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www.autocomponentsindia.com Vol 8 Issue 03
May 2021
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COMPONENTS
INDIA
Voice of the Automotive Suppliers
Intech Metal AM systems.
ON THE Prowl fOR Opportunities
Upfront Exclusive
Rohit Saboo, President and CEO, National Engineering Industries Ltd.
Native Bearing Solutions
Efforts to boost localisation l Special Reads Developing India’s Leadership in PCBA l #Trending A jab for localisation l #Trending NXP Auto Technovation Summit 2021 @autocomponentsindiaofficial
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Cover Story On The Prowl For Opportunities The emphasis on promoting local manufacturing of automobile and automotive components has led to the stakeholders actively scout for opportunities. Ashish Bhatia revisits the interventions and cites the inherent potential.
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Ingenious design and manufacture in defence Vocal for local Minda Industries turns bullish Sona Comstar commences Manesar operations New appointments at ATMA Apollo Abhimanyu cross-ply rib tyre IIT-Hyderabad dual carbon battery JK tyre partners with JBM Auto IIT Guwahati technique to estimate SoC Amit Chadha is new MD and CEO LTTS Skoda Auto begins Shendra Octavia production Yongsung Kim to head a key portfolio at Ola Electric Ashok Leyland actions for EV Strategy and MaaS PLI scheme for AC units and LED lights
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Native Bearing Solutions
Emerging stronger from the pandemic, National Engineering Industries (NEI) is striving hard to offer localised solutions for multiple segments. Ashish Bhatia breaks down this intent to identify the new efficiencies added at the manufacturer.
14 Mobilised 26 Special Reads
Intech Metal AM Systems
Developing India’s Leadership In PCBA Industry A Jab For Localisation
Auto Technovation Summit 2021 Securing Manufacturing Sites
New MAHLE Hydrogen Test Centre
World Car Design Of The Year 2021
33 #Trending
38 International 41 #Trendsmap
Key Exchanges On Social Media
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608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India. Tel +91 9321546598, Email us at a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.net Executive Editor Ashish Bhatia Editorial Advisory Board H. S. Billimoria, Aspi Bhathena Head - Design & Production Ravi Parmar Correspondent: Deepti Thore 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 9321546598 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. 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India, Mumbai -400013. Tel +91 22 9321546598 26 B, First Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Okhla Phase III, New Delhi - 110020, India Tel +91 11 42346600/78, Fax +91 11 42346679 Unit No:509, 5th Floor, ‘B’ wing, Mittal Towers, MG Road, Bengaluru - 560001, India Tel +91 080 66110116/17, Fax +91 80 41472574 Cenetoph Elite, No.5, Cenetoph 1st street, Teynampet, Chennai - 600018, India Tel +91 044 421-08-421/044 421-75-421 Devendra Mehta - Mob No.- 09714913234 Ahmedabad S.No.261/G.L.R.No.5, East Street,Camp Pune - 411001. Tel + 91 20 26830465
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Ironically, the pandemic has put to test India’s capability of optimally utilising its scarce resources. Not so much on the capacity front as much on the distribution front.
ndia can count itself among 115 economies with the most notable improvements in doing business. India ranks alongside Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Togo, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, China, and Nigeria for making it easier to do business. With a ‘Doing Business’ score of 71.0, it ranks 63rd behind Saudi Arabia with a marginally higher score of 71.6 and ahead of Ukraine with a marginally lower score of 70.2. China ranks higher at a distant 31 with a score of 77.9. If one were to scroll up further, in the World Bank Doing Business 2020 rankings, one can’t help but notice the top six racing ahead of the pack. Led by New Zealand, the top six include Singapore, Hong Kong SAR China, Denmark, Korea Rep, and the United States. Jumping 14 spots in the list (and from ranking 130 in 2016), India is known to have been rewarded for reforms across areas of starting a business to facilitating trade across borders. Even as the report commends India in the assessment, it is also true that India, in 2015, set a target of joining the top 50 economies by 2020. The license Raj reform in India is said to have contributed to the rise of small firms in industries. The rise in productivity across sectors is credited to the reduction in resource allocation distortions. Ironically, the pandemic has put to test India’s capability of optimally utilising its scarce resources. Not so much on the capacity front as much on the distribution front. Among areas slated for improvement include the effects of electricity shortages on input choices, revenue and productivity in manufacturing plants. India could also do better on restrictive labour regulations held responsible for a 35 per cent increase in a firms’ unit labour costs. On the plus side, India has also been rewarded for making the resolution of insolvency easier. Ashish Bhatia Executive Editor | a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.net
/autocomponentsindiaofficial /autocomponentsindia ACI Mag 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., 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India.. Published by Marzban Jasoomani on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India. Printed at Spring Graphics, 215 & 238, Shah & Nahar Industrial Estate, Sun Mill Compund, Lower Parel (West), Mumbai 400013, India. Published at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India.
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All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. Auto Components India does not vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. The editor, publisher, printer and employees of the publication shall not be held liable for any consequence in the events of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only. Editor Ashish Bhatia
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Ingenious design and manufacture in defence There is a visible impetus on the ingenious design and manufacture of defence equipments in India. With four ongoing projects under the ‘Make-IN’ category, and another 56 proposals are known to have been accorded ‘Approval in Principal’ under Make-II category. Out of these 23 proposals have been accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN). Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is known to have undertaken 233 projects over the past three years. Among the projects work is underway on new defence equipments such as cruise missile, hypersonic missile, anti-ship missile, extended range anti-submarine rocket, mounted gun system, ammunitions, electronic warfare system, radars, torpedos, high endurance autonomous underwater vehicles to name a few. AoN has been accorded to 45 DRDO developed systems over the last three years for induction into services. It is also known that to promote an indigenous design and development of defence equipments, ‘Buy IndianIndigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM)’ category under DAP is being prioritised for procurement of capital equipment. A testimony to this is the Ministry of Defence notifying a ‘Negative list’ of 101 identified items and embargoing their import. Looked at as a step to attain self-reliance in the defence segment. Out of the 9370 Defence items, erstwhile imported, the Indian industry including automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are known to have expressed interest for 1864 items so far.
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Vocal for local
In line with the Government of India’s ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ vision programme aimed at enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and exports, the government announced an outlay of Rs.1.97 lakh crore in the Union Budget 2021-22. Applicable to PLI schemes for 13 key sectors for a period of five years starting from FY2021-22, these sectors include automobiles and auto components besides speciality steel, electronic/technology products, white goods (ACs and LEDs), textile products, and Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery. The PLI schemes will be implemented by the concerned Ministries/ Departments and will be
within the prescribed overall financial limits. Both the domestic as well as foreign-owned entities are deemed eligible to be beneficiaries of these schemes. It is expected to link OEMs to a wider supplier base established under the scheme, and to help introduce the necessary scale and size in key sectors.
Minda Industries turns bullish
Minda Industry has turned bullish after gauging an improvement in the market scenario fuelled by higher demand. The company announced plans to expand the four-wheeler lighting and alloy wheel business. With the Board of Minda Industries Ltd. having approved expansion plans worth Rs.250 crore, the company will set up a lighting manufacturing plant at Bhagapura, in Gujarat with an estimated total expenditure outlay of Rs.90 crore. The company expects to fund it through a mix of debt and internal accruals with the plant expected to commence operations by the end of March 2022. Expected to stabilise in a subsequent couple of quarters, the company projects an additional capital expenditure of Rs.167 crore. Its subsidiary JV company, Minda Kosei Aluminum Wheel Private Ltd., will expand its alloy wheel capacity by 60,000 wheels per month at its Bawal, Haryana facility. The company had augmented its technical capabilities with the acquisition of Delvis last year and is looking forward to the potential export business in Europe and America. www.autocomponentsindia.com
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Sona Comstar commences Manesar operations
Sona Comstar commenced operations at its differential assembly manufacturing plant at Manesar, in Haryana. To manufacture differential assemblies and e-Drive Modules for its global customers, the plant is spread over an expanse of five acres and known to have the potential to generate employment for about 720 skilled workers. According to Sunjay Kapur, Chairman, Sona Comstar, the company has used state-of-the-art technology and processes in this plant to meet the stringent quality requirements of its customers. Add to it, in line with the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ vision programmes, the facility will also look to leverage the status of a preferred manufacturing destination on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) accessible by both rail, road and sea port proximity on the western coast. Previously, the Blackstone-promoted company was in the news for filing its draft red herring prospectus with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to raise up to Rs.6000 crore through the IPO route. www.autocomponentsindia.com
New appointments at ATMA Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), in a unanimous vote appointed the former Vice-Chairman, Anshuman Singhania as the new Chairman. He succeeds K M Mammen, former Chairman, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA). In another appointment, Mohan Kumar was appointed as the Vice Chairman. Anshuman Singhania, Managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries, started his career on the shop floor as an apprentice and brings to the table a rich experience across planning, production, product development, quality control, stores and purchase, finance as well as sales and marketing. A graduate from Oxford Brookes University, UK and an alumnus of London Business School he is known to have played a key role in implementing the latest technologies in the manufacturing process at JK Tyre. Mohan Kumar, Executive Vice-President & Whole Time Director at Michelin India, joined the Michelin Group in 2005 and has held several leadership roles in Michelin India and the Michelin USA. The NIT Trichy graduate and an alumnus of IIM Bangalore, Mohan Kumar heads the business of Michelin for India and the SAARC countries.
Apollo Abhimanyu cross-ply rib tyre Apollo Tyres launched the ‘Apollo Abhimanyu’, a cross-ply rib tyre for steer axles in commercial vehicles. Inducted after testing of approximately 2.5 million kilometres, the tyre OE hopes to leverage India’s cross-ply segment upsurge in recent months. Its unique strengths include an optimised tread compound with higher wear resistance and better rubber distribution at wearing zones. The innovative cavity design is claimed to ensure uniform pressure distribution across the footprint in turn providing maximum mileage. A robust casing offers better sidewall stiffness. The next generation off-shoulder design is said to improve heat dissipation and reduces stress marks, thereby keeping the carcass cooler and safer in the new range of tyres. Designed and developed at Apollo Tyres Global R&D Centre Asia, in Chennai, this tyre is currently being produced at the company’s manufacturing unit in Perambra, Kerala. may 2021 n auto components india
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IIT-Hyderabad JK tyre partners with dualTrending carbon JBM Auto battery
IIT Hyderabad developed a five-volt dual carbon battery using selfstanding carbon fibre mats as both electrodes. The Electrochemical Energy Storage (EES) Lab at IITHyderabad, where the battery is known to have been built, has positioned it as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries given its potential to reduce the requirement of toxic, costly and heavy transitional metals. Lithium-ion batteries are known to require toxic and expensive metals like cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other materials that control the finished good’s price. The use of carbon as an active electrode material and a current collector replacing heavy metals is claimed to be a major contributor in making the battery light and flexible. The fabricated five-volt (nominal voltage 4.6V) cell provides an energy density of 100Watt hour per kilogram (Wh/kg) approximately and can be extended up to 150-Watt hour per kilogram (Wh/kg) with further modifications. The batteries are said to be particularly suited to high voltage applications such as in regenerative braking for electric vehicles.
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JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has partnered with JBM Auto Ltd. for the supply of commercial vehicle tyres. As per the signed partnership agreement, the tyre OEM will provide radial tyres fitted with its smart tyres device for the JBM Auto Citylife CNG and Ecolife electric bus. JK tyre will provide end-toend ownership through the ‘Total Tyre Management’ courtesy of a dedicated team sitting out of 11 workshops in Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. It will
also set up ‘Connected Mobility Solutions’, a first-of-its-kind cloudbased monitoring system. Stated Srinivasu Allaphan, Director - Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. “We have been actively working with different manufacturers to help them achieve advanced mobility solutions and our partnership with JBM Auto Ltd. is reflective of our commitment towards the same.”
IIT Guwahati technique to estimate SoC A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has developed an advanced technique claimed to precisely estimate the State of Charge (SoC). The team is known to have divided the problem into two parts: The first was to derive the lithiumion battery’s mathematical model, closely exhibiting its dynamic characteristics and then using a few advanced system control and mathematical concepts such as sliding mode theory to estimate the SoC. The proposed technique is claimed to work accurately despite the presence of external negative attributes like sensor inaccuracy and temperature variation. To do so, it relies on a costeffective microcontroller chip for its
implementation/commercialisation. The research team, including the likes of scholars: Gautam Sethia, Dr Sisir Kumar Nayak, Associate Professor, and Prof. Somanath Majhi, is associated with the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, IIT Guwahati. With the findings published in IEEE Transactions on Circuit and System I: Regular Paper, the team is also known to actively work on other aspects of batteries like cell balancing. www.autocomponentsindia.com
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Amit Chadha is new MD and Trending CEO LTTS L&T Technology Services (LTTS) has appointed Amit Chadha as the new CEO and MD. To succeed Dr Keshab Panda, erstwhile CEO since 2015, Chadha is known to have joined LTTS in 2009 and was serving as the Deputy CEO and a Whole-Time Board member. He then assumed charge as President – Sales and Business Development, where he was responsible for supporting the global R&D customers. With his expertise in core engineering and information technology outsourcing, he has also headed P&L for multiple business units besides spearheading organisation-wide strategic initiatives on a global scale. An electrical and electronics engineer, he has also updated his skillsets by attending prestigious programmes like
Yongsung Kim to head a key portfolio at Ola Electric
‘Global Business Leadership Executive Program’ with Harvard Business Publishing and ‘Advanced Management Program in Business Leadership’ from INSEAD, France.
Skoda Auto begins Shendra Octavia production
Skoda Auto India has started producing the Octavia at its production facility in Shendra MIDC, Aurangabad where the first unit is known to have rolled off. The OEM marked the milestone with a celebratory lava blue vehicle that dons the Lauren & Klement badge as a mark of homage to the founders of the Czech auto manufacturer as well as its 125 years of rich history and heritage. Stated Zac Hollis, Brand Director, Skoda Auto India, “With the commencement of production, we also commit to a stronger product portfolio as we look to grow our presence in India.” “In line with our laser-sharp focus on customer centricity, we are also rapidly growing our network presence and have introduced several initiatives to ensure an unmatched ownership experience,” he added. It was in 2001, that the Octavia marked Skoda Auto’s foray into India.
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Ola Electric recently appointed Yongsung Kim as Head - Global Sales & Distribution. In his new role, Kim will overlook sales and distribution of both India and the international markets. Ahead of the launch of its first electric scooter, the appointment is being projected as a key one to help the company attain its global expansion goals. Kim brings to the table over three decades of sales experience across North America, Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Africa, ASEAN, Asia Pacific, and India. His tenure at Hyundai and Kia also earned him an invaluable exposure in India which he will look to leverage in the new role. www.autocomponentsindia.com
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.com ponentsindia www.autocom May 2021
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Intech Metal AM
Vol 8 Issue 03
INDIA
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VOICE OF TH
UPFRONT EXCLUSIVE
Rohit Saboo, , President and CEO ring National Enginee Industries Ltd.
G SOLUTIONS
NATIVE BEARIN
t localisatioinnPCBA Efforts to boos ership ing India’s Lead velop
ads De Special Re rending A jab for localisation it 2021 #T tion Summ P Auto Technova #Trending NX
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Ashok Leyland actions for EV Trending Strategy and MaaS Switch Mobility Automotive Ltd. (SMAL) has partnered with Siemens Ltd. in order to tap the potential of the e-mobility segment in India. In line with its vision of zeroemission mobility and low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), the partners entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). As per the MoU, the two partners will build a cooperative technological partnership for commercial e-mobility. Aimed at delivering efficient, cost-effective and sustainable solutions, the CV major subsidiary will look to leverage its e-mobility experience while Siemens brings to the table, a flexible, high-efficiency and future-ready charging infrastructure. The latter’s infrastructure is claimed to be efficient and reliable pertaining to medium-
voltage grid connection solutions. Averred Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, Switch Mobility Ltd., “With our experience of over 230 electric vehicles already in operation successfully in India and the U.K, we see immense growth opportunities for Switch’s expansion in
India, Europe and many global markets.” As part of the MoU, Siemens Financial Services (SFS) will also consider a minority investment in OHM Global Mobility Pvt. Ltd. the eMaas platform company to be formed as a subsidiary of Switch Mobility Automotive Ltd.
PLI scheme for AC units and LED lights The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Air Conditioners (AC) and LED lights got a nod with a budgetary outlay of Rs.6,238 crore. Expected to draw global investments, generate large scale employment opportunities and enhance exports substantially, the approved scheme will offer an incentive of four per cent to six per cent on an incremental sales of goods manufactured in India. For a period of five years, it will apply to companies engaged in the manufacturing of AC units and LED lights. The assembly of finished goods shall not be incentivised under
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the scheme though. Companies meeting the pre-qualification criteria for different target segments will be eligible to participate in the scheme. Incentives shall be extended to
development of complete component eco-systems in India and create global manufacturing champions in India.
companies investing in brownfield or greenfield projects. Expected to help attain growth at a higher rate than the existing rates for the industry, the move is expected to fast track the www.autocomponentsindia.com
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Intech Metal AM Systems Intech Additive Solutions wins multiple orders for its made in India metal additive manufacturing systems. Team ACI gives you a low-down on the new series.
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engaluru based Intech Additive Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (Intech) has stood out amongst competitors including global majors. The Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) company is claimed to have become the first Indian Original Equipment Manufacturer to indigenously develop, manufacture, and sell its ‘iFusion’ series of Metal AM system. It has led to the company bagging multiple orders in Q4FY2021, amounting to USD two million. According to Sridhar Balaram, CEO, Intech, the integration of build processing software ‘AMBuilder’ and parameter optimisation software ‘AMOptoMet’, both of which are claimed to have been build inhouse, as integrated systems, have gained ready acceptance in the industry. The multiple orders amounting to USD two million includes the sale of a combined total of six metal AM Systems. It includes the ‘iFusion SF1’, and ‘iFusion LF1’, configured with the pre-
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build software AMBuilder to five organisations. These include Indo-MIM, a global supplier of metal injection molding components catering to aerospace, medical, and the oil and gas industries, Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU) across applications in energy and energy infrastructure, and for ‘Poeir Jets’, an Indian OEM for heavy-lift drones. The company is expected to announce two more renowned organisations in India in the near future. Speaking on the order pipeline, averred Balaram, “We have focused on a steady and sustainable growth path despite the challenges of Covid-19 and the enforced lockdowns. It is exciting to see that our home-grown iFusion series of Metal AM systems, AM software suite AMBuilder and AMOptoMet has been well accepted and is garnering an increasing acclaim day by day as a better alternative to extremely expensive imported AM systems.” “Our target www.autocomponentsindia.com
Mobilised
Sridhar Balaram, Chief Executive Officer, Intech
Pradeep Nair, Vice President - Hardware Sales, Intech
industry segments are growing, and our investment strategy has kept up with the increased demand with the support of our strong team of experts in-house,” he claimed. According to Pradeep Nair, Vice President -Hardware Sales, Intech, the positive momentum has led to the company accelerating its investment plans. “The positive results of Q4FY201 has prompted us to accelerate our investments across hardware, software, and consultancy,” Nair mentioned.
“We are confident and determined to establish Intech as a global OEM with the primary task being to create an innovative ecosystem to produce Metal AM products and services and to embed them into mainstream manufacturing,” he stated. Inspired by the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atman Nirbhar Bharat’ programmes advocating selfreliance, the company is looking to increasingly contribute to the additive manufacturing industry’s technological
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transformation. For instance, the company aims to be a global solution provider for Metal AM Systems and AM Software, thereby contributing to the growth of a sustainable ecosystem for AM systems in India. According to Balaram, its potentially boosting India’s ability to compete globally besides ensuring that the AM manufactured, end-user functional components are available for both the domestic and export markets. Intech aims to meet the needs of industries including aerospace, automotive, general engineering, tool and die besides non-automotive industries like the medical market segments in India and abroad. The OEM is relying on the two software packages with its printers to provide users with an end-to-end metal AM solution. It is claimed to have made a value-addition to the entire life-cycle by including local after-sales services. Intech was the first Indian OEM known to develop and supply 3D metal printers based on Laser Powder Bed Fusion Technology (LPBF) for industrial manufacturing. ACI
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On The Prowl For Opportunities The emphasis on promoting local manufacture of automobile and automotive components has led to the stakeholders actively scout for opportunities. Ashish Bhatia revisits the interventions and cites the inherent potential.
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he lion is on the prowl for some time now! Even as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc, the aspirations to align with the ‘Make in India’ vision plan for India and the rest of the globe have far from lost steam. If at all, they have only gathered a louder voice supporting this change in stance from an erstwhile convenient dependence on imports to assemble in India. The industry realizes that the faster it turns self-reliant, the quicker it can encash on the opportunities that present themselves. The Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2016-26 seeks to outline the trajectory of the advancement of the Automobile component industry ecosystem in India. To give a perspective, the automotive component industry in India foresees a growth potential of USD 260-300 billion by the end of FY2026. The country by then could count itself to be amongst the top three automotive industries in
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the world. In India, the industry is projected to contribute to 12 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). On ground, it will play a catalyst in generating 65 million direct and indirect jobs. Notably, the overall turnover of the Indian auto component industry stood at USD 50 billion with a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of eight per cent according to Deepak Jain, President, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA). In FY2020, the aftermarket stood at USD 10 billion with a CAGR of 12 per cent. The change in supply chain dynamics is said to be among the key drivers of this change in external relationships had with Indian manufacturers. Opine experts, it has played a catalyst in the industry turning more ‘Vocal For Local’. www.autocomponentsindia.com
Cover Story
The purchase preference
As per the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) order 2017 revision with the subsequent amendments in May 28, 2018, May 29, 2019, June 04, 2020 and September 16, 2020, the promotion of manufacturing and promotion of goods and services in India is expected to help enhance income and generate employment. The Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) in this regard is known to have notified automobile and automotive components manufacturers seen to have sufficient local capacity and competition. For instance, as per the September 16, 2020, DPIIT PPPMII order notification the minimum local content requirement for a class www.autocomponentsindia.com
one supplier of internal combustion engines powered automobiles is pegged at 65 per cent. The components and spares required for the manufacture of and or maintenance of two and three-wheelers, passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles is pegged at 60 per cent. These include and are not limited to components like rubber parts, asbestos packing joints and gaskets, brake linings and pads (with and without asbestos), asbestos friction materials, automotive glass, leaf springs and the leaves for springs, helical springs, spring pins, automotive wheels, and locks. It also includes the types of diesel, petrol, hybrid engine and engine parts. Other considerations include gas compressors and turbo chargers, parts
of air-conditioning, oil and petrol filters, intake air filters, air purifiers and cleaners, parts of machinery and apparatus for filtering, the different kinds of bearings, bearing housings, incorporating ball or roller bearings and bearing housings not incorporating ball or roller bearings, plain shaft bearings. Others on the list include gears and gearing with the exception of toothed wheels, chain sprockets and miscellaneous transmission elements. Clutches and shaft couplings including the universal joints, mechanical seals and spark plugs, head lamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, side lamps and blinkers besides other automotive lighting and lighting equipment also make the cut. It also extends to gearboxes and parts, suspension systems, braking, drive-axles auto components india n may 2021
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with differentials, steering wheels and columns, tachometers, instrument panel clocks, interiors, body and chassis parts.
A push in the right direction
Among recent developments looked at as a push in the right direction is the government’s decision to set up a 22-member inter-ministerial committee to strengthen the Capital Goods (CG) sector through interventions. These interventions are expected to contribute to India realising its national goal of achieving a USD 5 trillion economy and a USD 1 trillion manufacturing sector, as per a tweet late last year from the Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Prakash Javadekar. He had expressed the intent to work out ways and means to make the capital goods sector globally competitive and to become the manufacturing hub for the world. The committee has been assigned the task of overlooking technology development, mother technology development, global value chains, testing, skill training, global standards, reciprocity issues beside custom duties among others deemed to fall within the committee’s purview. In another development, the Electrical Equipment (Quality Control) order announced on January 22, 2021 will certify and enforce the authority to work on the quality maintenance of electrical equipment in the public interest. To drive the objective, for instance,
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the National Auto Policy formulated, and aimed at prescribing policy guidelines and enabling the framework to achieve the predicted growth objectives, the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) will conduct an independent assessment and mid-term review of the Auto Policy in 2022. In addition, for the automotive components industry, manufacturing and imports are exempted from licensing and approvals. The DHI is also known to have invested a fund of USD 200 million in a bid to modernise the automobile component industry in India. It is doing so by providing an interest subsidy on loans and investment in new plants and equipment. In terms of export benefits, intermediate suppliers of auto components are eligible to avail these against the Duty-Free Replenishment Certificate (DFRC). The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) Scheme proposed to be implemented from April 2019 to April 2022, is expected to lead to the development of a favourable manufacturing ecosystem. In terms of financial support, the industry is eligible to avail R&D incentives for the industry and private sponsored research. It entails a weighted tax deduction given under section 35 (2AA) of the Income Tax Act. Under Section 35 (2AB) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, it can avail weighted tax deduction of the expenditure incurred by a specified company, on scientific research in the in-house R&D centres.
These apart there are state incentives that the industry can avail. These include the respective state providing land at concessional rates, electricity duty exemption, capital subsidy, financial assistance including marketing incentives. In the case of exports, the industry can avail subsidy made available to exporters as a per centage of the duty credit scrip under Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS). In line with ACMA recommendations, the MEIS scheme is known to have been extended to additional tariff lines. It is expanded to 65 countries. Besides the state incentives, the industry also stands to benefit from incentives for units located in Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
On the prowl
The industry is actively on the prowl in search of opportunities. Opportunities persist in engine and engine parts across new developments like turbochargers and common rail systems and outsourcing to gain traction. In case of transmission and steering parts, it is anticipated that the replacement market share in sub-segments like clutches will grow owing to traffic density. Gears and clutches are expected to witness intense competition here owing to entry of global players. The segment of suspension and braking parts is also expected to witness a high replacement demand with shock absorbers expected to witness a high intensity competition. Manufacturers are also focused on the growing demand for sheet metal parts, body and chassis, fan belts, pressure die castings, hydraulic pneumatic instruments, for instance, in the twowheeler segment. The industry is also expected to leverage the rise in demand for low-cost hybrid and electric vehicles. The Union Cabinet approved Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in the automobile and auto components sectors is also expected to help the industry equate its search for opportunities to the Rs. 57,042 crore outlay. ACI www.autocomponentsindia.com
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C Native Bearing Solutions over Story
Emerging stronger from the pandemic, National Engineering Industries (NEI) is striving hard to offer localised solutions for multiple segments. Ashish Bhatia breaks down this intent to identify the new efficiencies added at the manufacturer.
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ational Engineering Indsutries Ltd. (NEI) is striving hard for excellence. In an effort to stay true to its claim of offering flexible solutions, the company wants to stop at nothing short of customer delight. According to Rohit Saboo, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the company used the pandemic for a complete overhaul of business with a close eye on the evolving customer demands. “We are aiming for faster turnaround time, faster development, improved production services and shorter product development cycles. We are also looking at partnering suppliers from India for newer materials to save on costs besides leveraging industry 4.0 in manufacturing technologies.” Opined Saboo, the automation and data exchange will contribute to the company’s agility over the coming months and will contribute to the development of native solutions. With the threat of Covid-19 looming large, the manufacturer continues to have a large proportion of the workforce working remotely from home. Whilst building on its efficiencies,
auto components india n may 2021
the company according to Saboo is mindful of the need to ensure the safety of these stakeholders and at the same time keep them engaged. Shared Saboo, “Led by engineers in the R&D division, the company built a splitter that allows one ventilator to be shared by two patients. It also builds 3D printed shields for the safety of frontline warriors across different walks of life.” Such activities in the early days of the pandemic are claimed to have boosted the morale of the workforce by inculcating a sense of involvement and commitment. This new found energy was then reinvested in streamlining the core business.
Efficiency positive
Within a week of the first lockdown announced in Q1FY2021, the company “was taken off guard” as per Saboo. It set off a chain of proactive measures including initiating a massive cost reduction programme to survive the fiscal year. Today the company is in a state of introducing new improvements across the manufacturing and the non-manufacturing www.autocomponentsindia.com
Cover Story processes in a fraction of the time compared to the erstwhile requirement. Gathering enough steam, the company has fast-tracked progress in the direction of industry 4.0 goals set two years ago. To do so, the company, said Saboo, has brought on board, the pan India supplier base to digitise in an 80:20 ratio. “We trained approximately 70 suppliers and a supply chain software was installed successfully, free of cost. It has led to the communication and processes with our suppliers turning seamless,” he averred. To streamline the launch of its needle bearing targeted at OEs and industrial applications for both the domestic and international markets, for instance, the company needed to operate machines originating from Japan. To overcome the nearly four-month delay and limitations of flying down the Japanese experts, the company was able to compensate by getting virtual guidance instead from the concerned experts to go through the project. The company leveraged its 2020 acquisition of Kinex Bearings, a move made in line with its product augmentation and strategic expansion plans, to take advantage of the unlocked state of Europe in the early days of the pandemic. “We used the time at hand for integrating remotely, and to connect at various levels across engineering and management,” he mentioned. The company with the closer integration, as a result, is benefitting from knowledge sharing and quality interactions in a two-way effort. The latter’s presence in aerospace bearing, in fact, has presented the company with an opportunity to introduce aerospace bearing into India. In line with the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ programme for attaining self-reliance, the company is expected to leverage the technology but through local manufacture. In another move to diversify the product range and offer complementary products to customers in railway, NEI recently announced a collaboration with Amsted Seals. The two will leverage www.autocomponentsindia.com
their diverse expertise and experience to develop a Greenfield project located in Solitaire Industrial Park, Bagru, in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Spread across 2350 sq. m. it is expected to host best-inclass manufacturing techniques and equipment. The JV entity will market its products under the brand name NBCBrenco. Automotive seals and products with metal fabrication are also known to be on the anvil. At the plant level, the focus was on process improvement with an end objective of further improving the quality. “The better quality we produce, the fewer rejections we face,” Saboo quipped. It was achieved by progressing on data mining, on productivity. With significant operational efficiency, the processes, claimed Saboo, are leaner and agile. The company invested heavily in automation, connected machines, and used a data-centric approach to drive decision making. For instance, the company implemented an entire energy management system for proactive maintenance and energy saving with the click of a button.
Future outlay
At the Auto Expo 2020, the company made public an Rs.100 core investment outlay to fuel its growth plans. Admitting to the timeline for the investment being pushed forward by six months, Saboo allayed the fears of
a complete rollback in the aftermath of the pandemic. The move to request tier suppliers to delay the supplies by the same period is a testimony, he exclaimed. A significant portion of the outlay will also be utilised to increasingly source locally. “We have all already reduced our dependence on China, I would not say it is zero, but we are moving towards it.” Explaining it as a time-consuming process, he added, any raw material change has to be approved by the customer, and that change takes a long time in the automotive industry which the government needs to understand. “The Indian raw material suppliers also need to rise to the opportunity and develop the capability to supply to us,” he concluded. ACI -----------------------------------------Read on for the excerpts of the exclusive interaction with Rohit Saboo, President and CEO, National Engineering Industries Ltd.
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Complete Overhaul
In an Upfront interaction, Rohit Saboo, President and Chief Executive Officer at National Engineering Industries (NEI), talks about using the Covid-19 induced slowdown for a complete overhaul and finding ways to delight the customer.
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www.autocomponentsindia.com
Upfront | Exclusive Q. How did the company pace itself through the pandemic marred FY2021 on a QoQ basis? Give us a sense of the impact on production and sales? A. We concentrated on other things rather than production. However, the recovery was promising in Q2FY2021, and especially during the festive season. I would say, it was very heartening to see the recovery in sales. By the last quarter, exports also improved. For us, Q3FY2021 turned out to be better in comparison to the same period last year (FY2020). It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the automotive industry could count itself among industries that witnessed a V-shaped recovery, and we consider ourselves fortunate to be a part of it. We did all we could to keep up production in line with the customer requirement. To break it up, during the first quarter, the focus was on setting the norms for the returning workforce on fronts like social distancing and Covid-19 appropriate SOPs. The slow pace was limited to the month of, I think, the end of May and to an extent in June. The focus then helped us in the subsequent quarters, and till now, we have kept the guard up and are lucky to have not had a single fatality. Q. Could you share with us instances of going beyond the call of duty for the benefit of your key stakeholders and society at large in the hour of crisis? A. As part of the CK Birla group, we prioritise social activities for the larger good. We contributed Rs.35 crore to the Prime Minister relief fund for starters at the Chairman’s level. Besides, we put in a lot of effort to ensure the wellbeing of our stakeholders with special permissions including distributing sanitisers and masks. We used our canteen, for instance, to prepare and distribute two meals a day. Led by our engineers in the R&D division, while we did not succeed in building a ventilator, we successfully developed a splitter. The www.autocomponentsindia.com
latter, in effect, allows one ventilator to be used for two patients. It was very well appreciated by the local hospital staff. We also developed 3D printed shields used in airlines. These were distributed to all the Covid warriors including the medical fraternity and the police force. The entire staff and workforce contributed one day’s salary to the Chief Minister relief fund. Besides, the company made rupees one crore contribution. It energised our workforce and gave them a sense of involvement and commitment. It was a very humbling experience trying to help people, especially during those times in hindsight. Q. You spoke of a 100 crore, three-year investment plan at the Auto Expo 2020. Did you have to factor in any rollbacks from the investment outlay in the aftermath of the pandemic? A. There is no rollback. It has just been moved ahead by a period of at least six months. We requested all our machine suppliers to in turn delay their supplies by six months. The investment plan remains as it is; it is just that the timeline has shifted by six to nine months. Q. How did you met the objectives associated with the launch of the needle bearing targeted at OEs and industrial applications for both the domestic and international markets? A. This is a new project. Most of the machines were coming in from Japan. Due to the Covid induced lockdown and lack of shipping arrangements followed by the unavailability of Japanese experts for the installation, the
project was delayed by four months. I am happy to share that we compensated for the nearly two and a half months of those four months lost by quicker installations. Using virtual meet software, we had people in Japan guide us through the installation. It is now that we are in much better shape. Q. Could you elaborate on the outlook for shell bearings, weld cage roller assembly and turned cage roller assembly? A. It’s a little early for us to talk about the outlook since we are more involved in setting up the listing and production at this stage. We are talking to our customers and hope to develop the samples very soon, etc. I will be better placed to give you an outlook of these once we commence manufacturing. Q. In hindsight, how do you look at the acquisition of Kinex bearings? Are you still as bullish on the prospects? A. Yes, we are very bullish on the Kinex bearings acquisition. It helped us when we were in a state of lockdown. Luckily, Europe was still unlocked. While their sales were a little slow-moving the total cumulative sales made up for it. That really helped us! We used the time at hand for integrating remotely, and to connect at various levels across engineering and management. We are much more closely integrated today. There was a healthy exchange on the front of knowledge sharing and quality interactions in a two-way effort. Q. Would you like to share any value addition to the synergies that helped tackle the crisis cohesively? Including cross leveraging facilities, for instance, the plants in
Needle Bearing auto components india n may 2021
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Slovakia (Bytca and Kysucke Nove Mesto) or vice versa? A. We have some vacant area, and our Slovakia plant produces industrial bearings. So there is a scope that we can set up for automotive bearings there. It’s under consideration and we are thinking on the lines of mutually leveraging the strengths of each. It involves consideration of what we can develop together for the future. For instance, they are also into aerospace bearing, so there is a scope to bring the aerospace bearing into India in line with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat programme. We can use the technology, however not by import but through local manufacture. So we will learn from them. I think by early 2022, we will manufacture aerospace bearings. Q. How did you add to the efficiencies of the supply chain including vendor management? A. This was a perfect time for us to introspect. After the first week of lockdown, we were taken off guard. It led us to realise a need to initiate a massive cost reduction programme to be able to survive the year. Expected to have a significant impact on the company, we engaged our people as the key was to keep them involved. We sought various suggestions to execute the cost reduction. For example, it took us six to seven days to bring about improvements across the manufacturing and the non-manufacturing processes previously and today it takes maybe two hours. These improvisations helped us. We also gathered steam to progress in the direction of industry 4.0 and or digitisation which was initiated first two years ago. For it, we also included our suppliers pan India in the exercise. We trained approximately 70 suppliers and supply chain software was installed successfully, free of cost. It has led to the communication and processes with our suppliers turning seamless. A few suppliers remain in an 80:20 implementation digitising a majority.
Q. How did you add shopfloor efficiencies across the Jaipur, Newai (Rajasthan), Manesar (Haryana) and Vadodara (Gujarat) plants? A. The focus was on process improvement. So a lot of process improvement trickled to the plants. We focused not only on efficiencies and productivity but also on further improving upon the quality. The better quality we produce, the fewer rejections we face. Data mining on productivity and operational efficiency has increased significantly. Overall, the processes today are leaner and agile. We also invested heavily in automation, connected machines, and used a datacentric approach to drive decision making. For instance, we implemented an entire energy management system. We know that a particular part of the plant or a specific machine is drawing more energy with a click of a button leading to proactive maintenance and energy saving. Q. What sets the IGBC awarded Jaipur plant apart? Is it also your flagship plant? A. Yes, Jaipur is our flagship plant. It is our central plant and also serves as the central office quarters including R&D and sales management under one roof. That’s what sets it apart. We will be celebrating our 75th (Semisesquicentennial) year of establishment next year. Notably, many parts of the buildings that got the IGBC
“I think by early 2022, we will manufacture aerospace bearings.”
Sensor Bearing
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Award were 70-75 years old, and that in itself is a significant achievement. We have implemented major green practices and the highest water and energy conservation standards at our plant. Waste management, CO2 emissions and reduction have been prioritised too. The activities over the last six to eight years have been able to save us almost six million litres of water per year. For instance, the effluent treatment plant treats the wastewater wherein the water is used for landscaping. There is zero discharge since the plant is based in the heart of the city. We have also installed a 1.5 megawatts solar roof powered system to help efficient air conditioning. Our carbon footprint has reduced by almost 38 per cent. So, it’s a major achievement for us, and we are very proud that we are amongst the environment-conscious companies. It’s just the start and not the end. Q. Have you felt the need to consolidate the product portfolio at any stage while adding to the efficiencies on the whole? A. We continue to evaluate the market and customer requirements to either expand or consolidate; right now, we are in the expansion phase. Our tagline is a flexible solution, which means that we go out of the way to meet our customer expectations. We are closely associated with our customers and tailor our R&D efforts to meet the evolving demands. Q. How has the transition to BSVI vehicles and the focus on EVs impacted your exposure to the segments? A. As far as bearings are concerned, neither BSIV nor BSVI has led to a difference in bearing consumption. We are not affected from that perspective. On EVs, NBC was one of the frontrunners in developing a solution for the EV motor transmission. We started working on it at an early stage and today most EV companies in India and some in Europe use our solutions. We are already supplying EV bearings. www.autocomponentsindia.com
Upfront | Exclusive Q. Have you been able to meet the objectives associated with the 2018 announced preset hub assembly? For instance, replicating the traction in international markets? A. It is progressing in line with our expectations. As domestic OEMs are focused on launches, cost-efficiency is high on their agenda. Mainly for the trucks, the preset hub assembly requires us to continue educating our prospective customers. We are hoping for customers to make the transition as they prioritise ROI going forward. Q. With OEMs prioritising RoI on BSVI investments, have EV plans been stretched? A. There was a phase of about a year and a half when the EV market witnessed a slight dip. There is no doubt now that EVs are here to stay. If you see the recent past, a lot of announcements have been made about EV reveals. With new entrants like Ola into the mix, the trend is looking very positive. I think the first segments to turn fully electric would be the twowheelers and three-wheelers. Q. How do you expect the call for flex-fuel engines and higher ethanol blends to impact bearing material selection? For instance durability of sliding bearings has been a concern area? A. Yes, only the sliding bearings used in engines is a concern area. However, there are coating solutions and technologies available, which we have to adapt when the time is right to allay all the fears. Q. How has the China+1 strategy played out both from an import and export perspective? How do you aim to enhance your contribution to a self-reliant India? A. This is very interesting. A little over the last one and a half years customers are looking for alternatives to China. Therefore, India, especially the auto component market stands to benefit from it. India auto component www.autocomponentsindia.com
“India auto component exports account for more than USD 15 billion. Quality-wise we don’t lag either. It makes us a perfect substitution market for most global OEMs.” Low Torque EV Bearings
exports account for more than USD 15 billion. Quality-wise we don’t lag either. It makes us a perfect substitution market for most global OEMs. The near 100 per cent spike in inquiries is a testimony to this renewed interest. However, you must know, in automotive, for new customers, there is a time lag involved for validation. So, I think many of our new applications are currently under testing and hopefully, in the future, it would translate to new orders. In the past, many of our companies were dependent on China be it for raw material or for intermediate components. China was leading in technology. The recent trade dynamics have compelled us to source locally. We have all already reduced our dependence on China, I would not say it is zero, but we are moving towards it. Since any raw material change has to be approved by the customer, change takes a long time in the automotive industry. The government should understand that and therefore give us more time for the transition. The Indian raw material suppliers also need to rise to the opportunity and develop the capability to supply to us.
Q. A word on the government support extended to the industry in FY2021 and what is it that you expect to come your way? A. So, according to the policy draft, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme will help accelerate the pace of manufacturing, overall. In PLI, A huge sum of about Rs.45,000 crore is allocated to the auto and auto component industry. That should give a great fillip. It just remains to be seen how efficient it will turn out to be and how easy it will be to take advantage of the underlying schemes. Schemes like global sourcing scheme, component champions scheme besides PLI ranging from two to 12 per cent, should make us more competitive globally. It’s a great initiative by the government. From the OEM perspective, the demand for a reduction of GST from 28 per cent to 18 per cent if met will translate to a great run for the automotive industry. Q. What are the near to medium term priority focus areas for the company, and what is your expectation of returning to benchmark profitability? A. Fifty per cent of our people are still working from home. Our key objective is to keep all the people engaged, keep them safe and distinct because whatever said and done, Covid is still not over. Given the size of a country like India, it could take anywhere from six months to one year to vaccinate everybody. So the first thing is to keep our people safe and engaged. And with that, we will further improve our services to the customer. It essentially means faster turnaround, faster development, improved production services and shorter product development cycles and so on and so forth. As mentioned earlier, we are looking at partnering suppliers from India. So we would also like to partner with the raw material suppliers for some newer material, which can help shave costs. Industry 4.0 or digitisation also remains a key focus area. It will contribute to our agility and we hope to accelerate it even further in the coming months. ACI auto components india n may 2021
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Developing India’s Leadership In PCBA Industry MAIT with its knowledge partner Avanteum Advisors LLP draws attention to the critical role played by PCBA in the electronics value chain. Ashish Bhatia cites the emphasis in the study on building an ecosystem with enablers crucial to drive India’s global ambitions.
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AIT together with its knowledge partner Avanteum Advisors LLP published a report to chalk out the roadmap to India’s leadership in the Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) industry. Well aware of the electronics segment being favoured globally for investment and growth, the report is quick to draw attention to the inherent opportunities across domains like materials, design, manufacturing and service besides
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the inherent potential of a multiindustry impact. With the National Policy on Electronics (NPE) 2019 pegging the industry valuation at USD 400 billion, the report expects it to be a crucial contributor to India’s 2025 goal of turning into a USD five trillion economy. To live up to its potential, there is a need to build a potent ecosystem. One that facilitates a design-led manufacturing industry! A critical www.autocomponentsindia.com
Special Reads
component in the value chain, PCBA, is said to contribute between 4060 per cent of the product Bill of Materials (BoM). Notably, the growth of electronics in the Asian market is claimed to have been marked by the growth in PCBA manufacturing. China’s emergence as an electronics powerhouse defined by migration of global PCBA manufacturing led by EMS companies is the testimony, as per the study. The global PCBA demand expected to grow to USD 330 billion by 2025-26, driven by smartphones and computing devices. Here China, with a well-oiled ecosystem operating at a global scale, caters to nearly half of the global PCBA demand. Over the last two decades, the migration of electronics manufacturing to Asia is said to have been the hallmark of the industry evolution. Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are among other countries to have witnessed a rapid growth in PCBA production. With companies de-risking with a China+1 strategy amidst the trade volatilities of the past year, India is expected to be deemed as a favourable destination. Global investors are deciding on basis scores of low-cost manufacturing and ease of doing business in countries like India. The domestic PCBA market in India, as a result, is expected to touch a valuation of USD 815 billion by 2025-26. Between 2020-21 and www.autocomponentsindia.com
2025-26, export revenues alone are expected to amount to USD 101 billion. Such projections make it all the more important to ensure a robust ecosystem is put in place. For it to be realised, PCBA manufacturing in the country is estimated to require a cumulative capital inflow of USD 2530 billion by 2024-25.
PCBA manufacture
Led by consumers seeking a better quality of life, the scale of electronics production has shown an upward trajectory. With higher economies of scale being realised, prices have seen a downward trend thus increasing affordability. In 2019, revenues were pegged at USD 2.9 trillion. Known to carry all the critical components required for an electronic product, the report pegs its value at the highest in EboM. Dependent on the type of electronic components, type of circuit board, and the end-use application of the board, the PCB used for assembly is segmented by layers, the density of interconnections, flexibility and IC substrate. As per Avanteum Analysis, based on the material type, PCBA and the PCBA market is segmented into FR-4, PFTE (Teflon) and metal. Based on two manufacturing technologies: Thru-Hole Technology (THT) and Surface Mount Technology (SMT) differ in terms of process technology, application, advantages and disadvantages. The study claims,
globally THT is less favoured due to the relative miniaturisation drive and cost of manufacturing PCBA. It is still holding a market of its own owing to cost and relatively larger form factor of many components. In comparison, SMT is said to be the chosen process for PCBA manufacturers. The report states that there is a place for both in the case of modern PCBA manufacturing.
The concentration in Asia
Led by the decline in cost of data services, smart devices have permeated into under-addressed markets, states the study. PCBA’s production and demand mirror the growth of electronic products. Accounting for 90 per cent of the production, Asia has benefitted from the production moving away from the US and Europe. Here China commands a 48 per cent share courtesy presence of global EMS companies in the country like Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, Flex and homegrown players like BYD and USI credited for the latter’s export capacity. It is credited to an efficient supply chain and manufacturing cost led courtesy a desirable scale said to be found in EMS operations. The supply chain needs to be such that it is both cost-competitive and insulated from disruption. On the exports front, the IP prowess of both Korea and Japan have helped them retain a sizeable exports share. India, in comparison, may 2021 n auto components india
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Source: Electronicsandyou
finds itself uniquely positioned among countries leading in both production and consumption. The migration of PCBA manufacturing into India over the next few years is expected to be driven by aspirations to reduce import dependence. Known to have received 24 investments in electronics projects, the need of the hour is to develop capabilities in components along with OEM partnership for access.
Design-led manufacture
Manufacturing in India has not kept pace with the demand. The report claims, growth of domestic manufacturing has been restricted to the assembly of the imported components and modules. To become a global hub for electronics manufacturing and exports, India must prioritise domestic value addition and reduce dependence on core components in line with the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ mission
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plan. The need of the hour is for an active intervention at the assembly stage. Such an augmentation will draw investments into active, passive and mechanical components. It is also expected to help develop a component base and help attain the end objective of design-led manufacturing. The report adds that the design zone currently dominated by global captive centres will expand to include independent companies engaged in PCBA design to cater to both domestic and export needs. The approvals received under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is also expected to lead to capacity addition. With global companies known to be on the approved list, the prospects of creating a global manufacturing and supply centre in India have gone up too. That the top six global EMS players have a presence in India, and they have OEM partnerships promises assures committed
operations. Notably, 14 players from the global top 20 players with combined revenue of USD 44 billion are yet to set up manufacturing in India. In line with the global trend, OEMs will continue to depend on EMS players for the benefits on offer.
The challenges
Despite the existence of Government schemes like PLI, SPECS and EMS 2.0, amidst the intense global competition, the local OEMs face multiple challenges. Domestic OEMs are dependent on imports to meet the demand for active, passive and mechanical components. Manufacturers are challenged by the lower demand volumes for individual components leading to uneconomical procurement. PCBA manufacturers suffer a price disadvantage of 20 per cent in the case of a six to eight-layer PCB procurement. This renders them incapable of procuring large volumes. The critical semiconductor Ics known www.autocomponentsindia.com
Special Reads
Source: ICEA
to have origins in other countries is also depriving India of a direct source to forge partnerships. Among cost-disabilities are China and Vietnam patronising their electronics industry and Corporate Income Tax (CIT) for new investments in the country at 15 per cent as per the World Bank EoDB report of 2020. To meet the USD 101 billion exports target, there is a need for a robust export strategy that overcomes the inconsistent incentive schemes. There is a need for a greater emphasis on localisation and assured preferential market access to encouraging domestic PCBA manufacturing. The government must allay the apprehensions of PCBA manufacturers through policy intervention and prioritisation of processing components bound for PCBA manufacturing. Plug and play manufacturing and access to a qualified talent pool is a must too. The report calls for treating new and existing investments at par about the PLI benefit extended. After all www.autocomponentsindia.com
existing PCBA units are expected to deliver faster than the new entrants in the domain. ACI --------------------------------------------Known to work in multiple areas of public advocacy, including cloud and analytics, IPR, skill development, component hub, state IT/ESDM policies, import and export policy on one end of the spectrum and Innovation and startup, Industry 4.0 on the other end, MAIT’s key objective is to encourage domestic manufacturing through local innovation and IP creation. Focused on ensuring compliance of standards and regulatory framework favourable for nation-building, it is also involved in advocacy for a policy known to lead the development of the electronic hardware sector in India. --------------------------------------------Avanteum Advisors LLP is an advisory firm providing services on strategy, implementation and insights to organisations in the automotive, transportation, logistics and industrial segments. may 2021 n auto components india
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pecial Reads
A Jab For Localisation The auto industry has sought Government intervention to boost the prospects of 100 per cent localisation, writes Manav Kapur, Executive Director at Steelbird International.
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ocalisation refers to the practice wherein different components of the vehicles are manufactured within the country where the vehicle is meant to be sold. A 100 per cent localisation within the automotive sector would be an aspirational dream in tandem with the ‘Make in India’ vision programme led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian automotive industry has gained momentum since early January 2021. The auto components industry as alone is expected to reach the USD 200 billion revenue mark by 2026. A pillar of the industry, the auto component and ancillary suppliers are expected to play a key role as a vital cog of the wheel. However, India’s auto component
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manufacturing sector is yet to realise its true potential. It is not because of challenges limited to the technology but production costs that continue to be a major concern area. While the whole nation is focusing on an ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ or selfreliant India, it is an opportunity for many sectors with an exception of contretemps, a minor dispute or disagreement for a few others. The Government has urged auto components manufacturers in the country to increase localisation levels to 100 per cent. It has urged the stakeholders to provide a push especially to the local manufacturers in a bid to bolster the domestic supply www.autocomponentsindia.com
Special Reads chain and thereby strengthen the core of the automotive industry. As many Indian auto component manufacturers aim to cut their import dependencies, it is a mammoth process and one easier said than done. It can be strenuous for the sector given that 30 per cent of the industry is still dependent on imports from other parts of the world, mainly China. While the dependency of the automotive manufacturing sector on import is approximately 70 per cent there are companies pushing in the right direction with nearly 75-95 per cent localisation levels. As a key driver of the Indian economy, and a top contributor amongst the manufacturing sector, for the auto industry, localisation will be the way forward to safeguard against variables like the fluctuating exchange rates known to directly impact the cost of the finished goods.
The need for intervention
Auto manufacturers from across the nation have sought government support for localisation of the electronic components, especially semiconductors. It is well known that there is a global shortage of semiconductors. Localisation of such components requires a very high investment to be made. Some of the key factors influencing the localisation drive are resource unavailability, shortage of skilled labour and access to technology, high cost of production besides government policies that include the indirect taxes in the form of custom and excise duties that are levied. To encourage localisation cent per cent, there is a need for a cohesive effort by the government and the auto components companies on the road map for self-reliance to be able to realise a far greater localisation of auto components. Given the current scenario, most of the auto manufacturing companies have shown their interest in aligning with the government’s 100 per cent localisation drive. They are however seeking government support to www.autocomponentsindia.com
address the lacunae in infrastructure, talent pool, industry scale-up policy formulation, access to state-of-the-art technology and best global practices, remaining cost-competitive and access to cost-effective capital. The industry is facing challenges in the form of rapid change in technology which calls for more funds for investments in research and development. With regards to the trade policy, the challenges mainly faced by Indian manufacturers are the slowdown in investments for the
OEMs, duty on imported auto parts, and the sharp rise in imports mainly from ASEAN countries. The automotive manufacturing sector plays a pivotal role in contributing 7.1 per cent to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The entrepreneurial community from the auto component fraternity has wished for crucial interventions from the government on the front of taxes, scrappage policy, import-substitution, capacity installation, and R&D to name a few. may 2021 n auto components india
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Dealing with the pandemic
It is well known that the auto sector has had to face tough times during and after the pandemic peaked. It’s been a sigh of relief for the automotive industry to have witnessed a spike in vehicle sales after a severe period of slowdown. The rise in the cases of Covid-19 all over again though threatens to once again cast a dark shadow on the recovery and growth prospects of the Indian automotive industry. The spike in cases has urged the government to impose lockdowns and curfews, in different measures varying from state to state beginning with the weekend imposition as a common trend. The latest guidelines announced by the state governments may have few exemptions but they stand to disrupt the supply chain altogether. A crucial part of this supply chain are the transporters who experienced severe hardships during the previous year’s lockdown. They fear disruption
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in the services due to restrictions with the new surge in cases. Even if we were to have local lockdowns the impact will be felt on a pan India scale. With major original equipment manufacturers contemplating a rollback in production, jobs are also likely to be impacted. The production cuts will harm the industry and adversely affect the Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMEs). It is a matter of concern for many manufacturers and suppliers to meet the demand in the market. The supply chain of the auto industry is integrated as a whole and hence measures like lockdown stand to impact the industry as a whole. In a nutshell, if a bike manufacturing company needs an auto component from its vendor, and the vendor is at the lockdown zone and cannot fulfill the demand, the disruption in the supply chain may cause a mismatch in the demand and supply of the product. Lockdowns will
impact the whole auto industry as daily wage workers from across India press the panic button and look to migrate all over again. Daily wage workers are the most affected individuals during this lockdown and they are still struggling to recover from last year’s loss. The overall impact of the second wave is difficult to assess at the moment but surely it will have a negative impact on the automotive sector and its drive for localisation as a whole. ACI --------------------------------------------Manav Kapur, Executive Director, Steelbird International is an experienced Executive Director with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive industry. Skilled in negotiation, manufacturing, management, project management, and product development, the strong business development professional is a graduate from the Indiana State University - School of Business. www.autocomponentsindia.com
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Auto Technovation Summit 2021 At the NXP Auto Technovation Summit 2021, the need to shape up a robust ecosystem for electrical vehicles took centre stage. Team ACI brings to the fore, the key opportunities and challenges identified by stakeholders of the industry.
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S Jabez Dhinagar, Senior Vice President, Advanced Engineering Group, TVS Motor Company Ltd.
XP India concluded a successful edition of the ‘Auto Technovation Summit’ 2021. Organised under the aegis of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) and Automotive Core interest Group (CiG), the summit was focused on the creation of a robust ecosystem for electric vehicles. It was aimed at establishing, a high degree of synergy between various stakeholders including the EV Infrastructure companies overlooking battery and charging, startups, OEMs and tier1s on one end of the spectrum and the Govt. and key technology players on the other end of the spectrum. By doing so, it was opined that the industry as a whole could succeed at finding custom solutions to meet the needs of the segment. According to S Jabez Dhinagar, Senior Vice President, Advanced Engineering Group at TVS Motor Company Ltd., there was visible demand in the twowheeler segment. At TVS, he said, “Work is underway to build the desired ecosystem for the customer. There are a lot of concerns that the customer has.” “The customer of today is clear about not losing the advantages and or capabilities associated with the conventional
Atul Arya, Head Energy System Division, Panasonic India Lucas TVS e-rickshaw motor. www.autocomponentsindia.com
Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). This pandemic has made people travel more as isolated individuals which have resulted in two-wheeler sales booming,” he opined.
Priority focus areas
To tap the potential of this boom, for instance, TVS Motor is investing in optimising procurement of electronic components. It is also looking at enhancing the assembly and complex integration of battery packs, compact packaging of mechatronics, ensuring product longevity besides looking at efficient manufacture on the whole. On the need to address range anxiety, explained Dhinagar, “We all know how customers ply lesser relative to the battery charge at hand. Providing a high range battery pack despite the low distances covered translates to higher production costs and total cost of ownership.” Seeking government intervention to set up a seamless charging ecosystem, he said, it was theoretically possible to allay the fears of range anxiety. It would also help reduce the battery pack size.
Battery manufacture
On battery manufacture, Atul Arya, Head Energy System Division at Panasonic India stated that a battery is equivalent to the fuel tank of a conventional ICE vehicle. “It has always been a key focal point of discussion for many known reasons like the battery size itself evolving constantly. We are not just paranoid about the safety of battery we are paranoid may 2021 n auto components india
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Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Senior Vice President, Toyota India
The Panasonic EV charging service Nymbus will cater to the growing mobility market in India.
about the safety of a cell, and I think that’s an essential precondition for laying out a battery,” he explained. Reasoning that a cost objective alone cannot drive its development, he called for a need to create an ecosystem with safety as a top priority. Arya also urged the need to inculcate discipline at an early stage that India finds itself to be in. He projected that the incremental growth of several countries from 10-2030 per cent could in effect translate to a 1500 kWh demand for India by 2030. “If it continues to grow at about 100-120 times in a short period of 15 years, we will need an equally high proportion of raw material to cope with such a demand for which there is a need to diversify dependence from the select few raw materials today,” he opined.
New chemical compositions
On new chemical compositions, the stakeholders unanimously agreed to the new chemistry needing development time and hence an early start from the industry. Of the opinion that the need was not just to develop a chemistry, but also to test on crucial fronts like safety supported by a complete manufacturing ecosystem. Such a digress from conventions would in turn translate to the battery or cell design being re-imagined, again a time-consuming process. If the industry starts now, it is
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expected to take another two or three years for the proliferation of such new variants.
Alternative energy resources
On alternative energy resources, Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Senior Vice President at Toyota India said India, in comparison to countries like Norway, into renewable energy sources, would continue to rely on carbon-based electricity generation. Opined Gulati, in addition to the supply-side and demand-side incentives doled out by the government, the need was for shaping up a vibrant, local manufacturing ecosystem for Evs to be able to create an aggregate demand and sufficient visible order pipeline for investments to become viable.
Satya Gupta, Chairman, IESA
NXP Microcontroller
Microcontrollers
On the growing development in Microcontrollers, Satya Gupta, Cahirman at IESA, drew attention to electrical components playing a significant role. “In the last one year, there’s been a considerable interest in gallium nitride and silicon carbide technologies and their local manufacturing,” concluded Gupta. Calling the democratisation of the processor and digital processors an excellent use case for India, he also credited the feasibility to the growing access to technology and the cost
Anant Nahata, Managing Director, Exicom Group
www.autocomponentsindia.com
Picture Courtesy: Evplugincharge.com
Trending
EV charging station deployed by EVPlugin Charge.
reductions associated with the opensource processor architecture. In his experience with universities and startups, improvement in microcontrollers and underlying technologies is well on the cards for India.
Serviceability
On serviceability, the company as per Dhinagar is developing tools to help the industry mature. He advocated the need to ensure proximity of serviceability by the kerbside much like the case with the ICE counterparts, developed over the years to instil buyer confidence in electric vehicles. On the reusability of batteries, he called for the need to ensure battery repairs over the prevalent consideration of replacement. “When can we make the battery in the supply chain repairable so reusable?” he questioned. As a result,
he explained, the industry would not have to let go of the opportunity of using them for scenarios like in Battery Energy Storage Solutions (BESS). The country, he added, could expect to have a population of 30-40 million vehicles if it built the desired ecosystem in five to seven years.
Fast charging
On fast charging, Anant Nahata, Managing Director of Exicom Group, admitted to the need of having a robust charging infrastructure place. “Companies are already working on a range up to 500 km per charge with entry-level electric cars today offering a range of 250-300 kilometres up from the previous generation offering a 100-120 kms range,” he mentioned. Citing a bulk (80-85 per cent) of charging taking place at home today, opined Nahata, by end of 2021, there would be 50-100 fastcharging stations in every megacity of
India. Drawing attention to the success of the battery swapping model, reasoned Nahata, it was India specific. “There is no standardisation of electric vehicle sockets and connectors etc leading to people looking it swapping as a means to save on upfront capital,” he quipped. He equated standardisation of charging touchpoints as the founding stone for Evs to succeed. Swapnil Jain, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Ather Energy drew attention to the various permutations and combinations that were being studied before the product is finally optimised. Taking the example of Ather Energy, he concluded, the company was looking at multiple factors involving cost optimisation, attractive value additions and personalisation besides also looking at building a charging ecosystem such that the customer can charge midway and is freed up from concerns like range anxiety. ACI
Swapnil Jain, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Ather Energy Smart charging points installed by Ather energy www.autocomponentsindia.com
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Securing Manufacturing Sites With the country in the grip of the second wave of Covid-19, workplace safety is back in focus. Ashish Bhatia interacted with the team behind the DROR enterprise application. Built in collaboration with MetalMan Auto, it is aimed at securing manufacturing sites.
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t’s been over a year and worldwide countries continue to reel under the different waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. India is in the midst of dealing with a severe second wave and is said to be paying the price for letting the guard down. As we bravely learn to live with the virus, the return workplace safety is reigning as utmost import to organisations. Manufacturing units are no exceptions here! Following similar Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) devised around social distancing albeit their need for customised offerings were learnt off by the end of the first lockdown itself, in the first quarter of the fiscal (Q1FY2021). The DROR Enterprise application built in collaboration with New Delhi based MetalMan Auto Pvt. Ltd., among the first personal safety applications was built way back in 2018. Built as a personal safety app., then, the makers continued to adapt and fine tune the platform for emergency services and
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healthcare requirements circling around Covid-19. Averred Dhiraj Naubhar Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at DROR, the requirements were basic and not complicated from most of the manufacturing units. There is a layer of customisation with IoT capabilities over and above the tracking and tracing capability that is being demanded which we are working on for future iterations. However we are content in terms of being able to meet most operational requirements at manufacturers.”
Effective tool to secure manufacturing sites
In a testimony to the DROR Enterprise application being used as an effective tool at manufacturing sites, the application bagged the prestigious Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) recognition as the ‘Best Application and Uses of Digitisation for Human and Machine Safety’ at the CII Digitech Cluster of Technology Symposium 2020 late last year. The application according to Naubhar and Nishant Jairath, Director, Metalman Auto helps manufacturers focus on their core business and revenue generation aspects while the suite takes over their dispensation of responsibilities across realms like Covid-19 contract tracing saving up 1000’s of man hours; realtime social-distancing via the app., and the camera feed; contactless attendance; automated temperature checks; automated ticketing system; seat booking; housekeeping management and on-field sales management. The application is www.autocomponentsindia.com
Trending
claimed to be capable of driving effective decision making through the use of advanced data analytics it offers. With most manufacturing sites following practices similar to the Automotive Components Manufacturers Association (ACMA) issued SOP, Naubhar explained the need for a customised approach. He mentioned, “We realised that for somebody who’s in a manufacturing unit, the SOPs are a bit different as compared to conventional offices like the pure coworking spaces. It’s not significantly different. But everybody needs their own little bit of customisation.” “We had these customisation modules already in place, because we knew that different companies would ask for different sets of priorities like availability in vernacular and local languages. Then there are those asking for inclusions like an alarm which works as long as people in close proximity don’t switch them off,” he said. He also drew attention to preferences differing in terms of the nuances like different companies preferring different tones of the alarm. “We are able to handle those using various, you know, provisions enabling custom notifications,” he claimed. Besides in India where the situation continues to be grim, the company see’s opportunity with a clientele base in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe. Factoring in the customisation costs on the development side, the revenue www.autocomponentsindia.com
model is largely dependent on a one time customisation fee and a recurring monthly subscription in a bid to avoid burdening the customer with long term costs for the unforeseeable future. Add to it, the cost to the consumer is also driven by the choice of hardware like wristbands and thermal scanners among other opt-ins. On meeting the shopfloor requirements, added Jairath, the company has partnered with a sister concern company in real time location services for meeting the IoT based custom requirements like tracking the movement of forklifts etc.
Beyond the pandemic
Catering to domestic and export markets, the suite has opened a new stream of revenue generation for the company. Given that the revenue per client is obvious, it is expected to be a 50:50 focus,
he shared. Citing the companies looking at reducing outgoings and investing with an expectation on return on every rupee spent, Jairath explained, the company also faced the task of allaying employer fears enroute the full scale implementation. It included allaying fears of being tracked by the management and of intrusion into their personal space until they realised the value addition and the utilitarian perspective that the suite brought to the table. The prioritisation of health, quipped Jairqath, had changed for good, and so the company is confident of extending service to its clients beyond the pandemic through the inclusion of value additions in logistics management including geo-fencing and the provisions to align with the new normal at large. The effective communication mechanism at the heart of the device will continue to evolve for manufacturers on the whole. DROR, since August 18, 2018 has been in existence as a personal safety app with emergency service and healthcare facilities that helps citizens in distress by building a community based network so that they can ensure each other’s safety. It promotes women’s safety by leveraging technology and community insights to enable everyone in building a trustable community. The community based organisation is dedicated in creating a movement where it focuses on women and children’s safety for a better and safer India. With DROR, every individual is able to get help as well as rescue in just a click. The DROR app is available both on Android and iOS platforms. ACI
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nternational
New MAHLE Hydrogen Test Centre The new MAHLE test centre for hydrogen applications has been pressed into operation in Stuttgart.
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AHLE has pressed into operations a new test centre for hydrogen applications. Built on a 1,400 sq. m. site in Stuttgart, in Germany, the company has invested around euros two million and is already planning a further expansion. The rigs at the new centre will be used to test components for fuel cells and zero-emissions engines running on hydrogen in order to develop economical and robust system solutions for the automotive industry adding to the company’s strong expertise in the areas of air management, filtration, thermal management, and power electronics. An estimated 100 employees are said to be working on hydrogen-related projects at the technology group’s location. “Our new hydrogen test centre is an important step and another example of a successful transformation project by MAHLE,” says Dr. Martin Berger, Vice President Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering at MAHLE in the company release. “After all, testing at this location was so far linked to combustion engines only,” he adds. Notably, MAHLE has been a supplier for fuel cell vehicles for over a decade now. The test centre’s activities will focus on developing drive systems and components for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. At the group, the belief is strong that hydrogen in fuel cells
and combustion engines are an important contributor to sustainable transport. With this new test centre, the Stuttgart-based automotive supplier is looking at strengthening its research and development activities in the field. As a member of the Hydrogen Council, it is looking at promoting hydrogen technology in line with the global initiative known to consist of leading energy, transport, and industrial companies. The initiative advocates hydrogen as an essential element towards decarbonisation of the entire global economy. An international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry, the technology group is committed to playing an active role in transforming the mobility of the future by further optimising the combustion engine, driving forward the use of alternative fuels, and lay the foundation for the worldwide introduction of e-mobility and other alternative drives, such as fuel cells. The Group’s product portfolio addresses all the crucial aspects of the powertrain and air conditioning technology. In 2019, MAHLE generated sales of approximately Euro 12 billion and is represented in over 30 countries with more than 77,000 employees across 160 production locations and 16 research and development centres. ACI
From Diesel To Hydrogen Investment of around Euro 2 million with further expansion planned. Research into fuel cells and hydrogen-powered engines. Around 100 employees in Stuttgart work on solutions relating to hydrogen technology. MAHLE has been a supplier for fuel cell vehicles for more than ten years.
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World Car Design Of The Year 2021
The Land Rover Defender beat competition to win the coveted World Car Design of the Year title at the annual World Car Awards.
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t’s the third time Land Rover has claimed the coveted prize of ‘World Card Design of the Year’ following previous wins for Range Rover Velar (2018) and Range Rover Evoque (2012). The latest award adds to a growing tally of global awards for the new and rugged 4x4. Aimed at remaining true to the pioneering spirit, a Land Rover hallmark for over 70 years, the new Defender is aimed at redefining adventure for the 21st century. Available in a choice of body designs the Defender can be personalised with a choice of four accessory packs to help owners make the best use of their preferences. The World Car Design of the year prize recognises the most outstanding new car from the last 12 months and rewards vehicles demonstrating the highest standards of technical innovation and design. Land Rover Defender pushed the established boundaries. Averred Prof. Gerry McGovern OBE, Chief Creative Officer, Jaguar Land Rovers, “The new Defender is influenced by its past but is not constrained by it and we are delighted it has been honoured with this award. Our vision was to create a 21st century Defender by pushing the boundaries of engineering, technology and design while
auto components india n may 2021
retaining its renowned DNA and off-road capability. The result is a compelling 4x4 that resonates with customers on an emotional level.” This year, all the contenders competing in the other four award categories were eligible for the World Car Design of the Year prize. A panel of seven automotive design experts reviewed the contenders to establish a shortlist of recommendations for the jurors’ final vote, made by the 93 international journalists that comprise the jury panel. The design experts included Gernot Bracht (Germany – Pforzheim Design School), Ian Callum (United Kingdom – Director of Design, CALLUM), Gert Hildebrand (Germany – Owner Hildebrand-Design), Patrick le Quément (France – Designer and President of the Strategy Committee – The Sustainable Design School), Tom Matano (USA – Academy of Art University, Former Head of Design – Mazda), Victor Nacif (USA – Chief Creative Officer, Brojure.com and Design instructor, NewSchool of Architecture and Design) and Shiro Nakamura (Japan – CEO, Shiro Nakamura Design Associates Inc.) The experts at Euro NCAP awarded the Defender a maximum five-star safety rating. ACI
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