports enthusiasts who are fitness-oriented and ride the vehicle on-road and off-road terrains. On the other hand, the ‘E’ series is aimed at office-commuters who use public or private transport. Explaining that there are few who are utility conscious and would want to carry cargo, for this target segment, the company has provided a load-carrying utility with a rated load-carrying capacity of 50 kg in case of the executive range. Both the ebikes will be offered as single-seater variants initially when they are commercially rolled out in the first quarter (Q12020). In all, there are six models - S1K, S2K, S3K and E1K, E2K, E3K powered by 1-kW, 2-kW and 3-kW motors and
a total of 36 variants that will be available when sales commence in 2020. The bike with the motor capacity of 1-kW has a maximum speed of 45 kmph In case of the 2kW, the speed is limited at 60 kmph with the top of the line 3-kW variant limited at 100 kmph. The ebikes have been further set apart from each other in terms of the overall utility levels and the
support system on offer. Opined Mohan that the price band of the ebikes makes them an attractive buy. The cheapest variant is priced at Rs.38000 and the top of the line variant priced at Rs.1,25000 (ex-showroom). The company is especially excited about the S3K variant, the flagship model of the
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COVER STORY Q: What is the potential of the pedal assisted bike segment in India? How big is the market?
of customisation and levels of functionalities this bike offers, I think it’s good that people have that option. Range hoping does not happen ideally, so I am sure each bike will have its own customer base. We are showing the prototype early so that we know who wants what and what quantity. This is why we have started the pre-booking of these bikes.
A. Currently, the pedal-assistant market is not directly categorized unlike bicycle market in India. There are plenty of bicycle manufacturers in the auto component industry but they are not legal permitters. Their numbers are really huge. Even in the motorcycle segment, the numbers are very limited but they have registration. Considering that these are two different areas, we have a certain number of bikes and we have a certain number of bicycles hence we need to categorize it first. It completely depends on the acceptance of people for such a product which is a combo of both, the bicycle and the motorcycle. We are definitely expecting to sell more than one lakh vehicle next year. Q: A lot of the tech feature is standard on bikes today with the rising customer awareness. What do you think are the USPs of the six bikes ? A. Any pedal-assisted bike launched till date do not offer a speed more than 25 km/hour. The new vehicle with a speed of 25 km/h needs government registration. Our smart bikes have been registered and the users get the RC book, insurance, resale value, bank loan like any other motorbike. This will certainly
Q: What is the future of EVs in the two-wheeler segment?
Sachin Jadhav Chairman and Managing Director, Polarity smart bikes give an advantage. Offering adjustable seat system, these bikes can be used onroad and off-road by anyone who is fond of gadget technology which enables connection with the vehicle via android and Apple IOS based system. It helps the users to track the vehicle and access it. One can also install a fitness app. and use it for health maintenance. Q: Are these bikes well-differentiated not to affect the sales of each other? A. I don’t think it will. The levels
company, which according to Mohan guarantees thrills. It acts either as a trail hero or a classy ride to the office. It is powered by a 3 kW BLDC hub motor which draws power from the Lithiumion battery. The company claims a minimum of 1000 charge/ discharge cycles for the battery post which one can expect the capacity to fall under 80 per cent of its original capacity. The company has placed a three-year warranty on the battery pack.
A. Everyone thinks the future of EVs is bright. The ICE’s are here to stay but for EVs it is in a compact space. We will definitely witness a gradual shift to electric and the EVs are going to rise. Q: You thoughts on economic slowdown ? Do you think the automobile sector will revive? A. We have witnessed slowdown mostly in the ICE industry but they will bounce back. The economy is expected to go up and down, therefore I am positive that the sales will pick up for them. From the EV point of view, we are positive because electric vehicle sales have gone up by 130 per cent YoY for the past two years. The demand for EVs in the market have increased hence I am sure EV has a promising future.
Equipped with Lithium-ion batteries, said Mohan, “These smart bikes get rid of the range anxiety often debated with speeds of up to 100 kmph and a range of 80 km on a full charge.” The pedal-assist ebikes have been deliberately designed to be light-weight and hence will be well-differentiated from other categories of electric two-wheelers existing in the market. Built on a steel frame to reduce the impact the motors and batteries experience, the
major electrical components of the ebikes are packaged in a compact space to ensure higher efficiency. It is also to cut down on the wind resistance. The smart ebikes come with standard features like bluetooth connectivity and GPS tracking with the help of a proprietary mobile app. The app. is said to provide critical information like vehicle diagnostics, service logs and details, and location tracking among others. With an end goal of encouraging a
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COVER STORY healthier lifestyle, the aim is also to reduce the carbon footprint by crediting carbon points in lieu of the distance travelled through pedalling the ebikes. In addition to this, owners of the bike can look forward to boosting fitness levels by custom tweaks that include an adjustable suspension for riding on all types of surfaces. In a unique inclusion, the bike speeds can be controlled with the help of the app. Citing extensive research and multiple surveys of similar vehicles during the development of these bikes, Mohan expressed satisfaction at the end outcome ahead of the commercial rollout. The process entailed fault finding and going back to the drawing board in case of issues pertaining to the charging infrastructure, lack of knowledge, versatility and connectivity of the customer. Claiming to address a host of such customer pain points,
the company is confident, of the pedal-assist bikes being perceived as versatile. The company is also working on introducing a two-seater version of these bikes in the near future, hinted Mohan. Pedelecs or Pedal Assist bikes can be traced to the end of the 19th century. As per the claims, in 1895, Ogden Bolton Jr., an American inventor decided to apply for the first time, an electric motor on the rear hub of a traditional bicycle. He was granted the U.S. Patent 552,271 for a battery-powered bicycle with a six-pole Brush-and-Commutator Direct Current (DC) hub motor mounted in the rear wheel. There were no gears then and the motor is known to draw 100 Amperes from a 10-volt battery pack. In 1897, Hosea W. Libbey of Boston invented an electric bicycle (U.S. Patent 596,272) that was propelled by a double electric motor. The motor was designed within the hub of the crankset axle. The model was later
Anand Mohan, Executive Director, Polarity Smart Bikes
re-invented and imitated in the late 1990s by Giant Lafree e-bikes. By 1898 a rear-wheel drive electric bicycle, which used a driving belt along the outside edge of the wheel, was patented by Mathew J. Steffens. After many such iterations and patents registered, by 2007 e-bikes were thought to make up 10 to 20 per cent of all two-wheeled vehicles on the streets of many major Chinese cities. ACI
Specification
S1K
S2K
S3K
E1K
E2K
E3K
Price (Starting price ex-showroom)
Rs 40,000
Rs 70,000
Rs 1.1 lakh
Rs 38,000
Rs 65,000
Rs 1.05 lakh
1.5kW
2.5kW
50V
80V
Kerb weight Motor
Under 55kg 1kW
2kW
3kW
1kW
Motor type
BLDC hub motor
Battery type
Lithium-ion
Nominal voltage
40V
50V
80V
40V
Life cycles
1000 (minimum)
Battery life
3-year warranty
Charger (Standard - home)
40V 5A
50V 5A
80V 5A
40V 5A
50V 5A
80V 5A
Charger (Optional - fast)
40V 10A
50V 10A
80V 10A
40V 10A
50V 10A
80V 10A
Range
80km+
Top speed
45kmph
70kmph
100kmph
40kmph
60kmph
80kmph
GPS
-
-
Yes
-
-
Yes
Bluetooth
-
-
Yes
-
-
Yes 31 31
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ALLIED INDUSTRIES
Henkel 2020 Strategy Henkel Adhesives Technologies India is tackling the difficult market environment with technologically driven changes in line with its 2020 strategy for a differentiated performance. Story by: Sricharan R
H
enkel Adhesives Technologies India is banking on innovation-led growth. The company expects mega-trends like safety, sustainability, light-weighting and acoustics, Internet of Things (IoT) 4.0 and EVs to drive the course of its future development for the past few years. The company is tackling the difficult market environment with technologically driven changes in line with its 2020 strategy for a
differentiated performance. It has also aligned operations to attain higher levels of localisation in line with the government’s ‘Make-in-India’ vision. Besides, the company has worked towards bringing the best global practices in order to introduce high levels of efficiency in the India supply chain resource. Averred Bappa Bandyopadhyay, Director Operations and Projects at Henkel Adhesive Technologies India, “In
the OEM business, there are a lot of developments happening. We are working to make vehicles more light and fuel-efficient. We are also working on products for electric vehicles.”
q Differentiated performance
The adhesives business delivered a robust performance and contributed significantly to Group sales despite being affected by a significant decline
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ALLIED INDUSTRIES in demand from key industries. Here, the emerging markets achieved a good organic sales growth of 2.7 per cent with the mature markets showing a negative organic sales development of (-) 2.3 per cent. In the Asia-Pacific region, sales decreased organically by (-) 5.7 per cent. Around 40 per cent of Henkel’s business comes from emerging markets and India plays a major role. At the Group level, sales rose by 0.8 per cent to Euro 5,077 million with an organic decline of (-) 0.3 per cent.
management of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA expecting an organic sales growth of zero to two per cent for the Group. For Adhesive Technologies, Henkel expects an organic sales growth of (-) one to one per cent. The contribution from acquisitions and divestments amounted to 0.4 per cent. Today, the India centre is a greater support hub for Henkel’s global operations than it previously was.
Despite increased investments in brands and digitalisation, the company as per its guidance for the fiscal year 2019 maintained a healthy free cash flow of Euro 823 million. For the fiscal year 2019, Henkel confirmed its outlook based on current estimates and assumptions made by the corporate
The company according to Bandyopadhyay is banking on its close association with OEMs. “We work alongside OEMs right from the design stage, and we understand their requirements well. We try to develop right from the start and decide on what is best on light-weighting, noise reduction etc.,” he explained.
q Collaboration with Global CoE
Bappa Bandyopadhyay, Director Operations and Projects at Henkel Adhesive Technologies India.
Henkel’s product development centre in Pune, for instance, works in close collaboration with the Henkel Centre of Excellence spread across Germany, Europe, the USA and China. Of the opinion that development starts from mature markets, Bandyopadhyay highlighted the work carried out on EVs. He accredited the progress made
Henkel’s product development centre in Pune, for instance, works in close collaboration with the Henkel Centre of Excellence spread across Germany, Europe, the USA and China.
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ALLIED INDUSTRIES to partners in the research domain. “We take the idea from them and act according to the local needs,” he explained.
q Technologically Driven
The Henkel Anti-Vibration Pads are claimed to significantly reduce noise and vibration levels.
Henkel’s India business is primarily into adhesive, sealants and coating. In line with its 2020 strategy, the chemical company has firmed up a strategy to be technologically driven. Two of the company’s total of seven plants in India have been selected for conversion to a connected facility. Referred to as Industry 4.0, it means that the company is moving towards the trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and in processes including Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), IoT, Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), cloud computing, cognitive computing and artificial intelligence. Here the company’s Chennai plant and the recently set up facility at Kurkumbh, near Pune are believed to be the early movers in line for the change. For instance, Phase I of the new plant in Pune has been completed with commercial
operations known to have begun last year. Phase II at the facility will commence by the end of 2019 or by early next year while Phase III will be commissioned by the year 2021. The company expects a total investment to the tune of Rs.500 crore. Opined Bandyopadhyay, technological changes are the future and can’t be avoided. “We have to make huge advancements in digitalisation and we are working on verticals across the workspace like the 3D printing, e-commerce and several Industry 4.0,” he said. Henkel’s JV entity Henkel Anand India Pvt. Ltd (HAIPL) in Chennai has collaborated with Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd (TKM) to establish a self-reliant system with the help of the Industry 4.0 standards. The partnership with TKM is expected to enable the HAIPL in eliminating wastage and achieve zero defects for the product range. In November 2018, the company launched the Jiritsuka line. Based on Industry 4.0 the line integrates the ERP and process control system to a centralised server.
This enables monitoring and control of all manufacturing processes through customised software. Critical process controls are established through IoT devices to ensure error proofing at all manufacturing stages to in turn give the best quality output. Industry 4.0 has also enabled the company to reduce human intervention.
q Big Data
With this implementation, the company, said Bandyopadhyay, owns a huge quantum of live data gathered from across the complete value chain. It will come to the aid for predictive quality assurance. “Leveraging Industry 4.0 can improve our supply chain resource efficiency on production by five to six per cent and can help Henkel in pursuing its vision of being 30 per cent more efficient by 2030,” he opined. The system at Henkel’s plant can today gather information on sustainability, efficiency, quality and safety in real-time and allow for cloud-based analytics in the realm of diagnostics, predictions and prescriptions. It can also provide insights to limit shifts on select machines and help optimise the manufacturing process overall. The concept of the golden batch will come in to play too, helping the company reduce the batch cycle time and increase productivity levels.
q Differentiated outlook
The differentiated performance is expected to help Henkel attain a differentiated outlook. With the new plant at Pune set to increase its capacity by the year-end, the adhesive manufacturer has export expansion plans for its specialised product range. At a localisation level of about 10-15 per cent, the company is aiming to go higher in the near term. With Industry 4.0 in place, Henkel is confident of spreading out to new areas with growth potential. “We are not present in certain areas and we are looking at partnerships. This will help us expand and grow faster,” concluded Bandyopadhyay. ACI 34 34 AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n DECEMBER 2019
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ALLIED INDUSTRIES
Self-healing Paint Protection Film with PPF Garware Polyester introduces a next generation self-healing paint protection film for automotive applications in India. Story by: Deven Lad
O
ffering highest level of impact resistance, Garware Polyester Pvt. Ltd., the flagship company of the Garware Group, has introduced a self-healing paint protection film in India. Manufactured in India using a specially formulated
Thermoplastic Polyurethane film (TPU) and the company’s in-house technology, the next generation self-healing film is claimed to be suitable especially for Indian weather and road conditions. S. Krishnan, Director -Sales, Garware Polyester Ltd.
said, “The latest version of the paint protection film is yet another innovative product, which provides an unparalleled high-gloss finish and impact protection for maximum durability.” Aimed at passenger vehicles, the film is claimed to offer protection from scratches and dents. Ensuring protection from damages made by road debris and rocks, the TPU film is manufactured by coating specially formulated acrylicbased adhesive. The self-healing TPU film is laminated with Matte silicone coated release liner. The protection film is then top layer of the self-healing coating. Offering a self-healing property from minor to medium scratches, superior optical clarity and high gloss finish, the TPU film gives the vehicle on which it sits as a coat a premium finish. Known to be water repellent and durable, the film is easy to install on the curved surfaces of the vehicle. The film also claims to offer a superior solvent resistance. Along with anti-yellowing and stain resistance, the film protects from the bird droppings, and insects besides from exposure to salt air. The most advanced vehicle paint protection film in the market as of current, according to Krishnan, can be easily installed as well as removed without damaging the paint finish thus helping to retain the vehicle’s resale value. 35 35
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ALLIED INDUSTRIES Coming from a company that manufactures polyester films for a variety of industrial applications and solar window films for automobile and architectural applications, the TPU film is manufactured in a state-of-theart, ISO-9001: 2008 certified facility that also produces just about everything that goes into Garware’s window films, from the base petrochemical intermediate right down to the finished products. Capable of being used as full-body wrap, as a hood wrap, as a bumper wrap, on the rocker panel, on the quarter panel, on painted side mirrors, on door handle cavity, on door
q Self Healing Paint Protection Film The self-healing film is manufactured by coating a specially formulated acrylic-based adhesive (thickness of 1.18 mil or 0.00118 inches), and a self-healing coated TPU (six mil or 0.006 inch). It is laminated with matte silicone coated release liner (thickness of three mil or 0.006 inches), and a protection film ( thickness of two mil or 0.002 inches) placed on top of the self-healing coating ( thickness of 0.78 mil or 0.00078 inches). The key USPs of the self-healing PPF is the automated self-healing property in case of the minor to the medium category of scratches, optical clarity and high gloss finish, water repellent property and durable stain resistance, antiyellowing, solvent resistance besides the resistance to maintenance pains like bird droppings. Customer also has to take care of the film after installing like cleaning up dirt and dust on the film regularly, using microfiber, avoid using abrasive like power and clay-type cleaners, degreasers or rough sponges and paper towels. The company also advises not using highpressure water hoses or putting a lot of pressure on the film while cleaning. “We are planning to train people who will be using this, in few months we expect more than 500 experts who know how to install it. We are introducing this product in the domestic and international market where our presence is already there and they will learn about this product quickly,” said S. Krishnan, Director -Sales, Garware Polyester Ltd.
Side pillars Protect from chips and stains
Partial/ Full fender panels Protect from chips and stains
Painted side mirror Protect from chips and stains
Trunk ledge Protect from damage caused by constant access to your trunk
Partial or full hood Protect from chips and stains
Front and rear bumper Protect from chips and stains
Door handle Cavity Protect from key and jewelry scratches
Headlights Protect from chips, stones and yellowing from the sun
Door edges Protect from contact with other parked vehicles
Rocker panels Protect from chips and stains
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ALLIED INDUSTRIES the global market? A. Our product is unique given that it has all the advantages and all the requirements a PPF needs to offer. A similar product from global players offers at the most two or three benefits. Either its self-healing or scratch resistance or it is hydrophobic. In comparison, we provide all of that in one product. In addition to this, our product is also priced competitively.
Q. From polyester films to the selfhealing paint protection film how has the product development journey of the company been? A. As the pioneer of polyester film manufacturing, we have been in this business for long, in fact, we were the first company to have launched a polyester film. Now we are introducing Paint Protection Film (PPF). We have also gone through the phase of introducing window films which are very popular and sold globally in about 80 countries. The paint protection film is an extension of that product in the automotive space. It is used for protecting the paint coat on a car. The journey has been long I would say and one that has helped us with valuable learnings in the manufacturing space. Q. Give us a snapshot of the company’s growth pattern over the last eight quarters? Have you been impacted with a slowdown in the auto sector and economy overall? A. Our growth over the last eight quarters has been fairly good. Our profitability has been extremely high in this period. I can’t comment on our last quarter (Q2-FY2020) as the results are yet to be declared. Our profit was Rs.120 crore in the last Financial Year (FY2019). Compared to the profit three years ago, we were at about Rs.29 crore. So from a profit of Rs.29 crore to Rs.120 crore, the growth has been phenomenal.
Q. Do you have a reseller business model with partner vendors in the supply chain? A. We have distributors in the global market, our largest market, for instance, is in the United States. We also have distributors and retailers in India. We have trained them on all the applications of our products to ensure a robust network and ease of availability for our customers.
S. Krishnan, Director (Sales), Garware Polyester Ltd. generation of PPF? Does it address issues like film yellowing or bubbling and nasty residues? A. Along with our product, we are also selling an installation gel, developed in-house. This installation gel helps in terms of proper installation of the product, therefore, there is no question of bubbling and other effects in the installation process. In addition to that self-healing property which quickly heals, there is no other form of treatment that is required by the film to function as intended.
Q. As an early mover with the first of its kind plant in South East Asia, have you been able to build on that advantage? A. We are diversified, unlike other companies who only continued to make polyester films. We went on to manufacture window films and moved on to PPF. Going forward you will see us manufacture several other products.
Q. Does the PPF need an additional layer of coating for daily wash and care routine? A. It does not require any further coating. The only thing required is regular soap solution and usual precaution that you take in terms of cleaning or maintenance that needs to be taken care of.
Q. Self-healing PPF is not a new technology per se. What are the product properties in the next
Q. How does a Garware PPF differentiate itself from competing companies both in the domestic and
Q. Is the PPF an after-sales product purely? A. It is an after-sale product as well as for OEM equipment in some countries. In our oldest plant, we plan to sell it to the OEM where it can be used to protect some of the vulnerable parts of an automobile. Q. With buyers looking at pricecompetitive products over genuine care products, how confident are you of creating a pull? A. This product has not just been developed under certain ideal lab conditions, but also It has been subjected to tests under all sorts of weather conditions and patterns, especially for a country like ours. So we manufacture not only what’s best suited for our country but test the products by way of simulated conditions of other countries, covering both cold and hot weather cycles. In fact, some of our big customers have already started ordering from the middle east where the temperatures are recorded upwards of 48 degrees Celsius. 37 37
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ALLIED INDUSTRIES Q. How Green is the product? A. It is environment-friendly. The normal life of this product is five years. Q. Tell us about the R&D capability, manufacturing capability, and dealership network of the company? A. Garware has always prioritised R&D. Ever since the inception, one of the main objectives has been to introduce new products in the market. PPF is one of those products that bring to the fore our capabilities. The dealership network has penetrated from
edges, for the leading hood edge, and the wheel arches, the TPU film is installed with an inbuilt gel as part of the product. The gel is said to facilitate proper and easy installation.
(L to R): Prasad Soman General Manager, Sales, Garware Polyester Ltd., S. Krishnan, Director (Sales), Garware Polyester Ltd., Vinod Nair, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Garware Polyester Ltd.
Care must be taken to ensure that the installation environment’s temperature is within a range of 20 degree Celsius to 32 degree Celsius. The film costs Rs.675 per sq. ft. Installation in cars smaller than a Toyota Fortuner, for instance, is expected to require less than 200 sq. ft for a full wrap. It translates to a total cost of Rs.1.35 lakh. Customers can also opt for a Do It Yourself (DIY) kit to wrap the car themselves. In addition, the company also offers a panel-specific film for
tier-1 cities to tier-2 regions where we have an entire chain of retailers and distributors. Q. What are the export aspirations and which markets do you already cater to? A. We expect to sell in 80 countries across the globe with the same markets doubling up as potential markets for PPF. With most of them already using PPF from fortune 500 companies, our aim is also to break into the top 500. Q. What are your growth areas and challenge areas over short
customers who do not require a full wrap. The self-healing film takes about two to three hours to heal a small or medium-sized scratch, claimed Krishnan. The film also blocks UV rays and adds more gloss to the paint besides maintaining the life of the existing coat of paint. The self-healing PPF comes with a three-year warranty. The paint protection market is valued at approximately Rs.3,500 to Rs.4,000 crore according to reports. Said to be dominated by companies like 3M and Lumar with a good chunk of import from China, Garware is looking at the export potential of the ‘Made in India’ film to countries like the US, Russia, the Middle East, South Africa. It is estimated to earn the
to medium and medium to long term? A. PPF is going to give us access to a large market across the globe. With the company looking to enter 80 countries, we believe the big growth challenges will be to train human resources across demographies in these different countries and ensuring that the products suit a wide array of application type and sustain in different weather conditions. While we have tested the products in different conditions, its time to test it on the ground and gather learnings for the future.
company an additional revenue of Rs.300 crore over a period of two years with this strategy. Garware Polyster’s total revenue is pegged at Rs.950 crore. Before finding use in the automobile space,Paint Protection Films (PPF) or clear bra as it’s known globally has been around since the 1950s. Traced back as a protection mechanism for war vehicles, the film is known to have been developed for the Vietnam war. Made of thermoplastic urethane, the film was used as a coat on military transportation equipment. It is till date known for its application on helicopter rotor blades. It is the defence use that is said to have paved the way for the film to be accepted as a lightweight coating with no adverse effects on transport operations. The biggest advantage was that its protective layer helped to avoid varied surfaces from damage. It was in the 1980s when PPF made an entry in the motor sport with racing teams known to have used the film to protect the front end of their race cars from track rubber, debris, and close contact with cars in races. ACI
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ACI Awards th 2020
ACI AWARDS 2020
Auto Components India, the niche and highly sought after print medium of the Indian auto components industry, is glad to announce the fourth edition of Auto Components India Awards (ACI Awards 2020). The pioneering effort of the most widely read auto components magazine to identify and award the torch bearers of the USD 51.2 billion Indian auto components industry was a grand success in its third edition. It was made possible only with all the stakeholders extending their co-operation and support. As we near the fourth edition, we humbly invite all of you from the industry to send in the nominations for yet another grand edition, latest by January 05, 2020. The awards are to support, motivate, complement and celebrate the mettlesome strides of the Indian auto components industry to prove themselves as the best globally. Accounting for 2.3 per cent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing over 1.5 million people, the Indian auto components industry has taken great strides and achieved a strong foothold in the domestic as well as the international markets. The ability of the industry to innovate and excel, keep pace with the latest technologies and practices, has made it the global sourcing hub for OEMs. No surprises then that the Indian auto components industry is set to become the thirdlargest in the world by 2025. The fourth edition of ACI Awards, 2020 will honour the achievements of the Indian auto components industry under nine comprehensive categories as mentioned below: q q q q q q q q q
Auto Components Leader Of The Year. Component Manufacturer Of The Year. Component Of The Year. Shopfloor Management Of The Year. Component Start-up Of The Year. Green Application/Product Of The Year. Auto Ancillary JV Of The Year. Innovative E-Mobility Solution - Supplier of the Year. Component Exporter Of The Year.
The Jury, comprising independent experts, internal and external to the Auto Components India Magazine will evaluate the nominations and single out the winners. The Indian auto component original equipment manufacturers are invited to send in their nominations by duly filling up the accompanying form. The form may be scanned and mailed to the email address mentioned on the last page. Alternatively, you may also download the nomination form available on the Auto Components India website: www.autocomponentsindia.com
Methodology: The evaluation process consists of the following steps. 1. An authorised officer of the manufacturer will duly fill the ‘Nomination/Application Form’. 2. The officer will build an effective winning case for the category he or she deems most appropriate. For the 500-word note, he or she, finding the space on the form insufficient, can use the respective company letterhead (duly signed) along with the form. The same will have to be submitted to Auto Components India. 3. Auto Components India will study the information received. 4. Auto Components India will assess each entry to understand the merits of the winning case put forth. If need be, the Auto Components India team may carry out an independent assessment to ensure that full justice is done to a deserving entry. 5. The Jury will choose the winner from the cases/entries/nominations received for the respective category. The Jury will evaluate cases/entries/nominations in each of the eight categories, one by one. Model of excellence The merit of the cases/entries/nominations will be evaluated by the excellence model tool. It is a non-prescriptive framework that would recognise the approach towards excellence; towards the applicants’ soundness of approach; the rigour with which the approach was deployed, and if systematic assessment and review were integral to the process. The merit of the cases/entries/nominations will be also evaluated in terms of business excellence. It would look at the many approaches to sustainable excellence. The endeavour would thus be to ascertain how the applicant organisation fares in areas like: q q q q q q q q
Result orientation. Customer focus. Management by processes and facts. People development and involvement. Continuous learning, innovation and improvement. Leadership and purpose. Partnership development. Societal responsibility.
Please fill the ‘Nomination/Application Form’
4 th
ACI AWARDS 2020
ACI AWARDS 2020
NOMINATION / APPLICATION FORM Name of company: (in capital letters) .................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Brief Profile: .............................................................................................................................................................. Contact Details: (a) Contact Person: .......................................................................................................................................................... (b) Postal Address: ........................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................................................................... City ............................................... State ......................................................... Pin ........................................................... Phone ............................................. Mobile ..................................................... (c )Email Id & Website ...................................................................................................................................................... Please tick the category you want to nominate for: q Auto Components Leader Of The Year. q Component Manufacturer Of The Year. q Component Of The Year. q Shopfloor Management Of The Year. q Component Start-up Of The Year. q Green Application/Product Of The Year. q Auto Ancillary JV Of The Year. q Innovative E-Mobility Solution - Supplier of the Year. q Component Exporter Of The Year.
Entry must accompany a 500 word note stating why it deserves to win an award in the respective category. Developments should be for a period between January 01, 2019, to December 31, 2019. .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................................... You may fill in this form, scan it and send it across to aciawards@nextgenpublishing.net Hurry! The last date for sending applications is January 05, 2020.
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Intelligent Mobility Summit 2019 The Intelligent Mobility Summit 2019 by Frost & Sullivan looked at mobility transformation in India. Story by: Anwesh Koley and Deepti Thore
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t the Frost & Sullivan Intelligent Mobility Summit 2019 held at New Delhi recently, industry leaders and other stakeholders came together to delve on mobility transformation in India. With a theme, ‘Transformation of mobility in India: New business models and Growth opportunities’, the summit saw industry leaders and visionaries speak about the changes influencing mobility, and deliberate on new monetisation opportunities. Touching various aspects of future mobility in India, industry experts spoke about the convergence of autonomous, connected, electric and shared mobility technologies. They stressed on technology developments as per the Indian duty cycles and
multimodal connectivity. Anil Srivastava, Principal Consultant & Mission Director, National Mission on Transformative Mobility & Battery Storage, NITI Aayog said that the Government is creating a supportive regulatory and infrastructural environment for the future of mobility. Pravin L. Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Government of India, emphasised on the retrofitment of old models with electric drivelines. He called for the designing of new business models for last-mile connectivity and shared mobility. Focusing on how technology is changing the Indian mobility scenario, the summit had four
panel discussions on topics such as mobility transformation, future of mobility (OEM perspective), changing customer aspirations and opportunities, supplier and MSME opportunities. Besides connected, autonomous, shared & electric mobility (from CV perspective) were also focused on. Touching on the opportunities for collaborative development, the panel discussions saw participants share their views on several stakeholder opportunities. Witnessing the participation of panelists from the nonautomotive background, the summit saw new and emerging business models being discussed. Stressed a participant in the panel discussion that subscription-
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EVENT based models and rental as well as leasing models were gaining prominence. Another participant called for greater collaboration among the private and public sectors. The growing need for localisation of technologies was also discussed. Emphasising the importance of electrification in India, Vinay Piparsania, Consulting Director – Automotive, CounterPoint, said that driven by government initiatives such as FAME II, the push towards sustainable e-mobility is driving investment in electrification, shared mobility and connected vehicles. Drawing attention to the shift towards mobile network powered by smart connectivity, Piparsania stressed on the need to collaborate with young start-ups active in data analytics to share data and generate valuable information that can give insights on customer preferences and expectations. Quipped Kunal Khattar, Managing Partner, advantEdge Founders, about e-rickshaws, “They are fast rising in numbers.” He drew attention to e-rickshaws ferrying around 75 million passengers in the country every day. Speaking about the trends currently powering a shift in mobility dynamics, Sarwant Singh, Managing Partner, Frost & Sullivan, opined that the mobility ecosystem is widening. It is leading to the generation of much more data than smartphones, he added. Touching upon the need to store data and process it, Singh said it would lead to the founding of new industries. Announcing that new players will come in, Singh opined that the industry is finding ways to monetise data. 5G and IoT will play an important role in this, he stated. Expecting autonomous tech to play an increasing role, Sarwant Singh mentioned it would take
(L to R): Kaushik Madhavan, Vice President, Mobility Practice, Frost & Sullivan; Nabeel A Khan, Editor, ET Auto; Nikunj Sanghi, Chairman, Automotive Skills Development Council – ASDC; Arun Malhotra, Auto Industry Expert & Former MD, Nissan India; Aravind Raman, Head-Strategy and Business Development, Bosch India; Kannan Chakravarthy, Head – Smart Sustainable Mobility Solutions, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
a few years for technology to mature. Demand-responsive transport and mobility as a service is gaining prominence, he stated. In one of the panel discussions, a panelist drew attention to industry segments that are keen to adopt electrification. Another participant touched upon subscription-based models and rental and leasing models taking over traditional models and vehicle ownership. Mentioned a panelist that there was a need to derive best practices to promote collaboration, co-operation, and cohesion across businesses, and to achieve localisation. Said Abhishek Naranayan, Program ManagerMobility, Frost & Sullivan, “Over the past few years, mobility modes like ride-hailing, car-sharing and car-pooling already have functioning business models. Autonomous mobility will lead to more disruptive business models owing to fundamentally lower costs of driving.” Sharing his views on the mobility disruption expected in the near future, Abhishek Narayanan said that the leasing industry in India is
at an early stage of development with less than one-per cent penetration of the total market. “Currently, almost all of the business comes from corporate and commercial businesses with the retail segment untapped.” This due to various factors such as low customer awareness, cultural preference of owning a vehicle as a status symbol rather than renting it out. This is one major reason for the Indian automobile market to be dominated by loans and credit products,”averred Narayanan. He also discussed the key trends in the Indian vehicle leasing
Diptii Tiiku, Senior Director Corporate Marketing, Ridecell. 43 43
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EVENT (L to R): Deepangshu Dev Sarmah, Editor-inChief, Auto Tech Review, Nandini Maheshwari, Head, Business Development, Uber India and South Asia; Ramashankar Pandey, Managing Director, Hella India Lighting Ltd.; Karan Jain, Co-Founder, REVV
marketplace, existing best practices and identified innovative business models and future trends. In the panel discussions with the agenda, ‘Vehicle lifecycle management – purchase journey, ownership management, and second life opportunities’, it was agreed upon that the new automotive value chain would evolve in terms of service, maintenance, and second life, all bundled into a common overarching value proposition. Expressed KK Gandhi, Convener, Centre for Auto Policy & Research, that data will play a key role in vehicle lifecycle management. “IoT, connected technologies and other data attributes will define ownership trends and purchase experiences of customers in the times to come,” he said. He drew attention to the concept of vehicle ownership is shifting from TCO to Total Cost of Mobility, Avinash Gupte, COO, Leasing, Avis India, said, “Not many are seriously
looking at fleet management services at this point.” He also emphasised on people opening up to the concept of a multimodal transportation system and the concept of ride-sharing for intra-city travel. With the changing mindset of customers, the retail scene, he opined is changing with the dealership business becoming more emotional than transactional. Raghu Nayak, MD, Porsche Centre, Bangalore, shared his view on how the OEM approach had changed. He gave an example of players like Maruti Suzuki creating a separate ‘premium’ looking network of Nexa retail showrooms in addition to overhauling their existing outlets to be more vibrant ‘Arena’ format. Satendra Kumar, Program Manager, Mobility, Frost & Sullivan concluded the session by mentioning that ride-sharing doesn’t affect vehicle ownership patterns that significantly. He said,
“People, for instance, in the luxury segment, are buying cars despite the rise in shared mobility.” India still has huge headroom to grow its vehicle portfolio, he added giving hope to ancillary companies. With innovative business models offering new avenues to generate revenues, Kumar averred that there was a need for automotive and non-automotive participants such as energy utilities, healthcare, insurance, and others to collaborate. Such a development, he explained, would lead to the establishment of an ecosystem with the participation of industry stakeholders, government authorities, policymakers, and new mobility service providers. Drawing attention to recent announcements by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Kumar said that the switch to electric vehicles would happen over time. New mobility services are causing a deep impact on vehicle ownership, he said. ACI
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GIL India 2019 Summit Frost & Sullivan’s 11th edition of Growth Innovation and Leadership India 2019 Summit sought to chalk out a sustenance and growth roadmap for Indian businesses to 2030. Story by: Deepti Thore and Deven Lad
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he 11th edition of Frost & Sullivan’s Growth Innovation and Leadership (GIL) India 2019 Summit concluded on an optimistic note on October 16, 2019, in Mumbai. With the theme ‘Future of Business: Revolutionize the Workforce, Customer Engagement and Business Models’, the summit was quick to draw attention to disruptions, business collapses and transformation witnessed all over the world. Averred Aroop Zutshi, Global President & Managing Partner, Frost & Sullivan, “We need to adopt
innovative ways to revolutionise business models and strengthen the scope of a company’s growth in the future.” Drawing a global network of innovative thinkers, industry experts and thought leaders as participants to the summit, the summit called upon the stakeholders to embrace innovation for addressing global challenges. As a platform to help the industry stakeholders to grow and thrive, the event brewed new ideas and fresh perspectives. It sought to chalk out a roadmap for Indian businesses to 2030. Contrary to the previous edition delving on growth
drivers amidst disruptive trends, the 2019 edition instead stressed on the need for sustenance for growth. Explained Zutshi, “So that means you need to have a better process in place, you have to better understand components that are driving this change so that you can understand and prepare based on those changes.” “So this event is very different from that perspective,” he quipped. The keynote address highlighted future megatrends. Talking ‘Future Of Business In India To 2030’,
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EVENT GIL Awards The GIL visionary leadership award, recognizing an individual for their relentless efforts, ambition, business accomplishments and outstanding contribution in the social sector was awarded to Azim Premji, Founder Chairman of Wipro Limited. Inducted into the GIL ‘Hall of Fame’ at the event he joins an elite roster of leaders such as Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Richard Branson, Jack Andraka, Desmond Tutu, and other visionaries. The Indian ‘AI Virtual Assistant Platform Technology Innovation Leadership’ award went to Avaamo. Antworks won the ‘Intelligent Automation Software Technology Innovation’ award. Indian Test & Measurement Outstanding Service Support Company of the Year Award was given to Rohde & Schwarz Pvt Ltd. Sarwant Singh, Managing Partner, Frost & Sullivan was quick to downlink the strengths of Machineto-Machine (M2M) communication in the scope of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by referring to the fifthgeneration (5G) cellular network technology. Opined Singh, “There will be connectivity in space due to the small satellites to be launched by 2030. This increase in connectivity will result in data monetisation.” Drawing attention to the scope of
deriving 80 to 100 data points from a high-end modern car in the future, Singh stated that industries will be digitally transformed. He further went on to highlight the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across industries. Naturally, he spoke of the fear of job losses to AI looming large. Expecting the degree of autonomy to increase going forward, he opined that the latter would help to overcome future challenges while catering to a heterogeneous mix in society. Said Singh that setting the vision to ‘zero’ in the future is key. “The ‘Zero Concept’ world in 2030 will have zero waste/emissions, zero defects/faults and zero accidents among similar such outcomes,” he added. The panel on ‘Transformational business model crucial for enterprise growth’ began with a focus on short term growth. Panelists deliberated upon changing customer dynamics and customer experience management. It was unanimously agreed that both would play a key role in the future. The presentation on ‘Life Beyond Plastics’ by Sudhir Mishra, Founder
& Managing Partner – Trust Legal, Frost & Sullivan emphasised on the ban on plastics in India as crucial to India living up to its promises made on fighting climate change. The presentation was followed by an interactive session aimed to identify the game-changing technologies to transform business models including automotive and help meet customers expectations against the backdrop of the dynamic and changing demand patterns predicted for the future. The second half of the summit was devoted to a workshop on 12 Mega Themes identified by the Frost team. The concluding session of the summit was dedicated to the buzz of electrification in the auto sector. Kaushik Madhavan, Vice President - Mobility, Frost & Sullivan drew attention to the multiple revenue opportunities driven by electrification. He highlighted the transformational shifts reshaping mobility in particular by touching upon areas like batteries-beyond lithium-ion, ultra-fast charging, ultra-low emission zones in big cities, indigenous platforms offering integrations of systems, new business models, EV retail transformation, the smart grid for V2G, V2H and balancing among other such areas. The cognitive era and autonomous mobility were touched upon too. Madhavan drew attention to the mass commercialisation of EVs for instance in China. Claiming the sale of an estimated 2.1 million EVs in 2018, Madhavan highlighted China’s successful efforts in crossing the one million mark ahead of the rest of the globe. It was no surprise then that the global EV outlook for 2019 estimated China to lead with a commanding 55 per cent market share in EVs. “E-rickshaws, e-autos and e-2W are the most promising segments for electrification accounting for over four million units by 2025,” he said.
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The session progressed ahead with stress on the need to collaborate. Mentioned Amol Kotwal, Senior Director, Frost and Sullivan, “There is a far greater need for collaboration between Original Equipment Manufacturers, including non-
automotive stakeholders and suppliers to bring in much-needed technologies and attain desired economies of scale.� As per an analysis, it was predicted that an estimated 1,58,000 AC and 5,400 DC charging stations would be required by 2025 for a pool
Q. In the previous edition of GIL India Summit, the focus was on growth drivers amidst disruptive trends. Does the 2019 edition hint at sustenance for growth? A. Yes certainly! The reason why there is a difference between what we spoke last time and what we are speaking now can be blamed on the one big change that has happened over the last 12-18 months and that is the pace of change. Because of the change and disruption happening so rapidly, many of our clients, be it corporates or banks, investment agencies or for that matter even the governments, they are all trying to find ways to cope up with the rapid changing environment. How to prepare for future that looks very disruptive, and very chaotic? So that means you need to have a better processes in place, you have to better understand components that
of approximately 7,00,000 EVs. Drawing attention to multiple stakeholders and divergent business models setting up the EV charging infra, Kotwal ended by drawing attention to leading industries partnering lithium-ion battery manufacturers. ACI
are driving this change to, in turn, understand and prepare based on those changes. So this edition of GIL India Summit is very different from that perspective. As Frost & Sullivan, our goal is to help our client base in India and across the world in understanding these changes and then helping prepare them, to build the models to succeed, survive and thrive in the long term.
Aroop Zutshi, Global President & Managing Partner, Frost & Sullivan
Q. Elaborate on the need to revolutionise customer engagement, the workforce, and business models on the whole? A. Because of the set of changes discussed above for most companies, today the customer segments are also undergoing a change. One thing is very clear, there are social trends that are becoming very prevalent and playing a big role in how you 47 47
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EVENT are going to deliver value to the customers. So what that means is that you have to build new models of engagement, you have to build mass customisation, and you are dealing with a group of customers who are very digitally enabled. They need something with instant gratification. That means they need it now. So how will you build that model to deliver that service or the solution to them in the shortest period of time. And the best example I can give you is the food delivery market in this country. I think it is going through a great revolution. We are going to see huge growth opportunities in this market. What you see is how the food gets delivered from one part of the city to the other part of the city. This is done through a platform. What you can see in the future is to deliver this mass customisation, mass movement of goods and services with the delivery platform playing a very important role. By doing this you will be able to give customers the experience that they need, they want or deserve and that will differentiate the customers who work with you and with someone else. Q. Do you agree that it is a synchronised slowdown after a synchronised upswing with a more pronounced impact in emerging economies like India? A. I am not sure if I completely agree with the word ‘synchronised’. Obviously, my belief is that we operate in a globalised eco-system or in a global economy even though the last 12-36 months we have got different leaders in different parts of the world. Especially in the US and European countries, they are more in favour of localisation, more inward-focused rather than outward focused. But the reality is we do live in a global ecosystem. For any economy to survive, you have to not only sell within your market but you also have to cater to customers or markets outside your country. This means when you are living in a global ecosystem and one
part of the world slows down, the other part of the world also gets affected. So the impact in China reverberates to the entire world. Likewise, when you have Brexit, its impact is not just limited to Europe but it can be seen everywhere in the world. Now one thing we can clearly see given the chaos, the confusion with the changes that are happening, there is a clear indication of heading towards an economic slowdown. We do see a lot of hindrances making the coming 12 months very important. From Brexit to the impact of Hongkong unrest to the US-China trade wars. I don’t think so there will a synchronised slow down because of globalisation. I think this chaos will be quite short-lived. Q. Is a revival insight in the near to medium term? A. I am not sure about the near term but I certainly say medium-term for sure. In my definition, the mediumterm would be eight to-12 months or 16 months at the best. I think the big reason will be the elections in the US. It gets done by November 2020 after which I believe there will be a bit more clarity and bit more stability in terms of the future shaping up. So I believe this is a 12-month slowdown after which the markets will understand how to operate with the new government in place. Q. Tradewars and softening economic activity continue to be buzzwords? A. Yes absolutely. No doubts. This trade war started almost two and a half years ago and that continues even till today. In fact, there are times when you feel that things are going down but the intensity increases rapidly. This has added to the complexity of political issues which makes it even more difficult to operate in this chaos. I think trade wars are happening and we will see more of it, especially between the US and China till we get to a certain level of equilibrium. That scenario is about 12 months away. After that, there will be a lot more
stability and a lot more adjustment in this new world in which we all will be living together. Q. At this stage of conflict between the US and China, how optimistic are you about India turning a global manufacturing hub? A. Talking about the slowdown in China, and does it mean a big benefit for India, does it mean that factories will relocate from China to India, and therefore India’s manufacturing sector will get the required boost and become bigger or larger. I don’t think the drop in China is a big gain for India. Because it is not just about infrastructure, it is about the ecosystem. Developing ecosystem takes a lot of time, energy and commitment and I think that we will not see that happening in India in the short term. India has been talking about manufacturing for a long time, but I do not see a direct transfer of losses in China as a gain for India. I do feel manufacturing is a very important sector but what is further complicating manufacturing are some of the big trends that are changing some of the big industries in the country. For example, the automotive industry because of the trend in electrification is going to experience a big change. We are going to see more and more electric cars, therefore, we will see less of the components. That will disrupt the entire automotive and OEM part manufacturing ecosystem. So with that backdrop and with the inability to create that ecosystem in the short term, I don’t see the manufacturing ecosystem in India will see massive growth in the short to medium term. In the medium to long term, it will happen and it won’t be limited to the auto sector. Electronics is another area of big growth in my opinion. We are all moving towards a connected world. Autonomous cars, factories, and workplaces will all be connected. That means we will need more and more electronic devices in the future, therefore, electronic manufacturing
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EVENT will be a big part of our ecosystem. India needs to focus on it. Q. Your take on the claims of broken supply chain and siloed trade sectors? A. Obviously, with this change disruption, we are seeing a compression of the supply chain. The reason why we are seeing this compression is because of digital technology. For instance, in the logistics industry, you will see a variety of different components. To move goods from point A to point B you need many many such components to fall in place. What companies especially the startups have now realized is that it can be done in ways that are cheaper, better and faster. To elaborate, what that means is you no longer need to work with one company that can take your goods from point A to point B. It can be done with a variety of companies within that whole system. In the case of the logistics industry or for that matter in any supply chain its death by a thousand cuts. So we are going to see that change happening. It will lead to better optimisation, and last-mile delivery will be very crucial driven by social trends as discussed. So supply chain is primed for disruption in practically every industry including the manufacturing industry. Q. What do you expect from the Indian OEMs and the entire supply chain as they enter the crucial stage of BSVI rollout? A. I will say collaboration. All OEMs worldwide use the supply chain, so working with the supply chain, managing that whole process is very crucial. It has to be done in a collaborative way. It has to be done in a way such that it is a winwin for both the OEM as well as people within the supply chain. So understanding how to scale up, how to transform it to Euro6 level will be very important. We’ve seen that in
Europe and we’ve seen that in India when we moved from level three to level four. Of course, level six makes it a bit more challenging but given that the supply chain is a very well established, with collaborative efforts the uncertainty and potential pain and potential chaos will be eased. Q. What about synchronising supply to demand for the BSVI transition? A. There’s a short window in which BSIV will be sold and then immediately at the end of quarter one we will move to BSVI. So managing the transition will be a key here. It’s a massive challenge. How do you predict demand in this short period of time to make sure that value is delivered to the end customer, especially the large fleet owners? I expect most OEM companies will actually plan towards keeping an inventory level at a slightly lower level than the demand. The idea is that everything that is produced is consumed by the market allowing for a quick transition to the next regulation. So I think big fleet companies will be given a higher priority given their bigger volumes. Bigger fleet operators also have a higher negotiating capacity compared to the smaller entities. From an OE production perspective, the earlier these fleet operators provide their purchase plans to the OEM, it will help the latter to gauge the demand. Given our mature supply chain, they can quickly turn around to align production levels to the spike in demand. If that doesn’t happen we will see OEMs produce slightly less than the actual market demand. Q. A word on the component manufacturers claiming to have braved zero growth patches in the recent turmoil? A. The challenges for component manufacturers will continue not just because we are moving from BSIV to BSVI but also due to some of the other big drivers. For
instance, electrification will lead to a significant drop in the number of components and obviously what that does is for a lot of OEMS there is simply no future unless they do something else to stay relevant. Within the automotive industry we don’t expect any major opportunity for those kinds of companies so yes I think we’re going to see a lot of challenges coming forth and that’s one of the reasons why many governments both at the centre and the state have come up with their own policies towards electrification. It to ensure that these quantum component manufacturers are protected. They are a big part of the economic ecosystem and they’re trying to make sure that these players continue to survive and thrive. Yes, in the short term, I expect significant impact. I expect slow down I also expect demise of some of those companies and some will have negative growth until they work to scale down their business and change as per the megatrends. Q. Given that companies are looking at sustainable practices for survival, any global trends that the industry could bank on to hedge against the degrowth? A. I think service models are going to be the future. Platform and IOT models will be the future. Especially in the short term. They could collaborate with other companies. I think going digital will be very important because that’s the future in how you deliver everything to customers. If they look at their business from the perspective of incorporating those elements they will see success. Then there is a need to look at new business models. For example data will become ubiquitous that means we will be collecting a lot more data in every part of our business. This data needs to be converted into meaningful actionable outputs. With AI it’s becoming even more easy now to get these things done. 49 49
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Automation Expo 2019 The 14th Edition of Automation Expo 2019 drew greater attention to human-machine collaboration. Story by: Deepti Thore and Deven Lad
T
he 14th Edition of Automation Expo 2019 scaled up significantly. Hosted on a grand scale at Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai, in September 2019, the exhibition drew greater attention to human-machine collaboration. Contrary to the opinions floating on job losses due to increasing levels of automation, the exhibition highlighted the scope of human intervention complementing it. Showcasing
Asia’s best automation technology under one roof, Automation Expo 2019 witnessed the participation of an estimated 650 exhibitors. Witnessing a footfall of over 50,000 visitors from no less than 25 countries, the exhibition created a pull for business leaders, entrepreneurs, government officials, engineering students and those keen to know the latest in the area of industrial automation. Robots as a key element of industrial automation were found
aplenty. Several companies offered a real-world demo of the automation solutions that they developed. Among the companies that specialise in addressing the automation needs of auto ancillaries were ARi, Menzel Vision and Robotics (MVR), Passenger Drone Research Pvt. Ltd (PDRL), Beckhoff India Pvt. Ltd., Griffyn Robotech, LDRA, MCI Robotics and others. Serving as an effective platform
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EVENT
to fund managers and venture capitalists in their bid to collaborate with start-ups and technology companies, the Automation Expo 2019 turned out to be highly successful. Providing an opportunity to those seeking seed funding as well as investment opportunities, the show highlighted the latest developments in the field, including Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). The four-days of the expo saw the showcasing of existing and new technologies like factory automation, robotics, drives and controls, logistics, hydraulics and pneumatics, IO-Link, pumps and valves, and software solutions. The expo saw experts talk about the latest trends and the deployment of collaborative robots (cobots). They stressed on the need to automate in every industry. Expressed M.Arokiaswamy, Managing Director, IED
Communications, “It (Automation) is no longer an emerging trend or a cutting edge technology for the future. It is the reality we need to live with, here and now”. A brainchild of Arokiaswamy, the expo, starting in a small hall in 2002, grew up to create quite a buzz in 2019.
In his inaugural address, Naushad Forbes, Co-Chairperson of Forbes Marshall, emphasised upon the growth of the Indian economy. He drew attention to the measures companies should undertake to improve their standing in the global context. In a keynote address, averred Forbes, “For the right kind of reforms there is a need for greater constructive intervention from the Centre.” “India as an open economy needs to benchmark and compete with the best,” he stated. He added that while the USD five trillion economy goal was achievable, the challenge was to achieve it by 2024 with an annual growth rate of eight per cent. About four per cent faster compared to that of China. Forbes went on to stress how crucial it is to invest in human resources and technology. “When we invest in people, we create a basic foundation for inclusive growth,” he mentioned. Claiming that 60 per cent growth in the economy was a direct outcome of consumption, he emphasised on the need to include millions from the lower strata who have seen a transformation in their earning potential to drive India’s growth story. Forbes also emphasised upon the need to scale up R&D
Apt to the theme of the expo, the inauguration was facilitated by a robo amid loud cheers.
51 51
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EVENT Naushad Forbes, Co-Chairperson, Forbes Marshall.
activity in India with investments in technology to match global levels and eventually foray in international markets to mark a new chapter in the history of the country. The stakeholders of the automation industry were urged to seek duty-free structure on imports to ensure greater industry access to the best in automation. Automation companies including
TAL Brabo, Ametek Instruments, Autonics Automation, B&R Industrial Automation, Baumer India, BECKHOFF Automation, Chemtrols Industries, DEHN India, Dynalog India, EPLAN, Eppinger Tooling, FARO Technologies, Forbes Marshall, HMS Industrial Networks, Honeywell – Sensing & Productivity Solutions to lowcost automation companies like igus added to the vibrancy of the overall ambience at the exhibition. InnoVista Sensors, Jaibalaji Controlgears, JUMO India, Lenze Mechatronics, Maxon Precision Motor, PVR Controls, Parker Hannifin (I) Pvt Ltd, Pepperl & Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Rotork Controls, Rockwin Flowmeter India Pvt Ltd, Sude Engineering Group, SDTork Controls Pvt Ltd, Shavo Norgren (I) Pvt Ltd, Smoothflow Meters, UL Group, VEGA India were the other exhibitors out in full strength with their respective booths buzzing with next-generation instalments of Intelligent Automation solutions.
With the underlying theme ‘Digitalisation and Industry 4.0’, experts deliberated upon digital disruptions taking place in the auto components industry among other parallel industries. Here, topics such as AI-driven development, digital twins, edge and blockchain found a special mention. The panel discussion on digital disruption highlighted the imperative of contextualising data into valuable information and insight. While speaking on digitalisation in the industry, Arokiaswamy said, “Business models are rapidly changing as the buoyant automotive industry is now realising all of a sudden, technology doesn’t wait for anyone”. Panelists urged companies to look beyond baseline shifts, and instead anticipate and prepare innovative solutions to tackle the disruptive trends looming large on the components industry. As contributors to digital transformation, automated workflow, decision support analytics, mobility, change management and workforce upskilling found a special mention. Busting the myth on rising automation levels proving to be a bane for human resources fearing job loss, opined the Vice President and General Manager of ARC Advisory Group, G. Ganapathiraman, that certain repetitive tasks on a shop floor, for instance, are ought to be automated. Allaying fears of job loss at the hands of industrial automation, Ganapathiraman batted for human resources staying relevant in the future. Automation Expo 2019 drew curtains on yet another buoyant edition with an award ceremony where Griffyn Robotech Pvt. Ltd., won the Platinum award. PDRL and Yokogawa India Ltd. were felicitated with a Gold award.
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EVENT ARi Chennai based ARi offers engineering solutions to heavy machinery and construction equipment manufacturers. At Automation Expo 2019, the company showcased the Yaskawa robot. Dealing in special-purpose machines, line automation, Industry 4.0 (IIoT), ARi drew attention to the capabilities of Yaskawa HS-150, a robot of Japanese origin as an integrator. The Yaskawa robot is suited to applications like painting, welding line management and for applications in testing and validation of powertrains. With the significant transformation in the auto industry, ARi is looking to assist automakers with its integrated Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) engineering services and solutions. From concept to engineering and final system validation, ARi provides vertically integrated engineering and testing expertise under one roof anchored by disciplines in system, design and controls. The company develops turnkey robotic solutions for complete automotive lines for the stamping, body and general assembly shops. It provides services like core processing, fixture design, robotic simulation (offline and online programming), controls, manufacturing, installation and commissioning. It integrates autonomous solutions into every
part of the machining process, from sourcing components to developing the controller software, to the vehicle integration, testing and validation. The company also supports clients through the purchase and aftermarket journey including the provision of sales support and maintenance.
Balluff Automation India Pvt. Ltd Family-run company Balluff Automation India Pvt. Ltd began as one of the few manufacturers of sensors. Today the company has built on the early mover advantage to establish a presence in Europe, Asia, North and South America taking its overall reach to 68 countries. With products catering to foundries, powertrain, stamping, bodyshop, paintshop, final assembly and new energy vehicles, the company drew attention to IO-Link. Displaying an IO-Link wall, the company demonstrated the ease of installation. It allows for fast changeovers, predictive maintenance, efficient operation besides offering a suitable network. The custom big data delivered by IO-Link can help companies extract valuable business insights. Pegging the market penetration of IO-Link at two per cent, the company aims to get a major share of the 98 per cent market that remains to be tapped. Showcasing sensor technology the company displayed premium sensors including inductive, capacitive, magnetic field, magnetic encoders, photoelectric, ultrasonic, pressure, magnetostrictive and mechanical cam switches. 53 53
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EVENT Passenger Drone Research Pvt. Ltd (PDRL) Nashik based company Passenger Drone Research Pvt. Ltd (PDRL) won a Gold award at Automation Expo 2019. On a mission to develop a safe and eco-friendly aerial vehicle based on Drone technologies, the underlying objective of the company is to free the world from congestion and pollution. Focused on the development of an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV), popularly referred to as ‘Air Taxi’, PDRL’s drone ‘Pravaas’ will ferry passengers autonomously on a Point-to-Point (P2P) path. The company is additionally coming up with its flagship product ‘Pravaas G1’ a transportation solutions in two variants: Pravaas G1 rated for 350 Kgs for two passengers and Pravaas G1 rated for 850 Kgs for four passengers. The company is of the firm belief that air transport is also an effective way to deliver cargo. Among key inclusions of the AAV is the high-performance ducted eight contra-rotating blades, redundant systems and electric powered Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL). As per Saurabh Joshi, Chief Marketing Officer at PDRL, drones are eco-friendly given that no fossil fuel is burnt in its operations. Claimed to have designed the drone indigenously, explained Joshi that the complexity levels of the drone are of a much lower degree than anticipated by most. In an early mover advantage,
the flight controller and its software requirement have been met in consultation with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The company is also involved in the drafting of the drone policy giving it a definite advantage over competing companies.
Griffyn Robotech Pvt. Ltd. Griffyn Robotech Pvt. Ltd., was present at Automation Expo with its product ‘Deepsight’, a 3D machine vision system with deep learning capabilities that is claimed to automatically help detect, analyse and grade the cosmetic defects with accuracy, precision and speed. It has features like fast and accurate detection, measurement and analysis of surface defects ( scratches, dings, dents and cracks on vehicles). Having flexible and adaptive Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning based algorithm, the system works on a cloud-based customised grading logic and configurable and modular solution. The flexible inspection system combines with advanced machine vision and deep learning algorithm to help detect defects on glossy, shiny or rough surfaces and help eliminate subjectivity in inspection and grading. Rapid inspection part programming allows for efficient setup of different part configurations. The company provides a scalable and customisable solution to suit product size and defect specification. The indigenously developed embedded software enables fully automated and remotely configurable software platform that can be easily customised and deployed at a factory network to suit
customers requirements. Griffin’s robotic solutions include inspection automation, machine tending, pick and place, glueing/sealant, buffing and polishing. Its range of IoT products includes AIR, an acronym for (As I Recall) which is solution designed specifically for documenting devices and their condition when they are returned to the OEM/ Carrier’s facility/warehouse.
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EVENT Beckhoff India Pvt. Ltd. Headquartered at Pune, Beckhoff India, focused on the complete range of smart and digital automation at the Automation Expo 2019. With a vision to carry out endto-end digitisation, the company made sure it took up all aspects of the digitisation, connected production with its presence at the expo. Among the company’s latest products on display were high-end measurement applications and system portfolio of PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology catering to the tyre and rubber industry demanding intelligent and cost-effective automation solutions. The range of products offered by Beckhoff India also included Industrial PCs, I/Os and Fieldbus components for the automotive sector with a uniform, scalable and modular control system. Offering solutions for IoT communication, the company introduced software modules in TwinCAT Vision and TwinCAT Speech, expanding the functions for machine and system control with the capabilities to see, hear and speak. System-integrated safety solutions for a wide range of architectures, from stand-alone to distributed were also exhibited. In the past, the company
has supplied the PC- and EtherCAT-based automation platform to Volkswagen Motorsport which is said to have led to the company winning at the Dakar Rally.
LDRA Technology Pvt. Ltd Headquartered in the United Kingdom with subsidiaries in the United States, India and Germany coupled with an extensive distributor network, LDRA Technology Pvt. Ltd made its presence felt at the Automation Expo 2019. Addressing the concerns of automotive systems developers with the move towards more rigorous process standards raising concerns around higher development cycles and implementation costs, the company showcased the LDRA tool suite which provides complete software verification and validation solution for the development of safety and security-related automotive software. Completely integrated yet open, the extensible solution is claimed to enable customers to build quality into their software from requirements through to deployment, helping to eliminate or reduce their more labourintensive and error-prone elements. The suite for Automotive enables embedded developers to quickly understand the requirements of the new ISO 26262-6:2018 standard depending on the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) required for their application, and to help ensure safe and secure automotive application development and deployment. LDRA helps developers of security- and safety-critical automotive systems meet software quality and test requirements like requirements traceability, coding standards compliance, ISO 26262 Objective, Integration with Model-based Design, structural coverage analysis, object code
verification and coding standards compliance. LDRA software tools and services are claimed to deliver increased developer productivity and software quality while reducing overall project schedule and cost. TÜV SÜD and SGS-TÜV SAAR have certified the use of the LDRA tool suite for security- and safety-critical development in the automotive industry under ISO 26262-8:2011. 55 55
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EVENT MCI Robotics Chennai headquartered MCI robotics of Malles Construction designs, manufactures and deploys robotic arms to help automate the production process of auto components. The company presented their robot SR-46-550 claimed to have been designed with precision to handle applications such as glueing, inspection, screw tightening, soldering in the automotive industry. The SR series is claimed to have been crafted with the idea of helping manufacturers save time, labour and materials. It has four (synchronous control) degree of freedom (axis) and a rated payload capacity of six kilograms. The robots deliver simplified usability and coupled with future-ready technology is said to be simple to configure and highly adaptable to customer requirements. The Company’s efficient and cost-effective products are designed and developed
to guarantee utmost precision and increased productivity in a varied set of industries including automotive.
Meco Instruments Pvt. Ltd Known for its reliable instruments, Meco Instruments Pvt. Ltd, based in Navi Mumbai from its range of automotive meters and battery capacity testers segment, showcased the battery meter, digital battery meter/vehicle battery system meter, with a printer, multifunction automotive meter and a digital automotive multimeter. Along with these it also showcased digital panel meters and modules, power line transducers, analogue panel and switchboard meters. The testing and measuring instruments range included digital clamp meters/ tong testers, solar analysers, environment testing Instruments, Power and harmonics analysers besides calibrating equipment/CT’s. With its wide range of testing equipment and standards as its backbone, the company focuses on product
innovation. Inspired by the ‘Make in India’ initiative, MECO has been using state-of-art electronics and infrastructure along with indigenously designed intelligent software/ firmware to manufacture products and services for the automotive industry.
With Inputs from Ashish Bhatia 56 56 AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n DECEMBER 2019
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ZF EVplus concept vehicle The ZF EVplus concept vehicle addresses range anxiety associated with Electromobility. Story by: Team ACI
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erman company ZF Friedrichshafen AG has addressed the range anxiety associated with electromobility with the ZF EVplus concept vehicle. First displayed at IAA 2019, it is a concept Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). Through the concept vehicle, the company wants to present a case for PHEVs to be considered as true electric vehicles. Claimed to have a pure electric range of 100 km on a single charge, for the longer trips, the EVplus falls back on its internal combustion engine. It makes it ideal for Germany where 88 per cent of vocational commuters are known to cover daily distances of less than 100 km in their cars. With its claimed range, the PHEV can cover these distances entirely in electric mode on a single charge. “For us, EVplus marks a paradigm change with plug-in hybrids,” averred Stephan von Schuckmann, Head, ZF Car Powertrain Technology division.
According to Schuckmann, while the higher electric range addresses the zero-emission requirements for local commutes, the internal combustion engine addresses the range anxiety, helping to dispel existing reservations about the purchase of electric vehicles. The smaller batteries installed in the EVplus when compared to Battery-Electric Vehicles (BEV) is an added advantage. The EVplus concept vehicle is designed on a volume production passenger car with an eight-speed plug-in hybrid transmission from ZF. The company has opted for a 35 kWh battery in the mid-range sedan. Claiming a continuous output of 65 kW and a peak output of up to 95 kW, the company attempts to match the power of the standard volume production model using active auxiliary systems such as an air-conditioning or a heating system. In the near future, ZF expects appropriate driving strategies and control mechanisms like ‘geofencing’ to ensure that PHEV vehicles run electrically within city limits. ACI
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