AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA NOVEMBER 2021 by Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd

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Vol 8 Issue 09

November 2021

COMPONENTS

INDIA

VOICE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS

MOBILISED EXCLUSIVE

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GoGoA1 EV Conversion Kit

REVIEWING PRODUCT LIFE CYCLES

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Cover Story Reviewing Product Life Cycles

In an effort to be more localised, agile, efficient and resilient to volatility, suppliers continue to review their product life cycles. Sumesh Soman looks at the building blocks of this constant journey of evolution.

06 Newscast l

Aaditya Thackeray visits EV manufacturers Saifur Rahman is the new IEEE President-Elect RBI continues accommodative stance Apollo All-wheel Fitment TBR VIL Athonet partner for Industry 4.0 trials Sona Comstar collaborates on magnetless e-motor IIT-Hyderabad signs MoU with ARAI Vitol to invest in EV mobility business ZF partners with KPIT on middleware Rane acquires steering components business MM Forgings acquires CAFOMA Autoparts Omega Seiki Mobility partners with Exicom kWh Bikes raises funds Tritons MoU with Telangana government New BKT manufacturing facility

November 2021

The Backbones Of Retail Mercedes-Benz shared the inner workings of its major rollout ROTF. Prateek Pardeshi checks the direct impact on the manufacturer’s production and the middleware as the backbones of future retail.

12 Mobilised

Electric Conversion Kits

26 Special Reads

From Steel to Aluminium: The brace for an enormous transition in EVs

28 Trending

10th VDMA Mechanical Engineering Summit

32 International

l Automotive Security Controller

l EU Components Of Road Safety

40 #Trendsmap

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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, Prateek Pardeshi Sumesh Soman Asst Art Director Ajit Manjrekar Production Supervisor Dinesh Bhajnik Publisher Marzban Jasoomani Associate Publisher & 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) Regional 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

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The role of 5G equipped facilities in future ventures will lead to interesting advancements. It will aid in enterprises realising enhanced efficiencies and attaining flexible product life cycles.

he world of Industry 4.0 is big. Every time I feel the industry has traversed it, there is a case study that crops up as a testimony to the room for improvement. Mass adoption of this holistic approach with advancements in technology across the upstream and downstream industries remains an ongoing exercise that companies continue to undertake. This makes the market of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) a coveted space. IIoT is projected to breach the USD 107.2 billion mark by 2027 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.30 per cent between 2021-27. Here big data, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning coupled with remote operations are expected to drive growth. The role of 5G equipped facilities in future ventures will lead to interesting advancements. It will aid in enterprises realising enhanced efficiencies and attaining flexible product life cycles. Robots are expected to become increasingly affordable, span a vast range and become easier to operate. This will continue to have quantifiable impacts on the bottomline. Ashish Bhatia Executive Editor | a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.net

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Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. does not take responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or other material. All material published in Auto Components India is copyright and no part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the express prior written permission of the publisher Printed by Marzban Jasoomani Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 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.

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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Aaditya Thackeray visits EV manufacturers Minister of Environment, Tourism and Protocol, Government of Maharashtra, Aaditya Thackeray visited EV manufacturers in the state. The minister visited the Kinetic Green plant at Pune. He lauded the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for bringing about a revolution in light green commute. Kinetic Green offers a wide range of EVs, from electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers for passenger and cargo applications to EVs for tourism. With an in-house government approved R&D centre, the EV manufacturer is said to focus on the design and development of a durable and affordable range. The minister also visited the test track and assembly line of Tata Motors. “It is so encouraging to see the rising demand for a vehicle made in India that matches global standards of quality, safety, electric mobility, affordability,” he is known to have expressed. Lauding the facility

for being environment friendly, the minister also participated in a sapling plantation drive. He committed to the resolve of aggressive implementation of the state’s EV policy wherein the state government is planning a series of stakeholder consultations for smooth

Saifur Rahman is the new IEEE President-Elect

Saifur Rahman, IEEE Life Fellow, is the 2022 IEEE President-Elect. Subject to pending acceptance of the IEEE Tellers Committee’s report by the IEEE Board of Directors on November 21-22, 2021, Rahman is expected to serve as the IEEE President on January 01, 2023. He will succeed 2022 IEEE President K.J. Ray Liu. He led the poll with 13,296 votes ahead of S. K. Ramesh (Nominated by IEEE Board of Directors) at 13,013 votes, Thomas M. Coughlin (Nominated by Petition) at 11,802 votes, and Francis B. Grosz (Nominated by IEEE Board of Directors) with a tally of 6308 votes.

AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n NOVEMBER 2021

implementation. He also reiterated the commitment of the state government to implement EV purchase schemes for various applications such as bus and car purchases and also electric vehicles for waste management as well as for tourism.

RBI continues accommodative stance

RBI continued with its accommodative stance. The repo rate stood unchanged at four per cent for the eighth time in a row. RBI also kept the reverse repo rate unchanged at 3.35 per cent. On behalf of the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), Shaktikanta Das, RBI Governor shared the GDP forecast for FY2021-22 projected to be 9.5 per cent. He added, “The MPC has also decided to continue with the accommodative stance as long as necessary to revive and sustain growth on a durable basis and to continue to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the economy while ensuring that inflation remains within the target”. RBI is known to have pumped in Rs.2.37 lakh crore liquidity into the financial system through the open market operations, in the first six months of FY2021-22. It comes against the Rs.3.1 lakh crore injected during FY2020-21. WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

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Apollo All-wheel Fitment TBR Apollo Tyres Ltd. has launched the EnduRace RAT. An allwheel fitment radial, the tyre is the new stepping stone for the OE to extend its lead in the truck and bus radial segment. Launched after a careful assessment of the commercial vehicle demand in the aftermath of the volatile quarters impacting business, the company also factored in the newfound growth in radialisation on steer axles. The accentuated demand brings with it new benchmarks of performance that the company had to deliver on. Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd. stated, “With the changing industry dynamics and customer expectations from the all-wheel segment, we have further improved our offering with EnduRace RAT. We are confident of extending our lead in the TBR segment in India with this new benchmark in performance tyres.”

Apollo Vredestein in India Apollo Tyres is backing up the truck and bus radials with grand plans in the passenger vehicle segment too. Following the July 2021 announcement of bringing in the premium brand of Vredestein tyres to India, the company has layed the groundwork for expansion. Neeraj Kanwar, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres said, “Vredestein is synonymous with premium styling and ultra high performance, which are the two most important factors considered by owners of luxury cars and superbikes. I am confident that, with Vredestein, a domestic international brand, we will become the dominant player in the luxury segment in India.” The Vredestein range will cater to the premium and luxury passenger cars segment on one end of the spectrum and the superbikes segment on the other end of the spectrum. Apollo Tyres will start off by offering the 15-20 inch tyres. Of these, the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti will be targeted at premium vehicles from manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Land Rover and Volvo. The Ultrac would cater to premium hatchback and sedans from OEMs like Honda, Maruti on models including the City, Ciaz and Baleno. Vredestein Centauro NS and ST, the two-wheeler tyre will cater to the entire sport touring and super sports range of motorcycles from BMW Motorrad, Ducati, Aprilia, Triumph, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha.

VIL Athonet partner for Industry 4.0 trials Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) recently announced its partnership with Athonet. The partners will test 5G-based solutions to build Industry 4.0. The scope of the partnership covers the demonstration of enterprise use cases on 5G in several areas including smart warehouse and smart workplace. It is expected to validate industrial use cases demonstrating high reliability, critical monitoring and control applications and will be backed by WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

the 5G spectrum allocated by the Department of Telecom (DoT), Government of India for establishing relevant use cases for India. Abhijit Kishore, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited, said, “Vi Business has a significant presence in enabling smart utility and smart infrastructure solutions to large and small enterprises. Our partnership with Athonet to demonstrate and validate 5G solutions is a critical step towards building Industry 4.0

use cases, which will be a significant growth driver of the digital economy in the future.” Claimed to be an endto-end IoT solution offering complete hardware, network, application, analytics, security and support, the Integrated IoT Solutions by Vi Business find applications across industries including in the smart mobility segment and Smart Utilities, on its 5G-ready network. The 5G trials setup is known to be out of Pune city. NOVEMBER 2021 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA

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Sona Comstar collaborates with on magnetless e-motor Sona Comstar has collaborated with Israel’s IRP to develop the magnetless e-motor for global markets. IRP in turn has unified with International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) to develop a new powertrain altogether. The collaboration marks the formation of a new business vertical dedicated to global markets. The partnership entails the production of low-cost magnetless powertrain (motor + controller) for electric twowheelers and three-wheelers globally. “The system developed through this partnership will be an environmentally

compatible and cost-effective solution that would ensure the security of natural resources by avoiding the use of rare earth elements,” opined Kiran Deshmukh, Chief Technology Officer at Sona Comstar. “We are excited to partner with a global, leading player such as Sona Comstar to bring the product to the mass market,” stated Moran Price, IRP Systems Co-founder, and Chief Executive Officer. IRP will licence its technology to Sona Comstar for exclusive manufacturing of the system in India. Its mass production is expected to begin in 2023.

IIT-Hyderabad signs MoU with ARAI Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad’s Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation (TiHAN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). The MoU has the two partnering in the field of India specific technology development, simulation, real-world verification and validation for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and on autonomous driving. “The collaboration will significantly contribute to safe as well as sustainable autonomous mobility solutions in the Indian context and provide greater insight into activities of TiHAN, along with the update on the testbed on autonomous navigations (aerial/ terrestrial) in the campus,” said Prof. P Rajalakshmi, Project Director, TiHAN at IIT Hyderabad. “The collaboration will further strengthen ARAI’s abilities and activities in the field of smart mobility as it has been looking for avenues to disseminate knowledge in a structured way and has been actively scouting for opportunities to offer joint programs,” stated Dr Reji Mathai Director, ARAI.

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Vitol to invest in EV mobility business Green energy financier Vitol has invested USD 50 mn in SUN Mobility to expand its presence across the core market including the markets where Vitol has a good hold. Andrew de Pass, Head of Renewables, Vitol Inc said, “With over 160 million two and three-wheeler vehicles in India, SUN Mobility’s model has significant potential. Electrifying the largest portion of India’s vehicle fleet through a flexible and cost-effective offering has the potential to reduce urban pollution.” “We look forward to working with SUN Mobility as they expand their footprint and deploy their compelling offering into other similar markets with the help of Vitol’s global downstream footprint,” he added. The battery swapping system introduced by SUN mobility is claimed to reduce the overall cost of ownership. SUN Mobility has deployed its offering across 15 cities in its core market of India and plans to expand into other fast-growing markets and sectors, such as last-mile delivery in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

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ZF partners with KPIT on middleware ZF Group and KPIT announced their partnership on an industry-leading middleware solution targeted at the mobility ecosystem. As technology advances, the continual increase in software complexity with highperformance computing infrastructure has given rise to the need for a robust and dependable middleware solution. The lack of such a solution, it is said, can potentially delay vehicle development besides escalating the technology-related outflows. Explains Dr Dirk Walliser, SVP Corporate Research and Development at ZF Group, “Using what we jointly develop with KPIT, we can offer our automotive customers even more comprehensive software solutions that fit seamlessly together with our system portfolio for the software-defined vehicle: highperformance computing, software, intelligent sensors and smart actuators.” By leveraging the domain expertise of

KPIT and existing infrastructure, the middleware will be developed based on several production programs. The

middleware acts as a mediator between the vehicle’s operating system and its software application.

Rane acquires MM Forgings steering components acquires CAFOMA business Autoparts Rane (Madras) Ltd. (RML) has acquired the steering components business of Yagachi Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (YTPL) of the Hical Group. The Board of Rane approved the acquisition on October 13 at an estimated valuation of Rs.25 crore, in an all-cash component transaction as per a SEBI filing. The takeover is expected to be completed by December 2021. “The acquisition of the steering components business of Yagachi will enhance Rane’s leadership position and share in the domestic passenger vehicle market. It will provide an opportunity to enter the export vehicle platforms for new geographies,” stated Harish Lakshman, Vice-Chairman, Rane Group, in the company statement. SCB produces steering and suspension components such as inner ball joints (IBJ) and outer ball joints (OBJ). Its customers include Mando India, who serve original equipment manufacturers such as Hyundai, Kia, and Mahindra to name a few.

AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n NOVEMBER 2021

MM Forgings Ltd. has fully acquired Cafoma Autoparts Pvt. Ltd. for a valuation of Rs.33 crore (including a subordinate debt of rupees five crore). Expected to aid in reaching the production milestone of 60,000 machined crankshafts, per month, the combined entity is expected to become a full-fledged supplier of machined crankshafts to multiple sectors including automotive, commercial vehicles, exports, farm equipment besides industrial and marine applications among others. CAFOMA has a capacity to produce 15,000 crankshafts per month and is presently machining 5,000 crankshafts per month on a job work basis. The company added, it is also expanding its machining capacity of crankshafts to 25,000 crankshafts per month in South India. WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

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Omega Seiki Mobility partners with Exicom Omega Seiki Mobility Pvt. Ltd. (OSM), a subsidiary of the Anglian Omega Group, has announced a collaboration with Exicom Tele-systems to supply lithium-ion batteries for Omega Seiki’s extensive line of electric cargo vehicles. Speaking on the partnership, Uday Narang, Founder and Chairman, Omega Seiki Mobility, said, “We are elated to partner with Exicom Tele-systems as they share same values as of OSM, by creating Made-In-India and Made-forIndia products”. “This partnership is giving new hopes for the future of the EV ecosystem in India,” he added further.

Offered for all types of vehicles, the Exicom Tele system Li-ion batteries are affordable. According to the partnership, Exicom will be supplying its recently launched 10.8 kW fixed batteries. These batteries will give a range of 120 km on a full charge and added features of real time battery analytics, long cycle life, high environment protection and will come with a rugged design. It also marks the commercial launch of Exicom Telesystems flagship Battery Management System (BMS), Exicom “Mexx,” which has features such as safety, accuracy, SoX prediction algorithms, and many

more that provide users with the desired performance and safety.

kWh Bikes raises funds Tritons MoU with Telangana government The Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler startup has raised USD two million in a seed round led by Let’s Venture. The funds, it is said, will be parked for transition of the prototype into production. It will also be allocated to expanding Research and Development (R&D) across various EV components like battery, BMS, VCU, and the motors. The company says that the e-scooter will be equipped with a strong steel chassis, and offer a 150 km range on a single charge. Siddharth Janghu, CoFounder and Chief Executive Officer, kWh Bikes said, “The fact that we are a vertically integrated and not an assembled product, helps us get superior performance and in the long-term, that is what will matter. The best product will win, and we are confident about that being ours.” The start-up aims to introduce its product for the B2B market first before venturing into the retail space.

Triton Solar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Telangana government to set up an Electric Vehicle plant in the state. With an investment of around Rs. 2,100 crore, the manufacturing unit targets to employ more than 25,000 employees and produce around 50,000 vehicles over the first five years. Reports claim that the plant will manufacture semi-trucks, sedans, luxury SUVs, and rickshaws. This ultra-modern facility will be situated at NIMZ, Zaheerabad. Narasimha Reddy, Managing director of Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) with the Triton team visited the land location where the facility is set to be situated.

New BKT manufacturing facility Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) has inaugurated its new manufacturing facility in Maharashtra. The state-ofthe-art facility is spread across an area of over 22 acres. Situated at Waluj in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, the new facility is built at an investment WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

of around USD 56 million. The facility will produce medium and smalldiameter tyres which are designed for machinery in the agricultural and industrial industries. With an annual production capacity of around 30,000 MT of off-highway tyres, the new

Greenfield plant is located at a distance of about five kilometres from BKT’s first facility in Waluj. Aiming to expand its presence in the off-highway market, the company is looking at increasing its production and making it more efficient. NOVEMBER 2021 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA

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EV Aspirations

In an upfront interaction, Shrikant Shinde, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GoGoA1 shared with Prateek Pardeshi the company’s disruptive plans and EV aspirations.

Q. Give us an insight into the business of EV conversion kits. How did GoGoA1 handle Covid-19? A.We started working in the supply and manufacturing of electric components industry in 2011. There was no awareness on electric vehicles, so we started off with building an e-rickshaw. Delhi had e-rickshaws in ‘custom clearance’, therefore we ordered it in Mumbai, but then we needed certification as it was mandatory. For that certification, the government didn’t have norms in place. They couldn’t test the vehicle, so we had to send back the container. On reaching there a 60 per cent duty was levied. We had to drop that and we faced an estimated loss of Rs.70 lakh and that was a major setback. We then ordered individual components, which were majorly

AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n NOVEMBER 2021

focused on parts needed by engineering students across India for their projects. Till 2015 we continued this business and had a good hold on the establishment of components. We had sourced components keeping in mind the students from an engineering and IIT background and their projects. We had to either order such products or had to develop them. We eventually formed a hub for all electric vehicle components. After such a huge demand we started going online in 2015, and we started promoting and expanding GoGoA1. We got our hands on a new product called a self balancing scooter, something very similar to hoverboard or segways. We then started importing them. We saw the potential of this product and opened a manufacturing

facility in China. The company existing there had a complete 100 per cent ownership. We started manufacturing hoverboards and segways there with a business model catering to domestic and international markets as well. We made good business in these three years and the losses were recovered. In 2018, we started with motor manufacturing in-house in China. Further we started an establishment in India, in 2019. We also ventured in the education sector via GoGoA1 foundation wherein we tied-up with universities, encouraged startups, and started supplying components to entrepreneurs and OEMs alike. Our major focus was on manufacturing drivetrain for EVs. My expertise is in motor manufacturing, and I had to bring in a variety of motors. Thus we WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

Upfront

handed over the China plant to our other team, and started collaborating with other well known brands such as YM motors. We work as a collaboration in the domestic market, and we manufacture components needed by India and import if few parts are needed. In 2019, we started manufacturing major components of EVs in India, such as chassis and wiring harnesses. Recently we started planning on manufacturing motors here in India, and we expect that work to start by December 2021. Motors and controllers are the main parts, and we already have a good will in this sector. Q. Is there a need to create a greater awareness on EVs in India? A. There is lack of knowledge on EVs. WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

Government needs to do a lot more too. Even though many industries have the solution they won’t disclose for the fear of losing business. We took the initiative of spreading awareness so we all progress together in this field. If we don’t do it today, some or the other foreign company will get the early mover’s advantage. We have two major revolutions, the engine is replaced by

a motor, and the other is the induction motor replaced by magnet motors. In such a transformation phase its necessary to take active initiatives. Every revolution has a major reason behind it. In every technical revolution when efficiency is increased there is a revolution. Initially we had conventional bulbs now they are replaced with tube lights

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further replaced by CFL bulbs which are now replaced with LED bulbs. These too will be replaced. Similarly the engine gives 30-35 per cent of efficiency and the motors give 80-85 per cent of efficiency. We see a huge difference in efficiency. Q. Is the EV industry still at a nascent stage in India? A. The phase from 2021 to 2025 will be the establishment phase. There are a lot of experiments going on. In India we are currently facing two major challenges. In India we see every vehicle as a “jeevansathi” whereas in other countries vehicles are used for two to three years just like a toy. In India we use the vehicle for over 15 years then we re-register it and use it for an additional 20-25 years until the spare part availability is a

problem. Until we have the spare part availability, the existing model will remain successful in India. All the components are manufactured or imported. Providing after sales service and spare part availability is a major chunk. You can see many OEMs, almost 80 per cent of them have left the country because they cannot provide after sales service. Auto companies deliver the finished product and the customer is dependent on the dealer for spare part availability. The dealer is dependent on the manufacturing company dependent on imports which in turn rely on a Chinese company. In China, nobody makes spare parts for vehicles which are over three years old. In this business model the company is not making profit the dealer is not satisfied as well nor

the customer is not satisfied. The solution to address all these problems is to have a production line in India and make products using Indian manufactured spare parts. Since EV is a sensitive topic many major players avoid venturing at an early stage as a number of experiments are going on. They might venture in the latter half of the revolution by 2024-2025. So the people who started in 2021 might exit the market by 2025. On that account in India the EV industry is not yet full-fledged. Since it is the very initial stage we focused on the conversion kit. By using conversion kits the vehicle is already in a running condition and the spare parts are already available. For the main parts such as the hub motor battery, etc the services will be provided by us for all the partners or the franchisees who are associated with GoGoA1. In our franchise market we train them with our expertise and then allow them to open a facility. By doing this we address the solution to the problem of service. We aim to provide a conversion kit for various models in the coming one to one and a half year with an RTO approval. Q. Tell us about your electric components and rooftop solar charging stations? A. For EV charging we can rely on solar energy. We have developed some flexible solar panels for charging stations. Solar panels are developed in India. We have also started developing agricultural products for farmers. We have charging stations that are powered by renewable sources such as solar which is easy for them. We have also started a battery swapping system to charge batteries. Q. You also have a product for farmers ‘Electric Two Wheel all in one Tractor’. A. For all the products which GoGoA1 provides, we have standardised all the components. We provide the same motor controller and battery, for

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Upfront Splendor and Activa, tractor, threewheeler and four-wheeler as well. By doing this we don’t need to stock up more inventory as all the spare parts needed are the same. Components such as the BLDC motor, controllers don’t need maintenance either. We use standards followed by other foreign OEMs. So basically these products don’t need high maintenance but for routine maintenance and problems, it can be locally addressed. To avoid mechanical problems we have incorporated simple designs. We provide franchise options for every pin code. We train them in service and only then allow a franchise. Our main focus is to provide service locally and then the business growth will take place automatically. Q. In IC engines throttle is directly proportional to fuel consumption. It is the same with EV from the charge perspective. In farming the power requirement is much higher too. Do you see it resulting in a significant energy loss? A. When we develop a product we aim to use limited capacity of the overall

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the starting components. Once that segment is stable, then we venture into the manufacturing processes. Since 2019 our major focus has been education training for survival and to be able to offer components at a competitive price. As the business grows, volumes will increase allowing us to benefit from economies of scale.

output off the motor. Agricultural products which have a rated capacity of 30A and that tractor on highest load will account for 20-23A current withdrawal. So this helps us to retain the components even if someone uses the EVs roughly or overloads them. Q. Do you have any patents? A. We have the design patent and other process patents which will be completed in two to three months. We already have the patent for components even though we have patents for kits. Q. How do you align your investments with the returns? A. Basically our survival was based on

Q. We also came across a recent venture ‘GoGo Motors Indonesia’. What is it all about? A. We have a new company formation over there with the vision that we are educators, innovators, and accelerators of the 21st century. We want to form a worldwide connection by 2040. Thus we started with China. We are now in India and then we start with Indonesia. The company formation has already been done but due to the pandemic it will kick start only by next year, when we expect operations to commence. Our next aim is the Philippines because if we cover these four countries then we cover almost 60 per cent of the population globally. ACI

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Electric Conversion Kits Retrofitting conventional vehicles with EV conversion kits is fast catching up. Prateek Pardeshi looks at among the first such RTO approved kit by GoGoA1.

he acquisition costs of EVs continue to be a deterrent for buyers. Battery costs have cooled down but yet to make a strong case for EV manufacturers. The wait for economies of scale and breaking even on investments continues for new entrants. Until such time, alternatives continue to brew and flood the market. GoGoA1, one such disruptor in the EV space, has registered several patents. The startup has gone on to commercialise India’s first Regional Transport Office (RTO) approved electric conversion kit for two-wheelers on a Hero Honda Splendor. Shrikant Shinde, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GoGoA1 shared, “Many regions today have an authorised conversion centre for two-wheelers backed by the RTO approvals. Since everything happens legally, the private white number plate is converted to green number plate post the successful installation of the conversion kit.” This benefit could soon be experienced by four-wheeler owners. GoGoA1, according to Shinde, is also in the development and approval phase for retrofitting four-wheelers with its electric conversion kits.

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Retrofitted EVs

GoGoA1 has bypassed the anxiety around initial high acquisition costs associated with an EV. It is banking on the proof of knowledge on low running costs to lure its customers. The fuel price hikes in the last fiscal have made a strong case for the company’s offerings. So has the RTO approval that makes it a legitimate and a safe custom modification. Shinde claimed, “The motor is IP67 rated. To test it, a water container is used from the shaft from a 15 cm height. The motor is placed underwater for 60 minutes before it’s brought back to the surface for testing.” He added that the cycle has undergone multiple iterations with tests carried out on the hub motor. In effect, the motor can be safely used in Mumbai’s heavy monsoons. “You can wash the vehicle with a high-pressure water pump and it will provide maximum safety without damaging the hub motor,” he quipped. Shinde, however, cautioned on the use in flooded regions and the scenario of the hub motor being submerged beyond 24 hours causing damage. Speaking on the application on two-wheelers, where the conversion kit is fitted on the Hero

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Mobilised Honda Splendor, Shinde revealed that the motor is at the heart of any EV. The company was challenged with the task of developing the motor, in-house and with limited resources. Here, the company, according to Shinde, banked on its previous experiences and knowledge repository of developing motors. “After a number of attempts and experiments the electric motor was finally developed. This motor is tested for over 70,000 km in real world scenarios,” he claimed. The motor has been approved and tested at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). The test resulted in a 72 V, 40Ah battery pack. The motor is claimed to offer a range capacity of 151 km on a single charge. With a 2000W rating, it offers a peak rated torque of 67000 Nm. The motor can be pushed to attain a top speed of 65 kmph with a consumption of 19W per kilometre making it an efficient, flagship motor across the GoGoA1 product range. The controller is also IP67 rated. It is based on a vector controller that allows the user to use a variable frequency based on the motor in use. This is based on sine wave control unlike ordinary controllers where the Brushless DC

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Testing And Approval Of Kits

The conversion kits are approved by ARAI and authorised by the RTO. The conversion kits have to undergo a barrage of tests to make the cut. The kit is tested with multiple media like oil, soap, and battery acid. It undergoes a submersion test for 24 hours followed by a vibration test, for instance. Once the ARAI approval is obtained, every component is individually approved by the RTO. This is followed by a final approval on the vehicle as a whole. The company is claimed to have got the approval for the Hero Honda Splendor and is aiming to have the approval in place for the kit fitted on the Hero Honda Passion. Every model will need individual approvals to make the cut. The process is claimed to be a long one and costs on the higher side for the company. Besides approvals, permissions are required from every state’s designated RTO as a mandate. Once all approvals are passed by the local RTO, they are directed to a central board. Notably, GoGoA1 spent three years in the initial days. (BLDC) electric motor is paired with square wave controllers. On the whole, the conversion kit comprises of a motor, controller, battery pack to name a few components. Notably, the kit is universal and stays the same for owners across the Splendor to the Royal Enfield Bullet up the order with the exception of the output made to suit to the duty cycle. To convince customers, GoGoA1 said Shinde has carried out in-depth tests on the retrofitted two-wheelers. For example, the Splendor which has

a carrying capacity of 200 kg, and a payload capacity of 300 kg (inclusive of the vehicle weight at 150 kg) on retrofitting, is claimed to match the performance output of its ICE avatar. Having considered all the above mentioned weight parameters, the vehicle is claimed to have delivered the same power output as its predecessor even with an increase in the payload up to 450-500 kg. Besides performance output, it also aids in light-weighting as the original engine weight of 20-25 kg is subtracted from the new equation. This is said to multiply the efficiency manifold. In doing so, customers stand to gain on fronts like mileage, and acceleration. GoGoA1 is offering a three-years warranty on its battery packs. The warranty on other parts is inclusive of a three years service warranty. It includes a waiver on cost of labour and NOVEMBER 2021 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA

obilised

is exclusive of actuals like the cost of replacement for damaged components.

The business scope

GoGoA1 is confident of expanding its footprint from fitting electric conversion kits in two-wheelers. The company is also known to have a lineup for three-wheelers. In the coming year, it is expected to commercialise electric conversion kits for cars too. In the latter case, its challenges include powering the auxiliaries like the power steering and the HVAC. In its current state, the kit is known to meet 70 per cent

of the system requirements. It is also leveraging the dependency of nine other OEMs on the company to in turn meet their drivetrain requirements with the help of GoGoA1. Expecting the next three to four years to be a brewing ground for conversion kits in the absence of a mass economy in the EV segment, Shinde cited the potential to reduce parts dependency and meet the demands of serviceability in the case of retrofits. Given that cost depreciations of EVs are as high as 9095 per cent in a five year life cycle, the company expects to benefit from the tailwinds.

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As a self-funded startup, GoGoA1, as per Shinde, is harbouring ambitions of getting listed in the next half a year or so. By 2025 it aspires to turn into a larger group or a conglomerate with interests in spheres of education and creating awareness on emobility. It is also banking on a strong franchise network with over 50 franchises known to have been registered pan India. For all the franchise owners GoGoA1 provides options including partnering for installation of the conversion kit, battery sharing and leasing, building the vehicle ground up and leasing it besides the option of building the vehicle ground up for sale to GoGoA1. “The ultimate selling point of GoGoA1 is the customisation carried out on each model which is highly appreciated. GoGoA1 can provide a platform, depending upon your interest. People with similar interests can plug-in and grow together with us,” Shinde concluded. ACI WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

over Story

Reviewing Product Life Cycles In an effort to be more localised, agile, efficient and resilient to volatility, suppliers continue to review their product life cycles. Sumesh Soman looks at the building blocks of this constant journey of evolution.

product in its life cycle has to transition multiple layers from concept to commercialisation. It’s this journey that has been a subject of evolution ever since industrialisation is known to man. The manufacturers have set the bar high for themselves, at times driven by internal driving forces and on other instances by external forces beyond control. Undeniably, the industry has lapped digitisation and digitalisation. Two different sides of the

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same coin, it is the latter, however, that takes much doing. Digitalisation translates to the conversion of erstwhile analogue business processes to digital processes powered by Industry 4.0. This evolution has seen greater adoption of technology to make traditional manufacturing and industrial practices more relevant and profitable. It supersedes all especially at a time when the government is looking to make India an integral part of the global supply chain. This has opened doors

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over Story

for global best practices to make inroads into the country. At a recent industry conclave, Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer at NITI Aayog said, “Globally, automakers are moving very fast in incorporating digital and analytics in their day-to-day operations. As manufacturing philosophy expands from Just-In-Time (JIT) to JustIn-Case (JIC), companies can grow faster by leveraging data analytics and digital tech.”

JIT TO JIC

A tough fiscal that has gone by forced the industry to review production life cycles. From erstwhile JIT processes, the suppliers have adapted to JIC processes. Most are working with a crucial stockpile to hedge against unforeseen disruptions to their supply chains in order to meet the demands on the supply-side and the demand-side. Turning back the clock, the industry has come full circle to creating products in advance and at times in excess of the demand. Contradicting the principles of lean production, it is found to minimise the risk of the product running out of stock. It is deemed as a suitable strategy to

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Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer at NITI Aayog

overcome ground-zero challenges like predicting consumer demand and or tackling demand surges when least predicted.

Minimising human intervention

Automation in manufacturing has more pros than cons. Apart from sparing the blue-collared workforce of mundane tasks, it adds a cushion of safety at the shopfloor level. It is known to collaborate with the workforce as cobots thereby enhancing production outputs and reducing

Deepak Jain, Chairman and Managing Director at Lumax Industries Ltd (Ex-President, ACMA)

turnaround times. Crucial to order fulfilment for any supply chain, be it upstream or downstream. For example, for a components supplier, it is important to have an efficient downstream supply chain in order to supply to its manufacturer in turn. Today systems allow for realworld simulation and prepare contingency plans for various use-case scenarios beforehand. It is known to help in alleviating the risk quotient associated with the real world. The contingency plan with efficient workflows leads to lesser wastage and higher Return on Investment (RoI). Deepak Jain, Chairman and Managing Director at Lumax Industries Ltd (Ex-President, ACMA) voiced his opinion on the industry needing government support to allow the automotive sufficient time for such a transition. He called it critical for the survival and competitiveness of the industry. En route to higher localisation levels, Kant advocated for the need to derisk supply chains. He called for the need to plan ahead for localising machined components, lightweight polymer-based and BSVI components over the next few quarters. WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

Cover Story was extended to immersive virtual reality being used for maintenance and serviceability. The outcome involved an upfront validation of the design for serviceability. The automotive industry could take cues from the NAL programs to deliver aircraft on time and on budget through the said digital transformation.

Defence: A Case Study Shingo Konomoto, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Nomura Research Institute, Japan

Aviation: A Case Study

Aviation is a subset of the automotive universe. Experts agree that the best practices of aviation can well make in-roads into automotive components manufacturing. Known to lead the advancements and adoption of best practices, it makes for a good case study for the components manufacturers including the tier suppliers. At an industry conclave, Jitendra Jadhav, Director of CSIRNational Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) shared the outcome of a collaboration with Dassault Systemes. Claimed Jadhav, a

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Sanjay Chakraborty, Chief Information Officer, Larsen and Toubro Defence

system evaluation was enough to be able to incorporate an improved cabin layout, and passenger comfort and safety. In another case study, he shared how anthropometry studies helped in the reduction of design cycle times. It led to a minute evaluation of parameters like pilot reachability for cockpit instruments and mechanical controls, for example. In yet another case study, it was revealed how an outside pilot vision field assessment led to the incorporation of design changes based on observed vision loss and ensuring an adequate vision for safe runway operations. The case study

At Larson & Toubro (L&T) Defence, the defence business is spread out to verticals like Weapons & Engineering Systems, Guns, Missiles and Armoured Systems, Submarines and Underwater Platforms, and Shipbuilding. The company has come a long way from using Computer-Aided Design using Catia for generations of drawings and models in 1996 to 3D Visualisation and laser-based meteorology in 2004. From using online design management and workflows in 2006, the company graduated to the complete ‘Digital Experience’ in 2017. This transformation led to mobility at work, digitalisation, workplace automation and analytics and visualisation. By 2019, the pyramid had a building block of a digital read infrastructure supporting a digital application ecosystem and meeting the objective of a datadriven organisation. PLM process revamp was a crucial inclusion here. Fast forward to 2020, the company expanded to incorporate integrated production planning, integrated quality management, a connected supply chain, a single comprehensive platform with CAD tool integrations, and datadriven decision making. Shingo Konomoto, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Nomura Research Institute, Japan opined, “The future of mobility in India will need a focus on afford-ability, accessibility and integration.” ACI NOVEMBER 2021 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA

over Story

The Backbones Of Future Retail Mercedes-Benz shared the inner workings of its major rollout ROTF. Prateek Pardeshi checks the direct impact on the manufacturer’s production and the middleware as the backbones of future retail.

uying a vehicle has been a task until now! It includes several layers requiring in-person meets to cover quotation, vehicle availability, choice limitation, waiting periods, test drives to ascertain the choice and whatnot. The last fiscal has seen Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) adopt a singlewindow model and digitise the whole experience. Mercedes-Benz has gone a step beyond. Sensing the changing customer needs, the company, in India, rolled out its much-anticipated Retail Of The Future (ROTF) platform. Tested globally across markets like Sweden, Austria and South Africa it aims to bring about a digital revolution with the support of a well-oiled backend making India the fourth such market. For those needing time to get accustomed, ROTF is also made available offline with the processes unchanged irrespective of the medium. According to Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, the ultimate objective is to offer the customer an integrated digital experience. “We are proud to implement the ROTF in India after successfully establishing a robust digital backbone, which will support

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this significant transition in our retail business,” Schwenk stated.

The pillars of ROTF

India is the first country globally to get the ROTF for a Completely Knocked Down (CKD) driven market. The five pillars of ROTF consist of ‘Quotation’, ‘Order Booking’, ‘Order Finalisation’, ‘Invoicing’, and ‘Handover’. The backbone of the front-end which entails offering the customer a quote and the interface to book the vehicle is dependent on ‘Order Booking’, ‘Finalisation’ and ‘Invoicing’ at the backend of this gigantic retail exercise. When a customer logs in to the ROTF interface, at the point of booking, on finalising the model of his or her choice, the interface seeks a booking amount of Rs.50,000 (completely refundable at any stage without any cancellation charge) and blocks the vehicle for 14 days in the name of the customer on the basis of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The customer is given a complete freehand in terms of leveraging the loyalty programmes and or choosing the franchise partner.

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Cover Story

A One Time Password (OTP) is generated at the time of booking called Declaration of Consent (DOC). Customer privacy is at the forefront of this process and the customer is offered hand-holding at every step. The process is further sealed with an additional security layer of a digital signature for verification and validation. Notably, at the backend, ‘Order Finalisation’ requires the customer to produce valid documents for the same digitally. At this stage, the customer is synced with the production status with a tentative handover date locked in the system. With demand claimed to outdo supply as of current, it is said to streamline the process using the tools of softwaredefined production systems under the realm of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Besides offering flexibility in finance, at the backend, the OEM at the ‘Handover’ stage involves the VAHAN portal registration ahead of the customer handover. This is also synced to the ‘Handover App.’. The handover is followed by an in-person from a Mercedes-Benz India executive to help familiarise the customer with his or her new purchase.

Shopfloor link

A major initiative in their 27-year old WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

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over Story

legacy of the Mercedes-Benz business in India, the ROTF has a direct bearing on the shopfloor process back at the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant. With the likes of AMG and the S-Class localised, it has heightened the pace of activity at the shop floor level. Furthermore, ROTF in effect has connected the manufacturing plant at the backend with the front end of the entire customer retail experience. Using IIoT, Mercedes-Benz India has been able to drive a V-shaped recovery and a strong Q32022 performance. While disrupting the luxury auto retail, it has been able to re-imagine the role of the back end driven by the production. Building on the success in online sales known to contribute over 20 per cent of the entire sales, the OEM is claimed to have built a transparent system that not only avoids loopholes such as discrepancy in prices but critically helps avoid delayed delivery timelines. Confident of growing sales through this medium, Mercedes-Benz has launched 13 new products in

India, produced from the Chakan, Pune facility which is known to be stateof-the-art. Among new technological innovations are the use of robots and AR/ VR-based training modules. Schwenk revealed that the company pumped in Rs.600 mn in the most comprehensive cross-functional project. It entailed 99,210 man-hours with a workforce of 175 plus pan India. The intense exercise was spread over a period of 24 months across three countries. Besides India, MercedesBenz Germany and Singapore were part of the entire exercise. The production facility of Mercedes-Benz India is backed by Rs.2,200 crore investment

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with the largest installed production capacity. Suppliers play a crucial role here. Material is sourced from different parts of the world over in sync with the ROTF. It is known to be directed to the production network and the finished vehicle. For instance, the supply of components to the plants is coordinated by an inbound logistics planner. For example, there is a logistics planner for just the engines. It entails optimal planning of the entire supply chain including monitoring the supply streams and the cost compliance of the inbound logistics. In comparison to the traditional model, the company is expected to be able to overcome high inventory cost, high-cost structure, limitations on the availability of vehicles and tide over the high risks associated with the nature of the business. It also reduces the risk quotient for the dealer partners. Mercedes-Benz India is able to maintain a centralised national stock, and work with a central order management system with complete transparency. ACI WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

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pecial Reads

From Steel To Aluminium: The Brace For An Enormous Transition In EVs Deepak Mathur, Sr. Vice President, Global Marketing and Sales at Jindal Aluminium Limited highlights the role of aluminium in EV manufacturing.

s a metal, aluminium is not new to the auto industry. It’s over a century since the first sports car featuring an aluminium body premiered at the Berlin International Motor Show in 1899. It has proven itself to be a universally versatile metal. What interests the EV manufacturers about aluminium over steel are its sustainable nature, light-weighting capabilities, and energy efficiency. The announcement of state-level policies partnering India’s climate change commitments to reduce emission intensity by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels has set the ball rolling for the adoption of EVs (Electric Vehicles). India’s commitment to go green during the COP21 Summit held in Paris makes it pertinent to introduce alternative mobility methods. The announced policies and regulations for the manufacture and sale of EVs by different state governments are very encouraging. And with a constant push from the Government of India, it is estimated that India will be one of the largest markets for EVs by 2040. A catalyst making this objective possible is ‘aluminium’.

Emerging Challenges

When we look at automobile manufacturing, metals used as raw materials are examined for strength and resistance. The popularity of steel is due to its easy availability, cost-effectiveness. However, as the world transitions from internal combustion engines to EVs, searching for a stronger yet lighter metal has led to aluminum. It is a metal that also offers several other benefits like being circular in nature and can play a vital role in ensuring electric mobility plans are a success. Aluminium is known not just for enhancing energy efficiency but also for reducing carbon emissions. It reduces vehicular weight helping in smoother acceleration boosting the performance, safety, efficiency, and durability of an electric vehicle, besides rendering several benefits that include protecting our environment.

AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n NOVEMBER 2021

Immense Benefits

In present-day automobile manufacturing, aluminium is the second most used material next to steel. A kilogram of aluminium can replace two kilograms of steel or cast iron. That is the kind of benefit that the industry wants to make use of, as it braces for an enormous transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles. With electric mobility gaining speed and its wide adoption eventually reducing vehicle emissions, the materials used for manufacturing will remain a critical part of the process. And given the versatile use of aluminium, this can go beyond the WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

Special Reads

production phase to actual vehicle use and associated infrastructure. Currently, the automobile industry uses aluminium to manufacture frames and bodies, electrical wiring, brakes system, air conditioner condenser, and many other components. Given aluminium’s performance, safety, environmental benefits, fuel efficiency, and durability, estimates in the public domain suggest that for every 10 lakh electric vehicles sold, the aluminium demand will be 2.5 lakh tons, with average content of 250 kg/EV.

Creating an Ecosystem

The versatile use of aluminium takes it beyond the manufacturing of components WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

Deepak Mathur, Sr. Vice President, Global Marketing and Sales at Jindal Aluminium Ltd.

for electric vehicles. The transition to EV’s also finds a role for aluminium in the associated infrastructure needed for the success of these vehicles. For example, batteries, charging stations, and battery casings put together, are expected to increase the usage of aluminium up to 80 kilogram per vehicle on average. Today, downstream aluminium is working to make the best alloys and solutions available to meet the EV manufacturing requirements for both vehicles and associated charging infrastructure. It will increase its usage per vehicle and fulfil Global goals of using EVs made sustainably for a cleaner future. ACI NOVEMBER 2021 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA

rending

10th VDMA Mechanical Engineering Summit The VDMA Mechanical Engineering Summit marked a decade of existence with industry experts looking back at unprecedented challenges and discussing green shoots. Deepti Thore and Sumesh Soman report on the key findings.

H 28

Held on October 08, 2021, the 10th VDMA Mechanical Engineering Summit witnessed participation from over 250 delegates from across 17 cities pan India. Hosted in Bengaluru, the annual flagship event of VDMA India had mechanical engineering in the limelight. Taking a backseat with the advent of electrical and electronics engineering finding many takers as the world transitions

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to emobility, mechanical engineering is still worshipped by the purists in the automotive industry. On the agenda were burning issues like the Indo-German relations and the need for business synergies and government support; Transformation of manufacturing in India; Increasing protectionism in the US-ChinaEU triangle; Investment opportunities and new initiatives to enhance the development

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Trending of manufacturing in Karnataka, and Emerging opportunities with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. The summit also touched upon government incentives and subsidies, ease of doing business in the state of Tamil Nadu, digitalised future for the industrial ecosystem, and digital transformation on the shop floor.

Emerging stronger after a tough fiscal

Setting the tone of the day, Rajesh Nath, Managing Director, VDMA India expressed a sense of relief with the tough fiscal on the cusp of fading out. Averred Nath, “India is sustaining a V-shaped recovery after the first wave and the combined index of eight core industries stood at 133.5 in August 2021, an increase of 11.6 per cent as compared to August 2020.” He drew attention to India’s progress from an economy of scarcity in 1991 to an economy

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of sufficiency in 2021. “India has to transform itself into an economy of sustainable abundance and equitable prosperity by 2051,” he stated. Kamal Bali, President And Managing Director at the Volvo Group, India marked his first public appearance in 550 days, by lauding the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and the manufacturing sector as a whole for seeing through the tough fiscal with immense resilience. Crediting the sector for its crucial role in giving India its best chance yet to turn into a five trillion dollar economy, he called upon the stakeholders to take full advantage of government intervention in the form of PLI. He also urged for greater compliance to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in place from 2017 besides other initiatives to offer an ease of doing business in the country. Atish Laddha, Senior Associate, Indirect Taxation, Roedl & Partner India Pvt. Ltd. speaking

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rending

on the government incentives and subsidies elaborated on the GST return incentives, the state industrial policy, the customer bonded warehouse policies, and the Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme (EPCG Scheme) deemed beneficial to the manufacturers. As per the ‘World Development Indicators’, it takes 88 days to get the requisite clearances to start a business in India, whereas it takes 46 days in China, eight days in Singapore and four days in the USA. A special summit issue was released at this stage.

Protectionism or open trade

With growing protectionism reflecting in trade, the need to remove trade barriers found a calling at the summit. Ulrich Ackermann, Managing Director, Foreign Trade Division, VDMA Frankfurt drew attention to the changes in the global economy and cited the VDMA stand supporting an economy where trade is conducted without

barriers. At this juncture, the state of Karnataka was positioned to investors as a state synonymous with holistic opportunities and ripe for investments. BDB India released a specially compiled paper on the subject of government incentives for the emerging opportunities in discussion at the conclave. The benefits of the PLI scheme were also emphasised upon. Aditya Nagarajan, VicePresident, Investment Promotion, Guidance Tamil Nadu, Industries Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, speaking on the subject of ease of doing business in the state of Tamil Nadu, highlighted the state’s relation with Germany about the manufacturing sector. Nagarajan provided inputs on the future investment opportunities with Tamil Nadu for the German organisations and its potential as an export hub and strategic port geography. He highlighted the robust ecosystem, general engineering situation and the top five district clusters in the state besides highlighting the initiative

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‘BizBuddy’. The latter is a state governed, a centralised online portal for promoting ease of paperwork. The session on ‘Digitised future of the Industrial Ecosystem- It’s in your Hands’ presented by Umesh Pai, Managing Director, EPLAN Software & Services Pvt. Ltd. highlighted the tectonic shift over the last 15 years led by operational management, Industry 4.0, and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). He deemed it a crucial link aiding in product design and product engineering in the product life cycle design and development.

Future Trends in Smart Manufacturing

The session on ‘Future Trends in Smart Manufacturing’ saw experts from companies like Robert Bosch, SAP and SIEMENS deliberating on the future of manufacturing. Sreekanta Aradhya, Global head – Connected Industries Business Area, Robert Bosch Engineering & Business Solutions spoke about ‘Seize the I4.0 Opportunity – WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

Trending

Onboard the Digital Transformation Journey’ where she explained the process of digitalisation from the ‘Bosch perspective’ along with providing a comprehensive guide map for companies commencing their transformative journeys. It included building the foundation blocks, visualising the data, improving business insights and creating new business models. This was followed by a presentation on ‘Autonomous Factories – Reality or Myth’ where Prashanth Uppunda, Technology & Innovation Topics Leader, Siemens Technology & Services Pvt. Ltd. highlighted the criticality of striving towards ‘Lot Size One’. He introduced Seimen’s start-up project on Flexible Grasping. The session on ‘Digital transformation on the shop floor highlighted the various scenarios where SAP is claimed to have helped

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companies turn their shop floors around by facilitating digital-driven factories. Sumantha Chakraborty, Senior Project Manager, SAP India presented various use cases and real-life scenarios of digital transformation on the shop floor.

Economic reforms

Make in India 2.0 and Atmanirbhar Bharat policies were looked at from the perspective of adding to efficiencies, competitiveness and resilience. Looked upon as contributors of self-sustaining and self-generating interventions, the role of PLI came under scrutiny too. PLI said Prashanth Doreswamy, Country Head & Managing Director, Continental Automotive Components India Pvt. Ltd. said, “The scheme has fast-tracked investments with almost Rs.3.5 lakh crores allotted in which Rs.56,000 crores is dedicated to the automotive sector.” “With

countries becoming more nationalistic, acquiring parts is becoming tougher”, he admitted. According to Doreswamy, the scheme will help India look inwards and keep at par with other global competitors. V G Sakthi Kumar, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter India Pvt. Ltd. stressed on the need for a strong infrastructural push for India to attain its target of turning into a five trillion dollar economy. Transportation is a key focus area, he cited. On skilling and reskilling, the German dual education program was cited as a global best practice for India to adopt. Vocational training was given its due at the summit. The summit also witnessed the ‘4th Manufacturing Excellence Awards’ where Continental Automotive Components Pvt. Ltd, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Kern-Liebers India Pvt. Ltd and Robert Bosch Ltd. were among the winners. ACI

NOVEMBER 2021 n AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA

nternational

Automotive Security Controller Infineon introduces the next-generation automotive security controller SLI37. Team ACI looks at the controller aimed at securing the safety-critical automotive applications.

ith increasing electrification and connectivity, vehicles are at greater risk of cyberattacks, which can have serious consequences. For this reason, automotive manufacturers must provide adequate protection of telematics data. Infineon Technologies, therefore, introduces the SLI37 automotive security controller claimed to be easy to design in and a reliable trust

anchor to secure safety-critical automotive applications like 5G-ready eUICC (eCall), V2X communication, car access or SOTA updates. The unique and robust chip design of the SLI37 offers an extended temperature range as well as a lifetime of 17 years. While it comes with benchmark quality resulting in very low failure rates, its biggest advantage is the ability to be used for multiple applications. For this reason, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) can focus on a single qualification and designin process. With more than 100 million eSIMs in the field, Infineon’s SLI series has already proven its reliability. Now it additionally offers all automotive qualifications and certifications required by the industry including CC EAL 6+ and AEC-Q100. Together with Infineon’s longterm supply commitment and quality support, it enables the automotive industry to build the next generation of connected cars without taking security risks. ACI

Summary Of Features 32-bit Arm® SecurCore® SC300 @100 MHz enhanced by Infineon`s cache and security technology Up to 2 MB SOLID FLASH™ NVM and 48 k Byte RAM Supported interfaces: UART, I2C, SWP, ESSC, GPIO Extended operational temperature range: -40°C to +105°C Extended data retention of 17 years minimum Certifications: CC EAL6+, AECQ-100, ISO7816

Benefits Support for multiple applications with one single qualification and design-in process Unique and robust chip design with extended temperature range and 17 years lifetime High reliability with very low ppm failure rate, proven by over 100 million Infineon eSIMs in the field All qualifications and certifications required by the automotive industry like CC EAL6+ and AECQ-100 as well as PPAP documentation

Potential Applications Automotive eUICC (eCall) Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communications A trust anchor in diverse automotive use cases

AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA n NOVEMBER 2021

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EU Components Of Road Safety

Driven by EU regulations, technologies and services companies continue to make rapid strides. Ashish Bhatia with inputs from Prateek Pardeshi checked on system inclusions for EU components of road safety.

he EU is determined to put an end to road fatalities by 2022. Following the instance of several fatalities involving motor vehicles, the EU proposed to mandate key safety systems that hold the potential to reduce such fatalities leading up to 2022. Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the Council on type-approval requirements extended to motor vehicles including the components and separate technical units. Building on the May 2018 ‘Europe on the move’ package, aimed at making mobility systems safer, cleaner and automated, the 2019 mandate covered general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants including vulnerable road users. As per the mandate, vehicles would have to be equipped with advanced safety systems. The move, according to Timo Harakka, Minister of Transport and Communications, Finland had

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the potential to reduce road fatalities and severe injuries on EU roads by a significant margin. It was said to address specific concerns of the vulnerable users, a decade after its predecessor. With it, it improves the global competitiveness of locally produced vehicles.

Manufacturer obligations

The mandate, in effect, meant that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) were required to comply. Manufacturers had their task cut out when they were asked to include intelligent speed assistance; alcohol interlock installation facilitation; driver drowsiness and attention warning systems; advanced driver distraction warning systems; emergency stop signals; reversing detection systems; event data recorders and accurate tyre pressure monitoring. In addition to these, for segments like vans,

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manufacturers were forced to relook at advanced emergency braking systems; emergency lane-keeping systems and enlarged head impact protection zones. Notably, penetration of vans among other categories of personal vehicles grew from three per cent in 1996 to 14 per cent in 2016. The mandate also introduced guidelines on manufacturing heavier commercial vehicles. This category of vehicles was asked to be designed and manufactured with a special focus on the significant reduction of life-threatening blind spots. Using advanced systems, for instance, the proximity of cyclists and pedestrians to the vehicle can be detected. Building upon regulation (EU) 2019/2144, the regulation is known to have paved the way for a look at emerging segments like hydrogenpowered vehicles and automated vehicles too. For instance, in the case of hydrogen vehicles, the regulation called for uniform procedures and technical specifications for the type approval of hydrogen-powered vehicles. It extended to hydrogen systems pertaining to material compatibility and fuelling WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

receptacles including type approval of components and their technical specifications. The focus is as much on future technical developments. Not just that, the EU commission, in a holistic approach looked at road safety management too. This extended to better design of roads, tunnels and bridges where these vehicles ply. It is in line with the mission programme to attain zero fatalities by 2050 as per the sustainability and smart mobility strategy known to have been adopted on December 09, 2020. A network-wide road assessment will be carried out every five years to evaluate the road accident risk. The regulation stated the need to build dedicated technical units at the EU level. The systems are to be built to last the life cycle of the vehicle in concern. A switch-off feature must be under the direct control of the driver in case of inappropriate feedback received from such advanced systems owing to extreme weather conditions, conflicting road markings, or defective and or misleading road signs. Here member states were assigned with the responsibility of conducting road safety

analysis and assessing the effectiveness of the features introduced.

Active safety inclusions

In line with the EU safety regulation, commercial vehicle majors have been quick to include active safety measures. For example, Daimler Trucks AG is actively working towards a zeroaccident goal. According to Ingo Scherhaufer, Head - Active Safety at the OEM, the company is all for such safety

Timo Harakka, Minister of Transport and Communications, Finland.

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systems and their mass availability. Citing the need to be clear on the relevance of systems for different vehicle systems, like differentiating a van from a truck or for that matter a bus from a truck, Scherhaufer drew attention to the development of systems for different accident situations. In trucks, for example, he cited the cause of accidents as rear-end collisions and lane departures in a majority of instances. To address these concerns, the company is banking on systems like the Active Brake Assist 5 capable of responding to hard braking. Active Brake Assist (ABA) Level 5 makes use of data from a suite of radar

and sensors delivered to the Engine Control Unit (ECU). When the ECU detects close proximity, it transmits data to the actuator, and the brakes are applied automatically, even if the driver fails to engage the brake pedal. The ABA level 5 system operates in two stages: the first stage provides the driver with a visual and aural (audible) warning ahead of the truck initiating partial braking. The safety system overrides the braking system and uses its full potential to bring the truck to a complete halt backed by hazard light alerts. This technology is capable of detecting both stationary and moving pedestrians. Within the urban borders,

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this system operates at a speed of 50 kmph. On highways, the technology identifies both moving and stationary vehicles up to a speed of 80 kmph. ABA level 5 was recently developed and the New Daimler Actros, and other variants are equipped with this feature. The chance of a catastrophe is significantly lowered by using this safety feature. Daimler also offers the ‘MirrorCam’ and the ‘Sideguard Assist’ on the new Actros. Of the two, the MirrorCam adds intelligence to conventional truck mirrors. Known to operate with digital cameras, it transmits images to the displays fitted on the A-pillars. The end result is an enhanced 360-degree view over previous generations. Coupled with the Sideguard Assist, it covers the righthand side of the vehicle often out of the driver’s purview. For instance, if a vulnerable person like a cyclist or a pedestrian is approaching from the right, the MirrorCam relays a visual warning. An audible warning follows it. The Sideguard Assist is available on Mercedes-Benz Actros long-distance haulage trucks and has been made available on Mercedes-Benz Arocs construction vehicles, Mercedes-Benz

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International Scania 730S

Econic, Daimler Buses and the Fuso Super Great in Asia. Scania AB has been a supporter of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (CITS) for some time now. CITS is known to have facilitated the connection between OEMs, and OEMs with road operators. Aimed at increasing road traffic safety. Truck platooning, for instance, has multibrand trucks platooning on European roads supported by the investment of heavy vehicle manufacturers like Scania. In November 2020, the company launched Electrically Assisted Steering (EAS) aimed at enhancing driver experience with safety assistance. The Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), as is expected, reduces driver fatigue and claims to make them more alert. The EAS driven ADAS is known to become active at 60 kmph with the driver required to keep hands on the steering wheel at all points and times. Scania offered it as an option on its trucks range. In addition, the inward swing door on the L-series contributes to an enhanced visibility. In 2021, Scania tested self-driving trucks in collaboration with TUSimple. It is known to have covered level 4 on WWW.AUTOCOMPONENTSINDIA.COM

the 5-point SAE scale of self-driving vehicles. Entail self-driving under driver supervision, has the test engineer onboard the truck monitoring and verifying the feedback from the truck sensors responsible for autonomous driving. Hans Nordin, responsible for the Hub2hub project, states that the experience gained from these tests is testimony to autonomous vehicles becoming a reality especially in closed areas like mines and terminals. He admitted to the technology taking a little more than half a decade especially on roads with a provision for two-way traffic movement. Through Scania’s venture capital fund, the company is known to have invested Euro 7.5 million as a push for its Light Detection and Ranging (LiDar) technology. Scania has got its truck cabs certified with a Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA). MAN Truck & Bus has demonstrated its focus on safety systems in trucks. The company’s assistance systems include a MAN attention guard that helps detect unusual steering behaviour triggering a driver warning. It triggers at speeds greater than 60 kmph and evaluates key performance metrics to evaluate the

driver level of attention. The warnings are both visual and acoustic in nature and available on the International Truck Of The Year MAN TGX and the MAN TGM. The MAN Lane Change Support system monitors the left and right-hand sides of the truck. It is particularly useful when changing lanes and gives out a two-stage warning using LED bands in the A-pillars. It triggers at a speed of 50 kmph. The MAN Turn Assist comes in handy to monitor blind spots on the co-driver side. Using two

Scherhaufer, Head-Active Safety, Daimler Trucks

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Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks

radars the driver is offered a 180-degree view at speeds sub 30 kmph. It alerts the driver during a tricky turn and triggers a three-stage warning using LED bands in the A-pillar. It gives the driver time to react and prevent a collision. Through MAN Brake Assist, the driver is warned in emergency braking situations. Using a combination of a radar sensor (front of the vehicle) and a camera (on the windscreen), traffic is monitored on a continuous basis to study distances, positions and speeds. Emergency braking is triggered when needed. In case of emergency braking to prevent a rear-end collision, light system signals alert surrounding vehicles with an increasing flash rate. Notably, as a

standard, the emergency brake assist cannot be switched off. It is available on the MAN TGX, TGS, TGL and TGM. Volvo Trucks is equally focused on the zero-accidents goal. Of the belief that the safest accident is the one that doesn’t happen, the CV major has built smart safety systems too. For instance, in its electric trucks range, to introduce an ambient sound, the company has built an acoustic alert sound system. It is designed to alert vulnerable users by making them aware of approaching trucks. From July 01, 2021, electric trucks in Europe are mandated to emit a certain sound level when travelling at sub 20 kmph speeds (56 dB at 20 kmph). This sound increases at higher

Volvo FM Electric

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International levels. Through four sound variants, the pedestrian is informed on moving forward, idling, and reversing for example. Quieter vehicles are required to have an external acoustic vehicle alerting system. “We truly welcome this new legislation. From when we were children, we have learnt to rely not only on what we see but also what we hear in traffic – sometimes so much so that we don’t even look before crossing a street! With our new alert system, we want to help ensure that pedestrians and cyclists notice when they are close to our electric trucks,” states Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks. In

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the new generation of Volvo FH, FH 16, FM and FMX, safety is a key focus area. For instance, in the new cab, the raised A-pillars introduce light to the workspace. Driver visibility is improved with the addition of a passenger corner camera that gives enhanced side vision on an in-cabin display. Through ‘Distance Alert’, the windscreen warns drivers with a red light on getting too close to the vehicle ahead. This is crucial to preventing a collision. Part of collision warning with an emergency brake is aimed at preventing accidents. The safety system makes use of a camera and a radar to calculate distance and for on-road object identification.

Open to feedback

It is unanimously agreed that roadworthiness is crucial to road safety coupled with the twin objective of attaining the environmental object over the vehicle lifecycle. While it is adding to the complexity of vehicles in the EU, a vehicle inspection is also evolving. For fine-tuning the initiative, the European Commission has invited feedback from stakeholders in the first phase until November 01, 2021, to be followed by a round of public consultation and commission adoption. ACI

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