www.autocomponentsindia.com Vol 6 Issue 04
` 100
June 2019
COMPONENTS
INDIA
SEG Automotive to continue investment in e-mobility, develops new electric motor for e-rickshaw
Voice of the Automotive Suppliers
NCR keeps pace with emerging technologies
special report: QAD to focus on automotive companies for growth in India /autocomponentsindiaofficial
@ACImagazine
/autocomponentsindia
www.autocomponentsindia.com
Leading Manufacturer of Plastic Auxiliary Equipment
�����������������������... �������������������������.
! "# Serving Wide Range of Industries for: Injection Moulding | Extrusion | Blow Moulding | Compounding | Thermoforming
Nu-Vu Conair Pvt. Ltd. Plot No. 147, 148 & 154, Devraj Industrial Park, Piplaj-Pirana Road, Piplaj, Ahmedabad - 382 405, Gujarat, INDIA. E: marketingindia@conairgroup.com | W: www.conairgroup.com/india www.facebook.com/nuvuconair
+91 79 2970 8147 +91 97129 28201 +91 90990 76206
buildbrand 9426051465
content
june 2019 Cover Story
y r o t s ver
22 Sandhar is well positioned with appropriate products to meet the future needs: Aravind Joshi
Co
26 Jamna Auto spearheads growth in leaf spring technology 28 Elofic gears up for the next-gen vehicles 30 NGK banks on new technology products 32 Rico Auto to expand product range, enter new markets 35 Desmania brings Indian automotive design capabilities to the fore 38 Sandhar Amkin works on active safety riding accessories 41 Calco Poly Technik sets up new facility to meet market demand 44 Hero MotoCorp continues premium’ journey with new motorcycles and scooters 46 Okaya Power aims high on e-drive 47 Lumax Auto joins with JOPP to develop shift towers, integrated sensor systems
Cover image courtesy: Sandhar Technologies
06 | News
Ashok Leyland bags order for 400 Minibuses from Senegal
14| corporate
Schaeffler India to offer future mobility solutions
52| OEM
Piaggio two-wheelers expands network and products
54| allied industries HP and Siemens deepen additive manufacturing alliance
BMW launches new X5 in India CEAT bags new orders from Maruti Murugappa plans Rs 1300 Cr capex Sundaram-Clayton opens plant in US ACMA meet chalks out plans for xEV parts production Valeo opens new wiper motor plant near Chennai SFL is setting up unit in Sri City to foray into non-auto segment
SEG Automotive to continue investment in e-mobility, develops new electric motor for e-rickshaw Nippon’s Wet-On-Wet painting technology for CVs in India
48| special report QAD to focus on automotive companies for growth in India
58| Event
AES Chennai to showcase latest in manufacturing
44 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
EDITORIAL
Surviving downturn AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E),Mumbai - 400 013 Tel +91 22 43525252, Email us at s.bhargav@nextgenpublishing.net Executive Editor Bhargav TS Editorial Advisory Board H. S. Billimoria, Aspi Bhathena Web Editor Ashish Bhatia Correspondent Sricharan R (Chennai) Gunjan D. Bidani (New Delhi) 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. Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai - 400 013 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
I
ndia’s car sales fell 15.9% in April, the worst in 8 years. All the stakeholders from OEMs to dealers were badly hit. The suppliers experienced significant volume declines, liquidity crunch and unsteady credit flows. Industry experts are skeptical about an immediate recovery which would depend on several factors. However, some of the multinational companies are adequately prepared. They adjust quickly to the new economic conditions and remain viable. If the situation continues, hopefully not, for many it could be a big struggle for survival. There could even be some casualties. Some of the leading suppliers found creative ways to cut costs and mitigate negative impacts on their longer-term prospects. They were cautious not to cut corners affecting quality and delivery schedules. The diligent suppliers take several corrective actions like temporary wage/benefit cuts, in-sourcing of specific processing or services, improving asset utilisation and facility consolidation to remain stable.
While there was an obvious focus on reducing costs to conserve cash and enhance liquidity, a couple of tier-1 suppliers told me that they were preparing for an integrated cash flow/liquidity forecast model. This model contained several key concepts, including understanding product linkages to OEM programmes, sensitising industry/ OEM volumes and flexing various cost structures. Suppliers with deep understanding of their cost structure and detailed financial planning were better equipped to manage through the downturn. They were also proactive in developing plans and instilling confidence in other stakeholders (lenders, customers, etc.) during the process. For OEMs, evaluating their supply chain is very important. Some suppliers will not survive continued sales fall. Their failure may lead to shut down of auto plants. Leadership teams should critically assess their suppliers to identify the likely winners and losers and take actions to ensure reliable supply through the transition. It is also learnt that automotive suppliers with lower cost structures, improved balance sheets, more reliable supply chains, fewer competitors and an enhanced mix of product offerings are better positioned to withstand effectively the downturn. They can make it clear to their customers and other key constituents that they are well positioned for the long-term in spite of the short-term catastrophe. Such suppliers will be the winners in the struggle for survival in the face of a severe downturn. Bhargav TS Executive Editor s.bhargav@nextgenpublishing.net
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 201 Gera Serenity, North Main road, Koregaon Park, Pune - 411001. Tel + 91 20 26830465
www.autocomponentsindia.com
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., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E),Mumbai - 400 013. Published by Marzban Jasoomani on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai - 400 013. 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., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E),Mumbai - 400 013
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 Bhargav TS
55
june 2019 n auto components india
News
Ashok Leyland bags order for 400 Minibuses from Senegal
A
shok Leyland, flagship of the Hinduja Group, has received an order from Senegal. This order comes from Senbus Industries, a company assembling urban buses in Dakar. Ashok Leyland has signed a contract for supplying 400 units of Ashok Leyland Eagle 916 Minibuses valuing Euro 10.06 million. This order comes after the successful operation of 475 buses by Senegal’s Dakar Dem Dikk.
safety and profitability to the next level. Extensive on road product trials have been carried out with various customers in Africa. These buses have been tried and tested on numerous successful projects. The capital of Senegal will start receiving buses towards the end of June this year. This project will provide mobility solutions to the country by expanding reach and covering the remote areas through AFTU, a leading private bus association of operator groups that run buses extensively across Senegal
The Eagle 916 bus is a strong and sturdy platform, which has been developed exclusively for Africa. Featuring superior technology of inline pump with Euro-III emission A special aspect of this project norms, maneuverability and fuel- is that Senbus Industries will be supplied with Semi Knocked efficiency, Eagle takes comfort,
Down buses and Ashok Leyland will be collaborating with Senbus on assembling them locally in Senegal. Ashok Leyland’s team of engineers will work extensively with the skilled team at Senbus for vehicle assembly, delivering high quality finished products and after-sales support. A full-fledged
workshop is also being planned at Dakar by Senbus Industries. Ashok Leyland is currently the 4th largest manufacturer of buses in the world and India’s largest bus manufacturer. This order would further consolidate its leadership position. ACI
BMW launches new X5 in India
T
Sport celebrates the gust of adrenaline with sporty style and self-confidence. xLine puts on a powerful character that enhances the car’s off-road looks. M Sport enhances the dynamic character distinguishing itself as an elite sports model.
he all-new BMW X5 was launched in India recently. Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary sportsman unveiled the all-new BMW X5, which demonstrates a fresh modern design with refined interiors and authoritative driving attributes. Locallyproduced, the all-new BMW X5 is available in a diesel variant at BMW dealerships. The petrol variant will be available later in 2019. Hans-Christian Baertels, President (act.), BMW Group India, said, “The BMW X5 has been the best-selling car in this segment for many years and has become one of our most successful models. The fourth generation embodies this model’s typical characteristics – versatility, sovereignty and luxury. The all-new BMW X5 is bound to add another chapter to this success story by introducing a new interpretation of the letter X.”
The all-new BMW X5 exhibits versatility by offering customers a choice of vehicle that expresses who they are and conforms to their personal preferences and lifestyle. Locally-produced, the allnew BMW X5 is available in three design schemes - Sport, xLine and M Sport.
The ex-showroom prices are as follows: BMW X5 xDrive30d Sport: Rs 72,90,000; BMW X5 xDrive30d xLine: Rs 82,40,000; BMW X5 xDrive40i M Sport: Rs 82,40,000. The all-new BMW X5 is available in the following metallic paintworks: Mineral White, Phytonic Blue and Black Sapphire. It eatures Fine upholstery Leather ‘Vernasca’ as standard with the following combinations - Ivory White - Black, Coffee - Black, Cognac Black and Black - Black. ACI
66 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
News
CEAT bags new orders from Maruti
C
Additionally, these tyres offer superior comfort and grip in both wet and dry road conditions.
EAT Limited, a leading Indian tyre manufacturer, has announced its association with Maruti Suzuki India Limited for the newly launched Alto model. CEAT’s ‘Fuelsmarrt TL’ tyres are specially customised for this model and will be available in145/80R12 size. It is the first tyre in the 12 inch category to come with low rolling resistance.
Commenting on the association, Amit Tolani, Vice President -Marketing, CEAT said, “It’s a pleasure to be associated with Maruti Suzuki for the launch of the new Alto, which has always been an iconic platform. We are glad to deliver Fuelsmarrt tyres as per Maruti Suzuki’s expectations of low rolling resistance for better fuel efficiency while maintaining high standards of safety for the vehicle. Our aim has always been to focus on making mobility safer and smarter for everyone and this association helps us achieve that.” ACI
The ‘CEAT Fuelsmarrt TL’ tyres for the new Alto have stylish interlocked blocks with optimum deformation for better stability. The optimised tread pattern of the Fuelsmarrt tyres help in providing low rolling resistance, which keeps the vehicle within the driver’s control and provides better fuel efficiency.
Murugappa plans Rs 1300 Cr capex
M
urugappa Group said that it would invest around Rs 1250-1300 crore in 201920. The proposed investments include Carborundum Universal capacity expansion in Sriperumbudur, Tube Investments has commissioned new plants for tubes and undertaken capacity expansion in metal forming business, Coromandel International is expanding the capacity of its Phosphoric Acid plant at Vizag. The Group is also investing around Rs 200 crore in technologies for its financial service businesses.
stability post elections, which will boost the demand and would compensate the loss in the first half. It is important to ensure liquidity, which RBI and Government would address and there would be demand pick up. In NBFC there are issues, government is taking adequate steps. We have taken a cautious approach, he said.
the main businesses including fertilizer, sugar, engineering and financial services faced challenges.
The Group is hopeful of a double digit growth. It posted 18% growth in overall PAT at Rs 2,880 crore in 2018-19 and expects to sustain it.
“India will continue to grow and I am quite optimistic. We are a long- term player and we are preparing ourselves for future,” he said.
Murugappa Group’s Executive Chairman M M Murugappan said that it was a good year for the Group despite the fact that some of
He said, the auto slowdown hopefully should get over by the second or third quarter. Murugappan also expects some
On the engineering business, whose 70% of revenue comes from auto industry, Murugappan expects that things would improve going forward. Meanwhile Cholamandalam Investments announced its plan to launch its housing finance subsidiary. The Group reported 12% growth in revenue to Rs 36,893 crore from Rs 33,079 crore. Group’s profit rose to Rs 2,880 crore from Rs 2,432 crore, a year ago. Market capitalisation of the Group was Rs 66,000 crore as of March 31, 2019. ACI
88 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
News
Sundaram-Clayton opens plant in US
S
undaram-Clayton Limited (SCL), inaugurated its first overseas facility in the US, through its subsidiaries, to serve its customers in North America, its biggest export market. The company has invested Rs 630 crore in the plant. This expansion will establish SCL as a global player from India. The operations will commence from September 2019. The US market currently represents about 60% of the company’s exports and 40% of its revenues. An on-shore presence it will enable SCL to reduce delivery lead times, giving it a competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding market for automotive components.
tonne. SCL will manufacture a range of high-pressure die-cast and gravity die-cast parts in this facility.
as well, and recently opened an additional plant in Oragadam, near Chennai, to service its Indian automotive customers.
Lakshmi Venu, Joint Managing Director, Sundaram-Clayton Limited, said that the long-term outlook for both the American and the Indian automotive industries is strong. In both the markets, OEM vehicle makers are focussed on light-weighting and better fuel economy. “Our technologies are aimed at supporting this industry trend. Our strategy of expanding in both these markets enables us to support our customers with more responsive supply chain in an increasingly dynamic world,” she said.
SCL is a part of the conglomerate TVS Group, which was established in 1911 in India and has companies worldwide. TVS Group revenue was $8.5 billion in fiscal 2018.
Apart from its US facility, SCL has also invested recently in a new plant in Tamil Nadu. The company is positive on the long-term strength of its core Indian market
The facility will produce 1,000 tonne of castings in the first year of production and in five years, will scale output to 10,000
Sundaram Clayton Limited has a revenue of Rs 1,932.94 crore and has 5 manufacturing facilities, with 4 in India and 1 plant in South Carolina, USA. The company has a capacity to produce 74,000 MT/ annum. Its die-casting processes include high pressure diecasting, gravity die-casting, low pressure die-casting, post casting (shot-blasting, heat treatment) machining and subassembly. ACI
ACMA meet chalks out plans for xEV parts production
T
he Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), along with Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA), under the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, hosted the National xEV Localisation Conference & Exhibition in New Delhi. The event centred around FAME – 2 scheme, which promotes Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles and as also the ‘Phased Manufacturing Program’. At the event, top policy makers and industry experts deliberated upon opportunities and challenges for local
manufacturing of xEV components and charging infrastructure. More than 40 component manufacturing companies, showcased their latest offerings in an exhibition at the event. “We are working on the strategies to leverage the participation of all stakeholders, as well as the competitive potential in the market, to scale up the projected volumes under the Fame - 2 scheme. The subsidy is structured to cover almost 20% of the cost of electric vehicles and 40% for the buses,” Asha Ram Sihag, Secretary, Ministry for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises (GoI) said. Kenichi Ayukawa, VP, SIAM said, “As an industry we are enthusiastic and dedicated towards maximum
localisation of xEVs and xEV parts.” Harish Agarwal, President, IEEMA said, “E-mobility and its challenges for localisation will be met effectively by combined efforts of the OEMs, component manufacturers and electric equipment and component manufacturers.” Ram Venkatarmani, President, ACMA said, “The industry had been long awaiting a stable road-map for electric mobility from the government which could enable the industry in making its own concrete plans in moving forward in this new, uncharted territory. We are indeed very delighted at the focus given towards localisation in Fame-2 with the announcement of the PMP program”. ACI
10 10 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
R E W O P E L C S MU Calls For The
Your Vehicle
INDIA'S
No.
SUSPENSION Manufacturer in C.V. Taking Weight Lightly Since 1954
Range of Products
Trailer Mechanical Suspension WIth Lift Axle
Lift Axle Allied Parts
Conventional Leaf Spring & Allied Parts
Parabolic Leaf Spring & Allied Parts
CORPORATE ADDRESS (AFTER MARKET - INDIA): 5th FLOOR, 507-508, ABW ELEGANCE TOWER, JASOLA VIHAR, NEW DELHI – 110025, INDIA. TEL: +91-11-49875915 REGD. ADDRESS: JAI SPRING ROAD, INDUSTRIAL AREA, YAMUNA NAGAR, HARYANA-135001, TOLL FREE NO. – 18001801371
News
Valeo opens new wiper motor plant near Chennai
V
manufacturing facility, we aim to capture a significant market share, by bringing the complete range to cater to the needs of the OEMs in our country.”
aleo has inaugurated a Wiper motor manufacturing facility at Vallam, near Chennai. The plant will manufacture rear wiper motors catering to OEMs and the aftermarket segment in the country.
This new wiper motor manufacturing facility currently produces left hand motor to cater specifically to the OEM needs and has the capability to produce short and medium version of wiper motors.
This facility with 1,200 sqm built-up area and 1,530 sqm of total area currently has the capacity to manufacture 500,000 units annually, with an option to increase to 750,000 units.
and product control.
A first manual hybrid manufacturing line for Valeo across the globe, this plant is equipped with a traceability system, with a QR Code laser marking capability for process and product traceability. In addition, the entire manufacturing line will be monitored with cameras for 100% process
Ashok Belani, Group President and Managing Director, Valeo India, said, “Setting up of another manufacturing facility in India reaffirms Valeo’s commitment to the Indian automotive industry. Valeo’s Wipers Systems are already a leading product in the Indian aftermarket. Through this
Valeo’s Wiper solutions are well known globally for its cutting-edge technologies for cleaning windshields, rear windows and optical sensors to offer excellent visibility. Specifically Valeo’s lightweight wiper systems help in reducing CO emissions, in addition to providing increased comfort and safety. ACI
SFL is setting up unit in Sri City to foray into non-auto segment
S
undram Fasteners Limited (SFL), part of the US $8.5 billion TVS Group, headquartered in Chennai, is in the process of setting up a new unit at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, to manufacture high precision engineering components. It will be used as a hub to consolidate its foray into non-auto segment including off-road vehicles for export business. The company’s third SEZ unit at Mahindra World City commenced operations from January 2019. The unit manufactures and exports high-end parts forged and machined with close tolerances for cross-overs and mini trucks. Its SEZ Units I & II at Mahindra World City are fully operational. To further SFL’s growth in non-automotive segments, the company has incorporated a new wholly-owned subsidiary named “Sunfast TVS Limited” on April 8, 2019. The
new company will focus on the Aerospace and Defence segments.
segments which led to increase in aftermarket sales.
The company has orders for forged, cast and machined parts for all terrain and land systems vehicles for defence. It will also focus on parts for armoured vehicles and trucks. The company will continue to grow SFL’s existing business in space vehicles and helicopter components.
The net profit of the company was at Rs 437.12 crore as against Rs 367.47 crore in the previous year, registering an increase of 18.9%. The company’s consolidated revenues posted an increase of 18.2% for the year at Rs 4,557.90 crore (Rs 3,854.91 crore). The consolidated net profit was at Rs 458.97 crore (Rs 388.17 crores), an increase of 18.2%.
Meanwhile, the operating revenue of SFL in FY ‘19 was Rs 4,002.34 crore against Rs 3,419.79 crore in the previous fiscal. Domestic sales, net of excise duties were at Rs 2,469.15 crore as against Rs 2,146.76 crore, an increase of 15%, on the back of increase in production of commercial vehicles. In the aftermarket, the company expanded the dealer network so as to increase the sales penetration in industrial
SFL incurred Rs 442 crore towards capital expenditure on existing and new projects. The capital expenditure was incurred in order to augment capacities for meeting the increase in volume of business and in tandem with production plans of key customers. It has transferred Rs 300 crore to General Reserve. ACI
12 12 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
CORPORATE
Schaeffler India to offer future mobility solutions As a globally unified brand, Schaeffler India will offer future mobility solutions through a competitive powertrain product matrix. Story by: Ashish Bhatia
M
egatrends are reshaping the world. They are said to be driving new requirements, behaviours and implications for the automotive world. As a globally unified brand, Schaeffler is ready to meet these new set of demands from its pool of customers of erstwhile entities LuK, INA or FAG. Claiming to be 3 times stronger under the new corporate brand with the conclusion of the merger effective October 2018, the unification is expected to make it easier for customers to engage with any of the company divisions especially automotive, and irrespective of the product involved. The newfound strategic positioning, says Avinash Gandhi,
Chairman, Schaeffler India, will help the company gain a competitive advantage. Averred Dharmesh Arora, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Schaeffler India, “It will allow us to leverage economies of scale; state-of-the-art technologies; an optimised distribution and logistics network; and deliver quality innovative solutions to our customers. With the urban mobility environment expected to see more changes in the next 20 years than witnessed over the last 100 years, Schaeffler’s powertrain scenario has changed too. Said to be working on a diverse range of technologies, the core product range at Schaeffler India includes
chassis components and systems, technologies for clutches and transmissions, engine components and drives for hybrid and electric vehicles. Through LuK, INA, FAG and Ruville, the company offers repair solutions across transmissions, engine and chassis. For instance, the aftermarket business, explained Arora, is a driver of the replacement parts busisness. The company is also banking on putting Industry 4.0 into practice and driving stronger systems and processes. It is also working on a newly devised logistics network to scale up operational efficiencies in deliveries. Looking at the consumer preference in passenger cars, Schaeffler India, opined Arora, expects a tilt in preference towards automatic transmission for passenger cars citing the availability of multiple automatic transmission technologies like AMT, TC, CVT, DCT and DSG with most car manufacturers known to be offering them in their product lineups. Among other solutions that the company is banking on as a provider of future mobility solutions are the advanced wheel bearing solutions, efficient engine and powertrain components for the front accessory drive system, chain drive systems, valve train, gear shift systems and a range of needle roller bearings, a wide range of clutches and hydraulic clutch release systems. Schaeffler AG, on the other hand,
14 14 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
DELHI
MACHINE TOOL EXPO
2019
TM
08 - 11 August 2019
India Exposition Mart Limited Greater Noida
Biggest show in the region to connect with best manufacturing industries Delivered by the organiser of SPECIAL PAVILIONS
AM
www.mtx.co.in
CORPORATE Dharmesh Arora, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Schaeffler India
claimed Arora, is making rapid strides in the E-Mobility segment. With the farming sector having received a boost from the recently announced government initiatives, Schaeffler India as the supplier of the wide ranging products for transmission and chassis application in agricultural tractors stand to benefit. Overall the company has come to build a competitive powertrain product matrix that has offerings across Micro HEV, Mild HEV, Plug-in hybrid and Hybrid Electric Vehicle besides Hybrid and Electric (xEV) batteries. With the consumption and emissions targets of the future expected to be met fully, only through electrification of the drive train, Schaeffler’s product range spans the entire gamut of electrification options including the 48-volt hybrids and plug-in hybrids to drives for purely electric.
e-wheel drive
The company offers customers with components and systems for hybrid modules, entry-level hybridisation, electric axle drives, and electric wheel hub drives. Hybrid modules from Schaeffler, for instance, are installed between the engine and transmission and is claimed to help reduce CO2 emissions by 15% to more than 70% based on the design and cycle. Available in coaxial or parallel axis design, these can be integrated into all stages of hybridisation as 48V or high-voltage applications, and a launch element in a double clutch, torque converter. The modular electric axles for hybrid and all-electric vehicles feature an electric motor that can be integrated into the drive module. It is said to enable selective distribution of drive torque to individual wheels (torque vectoring). The wheel hub drives, the electric motor, power electronics, brake, and cooling system are installed directly in the wheel rim and claimed to result in direct transmission of force to the road besides increased agility and safety. E-Wheel drive is claimed to enable totally new vehicle concepts like facilitating parking in the smallest parking spaces courtesy the improved steering lock. Applications for commercial vehicles include rolling bearing supports in crankshafts, camshafts and balancer shafts claimed to offer considerable potential for reducing power losses in the engine resulting in improved fuel economy and emissions. For the future drivetrain concepts involving P0/P1 hybridization, ‘UniAir’ is a key module when it comes to coordinating combustion to the specific requirements of the various concepts. A fully-variable electro-hydraulically actuated valve train system, among its benefits, is the potential for reducing CO2 and emissions compared to a conventional engine.
Drawing attention to the company’s performance in 2018, stated Arora that his company delivered a strong topline performance amid mixed economic signals. “The buoyant first 3 quarters gave way to a decelerating fourth quarter. We reported net revenue of Rs 45,615 million in 2018, registering a 16% growth over the previous year (2017). Profit (before taxes and exceptional items) grew by 13.7% to Rs 6,749 million. On the other hand, there was a relative increase in working capital and as a ratio to sales, it was 2.8% higher on account of inventories,” he explained. Citing the rise in import duties on automotive components, announced in the Union Budget 2018, from 7.5% to 15% coupled with the rise in steel prices globally as input costs that faced an upward pressure, stated Arora, the company continued to work towards improving productivity, localisation and on cost reduction projects, in order to compensate the cited increase in the costs. The company, according to Arora, further intends to build locally. This would make it largely self-sufficient besides helping achieve higher localisation content and an improved manufacturing footprint. The company will additionally install a new logistics network for an efficient supply chain and distribution network. On the brink of realising its full combined potential, Schaeffler India is committed to reducing its environmental footprint. With population growth, rapid urbanisation, higher disposable incomes and wealth creation, exponential data growth, the rising clout of anti-consumerism as some of the megatrends, Schaeffler India is aligning with the projected future energy scenarios including the focus on ‘zero-emissions for road transport’. ACI
16 16 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
08 • May Volume 13 Issue
ehicle.in w.commercialv
ww
E XC
LUS
: CV IV E
THE
L RMA
SOL
er omm
.c
www
UB M S FRO NS in U T IO vehicle. cial
ROS
e 12 Volum
2019
Why would you subscribe to Commercial Vehicle? Here are
` 120
0
` 12
Issue
18 h 20 Marc 06 •
WHEELS
8 0 2
4
OF
CAMPAIGN
V llo C
Apo RDS AWA
1 Delivered free to your door 2 Save up to 25% on cover price 3 Never miss an issue Again most Important of all, 4 And a seriously good quality magazine...
O AUTPO EX 18
20
CV
IN D
UST
UT RY F
URE
tNaD rSTzY:LE MMFGORS TA
CO
R
AIMING HIGHE
NSPORT EXC
Three Easy Ways To SUBSCRIBE MAHINDRA TRA
1
ARDS 2018 n ELLENCE AW
Online Visit at http://secure.nextgenpublishing.in/
2
Call +91 22 4352 5252
TO SUBSCRIBE
Really Good Reasons!
Pay ` 3,000 for 3 years subscription and save ` 1320 on the cover price
Your Details (All details in capital letters)
3
Post
Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Maftlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai 400013, India.
Pay ` 1099 for 1 year subscription and save ` 341 on the cover price
International rate - 1 year INR 8000/or USD 135 by air mail post
Name: Mr/Ms .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Occupation .......................................................................................................................................Date of birth................................................... Address................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... City.................................................................. State.........................................................................Pincode......................................................... Email....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Phone (Off)......................................................................... Mobile.....................................................Phone (Off)................................................... Kindly draw the Cheque/DD/PO in favor of NEXT GEN PUBLISHING PVT. LTD. (Please add Rs. 20/- extra for outstation cheque)
Please Find enclosed Cheque/DD no. ................................................................................................................................................ Dated..................................................... Bank..................................................................................................................................................................................................... Branch...........................................
Please complete the order form and mail it to us at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lowere Parel (E), Mumbai-400013 India. For clarifications, email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net or call +91 22 4352 5252 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing of your subscription. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next Gen Publishing will not be responsible for postal delay, transit loses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention your name and address on the reverse of your DD/Cheque. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only.
CV_ june 2019
Name ........................................................................................................................Date.................................................................... Signature................................................
CORPORATE
SEG Automotive to continue investment in e-mobility, develops new electric motor for e-rickshaw Story & Photos: Bhargav TS
W Frank Ahlborn, Vice President, Global Head – Product Management & Marketing of SEG Automotive and Anil Kumar M R, MD, SEG Automotive India
hile carmakers in the rest of the world have been focussing on electric cars in the premium segment, India is targeting smaller vehicles. The reason for this is, according to NITI Aayog, 79% of vehicles on Indian roads are two-wheelers, while three-wheelers and cars costing less than Rs 10 lakh account for 4% and 12% of the vehicle population, respectively. Concentrating on small electric vehicles will help meet domestic demand and place India in a ‘position of global leadership.’ The transformation towards electrification in India is slowly
beginning. E-mobility will first gain ground in public transport and shared mobility segments, where the payback periods are going to be shorter than personal ownership. Last mile connectivity solutions like e-rickshaw and e-auto are already growing strongly. FAME II policy is also targeting to incentivise those segments. The decreased total cost of ownership coupled with government incentives for the e-three-wheelers enables drivers to earn a decent living. In times where the public charging infrastructure in India is yet to be fully established, their usage pattern and average driving distance per
day makes three wheelers suitable for electrification right away. Over 1 million e-rickshaws are already on the road and providing efficient last mile transport free of local emissions. The Germany-based SEG Automotive is now entering this fast growing market with an e-motor, setting new standards in terms of efficiency and durability. The new EM1.2-HR e-motor, codeveloped with the German and Indian engineering, is based on advanced technology instead of a BLDC (brush less DC) motor. As indicated by the ‘HR’, it provides exceptionally high range - up to 10% more with the same battery charge - due to its outstanding efficiency compared to the currently available technology in the market. “We will manufacture the EM1.2HR e-motor locally in India for the domestic and overseas markets. Thanks to the FAME II policy, which promotes the development of local EV supply chain in India, our new motor will also feature a high share of local components,” Anil Kumar M R, Managing Director, SEG Automotive India, said. The new e-motor is under field validation phase right now and SEG Automotive India plans commercial production by end of the calendar year. The company is finding a slew of e-rickshaw manufacturers, reaching out to it to procure locally produced motors,
18 18 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
CORPORATE which is a prerequisite for availing the Rs 50,000 subsidy on registered electric three-wheelers including e-rickshaws within the 5kWH battery pack capacity. The total allocated subsidy for this segment has been set at Rs 2,500 crore for 500,000 such vehicles. Reduction of CO2 emissions as the company mission, SEG Automotive has a clear path to achieve sustainable and profitable growth and contribute to climate protection by significantly reducing emissions from passenger cars and commercial vehicles – globally and across all powertrain technologies. Driven by a passion for innovation, the global supplier’s recent developments are tackling CO2 reduction from several different angles: By bringing start-stop to smaller cars and emerging countries with the ultra-compact SC60; by developing an e-motor for rickshaws, which is best in class in terms of efficiency and robustness; by releasing the new, highly- efficient Heavy Duty generator platform for commercial vehicles; and by making significant investments into further expand the product portfolio for 48V mildhybridization and high voltage electrification. In its first year as an independent company, SEG Automotive has outpaced market growth to reach a new sales record of over 1.8 billion Euro (+4.2% YOY) while also achieving a record in new acquisitions. SEG Automotive, manufactures wide range of starter motors, electrification components and generators, is working on several new products for improving fuel economy and in turn reducing CO2 emissions. Behind this accomplishment is a competitive product portfolio, which supports the transition towards more efficient
combustion engines, 48V hybrids and electrification. At the same time, SEG Automotive is committed to continue its strategic investments in e-mobility and innovations, which protect the climate. “In the first year of independent operations, we have not only mastered the challenges that come with a carve-out. We have also further built on the key attributes we are known for in the automotive industry: Our passion for innovation supports the transition towards more efficient combustion engines, 48V hybrids and electrification. Our operational excellence delivers high-performance, durable and competitive products and solutions with robust processes and uniform worldwide quality standards. Our global strength comes from strong sales growth across all regions and our efficient global network throughout the value chain. The commitment to our responsibility for customers and suppliers, employees and the environment makes us a preferred partner. This approach to business, which champions sustainable growth, climate protection and long-term partnerships, has led SEG Automotive to a new sales and acquisition record in 2018. And moving forward it will also be the base of our success moving forward,” Frank Ahlborn, Vice President, Global Head, Product Management and Marketing, SEG Automotive, said. SEG is also betting big with its 48V Boost Recuperation Machine (BRM) for both a mild-hybrid in a gasolinepowered engine, or as a standalone electric driver in low power applications such as passenger or goods carrying electric autos. The company launched its 48V BRM mild-hybrid system last year, and recently it showcased a brand-new electric motor, co-developed by
its R&D centre in Germany and its Indian arm. The company is seeing demand arising from the electric threewheeler space as well, which are relatively higher on power and range between 3-7kW. The company claims that BRM is a cost-effective and easy-toimplement mild hybrid solution, as it replaces today’s generator at its actual location in the drive belt. Currently the company is importing the BRM system for e-auto application and evaluating the market dynamics before taking any decision on investing into localising it here in India. SEG Automotive’s BRM for 48V mild-hybridisation, was recently recognized as an eco-innovation by the European Union, which enables carmakers to get CO2 credits for applying the product.
The new EM1.2HR e-motor from SEG
SEG Automotive India provides solutions for all segments of the automotive industry including three-wheelers, passenger cars, commercial vehicles, off-highway vehicles, stationary engine applications, and across all drive technologies. The Indian automotive industry will be moving to BS VI norms in 2020. SEG, with its global experience in offering solutions to Euro VI vehicles, has already started its work on BS VI with the Indian manufacturers to make them future-ready. The company has 3 manufacturing facilities at Naganathapura and Hassan, in Karnataka, and in Chennai. ACI 19 19
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
CORPORATE
Nippon’s Wet-On-Wet painting technology for CVs in India ACI Bureau
N
ippon Paint, Asia’s number one paint brand in terms of revenues, has pioneered cutting edge technology for Commercial Vehicles painting. Nippon Paint has introduced its unique ‘Wet on Wet (WoW) Painting Technology’ in India, with a focus on delivering a lean and extremely efficient painting process to the CV OEMs and major bus body manufacturers. The WoW technology solution will drastically reduce painting cycle time, energy requirement and labour cost and significantly improve productivity in the painting process. With rapid strides in product solutions, Nippon Paint aims to become the clear leader in the Commercial Vehicles Segment space in India by 2021. The launch follows Nippon Paint’s recently-announced unique express painting system for the automotive aftermarket, Sharad Malhotra, President Automotive, Commercial and Wood
Coatings, Nippon Paint (India), said, “The Indian commercial vehicle industry is a focus sector for us. Our objective is to develop and introduce state-of-the-art high productivity solutions for the CV industry. We aim to drastically improve throughput for our customers without any major capital investment from their end. This is just the first step in our mission to introduce world-class products developed by our global R&D team that add tremendous value to our CV and light industrial customers.”
Lewis Taylor, Global Technical Manager for Nippon Paint, said, “The biggest challenge faced by the commercial vehicle manufacturers in the painting process is how to optimize efficiency. Nippon Paint aims to solve this problem by delivering customized solutions that maximize efficiency based on customer-specific production lines and infrastructure. Our WoW technology solution minimises sanding and baking processes, thereby delivering efficiency improvements of up to 50% and cost reduction of up to 20%.” Siddarth Sharma, Business Head for CV Coatings, Nippon Paint India, said, “Nippon Paint prides itself on being the Paint Process Specialist for the CV industry. Our business process is led by our integrated paint and non-paint product solutions, technical expertise for painting lines and superior supply chain capabilities. Our OE and other customers are assured that quality paint jobs will be delivered every single time. With WoW painting technology, customers can now enjoy an extremely efficient system, with superior aesthetics.” Nippon Paint currently works with most of the leading OEMs in the country and is also a preferred player in the private bus-body segment in India. Nippon Paint is also working closely with the major State Transport Undertakings in India. ACI
20 20 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
Nurturing Passion for ENGINEERING
& TECHNOLOGY TITAN ENGINEERING & AUTOMATION LIMITED (TEAL) - Automation Solutions, is a wholly owned subsidiary of TITAN COMPANY LIMITED. We are in the business of Providing word class Turnkey assembly and testing solutions Solu ons for Fuel Systems & Relief Valve
Transportation Energy Electronics Life sciences Engineering Consumer packaged goods (CPG)
WE OFFER
Our Capability
Assembly Technology Testing & Measurement controls & Software Industry 4.0 Enabled Solutions
Our Solutions
Fully automatic assembly lines Lean Assembly cells Test rigs, Robotic Cells, Vision Inspection system Industry 4.0 Enabled solutions
Tel :- +91- 4344 664 876 / 891 / 840
Email:- infotas@titan.co.in , Website :- www.titanteal.com
COVER STORY
Sandhar is well positioned with appropriate products to meet the future needs: Arvind Joshi Founded in 1987 by Jayant Davar, the Sandhar Group is India’s one of the biggest auto components manufactures and exporters. The company has 3 subsidiaries, 8 joint ventures and 40 factories across the world. “Most of our products fall into safety and security sub-segment of the component industry. We do not distinguish between exterior and interior parts. We have now added the emission part and have entered into a joint venture with the Korean company,” Arvind Joshi Whole-time Director, CFO, and Company Secretary of Sandhar Technologies Ltd, told Bhargav TS of Auto Components India. Q: How do you view the present status of the Indian auto components industry? Joshi: There is a paradigm shift in the way the auto components industry is operating. From what it used to be 5 years ago to what it is now there is a whole lot of difference. Gone are the days when the OEMs demanded what they wanted and we did that. Now, they have moved beyond dictation to players and ask the parts makers to be real partners in innovation, new product development, technologies and in engineering capabilities. There was a time when the Indian auto sector OEMs were dominated by the Japanese. It is still dominated by them. Maruti Suzuki holds 50% of the market share in the passenger vehicles and Honda 40% in two-wheelers. Across all the segments the Japanese had a big role in developing and nurturing the Indian auto components industry. They would teach what to do, how to do and when to do. With the advent of OEMs from Europe and America, this aspect is gone. The European
OEMs leave it completely to the components makers. Quality is a must and if they do not maintain it, they are out. People who have started working with multiple geography customers are now supposed to be working towards a territory where they do not need any hand-holding. That’s where a company like ours has gone into diversification and played around the whole business strategy. Most of the OEM collaboration is breaking up and they are moving on their own. Naturally, they have to deal with many parts and they cannot have separate R&D for each and every component they make. They would certainly need a very strong tier-I player who could work around. Q: In this scenario where do you see Sandhar fitting in the future? How do you plan to grow? Joshi: We are looking at doubling our turnover to about Rs 5000 crore from the current Rs 2400 crore in 5 years. We have invested around 100 million dollars in the past 7 years and have been doubling our revenue every 5 years. All the
facilities have already been set up and our joint ventures (JVs) are at a nascent stage. We have 8 JVs and they will drive around 25% of our growth. The plants are being set up now. Jinyoung Sandhar Mechatronics plant is being set up in Oragadam near Chennai to make AV navigation panels. The commercial production will begin shortly and we will be a single source to the Korean OEMs. Then there are some backward integration which will be done by Sandhar Hansung and will be supplied to Jinyoung Sandhar. Sandhar Hansung does small precision seat metal parts. We have a Taiwanese company where we will have parking systems, door system etc. Oil filters, fuel modules, starter motor pumps will be from Sandhar Daewha in Manesar. Most of our products fall into safety and security sub-segment of the component industry. So, we do not distinguish between exterior and interior parts. At the end of the day, a vehicle has to be safe and secure. Right from the locking systems, vision systems, to the operator cabins in the construction business, every single component
22 22 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY falls into the safety category. What we have now added is the emission part and have entered into a joint venture with the Korean companies. Q: What are the new segments that Sandhar is entering along with its JV partners? Joshi: We are getting into auto electronic components which will integrate with software. There would be a convergence of hardware and technology. We are bringing in products that have sensors, and ultrasonic sensors that are radar-based. We are in an advanced stage of signing up a JV which is into shark fin antenna with a Korean company. We would see antenna playing a big role in initiating the safety aspects. The antenna has inbuilt cameras, sensors, and radar system. Inside a small unit, this sits on the top of the vehicle. We would continue to work on the regulatory aspect of safety and security, both of the passenger and the vehicle. At the end of the day, these mechanical parts may turn into mechatronics. But mechanical parts will still be there. Together with all the JVs, we are looking at a revenue of Rs 500 crore in the next 3-5 years. Q: Large companies like yours talk of content per vehicle. How has that been going for Sandhar? Joshi: Diversification increases the content per vehicle. That has been our philosophy for almost a decade. For example, we started off our business with a small sheet metal stamping component, today our sheet metal business is just about 13% of the overall revenue. In the locking systems, we started with 95% and it has come down to around 23%. 23 23
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY try to diverse ourselves and remain relevant and contemporary to the requirement of the OEMs. Q: Does the ‘new mobility’ give opportunities for Sandhar? How are you preparing to manage the disruptions in the industry?
So we have been growing well across all the areas. Q: What is the direction of the group’s R&D? Joshi: Value engineering and value addition are things of the past. Building up R&D, its capabilities, bringing up new technology application, diversifying to the various technology platforms are areas where an auto component maker can become a single window supplier now. When the OEMs require something the supplier should be able to work around and deliver it. That is where the whole paradigm shift has come into play. Now, no auto component manufacturer can succeed if he remains only in one technology platform. From Sandhar’s perspective, we have done well. We have made the right moves at the right time. Our R&D centre was opened in 2013. We have seized the opportunity to make OEMs come forward and ask for our engineering capabilities. We made sure of the products we can make, including future products like e-mobility, autonomous and a lot more. In general capabilities, we can move from plastics to sheet metals to anything they want. That is how we
Joshi: India is slow in absorbing technologies. Being a large market around 24 million vehicles are sold every year. To replace them completely with the electric vehicles will take a long time. No one has to really worry about it now. Only the future can say whether the components will really move out. Usually, the transition happens first in aviation then in luxury cars and then in the mid-size cars. So far, nothing has happened in the aviation sector. With this, it is still not sure whether EVs will really drive out the mechanical components completely. And, there will be old vehicles still to be serviced. On the whole, everything will co-exist. Be it e-mobility or the IC engines, Sandhar Technologies is not looking to participate on the engine component side. The company will contribute to the auto electronic capabilities where the components get integrated with software and sensors. We are also looking at filters and fuel pumps, which will be more as BS-VI enablers. These are in the development process where we will partner with a Korean company, which is working on brushless DC motors. We are developing 16mm brushless DC motor in Korea. These DC motors will be part of the fuel pump and they will be for both petrol and diesel. It is mainly for the BS-VI norms. The process is for replacing the carburettor completely. The motor will be
smaller at 16mm which is not available anywhere in the country. Even in the overseas market, the smallest would be 22 mm brushless DC motor. Our product will be very tiny and will play a major role in reducing carbon emission. This will cater to the two-wheeler and CV market. Q: Are you introducing Industry 4.0 across your plants? Joshi: Sandhar Technologies has initiated smart manufacturing and one of our plants has started into this platform. This will be rolled out across all our plants. We have always found a way to embrace technology to the core. We are one of those few companies in the auto components space to move into the Oracle cloud. The basic technology is all in there. The financial information and operational information will all be in real time. It has already started happening and we will continue to invest in this. We want to ensure that it becomes a success in one plant. Smart manufacturing has many aspects and we are not sure how the Indian auto component industry would take advantage of it unless the data analytics is also addressed. One is getting the information which was never coming to you in real time. Second, is where the AI would come in. Many companies would have got into it already. But, the road map has to be clear on when the data analytics comes in and this is where we are working on. We will be moving on in phases and in the first part, it will be all our machines talking to the people and in the second stage, you will have the machines throwing the designs also. Productivity and quality aspect are the 2 main things that need to be carried out from the shop floor to the decision-maker. At the end of
24 24 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY the day, we want to achieve zero failure, zero defects. This is where the company’s margins are likely to improve in financial terms to a substantial extent. Information is available in real time and it brings in a collaborative effort. Q: Will smart manufacturing eliminate the old Japanese thought process? Joshi: Nothing gets replaced. It is just that, you are wiser than what you were in the past. It will be a collaborative effort. Now, I would be in a position to link my repair and maintenance cost in plant and machine in real time. I would actually know why did I occur such an expense and why did I have low productivity on the previous day. Q: What are your plans for the commercial vehicle market? Joshi: Around 58% of the company’s revenue comes from two-wheelers while 20% comes from passenger cars and around
10% from the CV market. This is along with Tier-I sales. Another 10% of the business is from the construction equipment business. In the CV industry, our presence is mainly through the rear view mirror systems. Apart from door handles, rear view mirrors and locks we do not supply much as we want to restrict ourselves. This is because the biggest element of change that is going to come is how the body is composed of. We will have AC cabins coming in, which would require insulated parts and that is the area we are looking at.
most of the OEMs do agree for the pass- thru. We have to manage the cash flows to ensure that the impact of price fluctuation on commodity price is minimal. We resort to various structured financing mechanism. For a commodity, there are two impacts. One is the cash flow part and two, the margin part. Continuous visibility on the prices and procurement of commodities at the right time ensure that we keep the price as close to the selling price.
Q: On cost auto component manufacturers are sandwiched between OEMs and raw material suppliers. How are you looking at it?
Joshi: We are already there. It is a question of perception. Not many are into exports. It is just whether we want to take that extra risk. The global market does not offer the volumes and the logistics costs are high. One has to add the foreign exchange cost to it. There are also geopolitical risks. Why would anybody want to risk so much when they already have a ready market in India. India is the place where the market is and we would be happy to supply to the market here. ACI
Joshi: We work on a couple of models. One, we can absorb only as much as the market allows. Beyond that, we have to go to the OEMs and seek from them. Some of the OEMs have institutionalised the whole process of pass-thru suppliers. That institutionalisation was on the part of periodicity. The good part is
Q: Do you think the Indian companies can grow globally?
25 25
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY
Jamna Auto spearheads growth in leaf spring technology Story by: Anwesh Koley
T
he global automotive sector is growing rapidly which is driving the demand for automotive leaf springs. The growth of automotive leaf springs market in India has been dependent on the rise in the automotive sector, and is directly proportional to the production of light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles. Leading from the front and pioneering the production of advanced leaf springs and parabolic springs for the commercial vehicles (CVs) is Jamna Auto Industries Ltd, which has witnessed the industry evolve substantially over the years from hardware-based applications to the increased use of technology and software in ensuring errorfree operations. We interacted
with Bhupesh Kumar Mehta, Vice President, Jamna Auto Industries Ltd, to discuss the trends prevalent in the springs and suspension segment. Composites show the future Having over 5 decades of experience in providing damping solutions, Jamna Auto is currently betting big on composite springs being the next big thing in the spring and suspension domain. This assumes even greater significance, with BS-VI norms kicking in from next year. OEMs are demanding frugal machines, which are lighter and more versatile. Jamna Auto’s focus on composite spring technology intends to provide high quality products at low cost in order to serve a broader spectrum
of OEMs and stay competitive at the global level. Because of their low specific gravity, the strength of composite leaf springs are substantially superior to those of their metallic counterparts. The fatigue strength weight ratios as well as fatigue damage tolerances of many composite laminates have been found to be highly applicable. For these reasons, composites have emerged as a major class of structural material being considered as an alternative for metal in any weight critical components in the CV segment, as well as in other industries. Being an expensive technology, composites are yet to gain wide market acceptance, but Jamna Auto believes that due to the fact that it is almost 50% lighter than the conventional metal, manufacturers might soon opt for this material for multiple applications. Composites can be used for leaf springs for light weight vehicles and meet the fuel efficiency requirements, together with substantial weight savings, Mehta said.
Market scenario
Jamna Auto is currently focussing on expanding its air suspension product range. Elaborating on the evolving nature of the CV industry in India, Mehta said that the increasing disposable income, economic growth, growing industrial activity and commercial business is resulting in 26 26 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY the increased production of LCVs, MCVs and HCVs. Consumers are now looking for quality auto parts and systems which can fulfill their needs with reduced maintenance, he said. Heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) have been a key focus area for the company and it has been working closely with OEMs like Ashok Leyland, Daimler, Volvo and Isuzu. Jamna Auto’s strategy is to proactively advance its technological support and personalised design to customers. Mehta expects lift axles and air suspension technologies to steer the CV segment requirements in the near future, along with the industry stretching itself to comply with the upcoming BS-VI norms. Lightweighting will continue to form the core of all R&D initiatives for spring and suspension manufacturers. While the industry is yet to accept composite springs in a big way, Jamna Auto intends to enhance its efforts to introduce new steel technology, in a bid to adhere to BS-VI norms.
Partnership with TBL
Jamna Auto’s recent partnership with Tinsley Bridge Limited (TBL) of UK has been a winwin venture for the company, as it has gained extensively from the European expertise of TBL. The move was initially aimed to address the expected introduction of BS-VI norms as it comes with a challenge for the manufacturers to compensate the increased engine weight. The existing extralite spring and special steel technologies available with TBL has provided Jamna Auto access to lighter and stronger springs to bring down the weight of a vehicle, thereby increasing its load carrying capacity.
Bhupesh Kumar Mehta, Vice President, Jamna Auto Industries Ltd.
Technology transfer from this venture has greatly helped Jamna Auto in expanding its horizons, and also the fast-growing European market and its nuances have become more accessible for the company across all its plants in India, added Mehta. The company currently has nine manufacturing facilities located at Yamuna Nagar, Malanpur, Jamshedpur, Pune, Chennai, Pilliapakkam, Hosur and Pant Nagar, Lucknow.
State of technology
The need for advanced suspension technology earlier was not considered important for vehicle safety. However, given the increasing freight movement and logistics and more advanced supply chain management (SCM), the spring and suspension requirements for CVs have evolved. This has resulted in quantum changes in infrastructure and coupled with global exposure to latest technologies, the focus areas have also changed, Mehta said. The damping segment has benefited from this transformation and has started benchmarking quality standards. Comfort, control and safety are the key factors determining a robust transport system. Given the increasing speed levels on roads over the years, all these three factors are put to test and the suspension system plays a vital role in ensuring all the parameters are ticked. OEMs, fleet owners and transport authorities have realised the importance of providing a plush ride to the driver and safety of the cargo. International standards also require adhering to various stringent guidelines for efficient logistics.
Global situation
The economic conditions across the globe have revived and
availability of various financing companies which provide financial assistance to the customers have increased the sale of automobiles. Such factors are driving the growth of the Indian automobile industry which in turn is expected to drive the automotive leaf springs market in the future. The increasing global fleet size of the light and heavy commercial vehicles is expected to generate significant demand for leaf spring in the aftermarket as well. The demand for lightweight vehicles is driving the advancement in the leaf spring technology, encouraging manufacturers to look beyond metal. The major automobile manufacturing countries in Europe have imposed stringent fuel efficiency norms to control the increase in global warming. The key players across the globe are using advanced material for developing lightweight solutions to achieve these marks. Globally, composite leaf springs are being developed as a replacement for conventional steel leaf spring which is more lightweight and durable. This is expected to steer research in the development of damping solutions for CVs. ACI 27 27
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY
Elofic gears up for the next-gen vehicles Story by: Gunjan D. Bidani
T
he NCR-based Elofic Industries, pioneers of the filtration industry, also manufactures coolants, lubricants and greases. On the verge of the introduction of BS VI, Elofic is making provisions for the nextgen cars specifically focusing on the deteriorating environmental situation. Breaking through the air purification business, Elofic entered the segment to cater to the ‘air needs’ of home, office, public places, and fourwheelers.“Elofic Raahe car air
purifier is our latest product which was introduced last year and has gone through 2 seasons. It has been receiving good response. This air purifier had to be a natural extension of our product portfolio. This gets installed on the dashboard of a car and very drastic reduction in the PM 2.5 levels is observed,” KD Sahni, Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director, Elofic Industries, said. True to its DNA of filtration, MB Sahni, Chairman and Managing Director, Elofic Industries, validates “Filtration is our core business and we want to be in every field where filtration is required.” Highlighting the grave quality of air in North India, K D Sahni said, “Pollution is a major problem across NorthIndia, so air purification is the need of the hour. Also, air purifier for cars is our patent product.” For the benefit of the smokers, unwelcome cigarette smoke which is absorbed by the car upholstery can be duly eradicated by the activated charcoal, embedded in the air purifier which absorbs the smell and the smoke. On comparing the effectiveness with the cabin air filter, K D Sahni said, “We have been manufacturing the cabin air filters for a long time, but those cabin air filters are basically to arrest pollen. It’s not there to bring down the PM 2.5 levels. Whereas this air purifier is a multi-layered media.” The system is equipped with HEPA technology and advanced purification system. Trends that would be witnessed
is higher grade of filtration with the introduction of BS-VI emission norms. According to the company, there would be no negative impact for them. The filtration sector will continue to witness growth due to its high consumption as well as requirement. “There are a lot of stringent requirements as far as filtration parameters are concerned for the BS VI market and we are BS VI ready. We have the technology with us to design products and meet the basic requirements. We are doing several projects with various OEMs to develop several BS VI compliant products,” K D Sahni said. Currently at the designing stage with multiple OEMs, Sahni further said, “We are in the process of development of the products,discussing the concept with the OEMs, and working upon the engineering part for now. Orders will flow in at a later stage.” At the advent of electrification, where challenges are multi-folded, K D Sahni comments, “There is more hype created for this. I’m sure for the next 25-30 years, we’re not going to see the electric vehicles really dominating the Indian roads because more than that we need infrastructure and the technology. We need to have a product which is cost-effective.” Citing the example of Tesla’s performance in the American and European markets, Sahni said, “The infrastructure here is not really available and it will take a long time as India is a costsensitive market. So, it’s going to take a really long time.” Pointing to the crux of the major EV problem, the battery, Sahni said
28 28 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY
that low-cost and technologically efficient batteries are required which can run the vehicle for at least 150 km. In order to de-risk itself from the cyclic nature of the OEM sector, Elofic Industries is also looking at diversification into multiple segments and is keen to maintain its 30% OEM, 30% export and 40% aftermarket stakes in this segment. “That’s the broad ratio that we have been maintaining for the past several years. That’s what which has kept us insulated from any market fluctuations.At the end of the day, it’s a question of opportunity and we’re maintaining the balance because that’s important. So is to constantly grow in the market space,” Sahni said. Elofic claims to invest 2% of the total turnover on sustaining
the Research & Development department. “Undoubtedly, today companies are surviving because of their R&D and the newer products being developed. To compete in a thriving market, extensive R&D is the only way out.” Market leaders in the filtration industry and catering to automotive, agriculture, earth moving, industrial, heating and petrochemical sectors, Elofic is planning for new investments including expansion of the manufacturing capacity and R&D. Maintaining the consistent growth graph, K D Sahni said, “Never in the last 66 years, Elofic experienced a dip in the turnover, never seen a negative growth. We’ve been consistently growing, despite seeing some spikes in the business. So, we have had a very steady, upward graph where the growth has always been anything
from 10% to 15% since a few couple of years. Also, we’ve seen the growth of 20%.” Currently, Elofic has 6 manufacturing plants located in Faridabad, Hosur and Nalagarh. The company is also looking at further penetration in the commercial vehicle segment apart from its large presence in the passenger vehicle and the two-wheeler segments. ACI
MB Sahni, Chairman and Managing Director and KD Sahni Joint Managing Director, Elofic Industries
29 29
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY
NGK banks on new technology products Story by: Bhargav TS
W
ith the Indian auto market getting ready for BSVI, NGK Spark Plugs is banking on its newly-developed spark plugs and oxygen sensors that help reduce emissions and save energy. The company has invested in the oxygen sensor and is setting up the manufacturing facility near New Delhi. The plant will be operational by November 2019. Incorporated in 2006 to meet the growing demand of high-quality spark plugs of vehicle manufacturers and users in India, NGK supplies a wide variety of products that address global issues including the reduction of exhaust emissions and energy conservation. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd. Japan, which was established in 1936 and leading spark plug industry globally since establishment.
NGK’s high ignitability spark plug
NGK spark plugs stand for easier starting, greater ignitability and long and better life of electrodes. The diverse product range caters to the needs of different engines. The diversity in technology of the company gives it an edge over others. “NGK is committed to providing worldleading technology of spark plug and sensors to our valuable customers for the better performance of their vehicle. Recently we developed high ignitability spark plugs for better combustion, which increases fuel efficiency by 11%. The new plugs are tested extensively and we have started
supplying them to the OEMs,” Sudipto Sanyal, Vice President, NGK Sprak Plugs (India) Pvt Ltd, said. NGK engineers and technicians have been working continually to improve the spark plug and sensor and in this way contribute to the campaign to combat air pollution and to advance the engine technology of today. Their products are used in automobiles, motorcycles and general-purpose engines almost all over the world, acclaimed for their incomparable technology, performance and quality. The new high ignitability spark plug uses a special metal alloy to enhance its performance. It, combined with other parts, contributes upto 11% fuel efficiency in the new Honda Activa HET engine. “We have that technology and we are trying to attract customers where they can meet the emission norms and also have better combustion. The spark plug is made up of different material electrodes which is a new nickel material. To give the strength using this new nickel material and with a reduction in size and diameter of the electrode, it gives high ignitability. The flame core can easily go outside from these electrodes and provide better combustion. Though the high ignitability spark plug works in the sane fashion as the iridium plugs it has a new D-shape design that brings in better results,” Sanyal explained. The function of the material is to sustain the ignition and the function of the shape is to facilitate the air-fuel mixture to go faster. The rate of combustion decides the acceleration of the vehicle. The faster it passes, the quicker the combustion happens, which results in faster acceleration. Since the combustion is optimised, the petrol wastage is less with better efficiency.
Many of the top OEMs, including Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., Honda Cars India Ltd., Ford India Ltd., Fiat India Automobiles Ltd., Tata Motors Ltd., Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd., Volkswagon India Pvt. Ltd., Hero Motocorp Ltd., Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., Honda Seil Power Products Ltd., and India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd., are the customers of NGK. For the new High Ignitability plug, the company has some upcoming business with Suzuki two-wheelers, Yamaha and Honda two-wheelers for the BS-VI engines. They are also in discussion with other two-wheeler manufacturers for the same. With its channel distribution network, NGK Spark Plugs satisfy diversified needs of aftermarket with product offering from conventional to premium plug. “We are trying to upgrade the aftermarket offering of the High Ignitability plugs. We are trying to educate the mechanics and upgrade their knowledge to make them use more of these plugs. We have identified a few markets with high potential for scooters. There we have selected a few mechanics and we are running a scheme for a period of 6 months. Here, we educate them and down the line, they can educate the customers about the better use of the new plugs,” he said. About the NGK business, Sanyal said the OE business depends upon the vehicle production and everybody is now struggling because of the dip in vehicle sales. This, in turn, brought the supplies down too. But, NGK’s aftermarket business is growing at a rate of 8-10% annually. Approximately on all segments put together the company has grown 35% last year. “In the passenger car service, after
30 30 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY 5 years of their warranty, they go for a third-party garage. That is where our business comes from. To tap that business one has to be a leader. The reason behind is that if the product is originally fitted, when a mechanic opens the bonnet he sees NGK products and in the aftermarket he can correlate them,” he said. “The most important part is that the mechanic decides what plugs are to be used for replacement. For that, we need to work at the grass-root level to establish this image of OEM. Once they see our products in most of the cars, then by default it goes into their mind. We are the only company who actually train the mechanics about spark plugs. The mechanics were not taught about the differences for the last 50 years. So, when NGK did that, it helped us migrate the market from a non-registered plug to a registered one which is better for consumers, environment and the society.” The spark plug company also has a programme called Ustaad Mechanics Club, where around 600 mechanics are trained and given the experience to know more about the products. Recently, the company conducted a market research and identified around 30 locations including in metros, semiurban and rural areas. This is to find the behaviour of the mechanic, the vehicle owner, and of the retailer in terms of the spark plug, brand category and the product usage etc. With this research, the company learnt that around 35-40% of vehicle owners question about the spark plugs. With the knowledge, the mechanic holds the power to decide why and what plug they are using. “The mechanics were pressurised by the retailer to use Chinese products or something else because the retailer enjoys a big margin or something like that. The knowledge we give them will help them explain to the owners as that is an important part. Without them, we cannot improve our society, technology
Sudipto Sanyal, Vice President, NGK Sprak Plugs (India) Pvt Ltd
etc. We have to have an inclusive policy for this,” he said. The company is getting ready to supply the demands required for the aftermarket by using various alternative including e-commerce websites like Amazon to reach more near to the customers and to offer the best quality products. There is a perception that the best quality products are available only on the metros and now this myth can be broken with such initiatives. Going by their slogan “Do the Double” the company is expecting to double its market share and be a market leader in spark plugs and sensors by 2021. About the oxygen sensor business, Sanyal said, “When the usage of sensors becomes mandatory, around 20 million vehicles have to fit at least 1 sensor. There is a huge potential. When the OBD2 comes in 2022 there is a requirement of 2 sensors on the vehicle, where the market will be doubled. So, we need to be ready to have the capacity to supply the current aftermarket space.” The company has invested Rs 100 crore for the recent requirement and is waiting for the government to give clarity on the OBD2. Once it is been specified, NGK might look out for other investments. With their plants in Thailand and Japan equipped with a required facility, they are on track to meet the demands if required. An oxygen sensor will typically generate up to about 0.9 volts when the fuel mixture is rich and there is little unburnt oxygen in the exhaust. When the mixture is lean, the sensor’s output voltage will drop down to about 0.1 volts. When the air/fuel mixture is balanced or at the equilibrium point of about 14.7 to 1, the sensor will read around 0.45 volts. When the computer receives a rich signal (high voltage) from the O2 sensor, it leans the fuel mixture to
reduce the sensor’s reading. When the O2 sensor reading goes lean (low voltage), the computer reverses again making the fuel mixture go rich. This constant flip-flopping back and forth of the fuel mixture occurs with different speeds depending on the fuel system. The transition rate is slowest on engines with feedback carburetors, typically once per second at 2500 rpm. Engines with throttle body injection are somewhat faster (2 to 3 times per second at 2500 rpm), while engines with multiport injection are the fastest (5 to 7 times per second at 2500 rpm). The oxygen sensor must be hot (about 600 degrees or higher) before it will start to generate a voltage signal, so many oxygen sensors have a small heating element inside to help them reach operating temperature more quickly. The heating element can also prevent the sensor from cooling off too much during prolonged idle, which would cause the system to revert to open loop. Going forward the company has the vision to be a leading manufacturer in the auto components space by 2022. The company is also launching the glow plugs by July this year, for diesel vehicles. For this, they will be importing products from Japan and Thailand. As of now, they are concentrating on spark plugs and sensors. ACI 31 31
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY
Rico Auto to expand product range, enter new markets Story & Photos: Bhargav TS
G
urugram-based Rico Auto Industries, a leading component manufacturer and supplier in the India market, entered into the aftermarket business in 2017. After receiving overwhelming response and acceptability for its two-wheeler products, Rico forayed into the four-wheeler aftermarket segment last year and recorded a turnover of Rs 25 crore. Now the company has set its target to reach Rs 100
crore by end of this year. To meet its target, Rico Auto is planning to expand its product range in the existing two-wheeler and passenger car segment and to enter the commercial vehicle segment by fourth quarter of this year. Rico is exporting its products to the South Asian countries of Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is also planning to expand to the South East Asian and African countries. In the two-wheeler segment Rico
has more than 500 components and around 30 components in the four-wheeler segment. We are working to make some more components. The company has set a target of Rs 100 crore sales for this financial year. “In order to reach this target 4 things will play major roles. They are the two-wheeler and four-wheeler markets, the global footprints, where we are planning to do in the ASEAN countries and the African countries. And of course by the end of this fourth quarter we will be entering the
32 32 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY commercial vehicle segment,” Abhishek Kulshrestha, Vice President, Corporate Materials and Aftermarket Business, Rico Auto Industries Limited, told Auto Components India. The company has started supplying to the aftermarket since the introduction of GST which has brought some order in this sector, he said. The aftermarket has been a problem area for the 45 year-old Rico because of the spurious parts and unethical business practices. “When in June 2017 the GST was announced we decided this is the right time to enter the aftermarket because it has brought in uniformity in policy. Another compelling factor for us to enter the aftermarket was the duplication of our products. When we saw there are certain spurious parts with our brand, we entered the aftermarket in July 2017 with 28 parts mainly of the two-wheelers. Within six months we had sales worth Rs 10 crore. The market welcomed us with full support and cooperation. Distributors were very keen to join the Rico family.” Rico received good response from the aftermarkets of Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also. “We received very good response from the SARC countries. It was a motivating factor for us. We closed the year 2018-19 with more than 500 parts in the two-wheeler segment itself with a turnover of Rs 25 crore,” Kulshrestha said. The distributors and the consumers were really enthusiastic, especially about the company’s expertise in two-
wheeler clutch assembly. “Our clutch assemblies are the USP in the market. Other competitors don’t have that much of quality conscious clutch assembly or any other parts. We invest much on the quality and we have the right machines, very good R&D centre for doing the testing. We also invited the distributors to see our entire facilities. So the market picked up very well,” he said. Rico always pays attention to quality. The company maintains the same quality of its products for the OEMs and the aftermarket. “We are very cautious about the quality and the cost factor. That is the only reason why in such a short span so much response has been received from the market. Some of our distributors are directly touching the mechanic base, doing mechanic seminars and road shows. A lot of initiatives have been taken by our teams also,” he said. To fight the menace of spurious products the company took certain concrete steps. “The first step was that we hired certain agencies in different areas in the northern and southern markets in India. These agencies along with the local police raided and all the spurious parts were seized. After doing it a couple of times, the percentage of the spurious parts went down drastically. Secondly, we organized awareness camps for both the retailers and mechanics, to show them the difference between the spurious and the original parts. We made presentations in the local language so that the mechanics could understand clearly,” Kulshrestha said. He acknowledged the fact that spurious parts cannot be eradicated fully and creating awareness was the best remedy. 33 33
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY “I can give you a classic example. Earlier when we used to drive motorcycles we were having a concept that if the clutch was not working, change the clutch plates. Since 3 years that concept has drastically changed, especially in the southern and the western regions. Nobody goes for the change of clutch plates. Everybody asks for a new clutch assembly,” he said.
Abhishek Kulshrestha, Vice President, Corporate Materials and Aftermarket Business, Rico Auto Industries Limited
q Costing
Cost plays a very important role in the aftermarket. But the consumers are very smart. If they get a right product at the right price and at the right place, they will definitely go for that, he said.
“The mood and style of the consumers are changing, but not 100%. We always try to give the best price on the best quality. Quality cannot be compromised. Now the companies which give good products don’t compromise on the quality for the sake of the cost. I cannot sell the product at a loss. But even if my margins are reduced I would not mind to sell the material to maintain quality because my brand name is 50 years old,” he said.
q New Products
Rico plans to introduce new products and the R&D team is working on the product line. “We
have to consider many factors before launching a product. There are many parts which are under consideration. The R&D team is looking at how these parts can be made for the best prices and with the best quality. We keep on taking feedback from the distributors also. I don’t enter the market without taking them into the confidence. So at this moment I can only tell you that we have 500-plus parts in the two-wheeler segment and 40 plus parts in the four-wheeler segment. Of course every month we will try to introduce at least 1 or 2 products in both the segments. So the team is working very hard. They have a target that they have to launch 2 to 3 new products every month, but everything is directly connected with the market feedback. We don’t produce or supply in the aftermarket what we give to the OEM. What I supply to the OEM will not be given to the aftermarket. But the quality parameters and raw material will be the same but the product line will be totally different,” Kulshrestha said. ACI
34 34 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY
Desmania brings Indian automotive design capabilities to the fore Story by: Gunjan D. Bidani
T
he Haryana-based Desmania Auto Studio, which began with industrial designing for consumer durable companies, diversified to full-fledged automotive designing in 2010. Now it has an all-under-one facility for the premium designing of automotives. The company has proved the Indian capabilities in automotive design by completing several successful design projects for OEMs in India. Desmania is building the prototype of an electric car for a Japanese OEM. “We are designing the whole thing. It is for the Indian market,” Anuj Prasad, CEO, Desmania Auto Studio, told Auto Components India. “We were designing products when designing itself was very new to India. So we were almost like the first ones who really got into hardcore product design. While the company was established in 1993, it was in 1996, when my wife and I decided to start with products design, packaging, and graphics,” he said.
“can you make it look like this or that, but there should be no IPR issues.” Desmania started its journey in automotive designing with Sonalika, Hero, Yamaha, and Honda.
q Design evolution in India
In comparison with the matured markets like Europe, USA and Japan, where designing is completely in-house, many processes like scanning, milling and clay milling were developed. When it is saturation for the thirdworld countries, India and China are filling the gap of their lack in designed vehicles. Catering to a mass-market like India, OEMs like Mahindra, Renault and Tata Motors have developed design
departments. “Tata Motors went through a cycle. Indica was designed in Italy and the design did extremely well. For the next car, the company itself wanted to design and took some input from an Italian firm. They built up the whole model without making mock-ups, prototypes, clay model, and now we know what happened to Indigo and Manza. Then they discovered design through JLR, and they understood that design and styling matters because this is the biggest turning point for any decision,” he said. India is known for both the IT and IT-Enabled Services, and styling is evolving. He said that the belief in Indian designers is growing now. “OEMs believe in us and
Desmania began its automotive designing with tractors. Sonalika, in 1999, he had to restyle the body and the engine. “So it went off well, but 20 years ago, the overall mentality of the people was to make something which is highly acceptable in the market, which meant that it should look like something which is already doing well. It used to be a kind of imitation or just cosmetic changes. The brief then was, 35 35
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY the game of enticing customers more and more. “Earlier, Maruti was a major player, but now we see many manufacturers to buy a car from. It is a great thing for us designers as we’re getting more opportunity to design and we’re getting more projects. We can see the evolution happening because the more we do, the more it evolves. That’s something which is inherent in design itself,” Prasad said.
Anuj Prasad, CEO, Desmania Auto Studio
they know that it can be done here in India. It is not necessary that somebody from the West has to style. I think in the next 5 years, we will see a big change,” Prasad said
q Shrinking vehicle life
With the passion for possession, consumerism took a toll, making way for designers and OEMs. As millions of people were joining the middle class and were buying their first car, the companies got into
The consumers constantly want newer products. About a design’s life-cycle, Prasad said, “We’ll build one car and OEMs assign a certain life-cycle to that design since each product has a determined life cycle. One platform will go through three or four rejuvenation or quality refreshes, including minor and major changes. The OEMs are coming out with new models and the life span is divided into three or four parts.” Prasad explained further taking the example of Maruti WagonR. “Having launched in 1999, many
new designs were introduced with minor changes. On comparing the launch of the 2015 with the 1999 version, he said there have been many new models with minor changes, eventually changing in steps where the basic DNA , though the platform remained the same. There has been changes in the doors, bonnet and the latest model is slightly bigger. All these are organized changes”.
q Designing electric vehicles
Going by the common perception of a four-wheeler electric vehicle (EV), the number of components will be reduced to a bare minimum. On the outlook of designing EVs, Prasad commented on the current situation. “This is a great area for many companies to get in and many are making electric vehicles but, unfortunately, they do not understand the importance of design. Currently, the body remains the same. Only the OEMs have changed it to electric and it looks like a regular car because nobody
36 36 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY has the guts to change the mindset of people. Suppose, if you make a car without the bonnet, it won’t look like a car. People may not buy it because the mindset about a car is a streamlined aerodynamic body. Even the products from Tesla look like regular luxury cars. As the market progresses, people need to know that why do you need a bonnet for an autonomous car? Why can’t we make it roomier? Why can’t we have people who can sit facing each other like in a drawing room?” Calling the design evolution as ‘primitive’, he predicts the look of the future-car as a ‘moving room’ which will of course happen in due course of time. Prasad said, “Car market is at a very nascent stage while twowheelers are evolving drastically. Players like 22 Motors are coming up with style scooters, Ather Energy hired designers for their product development, the cofounders of Ultraviolette and Emflux are designers as well. This generation believes that designing has to happen. It’s just a question of belief in design and this will slowly grow and only established players will remain. In the end, this is how differentiation will happen.”
q Designing interiors
Car accessories are becoming a booming business in itself. Recently, Desmania had designed the accessories for many new launches of Maruti. Prasad said that the accessories have been done through clay modeling and by creating prototypes. “Every car has 25 to 30 extra accessories which add to its look and utility. For example, many trims, arm rest and garnishes are developed. These accessories are outsourced in a big way. We designed all the accessories of the newly launched Santro”, he said. With disruption in technology,
connectivity and mobility are being simplified by displays and controls, making a car equivalent to a cockpit. Designing the next-gen interiors is the way forward, Prasad said, “Everything mechanical is aspiring to become a gadget, which involves a lot of electronics, technologies, sensors and various complex connectivities. Cars, being the prime mover in design, set the trend for all kinds of design activities, design tone and the design language. In no time, interiors will be dominated by touch panels and all things digital, where all functions can be embedded into it. Like Tesla, cars will be only touch screen and nothing else. Eventually the whole interior will be only touch screen and some sensors to make it simplified.”
q Lightweighting
An important phenomenon in aerospace and defence, light weighting is the current need of the automotives. “There are certain technologies and certain materials which are already available but are expensive. For example,
carbon fibre has a good densityto-weight ratio or strength-toweight ratio. Aluminium is being used in the aircraft. Whenever we think about lightweight, cost is the limiting factor. In such a situation, the government needs to step in and boost mass-production of lighter vehicles to cope with the increasing cost. Another way forward is to use expensive materials for the exterior, while the interior is made cost efficient with frugal engineering”, Prasad said.
q Designing Commercial Vehicles
The commercial vehicles also are shifting to better designs. On diversifying into commercial vehicle segment, Prasad said, “Quite recently, we did a full mock-up of a new vehicle for Eicher. Styling and providing comfort for the driver inside the cabin were the focus. Because of the new highways and improved infrastructure, larger CVs have made way into the market. So we are seeing that such kind of projects is happening which include public buses as well.” ACI 37 37
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY
Sandhar Amkin works on active safety riding accessories Story & Photos: Bhargav TS
S
Ayyushman Mehta, Managing Director, Sandhar Amkin Industries Private Limited
andhar Amkin Industries, a joint venture between Sandhar Technologies and the Amkin Group, produces a range of functional, safety and lifestyle riding accessories with twowheeler helmets. The company’s Gurugram facility has a capacity to produce about 2 million helmets, which is currently producing mid and premium range of helmets under Mavox brand retailing at Rs 1500 - Rs 3000. In the next 3 to 4 months the helmet manufacturer will be ready with the entry-level segment for the mass market without compromising on any level of quality. “Now there are offerings in the market with communication systems, but we are trying to
develop something that is going over and above that, what we call active safety, that is eliminating distractions. If the rider is busy on the phone for attending a call or playing music, his attention is away from the road. So we are trying to bundle some other technologies into it as well. By the end of this year we will be able to offer those features in the market. R&D, high technology and Innovation are the focus of our company. By the end of the year people will not just look at us as a helmet company but as a helmet company that believes in innovation. We want also to start building a connection with our customers and try to upgrade them through our next product launches,” Ayyushman Mehta, Managing Director, Sandhar Amkin Industries Private Limited, told Auto Components India. At present the company has 3
products and it will be adding 4 (2 full face and 2 open face) more distinctive models with entry-level and mid-segment price range. In the next 6 months Sandhar Amkin will be launching its entry level models and will take all those learnings and put forward for some high technology products. It is also working on certain features and offerings that are going to be first time offerings in the Indian market. Therefore all the premium range will be coming with new kind of offerings. Commenting on the future plans, Mehta said, “Currently we are present in the mid and premium range, then we will add on our entry-level portfolio as well. We want to close this financial year with all the ranges. Also our current manufacturing capacity is about 2 million helmets per annum and our target for the next 3 years is to maximise this capacity and start working on the next plant. The organised market for helmets is estimated to be at 10 million a year, We want to gain about 10-15% market share of that in the next couple of years,” he said
q Product development
About the product development initiatives Mehta said, “We have very talented and energetic team of engineers responsible for the product design and the development graphic designs. We are also working with designers in Europe, who help us with aesthetically appealing designs and graphic designs for the Indian market. We always want to be connected to the market. Our design and development team conducts market 38 38 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY visits, field trips to be connected to the market. There’s also very healthy interaction between the sales team and the product design team. This ensures that whatever feedback, suggestions and recommendations and new trends coming into the market are transferred to the product development team immediately. The Indian and European teams together offer a value-added product to the customer. We are also in talks with several startups and technology enthusiasts to try to incorporate and integrate some new technologies related to active safety into the new product. These are all the kind of initiatives we will be taking very seriously for incorporating and integrating new technologies to offer added value to the customer in addition to just a helmet”.
q Export plans
Sandhar Amkin is also working
Decals being applied on the helmets
closely with the OEMs in India and abroad and is making helmets according to the global standards. “We are already in talks with the leading OEMs in India and abroad
and are trying to understand their requirements in terms of design and price and we are developing some great models for them. Our business model is to cater to both aftermarket
Sandhar Amkin’s state-of-the-art testing facility
39 39
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY project was to make in India for the world. We have the right supply base and the knowledge and the know-how to build a quality product and offer it to the world. So definitely export is a big focus for us. We want at least 30% of our revenues to come from exports in the next 3 years. We want our next plant to be closer to the port so that we can supplement our vision to be a global company,” Mehta said. Sandhar Amkin has chalked out a plan targeting to sell about 6-7 lakh helmets in this financial year and to double that in the next. “In terms of turnover we are planning to achieve Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore this year and in the next year Rs 100 crore to Rs 120 crore. The company is also focusing on brand building and brand visibility at the distributors’ points and through social media. Assembly line of Sandhar Amkin facility at Gurugram
and OEM as well,” Mehta said. With this broad base the company is planning to export its helmets for up to 30% of its total revenue. “One of the reasons that we picked helmets and accessories as the
High quality painting is applied to make sure it reamins till the end of life of the helmets
q Joint venture
About the joint venture Mehta said, “We are actually drawing a great deal of strength from the joint venture with the Sandhar Group in terms of the processes systems that they have set in place to run such a large company
with such ease. If a company, especially a startup, has those processes and systems in place from day one it becomes easy for people to follow them. It also ensures a lot of transparency in the organisation. There’s a lot of accountability and responsibility entrusted on the team. So this is not a one-man show or two-man show, this is a team that is coming together. We are also drawing a lot of support in terms of technology, manufacturing operations and relationships with the customers and the vendors.” Currently all the critical components are manufactured by the group company. At the next level the company may review this and increase in-house production. “We were very clear that helmet being a safety product we would not outsource parts from where we don’t have direct control. When a group company produces them, it is as good as we produce and that’s the level of partnership we are having. Currently we have a model in place for assuring quality of the incoming materials and testing standards. We are happy with the kind of quality and safety levels that we are offering. Going forward when we put up the next bigger facility we will be looking at what parts can be made in-house and what parts need to be outsourced,” he said. About lightweighting of helmets without compromising on safety, quality and aesthetic design, Mehta said, “It all comes down to value engineering. We want the shell to be at the right size and thickness without wasting any material or adding anything. Safety is always the focus. For the premium segment, it is ensured through the use of composite materials like carbon fiber or fiberglass, but that increases the price. For the mass market, it’s all about making the shell compact without sacrificing on comfort or safety.” ACI
40 40 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY
Calco Poly Technik sets up new facility to meet market demand Story by: Bhargav TS & Sricharan R
I
ndia-based, Calco Poly Technik is expanding its facility to meet market demand. A part of the Calco Group, the company primarily focuses on plastic raw materials for different market verticals. In the year 2018-19, the polymer manufacturer’s existing facility of 8000 metric tonnes is already full. With the new norms, technology and electrification coming in the automobile segment Calco is setting up a new plant that will be commercialised in the third quarter of 2019.
Speaking to Auto Components India, Varun Gupta, Director Calco Poly Technik said, “With the new norms coming in the demand
for plastics will go up. We believe that the per capita consumption increases as we move from developing to a developed economy. With this focus and with the recent push from the government, we again initiated a state-of-the-art facility. Our focus does not change. We still want to create value-added products and produce high-performance polymers, which eventually contribute to the light-weighting of products safety, better design, aesthetics and meeting the norms for the industry.” The manufacturing company ventured into the highperformance polymer business in the year 2011 where they primarily target automobile and electricals for high-end products. These are used in key critical and
niche application in automobiles. Since its inception, they have been focusing aggressively on both domestic and exports market. Calco’s new facility is almost 4 times bigger than the existing plant and it spreads across 1 lakh sq ft. The company’s main focus is to be India’s most high performing polymer manufacturer and one of the leading producer and exporters of these products for the global market. A total capex of the new facility and the R&D set-up will be Rs 50 crore. The larger portion will be utilised in the phase-1, which will be installed at the end of 2019. The remaining will be used in the phase-2 by early 2020. “To the new R&D set-up, we will invite all the OEMs and we would like to facilitate the development of
Calco Poly Technik’s upcoming new plant
41 41
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY multiple challenges. The impact inside the vehicle was less and the damage it created outside is very less. Another important factor is the reproducibility of the bumpers.
Varun Gupta, Director, Calco Poly Technik
plastics from raw materials. We feel there is a gap between the OEMs and tier-I. But, the tier-I holds a larger understanding of components and the least understanding of materials. OEMs are driven largely by ideology passed by the organisation and the regulation that has to be implemented. When they both come together and collaborate, we can come to a common conclusion. We can witness the challenges faced and work on different materials,” he said. Adding more about the new facility, Gupta said, “As a concept, we always maintain a lean hierarchy and will have high automation facility. In the new facility, we have integrated the whole supply chain process and automated the entire mobility. The whole movement of the material has been automated to a larger extent. We have reduced our workforce by 75% who were otherwise employed in the manufacturing process.” Calco Poly Technik is focused on providing customers with value-added products, services and innovative solutions. The company has a diversified product range to serve multiple industries. Being a global solution provider the company offers end-to-end solution encompassing product
development from concept to product realisation. The company’s products have been diversified into 3 different segments; exteriors, interiors and under the hood. The exteriors and interiors hold a lot of design parts in a vehicle. Under the hood products like fuel tanks, engine covers and switches are made with plastics. Giving out examples on how the product is used, Gupta said, “When we take the fuel tank, it has to withstand the petrol, diesel and the chemical components in it. A suitable material has to be used. Whereas, the bumper has to be an aesthetic part. Now, we are replacing a lot of metals with plastics and those are being done by high-performance polymers. Another example on the exteriors is the door handles. It should be used a million times in the life cycle of the vehicle and that is done through high-performance polymers.” On the safety side, Calco considers 2 major aspects. One is mechanical safety and the other is electrical safety. From the mechanical side, many metal parts are getting replaced by the plastics. For example with a metal bumper, there is a practical issue with safety and it did not possess desired impact strength, Gupta stated. With the plastics coming into play the OEMs can address
About the electrical safety, Gupta said, “As we are moving, there are quite a lot of new technologies coming up. There is a serious push on design and aesthetic parts as well. This has been the requirement of new millennials and it is achieved through a larger part of the electrification of the vehicle. In electrification a large number of electronics, plastics and cables are being used. With plastics, we are now moving to greener products and towards products that do not catch fire. We are also moving towards products that emit low smoke. With the end of the life of a vehicle comes into this is important and we are able to address that.”
q For EVs
The biggest challenge for any EV is the heat transfer. With electrification coming in, OEMs are bound to use more plastics and it is a challenge to transfer heat. For this, Calco has come up with new solution which allow you to transfer better heat. In a similar manner, high-performance polymers Calco have developed a product which is better in terms of heat dissipation. With this, they are able to transfer a large amount of heat and can reduce the space which contributes indirectly to lightweighting. This also increases efficiency. As the company moves forward with new material, they are having access to better material globally now. “The biggest challenge we face for the two-wheeler market is the cost. As we are moving up, with the regulation norms of BSVI,
42 42 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY the expectation of government increases on low CO2 emissions. As it increases, there will also be a push from the consumer side to have higher fuel efficiency. Once the expectations are there it dilutes the focus on cost per se and that gives leverage for the OEMs to work on a better solution,” Gupta said. “On the commercial vehicle aspect, they demand more weight and still use metals. Plastics have still lost out when it comes to CV. But, now we see more plastics in the powertrains, interiors etc,” he added.
q Going forward
Coloured plastics are primarily what Calco is working on. They are extensively working on a solution where they have successfully exhibited a larger part of the plastics to be coloured. Once a moulded component comes out it meets all the requirement and no further painting is required. This is a challenge and there is a solution that Calco is working on. “Still painting is being done in every exterior part and some interiors too. But, the real challenge for the OEMs is that it takes a long time and it is expensive. It is not environmentfriendly and it is hazardous for people who are working. With all these in mind, we are working on the coloured plastics for the automobiles. We are at the patent process and the technology will take time to see the light of usage. We are expecting it to be on the commercial production in a year,” Gupta mentioned. As a group, Calco focuses on 3 different verticals namely, automobile, electrical and electronics and industrial. In the domestic market, they are
focusing on all 3 verticals with automobile business share is more than 60% which is followed by 15% each of electrical and industrial segments. In exports, they focus on electrical industries. Overall as a group in terms of the distribution of revenue terms, almost 10% is from exports and 90% is from the domestic market. Considering how the industry is moving Calco may increase its share among verticals. “In 2018, we started focusing on the export market and by the end of the year, we have been successful in meeting the target. In the next 5 years, we have envisioned at least 35% of our product sales to be met through exports. Domestically, we want to focus on new regulations. The real demand is where we see higher usage of plastic and it is automobiles. We witness a rise in high-performance polymers and we will have an inclination towards it,” he said. On how different they are from their competitors, he said Calco provides solutions, while its competitors provide basic raw materials for different applications. He said, “When it comes to producing the niche solutions, they give you the basic polymer chain and do not give solutions that can be driven by basic polymers. We work on a cross-functional solution too and add value engineering to the products. The industry is driven by what innovative solutions you give. Everybody here has their own set of customer and there is a market for everyone.”
q Recycling
In Europe, there is a mandate that 10-20% of the plastics have to be recycled. This does not work
in India and no one really talks about it. But, as an organisation Calco has ensured to utilise the end of life products and convert them into a suitable reusable product. In the last 7 years, Calco has consumed around 10,000 kg of end of lifecycle plastics in some or other form. They have been converted to products in more usable form in automobiles and in larger part for the industry segments. ACI
Wide range of applications that Calco’s polyemers are used in the vehicle
43 43
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY Hero MotoCorp continues `premium’ journey with new motorcycles and scooters ACI Bureau
A
s the consumer trends all over the world keep evolving with frequent regularity, it is pertinent for companies to stay ahead of that change by inventing new technologies and constantly engaging in innovation. Setting a significant milestone on its strategic journey into premium biking, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, has 3 new exciting motorcycles, XPulse 200, XPulse 200T and Xtreme 200S, and 2 new powerful and stylish scooters, Maestro Edge 125 and Pleasure+ 110, for customers in India and across its global markets. “With our customer base spread across 3 continents, Asia, Africa and South and Central America, we at Hero MotoCorp are now riding into the next phase of our bold ‘premium’ journey with a range of
new, technologically advanced and aesthetically appealing motorcycles and scooters. These premium motorcycles have been designed and developed by our engineers at the Hero Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT), thereby reiterating the rapid enhancement of our inhouse Research and Development (R&D) capabilities in a short span of time since we commenced our solo journey. With these motorcycles, we now have one of the youngest product portfolios on offer and I am sure, our new motorcycles and scooters will appeal to the youth around the world,” Pawan Munjal Chairman, Hero MotoCorp, said.
into the next growth phase in the world’s largest two-wheeler market as well as in the global markets,” he said.
“Over the next 12 months, the domestic two-wheeler industry in India will go through a tectonic shift with the implementation of new safety and emission norms. We are completely geared up for this transition and to lead the industry
Malo Le Masson, Head, Global Product Planning, Hero MotoCorp said, “These 3 new bikes showcase our focused product portfolio approach for the premium segment. We have now successfully developed and appointed a horizontal strategy for our premium bikes. By developing a versatile 200cc platform, we can cater to various customer segments – for roads, no roads, cities, and highways. These products will further improve the brand image of Hero MotoCorp in India and across the globe. The era of adventure and technology-packed motorcycles from Hero has begun.”
Dr Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said, “These new motorcycles are the outcome of years of concerted and determined product development efforts at the Hero CIT. Our 200cc line-up now comprises of 4 powerful, performance-oriented and contemporary motorcycles. Going forward, we will continue to focus on developing distinct products for higher-capacity segments as we move up the value chain.”
q New motorcycles
The XPulse 200, India’s first 200cc adventure motorcycle, is targeted at the young and thrill-seeking riding enthusiasts who seek a comfortable and capable riding companion for adventure excursions. The XPulse 200T, India’s only 200cc 44 44 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY modern Tourer that presents modern technology in retro styling. Built to inspire touring, the XPulse 200T is targeted at youngsters who are seeking the right amalgamation of modern-retro composition and ease of riding. The XPulse 200T is powered by a 200cc carburetor engine that delivers 18.4 PS power and 17.1 Nm torque. The motorcycle offers a host of safety and convenience features such as single channel ABS, turn-by-turn navigation, LED headlamp and tail lamp, digital speedometer with Bluetooth connectivity, large pillion grip with tie points and luggage plate with rubber pads. The new full faired Xtreme 200S comes with an all new aerodynamic fairing for a sporty stance and better wind protection on highways. The Xtreme 200S is priced at Rs 98,500/- (Ex-Showroom, Delhi). It is powered by a 200cc air-cooled engine that delivers 18.4 PS power and 17.1 Nm torque. The motorcycle comes with perfect riding ergonomics to deliver an exceptional performance to the rider. The Xtreme 200S comes with 276mm front disc with single channel ABS and 220mm rear disc brakes system for added safety. The motorcycle brings full LED headlamp and taillight, bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, chiseled rear cowl design, anti-slip seats and full digital LCD cluster that includes gear indicator, trip meter and service reminder.
q Two new scooters
In keeping with its aggressive growth strategy for the scooter segment, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has further strengthened its scooter portfolio with the launch of 2 powerful and stylish new scooters, Maestro Edge 125 and Pleasure+ 110, for
customers in India and across its global markets.
rapidly growing Hero MotoCorp’s presence in the scooter segment.
Following its successful foray in the 125cc scooter segment with Destini 125, Hero MotoCorp has launched India’s first scooter with Fuel Injection (FI) technology: the Maestro Edge 125. The scooter comes in 2 variants: the FI variant and an i3S (Carb) variant. Designed for today’s young generation, the new Maestro Edge 125 offers the right amalgamation of optimum performance, sleeker design and best-in-class technology.
Targeted at young students and professionals, the new Pleasure+ 110 packs a powerful punch with its retro design and performance. The scooter comes with a new 110cc engine that produces a power output of 8 bhp @ 7500 rpm, a highly impressive torque of 8.7 Nm @ 5500 rpm which combined with a light weight of 101 Kgs makes it fun to ride.
Hero MotoCorp’s popular Pleasure brand, which already enjoys a strong customer connect, made a powerful and stylish entry into the 110cc segment as Pleasure+ 110. With these launches, Hero MotoCorp has now rolled out 7 new products including premium motorcycles and scooters - with youthful appeal and technological and design excellence, in a short span of time. Closely following the launch of its all-new X range of motorcycles, XPulse 200, XPulse 200T and Xtreme 200S, the new scooters are targeted at the
The Pleasure+ 110 carries the right balance of modern and vintage appeal with design elements like new retro front, sleek rear tail lamp and a dual texture seat The company will commence the retail sales of the scooters shortly. Dr Braunsperger said, “With the introduction of 3 strong products – Maestro Edge 125, Destini 125 and Pleasure+ 110 –within just a few months, we have laid out a strong roadmap to accelerate our growth in the scooter segment. The introduction of India’s first scooter with the FI technology – the Maestro Edge 125 – demonstrates the capabilities of our R&D ecosystem.” ACI 45 45
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
COVER STORY
Okaya Power aims high on e-drive Story by: Gunjan D. Bidani
U
nder the patronage of Microtek, a leading Powerproduct manufacturer, the Delhi-based Okaya Power Group plans to manufacture cells in-house, and introduce charging stations to cater to the new electric fleets of the logistics’ companies. According to Anshul Gupta, Director, Okaya Power Group, Okaya Power has been a ‘battery company’ since 2002, It entered the mobility sector in 2013, at the time of ‘Lithium revolution’ and e-rickshaws. Aiming for highly standardised and qualitative customer service, Okaya Power is investing and training its employees, “We are building the strengths of our engineers to work on electronics by providing rigorous training. If a customer registers a complaint, there are engineers who can reach within 24 hours and fix the problem. We’re trying to build a customer-centric approach. I might be able to sell to the OEMs right now, but at the end, service is to be provided to the end-user. A lot of
people aren’t thinking about that. We are already working on that,” Gupta said. Okaya Power is considering joint venture with a real estate major to set up EV Charging Stations. “We’re yet to make the MoU public but these charging stations will cater to the needs of e-buses and other fourwheelers,” he said. On the verge of electrification, in a market like India, battery-defunct is a concern which further results in cost inefficiency and poor battery life. Taking a cue from the technologically advanced nations, Gupta highlighted a few global trends, “First and foremost, silicon carbide doped battery is an exciting domain. The cost of the cell is much less, as silica is used. The effective cost is lower than the current ones and battery retention is quite high as well. We are developing this kind of product for the emerging demands.” Okaya Power is providing battery solutions to logistic companies like DHL and Om Logistics to their electrified fleet for the last mile connectivity. “When I was
in Germany, I saw a lot of electric vehicles going across and when I sat on a Tesla there, it really got me thinking why can we not produce our own cell in India. For technology to manufacture the cell I looked up to China and Germany,” he said. Despite the accomplishments, battery recycling still poses serious challenges and battery manufacturers are acting seriously on it. Gupta said,, “Shipping batteries outside India, to dump overseas, is a very hazardous job. Battery recycling is a golden opportunity for us. I visited roughly ten plants globally for understanding the recycling process of lithium, and we’re bringing it here, focussing on the material handling and reverse logistics. Recycling is a very important part and can add value here.” Okaya Power aims to do the complete cycle in the battery life. The company foresees its presence right from the manufacturing to the sales to the service and then to the final step of buying back and recycling. Okaya Power has recently bagged trial orders for mobility from Nepal, Uganda and Kenya. Other orders are being processed with associates from Sri Lanka, Dubai and Bangladesh. Okaya Power is a conglomerate of companies like Nasaka, OKAYA Batteries, OKAYA Infrabuild, OKAYA Infocom, and OKAYA Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd. In association with Microtek, it also hosts brands like, Microtek Infrastructure, MTEKPower, DigiPower and Microtek Inverters that operates in various sectors such as Battery and Inverter Manufacturing, Healthcare, Real Estate, IT, Business Consultation and Outsourcing Services. ACI
46 46 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
COVER STORY
Lumax Auto joins with JOPP to develop shift towers, integrated sensor systems ACI Bureau
L
umax Auto Technologies Ltd and JOPP, Germany, have formed a 50:50 joint venture to manufacture and supply transmission products to the Indian automotive industry. JOPP will bring world-class technology for its products to the JV and Lumax will provide its experience towards management of the JV in India. The new entity ‘Lumax JOPP Allied Technologies’ will focus on self-reliance in technology and also establish a state-of-the-art R&D centre in India along with manufacturing operations. The agreement was signed by Martin Buchs, Managing Director and Promoter,
JOPP; Richard Diem, Managing Director, Jopp; Anmol Jain, MD, Lumax Auto Technologies; and Deepak Jain, Promoter Director, Lumax Auto. The venture will engage in designing, development and production of gear shift towers, automated manual transmission (AMT) kits, all gear sensor (AGS) and forks, to start with. Commercial production is expected to begin in Q4 FY2020 from an existing Lumax facility in Manesar, Haryana, and the partners will invest over Rs 75 crore over a period of 5 years. JOPP is a European company with expertise in transmission and shift systems parts serving OEMs worldwide. The gear shift systems will be a major focus area with high in-house value addition for shift towers, integrated all gear sensor technology and AMT kits for various applications for manual and automated transmissions. Commenting on the JV, Deepak Jain said, ”We continue to forge partnerships with global leaders. In JOPP, we have found a reliable
partner, sharing the same values, ethos and a strong legacy.” With the JV, Lumax will get the full access to JOPP product know-how in manual, automated and dual-clutch transmissions. The domestic component maker along with its other JV companies and the new JV with JOPP will now offer complete transmission shifting solutions to its customers in the Indian market including sophisticated, lightweight and smart-shifting solutions for the mid-segment vehicles in the Indian market. Martin Buchs, MD, JOPP said, ”We believe that this joint venture will allow us to provide a wider array of services with world-class technology and depth to a large growing market. We conducted an extensive search to find a strong, dynamic, technologically strong partner with a pan India footprint and customer connect. Lumax was the perfect fit.” Anmol Jain, said, “Shift function is the most important part of transmission. The JV focuses on manual and automated shift tower kits. Being a market leader in shift levers in India, it was a natural progression for Lumax to become a shift system supplier. This brings immense technical edge to Lumax as the single supplier responsible for shift feeling.” ACI 47 47
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
special report
QAD to focus on automotive companies for growth in India Story by: Ashish Bhatia
A
leading provider of flexible, cloud-based enterprise software and services for global manufacturing companies, the US-headquartered QAD Inc., founded in 1979, recently expanded its India base, in Mumbai. The strategic move to add an additional floor to its existing office premise in Mumbai’s western suburbs, from where the company served its global clientele, is to enable the company to tap into the growth potential of India. Closely monitoring the rapid growth of the Indian automotive industry, Pamela Lopker, Founder & President, QAD Inc., said, the need was felt to shift gears and to focus on Indian automotive companies. QAD’s ERP solution, used by
93 of the 100 top-selling cars in the world, could be the game changer. “We have a very dominant position in the automotive supplier business. As we look forward into the next year (2019-20) we are looking at expansion and going after the Indian companies. We will still focus on global companies but it is now time to expand further by working with the Indian companies,” she said. Based on volumes, India is the fourth largest automotive industry in the world. The auto components industry of India, according to India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a trust established by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, expanded by 18.3% to
reach an estimated valuation of USD 51.2 billion in FY2017-18. According to the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), the Indian auto-components industry is expected to register a turnover of USD 100 billion by 2020 backed by strong exports ranging between USD 80 billion and USD 100 billion by 2026. Accounting for 2.3% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employing an estimated 1.5 million people, directly and indirectly, each, a stable government framework, increased purchasing power, large domestic market, and an increasing development in infrastructure have made India a favourable destination for investment by companies like QAD Inc.
48 48 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
special report INTERVIEW
Pamela Lopker, Founder & President, QAD Inc. Q: Tell us about the commemoration of the expansion of QADs’ Mumbai office and the journey in India so far. Lopker: It has been more than 20 years since I visited India in 1997. Back then the office was very small with just 2-3 people. Today we have inaugurated the second floor of the 2 floors office space in this premise, in Mumbai. The employee strength is 234. Until this point, we have primarily been involved in supporting our global customers doing business in India. This includes the many automotive OEM customers as well as customers from the varied industries including consumer packaged goods, life sciences and electronic companies. However, QAD is widely known for its solutions catering to the automotive sector. About 34% of our business comes from automotive suppliers. We have a very dominant position in the automotive supplier business. As we look forward into the next year (201920) we are looking at expansion and going after the Indian companies. We will still focus on global companies but it is now time to expand further by working with Indian companies. Q: As a global enterprise, what is your
take on expansion, trade wars and protectionism? Lopker: Starting 20 years ago, the border started opening up. European Union (EU) opened up, China opened up. The North American Free Trade Agreement was very open for trade not just between Mexico and Canada but with China, India and everywhere else in the world. There has been some backlash on that. So not just the US, the UK of course, Germany, India, China and Brazil everyone has started to feel that maybe we need to close our borders and buy local products to help expand the economy. I think that’s only reasonable given the extent of globalisation. This will last a few years and will come back to a neutral point. In a way it is great because it has spurred a lot of local growth everywhere. So you will see a lot of countries imposing taxes, and lack of taxes on for instance car manufacturing wherein a certain percentage of the components was built locally in the respective country. This has generated a tremendous amount of excitement as it has opened up the job market as a result. Q: Give us a financial snapshot of the company over the last 2-3 years. Lopker: In general, QAD has performed very well. We’ve focused on our cloud growth and are entering the near USD 100 million recurring revenue. We’ve been growing at 30% plus a year. People today don’t want to own their hardware and manage their own systems so providing a world-class capability over the cloud is important not just for the market but for QAD. Q: In general, do you see manufacturing becoming leaner and automated? Lopker: Absolutely. So with robotics all over the place, starting off with the 3D printer for instance, not only will it play a role in prototyping but it will also come onboard when it pertains to the making of certain parts. It will also mean very few people on the shop floor.
Q: Of all the countries in QADs’ footprint, which are the verticals wherein you see most traction? Where does India stand? Lopker: India in the automotive space is emerging. I think it’s doing well at 10-18% a year. However,10 years ago the hubs for automotives were the US, Germany, Japan and China. While India is joining the list it is yet to attain a similar level. But it is growing and that’s always important. Q: How unique is the QAD ERP offering? Lopker: It was in 1993 that we decided to focus on the automotive vertical. Being a US-based company, at that time business was decelerating, losing ground to Japan. At QAD, we took that opportunity to say that the automotive in general needed help. We could learn a lot through lean manufacturing, through Japan where we had a few very good automotive suppliers that helped us learn a lot. Be it lean manufacturing, the whole supply chain management, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and efficiencies that we could take them to every industry. In order to compete there was a need for a lot of retooling in the automotive area which we really did. We began with Johnson Controls initially in the US who later spun the business off to Adient. That was a very successful partnership and the one that got us started in the space. From thereon we were able to get traction across automotive part suppliers. We work today with all the consortiums on setting standards for the future to the extent of being involved in writing and teaching the standards to automotive suppliers. Q: Help us visualise how a QAD ERP solution works on a shop floor? Lopker: The MMOG\LE standards are the global standards for supply chain management processes that provide industry best practices and specify both quality and lean capabilities. As part of the consortium who wrote these standards, let me explain how the OEM only sends the order through EDI and many companies may still print that order and enter it into their system. As someone 49 49
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
special report who is looking to be a good automotive supplier, that’s a practice which is strictly forbidden. You need to have it integrated with your ERP system which in turn will help eliminate mistakes and reduce the time taken. At the shop floor, everything either needs to be barcoded or has to be integrated with the machine especially for large quantities. If a supplier is using manual ways then there is a room for
error or for quality issues to creep in. It is quintessential that everything is connected. The need is to move to a pool production over the order production in order to be very responsive to the orders coming in.
In India to commemorate the expansion, Lopker, in an exclusive chat with Auto Components India, explained, “India is quickly becoming one of the world’s most important automotive manufacturing hubs. QAD India has provided solutions and services to India and the Asia Pacific region for many years, and the growth there means we need to expand our presence. I am excited to spend time with our team of professionals in India and meet with our customers.”
food and beverage, high technology and industrial manufacturing.
With an award-winning ERP solution for automotive suppliers, the company is well-positioned for growth in the Indian market. “We plan on playing an important role in the growth of the automotive industry in India and in the Asia Pacific region,” she said. QAD provides enterprise software and services for global manufacturing companies in the automotive sector besides companies across life sciences, consumer products,
Q: As easy you make it sound, how easy is the logistics aspect of manufacturing? Lopker: I think that’s the beauty of our
The ‘QAD Cloud ERP Automotive Edition’ is designed specifically for the automotive industry. It includes integrated supply chain management, provides for alignment to industry best practices and supports the evolving needs of automotive suppliers. “It helps automotive suppliers effectively manage customer requirements and extend to the lower-tier suppliers. The solution includes QAD analytics to help global manufacturers monitor costs, reduce risks and enhance performance,” Lopker said. QAD Cloud ERP, with the Channel Islands User Experience (UX) and enabled by the QAD Enterprise Platform, reduces the need for customisation and enables customers to adapt quickly. It is said to empower the customers to convert disruption into a competitive advantage through nonintrusive extensions and new applications
product which is an end-to-end integrated solution that we offer. We stick to our very well documented best practices that are flow-charted and built into our software so that we are able to take our customers through step by step. We’ve actually been called in by companies like Ford and GM a few times to turn around a supplier that’s not doing well and we have been able to do that within 6-weeks.
that can be written by customers and partners without creating rigidity in the system. With disruptions known to impact the manner in which manufacturers compete and the way in which they manufacture, including disruptive forces like the need to transition from selling products to Anything as a Service (XaaS), QAD sees a potential in demand for products that meet the unique demands of each customer through make to order, at scale and the digital transformation of manufacturing using new technologies like data lakes, machine learning and artificial intelligence. A recent upgrade has QAD extending the capability of its Channel Islands UX and the underlying QAD Enterprise Platform throughout its solutions which is expected to enable customers to personalise their experience and extend the capabilities of QAD Cloud ERP with little to no coding required. In addition to these latest enhancements to QAD Cloud ERP, QAD has also enhanced many of its related solutions including the QAD CEBOS Quality Management System (QMS) and QAD Automation Solutions (AS). No wonder that the solution to its credit has leading industry awards including Frost & Sullivan’s 2018 North American ERP for ‘Automotive Customer Value Leadership Award’ for the QAD Enterprise platform. QAD Inc., with a USD 100 million recurring Cloud revenue, explained Lopker, is no more dabbling in the cloud space. The recurring revenues from its cloud offerings have helped the company achieve the coveted status of a ‘Cloud company’. ACI
50 50 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
25-27 JUN 2019
CENTRAL ASIA ALMATY
www.busworldcentralasia.org
The other Busworld exhibitions:
www.busworld.org
CENTRAL ASIA ALMATY 25-27 JUN 2019 EUROPE BRUSSELS 18-23 OCT 2019 TURKEY ISTANBUL 5-7 MAR 2020 CHINA SHANGHAI 18-20 MAR 2020
LATIN AMERICA BOGOTÁ 2020 INDIA BANGALORE 2020 RUSSIA MOSCOW 26-28 OCT 2020 SOUTHEAST ASIA JAKARTA 24-26 MAR 2021
oem
Piaggio two-wheelers expands network and products Story by: Sricharan R
I
talian vehicle manufacturer Piaggio is expanding its presence in the Indian market, with a series of new product launches and expansion of its dealership network. Founded in 1884 by Rinaldo Piaggio, initially the company produced locomotives and railway carriages. Now, the Italian manufacturing firm makes twowheelers that are among the premium segment under various brands that include Vespa and Aprilia and their share has been growing exponentially in the Indian market. “Over the last year, we have grown in a good way. Our presence across the country is helping us. We are expanding in key towns, metros and more showrooms are coming up. For us, the market has been good. Not just an expansion, but also
the acceptability of the premium scooter has grown and is growing in a big way. Overall we have seen 40% growth in the last 12 months,” Ashish Yakhmi, Business Head, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., told Auto Components India. Though the two-wheeler market witnessed a dip in recent times, he said that the Italian manufacturer has grown. This is because they are in the differentiated market space. Being a youth-centric bike manufacturer and keeping the market in mind, the company will launch the Aprilia Storm soon. They are also coming up with Vespa Urban Club. About the new products, Ashish said, “The Aprilia Storm has wider and better tyres with a better grip on the road. This is an entry level segment and is more appealing to the younger audience. Second, under the brand Vespa, we are expanding within the premium segment. Urban Club will be an entry level into the Vespa. While this continues to be premium, it will bring new buyers because of the pricing we bring in. We do not have direct competition in the market as we are operating in a premium space. We believe in offering more values to the customer.” Being in the premium segment of the two-wheeler market, cost may become an issue as India is a price sensitive market. But, the company looks this in a different way. They look at this pricing as a value for money and once they bring the value, people do not look at the cost. This is the philosophy they are working on. “We will continue to sell premium offerings and we will
continue to sell products that give value, pride etc. That is our core thought. With this, the pricing would not be a concern. If we are falling into those segments we are happy,” he mentioned. With a lot of regulations coming in the Indian market, the Italian manufacturer is ready to comply with all the requirements. They are the only scooters to give the ABS technology and they will soon be launching a BS-VI vehicle by the end of this year. This is to give the best to the customer in all aspects including better driving experience, fuel economy and a lot more. With the demand from the customers, growing economy and acceptability of the brands, consumers want to buy a differentiated offering. Piaggio looks this as an opportunity and expands its dealership network across the country. Today, the two-wheeler manufacturer is present at over 250 dealerships across the country and is planning to touch the 400 mark by the end of this year. Ashish said, there are a lot of markets that are vacant for us and expansion will remain a key. With its manufacturing facility in Baramati, the company is fully ready to meet its needs. In the International market, Piaggio has already launched an electric vehicle called Vespa Elettrica. For the Indian market, they are looking at the possibility to launch, once the infrastructure is ready. The company is also in talks to develop an EV infrastructure for CV space. “When the market is ready, we will definitely launch it at the right time,” he said. ACI
52 52 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
Subscribe to India’s
1 Auto Components st
Magazine! www.autocomponentsindia.com Vol 6 Issue 04
1
COMPONENTS
` 100
INDIA
SEG AUTOMOTIVE TO CONTINUE INVESTMENT IN E-MOBILITY, DEVELOPS NEW ELECTRIC MOTOR FOR E-RICKSHAW
2
NCR KEEPS PACE WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
1
Never miss an issue again
3 4
SPECIAL REPORT: QAD TO FOCUS ON AUTOMOTIVE COMPANIES FOR GROWTH IN INDIA
Delivered free to your door
And most important of all, a seriously good quality magazine...
Three eaSy ways to subscribe
Online
Save up to 37% on cover price
June 2019
VOICE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS
Why would you buy a Auto Components India subscription? Here are 4 really good reasons!
Visit at www.nextgenpublishing.in/subs
2
Call +91 22 4352 5252
3
Post Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E),Mumbai - 400 013
I would like to sign up for International rate - 1 year INR 7500/or USD 135 by air mail post Personal Details: (IN CAPITAL LETTERS)
3 years • Pay ` 2250 • Save ` 1350 (37%) 1 year • Pay ` 999 • Save ` 201 (17%)
Name: Mr./Ms. ..................................................................................................................................................................
Occupation ..................................................................................................................................................... Date of birth ............................................................. Address .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. City ..........................................................................
Pin .................................. ......................................
State ........................................................................
Tel. (O) .....................................................................
Tel. (R) ...................................................................... Mobile ......................................................................
Email .............................................................................................................................................................
Payment details: (IN CAPITAL LETTERS) Kindly draw the cheque/DD/PO in favour of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. (please add ` 20/- extra for outstation cheque) Cheque/DD no. ................................................................................................... Dated ..................................................................................................................
Name ......................................................................................
Date ................................................
Signature ....................................................................
Please fill the form and post it to, Sachin Kelkar, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E),Mumbai - 400 013 For clarifications, email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net or call +91 22 43525252. Terms and conditions: It may take 3-4 weeks for processing the request. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next Gen Publishing Ltd. will not be responsible for postal delay, transit losses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention you name, address and contact no. on the reverse of the DD/cheque. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only.
ACI June 2019
Drawn on (Bank) .............................................................................................................................................. Branch .....................................................................
allied industries
HP and Siemens deepen additive manufacturing alliance ACI Bureau
H
P and Siemens have expanded their strategic alliance to help customers transform their businesses with industrial additive manufacturing (AM). Siemens, an innovation leader in automation and digitalisation, and HP, the leader in industrial 3D printing, will expand their integrated additive manufacturing solution, incorporating new systems and software innovations including overall product lifecycle management (PLM), AM factory optimisation, industrial 3D printing and data intelligence, manufacturing execution, and performance analytics. The integration of HP’s new Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution with Siemens’ Digital Enterprise offerings enables industrial companies to bring 3D printed parts to market faster, more costeffectively, more sustainably, and at
higher volumes than ever before. The companies announced the expanded alliance at a recent event to celebrate the addition of a new Polymer Competency Center to the Siemens Additive Manufacturing Experience Center (AMEC) in Erlangen, Germany, where HP also unveiled its new industrial-performance HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution. “We are excited to expand our collaboration with HP. Innovative partnerships and cutting-edge technologies such as additive manufacturing are essential for the digital transformation of companies across industries. Siemens and HP are thinking ahead to the future and are bringing together the best from both the companies in a complete, industry-specific solution that will accelerate the adoption of industrial additive manufacturing and help our customers to increase flexibility, efficiency, and speed of digital manufacturing,” Klaus Helmrich, Member of the Managing Board
of Siemens AG and CEO of Digital Industries, said. “We are proud to partner with Siemens to make high-performance parts, personalised products, and serialised 3D production a reality for our customers,” said Christoph Schell, President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing and member of the Executive Leadership Team at HP Inc, said. “HP and Siemens share the vision that digital manufacturing systems are catalysts for change – expanded software, data, services, and industrial production solutions that lead to new manufacturing capabilities, innovative applications, and breakthrough business results for our customers.” The expanded additive manufacturing solution from Siemens and HP integrates hardware, software, data intelligence, and services to optimise the efficiency of the entire manufacturing process, from design and simulation through production planning, execution, quality, and control. This integrated, closedloop environment, backed by the industry’s leading forces, streamlines every phase of designing and 3D printing serialised parts – with greater scale, higher quality, and less waste. “As a provider of solutions and services we want to team up with strong partners that have the necessary expertise in materials and the manufacturing process to support them to produce 3D printing systems ,” Klaus Helmrich, said. The solution combines HP’s 3D printing and 3D data platform, including its new HP Jet Fusion
54 54 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
allied industries 5200 system, with Siemens Digital Industries Software including Siemens NX CAD/CAE, NX AM for HP Multi Jet Fusion software module with direct printer interface, undergoing certification by HP for HP MJF 5200 and to be available later this year, as well as Teamcenter for PLM, Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, Simatic IT for manufacturing execution, and MindSphere for performance analytics and Industrial IoT. HP and Siemens will continue to align future technology roadmaps to ensure customers can capitalise on the ongoing digital manufacturing innovations from both companies. “HP and Siemens are building on a vision first established in 2016.Today, thanks to advances in HP’s 3D printing systems and data intelligence portfolio
to unlock the power of industrial additive manufacturing. As one of the world’s largest auto groups, we see enormous opportunities for digital manufacturing technologies to speed our innovation cycle, bring new products to market faster, and improve our manufacturing efficiency and sustainability. We look forward to collaborating with HP and Siemens to explore more 3D printed applications that help us deliver even greater experiences for our customers,” Martin Goede, Head of Technology Planning and Development at Volkswagen, said.
and Siemens AM offerings, the integrated end-to-end solution has reached a level of efficiency that enables industries to viably 3D print high-quality parts at volume production,” HP’s Christoph Schell said. The cooperation is coupled with the new Siemens Polymer Competency Center, which will be the focal point for the two companies to work jointly with automotive and industrial customers to create unique product designs, bring 3D printed parts to market faster, and set up digital factory environments that unleash the full potential of additive manufacturing.
HP, Siemens, and their customers will initially explore exciting new applications in areas such as personalisation, fluid dynamics optimisation, and energy absorption, to name a few. ACI
“Volkswagen is a partner of both HP and Siemens and we are excited to see these market leaders join forces
NOW ON STANDS
IND IA’ S NO . 1 TW O WH EE LER MA GA ZIN E, BY FA R!
VOLUME 14
ISSUE 11
` 100
JUNE 2019
KATANA
WWW.BIKEINDIA.IN
Staying true to its distinct original form
FIRST RIDES
PUBLISHING
C MY K
Avan Xer Triumph Street Scra o + mbler
Hero Xtreme 200 S, Ma Edge125, XPulse 200 estro & 200T
CLASSIC BIKES Bimota DB1 Kawasaki GPz110 0
55 55
www.autocomponentsindia.com
june 2019 n auto components india
EVENT
AES Chennai to showcase latest in manufacturing ACI Bureau
E
Having a commercial offthe-shelf solution that has a low cost of ownership would minimize high-power test costs by reducing floor space usage, reduce heat dissipation, and maintaining uptime. Offering solutions for this segment are companies such as Keysight which will be displaying its RP7900 Series regenerative power system.
very major technological shift reflects a quantum leap in automotive manufacturing which is the first to adopt new technology trends followed by other manufacturing sectors. The USD 93 billion automotive industry that is currently shouldering 7.1% of India’s GDP, contributes 49% to the nation’s manufacturing GDP. With auto players now gearing up for the transition to automated shopfloors and smart, digitalised factories, the right mix of strategy and collaboration with technology partners will ensure a competitive advantage. Bringing together the leading technology-driven brands and their innovations for the automotive industry, the 12th edition of the Automotive Engineering Show (AES) returns to Chennai in the first week of July 2019. The strong list of exhibitors and a series of live product demonstrations and seminar sessions will enable the OEMs and automotive manufacturers to identify, connect and collaborate with the right technology partners for industrial and process automation together with quality control tools under one roof. Opening its doors to the industry for 3 days from July 4, the business event will feature over 85 prominent technology players coming together at the Chennai Trade Centre. Focused on technologies for automotive manufacturing, the exhibition will feature tech majors like Baumer India, Bharat Forge, Carl Zeiss, DesignTech Systems, Festo India, Nikon India, Olympus, Pepperl + Fuchs, Schmersal India, Staubli Tec, Sick India,
Tal Manufacturing, and Wipro 3D among other leading names. The strong presence of automotive majors has gained Chennai its recognition as one of the largest automotive and auto components manufacturing hubs in the country. Taking place in this city which houses one of the largest auto-clusters, the exhibition comes at an important juncture when the growing dominance of autonomous and connected vehicles is witnessing innovativetechnological developments making inroads into the automobile industry. For instance, the diversification of the automotive market into Hybrid Electric Vehicles and EVs creates new challenges in design and manufacturing. One of the primary issues have been the integration of high-voltage, high-power batteries in the 300 V range or higher on platforms traditionally using 12V. These high voltages generate additional costs and risks in ensuring smooth, safe power conversion for the various on board electrical subsystems. Companies now must consider site preparation necessities, and safety requirements when transitioning from low power to high power.
Moreover, consumers are increasingly demanding in-vehicle connectivity, advanced driver assistance (ADAS), infotainment services, and other innovative features. To meet this challenge, automotive industry is rapidly moving to adopt Ethernet’s scalable and flexible networking technology. However ethernet’s shared medium technology offers its own challenges of performance, reliability and security. Addressing this need, Embedded Systems Solutions will be showcasing the US-based AKUKA Systems technology - Aukua MGA2510 which is a powerful Ethernet Test system supporting IEEE standards-based automotive Ethernet. German manufacturer, SICK Germany will bring “microScan3” - the new generation of Safety Laser Scanners, which comes with innovative safeHDDM scanning technology equipped with onboard Core Input/ Ouput, EtherNet/IP and PROFINET for safe machine integration. With on-board ethernet and profinet communication, easy integration and diagnosis is possible, which will play an important role in Indian Industrial Safety to take a step forward to Industry 4.0. ACI
58 58 auto components india n june 2019
www.autocomponentsindia.com
RNI No. maheng/2014/55824