On Safety Technology And Innovation
Acting
Chief Executive Officer, DTICI Industry Talk | Exclusive BOLERO CITY PIK-UPM1KA 3.0ROAD CHECK | Exclusive
Raghavendra Vaidya, and
Managing Director
www.commercialvehicle.in /commercialvehicle@CVmagazine @cvmagazine/cvmagazineindia /commercialvehicle.in t.me/cvmagazine Volume 16 Issue 11 • August 2022 ` 120
www.commercialvehicle.in www.commercialvehicle.in Volume 16 Issue 05 • February 2022 ` 120 /commercialvehicle@CVmagazine @cvmagazine /cvmagazineindia /commercialvehicle.inBuilding The Scrappage Ecosystem | Fuels To Attain SDGs Entries Now Open! AWARD t.me/cvmagazine Tabled For Long-Term Hilux For Commercial Use 2022augustCV Pay ` 3,000 for 3 years subscription Pay ` 1099 for 1 year subscription and save ` 1320 on the cover price and save ` 341 on the cover price Your Details (All detAils in cApitAl letters) Name: Mr/Ms occupation Date of birth Cityaddress state Pincode Phoneemail (off) Mobile Phone (off)................................................... Kindly draw the Cheque/DD/Po in favor of NeXt geN PuBlisHiNg PVt ltD. (Please add rs. 20/- extra for outstation cheque) Please Find enclosed Cheque/DD no. Dated Bank Branch Name Date signature Please complete the order form and mail it to us at Next gen Publishing Pvt. ltd., 608, trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills Compound, senapati Bapat Marg, lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013. For clarifications, email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net or call +91 9321546598 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing of your subscription. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next gen Publishing will not be responsible for postal delay, transit loses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention your name and address on the reverse of your DD/Cheque. all disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only. TO SUBSCRIBE Why would you subscribe to Commercial Vehicle? Here are Really Reasons!Good 1 2 3Online Call Post Visit http://secure.nextgenpublishing.in/at +91 9321546598 next Gen publishing pvt. ltd., 608, trade World, 6th floor, c wing, Kamala Mills compound, senapati Bapat Marg, lower parel (W), Mumbai - 400013. T HR ee e asy Ways T O s UB s CRIB e DelivereD free to your Door Save up to 25% on cover price never miSS an iSSue again anD moSt important of all, a SeriouSly gooD quality magazine... 44213 International rate - 1 year USD 135 by air mail post electronic payment may be made with RTGS/NEFT to current account number 00602320009684 maintained with HDFC Bank Manekji Wadia Bldg. ground Floor, Nanik Motwani Marg, Fort, Mumbai - 400001, Maharashtra with iFsC code HDFC0000060 OR
CommerCial VehiCle magazine 608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel 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 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 Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-1-60/5 RTCX Roads, Hyderabad - 20. 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. Bottomline
T he industry is brewing optimism with an equal amount of caution. The return of growth in the bus segment has helped the industry compensate for the underpressure margins to an extent. With steel prices expected to soften, the industry hopes to sustain the momentum and improve numbers, sequentially. Growth or contraction whatever be the case, its the base effect at play. For instance, the case of the June 2022 contraction in Tractor sales is also an outcome of the high base effect from June 2021. The RBI drew attention to the disquietingly, globalisation of inflation coinciding with the de globalisation of trade. The declaration of health emergencies from time to time, monkey pox being the latest scare, and the looming threat of geopolitical escalations in Taiwan at the opposite end of the spectrum could be new blows to deal with.. The industry has anticipated supply-side concerns like a recurrence of the semiconductor bottleneck afresh. It is also wary of the possible long-term challenges for both globalisation and the global economy. Services indicators like port freight traffic, e-way bills, toll collections and commercial vehicle sales in June and July albeit will instil confidence. Q1 indicators are also indicating buoyancy on the whole. Here exports of goods and services could play a role and help sustain the current account deficit within “sustainable limits”.
Operating Margins Under Pressure
Ashish Bhatia a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.netashish@atashishbhatia.com
With atthethewhatevercontraction,Growthsequentially.numbers,andmomentumtoindustrysoften,expectedpricessteeltothehopessustaintheimproveorbecase,itsbaseeffectplay.
The
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. Commercial Vehicle 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
(W), Mumbai - 400013, India. Tel +91 9321546598 Email us at cv@nextgenpublishing.net editor Ashish Bhatia Test editor Aspi Bhathena Correspondents Deepti Thore, Prateek Pardeshi, Sumesh Soman head-Design & Production Ravi Parmar art Director Mangesh Sawant asst. art Director Ajit Manjrekar image Desk Dipak Gaykar Production Supervisor Dinesh Bhajnik Publisher Marzban Jasoomani associate Publisher & Ellora Dasgupta general manager (north & east) mentor & Special advisor Hoshang S. Billimoria general manager South Girish Shet Deputy general manager Chanchal Arora rnorthegional advertising Raghul Krishnan R (Bengaluru) managerregionalmanager Rajesh Gogate (Mumbai) manager Circulation - north and east Kapil Kaushik Subscription Supervisor Sachin Kelkar Tel +91 9321546598 apple newsstand & magzter Queries help@magzter.com zinio Subscriptions Queries http://in.zinio.com/help/index.jsp Territory Sales incharge (SiP) Mr. 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 Tel +91 91 9321546598 26 B, First Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Okhla Phase III, new Delhi - 110020, India Tel +91 11 42346600/78 Fax +91 11 42346679 S.No.261/G.L.R.No.5, East Street,Camp Pune - 411001. 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 COMMERCIAL VEHICLE is copyright and no part of the magazine may be reproduced in
Write to us at cvonline@nextgenpublishing.net with your feedback and suggestions or visit us at www.commercialvehicle.in to access the digital first content. YoUrVoiCe ToturnSubscribetopage 04 Cover s T ory 05 THE BOTTOMLINE Ashish Bhatia 08 NEWS ASDC partners upskilling forum MoRTH notifies tyre requisites Five years of GST New Niti Aayog CEO joins the office IRDAI approves new motor insurance policies Tata Winger in Nepal Ashok Leyland appoints Ganesh Mani MEML Nepal dealership Punjab CTU flags off e-buses CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in6 This MonTh In CV Acting On Safety Technology And Innovation: Daimler Truck Innovation Center India has commenced operations. Rollout:Nearing The OSM M1KA 3.0, eLCV has reached its stage.productionfinal Bolero Pikup For Intracity: The Mahindra Bolero City Pik-up adds new dimensions to the legacy pickup range. 24 32 36
Scan QR code to get started Step 1 : Open the Camera app or a QR Code scanning app Step 2 : Hold your device steady for 2-3 seconds pointing towards the adjoining QR Code Step 3 : A notification with a url will appear Step 4 : Click to visit the content as shown on the right hand side. BYD partners Pallia Transport New Group Head Marketing at Apollo Tyres Anuj Kathuria is President of JK Tyre Ecom Express appoints Amit Choudhary Schwing Stetter CE training programme New Cargo-partner office in Chandigarh Total Transport bags more Flipkart stations TWU deploys electric three-wheelers New ZF Tech centre JV between IOCL and NTPC Petronas partners Tata Motors Setra leaps over safety Daimler and Linde assess hydrogen mobility Iveco S-way upgrade CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 7 This MonTh In CV ProductLaunch: FrontCentreAnd CommodityCheck: Zinc Becomes Dearer TransportationAndLogistics: FulfillmentMulti-clientAndDistribution GameEquipment:Changer|Farm AJunctureCrucial 4842201853 56 Plugged-In: Social Media Highlights. Building Resilient Supply ChainsPart 2
ASDC launched a career guidance book for the students touching on crucial industry-specific aspects. Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, MSDE emphasised the need to reskill the unorganised segment of mechanics and bring them into the organised sector. The initiative for globally competent trainers with dual certification was lauded at the forum. “It is pertinent that we promote AR-VR-based skill training for the automotive sector, imbibe the culture of llearning, and focus on multi- skilling as these initiatives will empower our youth and mentioned.nation-building,”promoteAggarwal
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) notified tyre requisites. It applies to tyre rolling resistance, wet grip and rolling sound. The notification amends rule 95 of Central Motor Vehicles Rule (CMVR) 1989 and mandates the prerequisites for vehicles under the category: Passenger cars (C1), light trucks (C2) and truck and bus (C3). This is by AIS: 142:2019 wherein the tyres will meet wet grip requirements and stage two limits of rolling resistance and rolling sound. This aligns India with the United Nations Economic Commission For Europe (UNECE). The changes are deemed crucial as the rolling resistance impacts fuel economy; wet grip performance impacts braking performance under wet conditions and vehicular safety on the whole. The rolling sound emission denotes the sound from contact between the tyre and the surface while in motion. It (rolling resistance, rolling sound and wet grip) extends to new tyres to be fitted and will come into effect from October 01, 2022. For existing tyres, it will come into force from April 01, 2023, with rolling sound requisites set for a June 01, 2023 rollout.
After a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic, the Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC), India’s first sectorspecific skill council for the automobile industry successfully organised the skill-oriented brainstorming ASDC’s Partners Forum –2022. Inaugurated at the hands of Rajesh Aggarwal IAS, Secretary, MSDE at Indian Habitat Centre, in New Delhi in the presence of Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Chairperson NCVET, and Ved Mani Tiwari, COO and acting CEO, NSDC present as the guest of honour.
MoRTH notifies tyre requisites Five years of GST
The GoM to be constituted will address various concerns raised by the States on GST Appellate Tribunal and amendments in CGST Act. The rate changes recommended by the 47th GST Council came into effect July 18, 2022. Electric vehicles whether or not fitted with a battery pack, are eligible for the concessional GST rate of five per cent.
ASDC partners upskilling forum
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in8 Bulletin
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has completed five years since the midnight rollout in July 2017. Brought in to further ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and fulfil the vision of ‘One Nation One Tax’ it has been a learning curve for the stakeholders involved. This has meant re looking at the initial four tax slabs, compliance, state revenues and revision of rates for ‘sin’ goods and ‘essentials’ alike periodically. Excluding petroleum goods from its ambit, the fifth anniversary brought in new rates for applicable goods and services.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) approved new motor insurance policies. It has allowed general insurance firms to issue smart add-ons for motor insurance policies. The premiums of these policies will vary based on vehicle usage or the driving behaviour of the vehicle policyholder. By doing so, IRDAI aims at protecting the interest of the policyholders and increasing insurance penetration in India. According to IRDAI, the advent of technology has created a relentless pace for the insurance fraternity to rise up to the interesting yet challenging demands of the millennial. And as a step towards promoting technology enabled covers, IRDAI has permitted general insurance companies to introduce tech-enabled concepts for the Motor Own Damage (OD) cover. These include ‘Pay as You Drive’, ‘Pay How You Drive’, and a ‘Floater Policy’ for vehicles wherein a single policy can cover multiple vehicles. approves new insurancemotorpolicies
CV major Tata Motors Ltd., launched the all-new Tata Winger BSVI range in Nepal. The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) collaborated with its sole authorised distributor, Sipradi Trading Pvt. Ltd. Sipradi Trading will provide sales and service support through their nationwide network. The Tata Winger BSVI is positioned as deemed suitable for a wide range of applications, including cargo, school, staff, ambulance and for tours and travel. The multiutility van is claimed to be an ideal fit for meeting the evolving needs of modern, informed customers looking for a combination of performance, profit, and comfort. Commenting on the launch, Anurag Mehrotra, Vice President, International Business & Strategy, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit (CVBU), Tata Motors said, “We are delighted that Tata Motors’ diverse and robust range of commercial vehicles have been well received by the people of Nepal. We believe that the Tata Winger will provide its customers a best-inclass experience, building on Tata Motors’ legacy of highly efficient and reliable products that ensure utmost customer satisfaction and profitability.”
IRDAI
Tata Winger for Nepal
New Niti Aayog CEO joins office Parameswaran Iyer assumes the new role of Chief Executive Officer at Niti Aayog. Succeeding outgoing CEO Amitabh Kant, Iyer post-Kant’s term ended June 30, 2022, brings with him over 25 years of experience in the water and sanitation sector. He is known for spearheading India’s flagship ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission, a USD 20 bn flagship programme personally looked into by the Prime Minister. “Honoured and humbled to have been given the incredible opportunity to serve the country again—this time as CEO, Niti Aayog. “I am deeply grateful to PM Narendra Modi for another chance to work under his leadership towards a transformed India,” Iyer said. He is a 1981 IAS-batch cadre of Uttar Pradesh with experience in both the public and private sectors. He has also held important positions like the Secretary to the Govt. of India in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation during 2016-20. It will be interesting to see how he carries forward the impetus on automotive and makes it his own going forward.
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in10 Bulletin
Punjab CTU flags off Eicher e-buses
The Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the UT of Chandigarh, Banwarilal Purohit, flagged off the first batch of 40 fully-built Eicher Skyline Pro E e-buses from Punjab Raj Bhawan. With this initiative, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (VECV). Will support the state’s vision of creating a greener and more sustainable state by supplying Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) with 40 units of Eicher Skyline Pro E 3012H buses. Pradhuman Singh (HCS), Director Transport, CTU said, “CTU is committed to improving the quality of transportation in Chandigarh. The new lot of Eicher e-buses will provide efficient, comfortable and affordable travel to the passengers of Chandigarh.” VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) will also build the necessary infrastructure offering charging stations. As part of this agreement, VECV will manage and operate the buses for a period of 10 years under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) agreement.
Ashok Leyland Ltd. (ALL) has announced the appointment of Ganesh Mani as the President and Chief Operations Officer. He will lead the entire operations including Manufacturing and Sourcing, and Supply Chain. Former Director of Manufacturing Operations at Hyundai Motors, Mani was also the Member of Board of Directors at Hyundai. He has over three decades of experience working extensively with Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and Hyundai Motors India Ltd. Congratulating him on his appointment, Dheeraj G Hinduja, Executive Chairman, said, “Ganesh Mani joins a strong leadership team and I look forward to him achieving our aspiration to be among the top 10 global CV players.” Known to have pioneered innovative and new ways of operations, challenging the conventional methods. Apart from having seven patents to his credit for the special manufacturing processes, Mani also serves as Vice Chairman – CII, Chennai Zone. Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd. (MEML) added a new ‘Last Mile Mobility’ dealership at Birtamode, Province 1, in Nepal. This is the sixth dealership in Nepal with their distributor Agni Energy since the three-wheeler Treo was launched in October 2021. A new subdealership, in Damak, was also inaugurated to help customers gain access to sustainable mobility with electric three-wheelers – Treo Auto and Treo Yaari. Agni Energy Pvt Ltd., a subsidiary of Agni Group and the authorised distributor of MEML for Mahindra Utility Vehicles (UVs) and tractors, including diesel gensets. While Agni has taken forward the legacy of brand Mahindra since 1991, the new establishment, Agni Energy, commenced operations in 2012.
MEML’s new Nepal dealership CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in12 Bulletin
Ashok Leyland appoints Ganesh Mani
BYD India Pvt. Ltd. has partnered with Pallia Transport Solutions for passenger vehicle inland transport across its dealership locations. Both the companies have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) through which BYD India will further enhance the customer experience of on-time deliveries by increasing performance and competitiveness from plant to delivery. Providing end-to-end logistics solutions for OEMs, Pallia Transport, on the other hand, aims at expanding their footprint in India and invest in new fleets to provide multimodal transportation activities, confirmed Vipul Nanda, Founder & MD, Pallia Trans Logistics Pvt. Ltd.
Apollo Tyres has appointed automotive industry veteran Vikram Garga as Group Head, Marketing for the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) region. Garga would be spearheading the regional marketing team and would be responsible for marketing and product strategy for all product categories, dealer programmes, brand positioning and monitoring performance in conjunction with sales.
New Group Head Marketing at Apollo Tyres
JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has appointed Anuj Kathuria as it’s President. Having a work experience of over three decades, the industry veteran has worked in senior management roles in leading automotive companies including Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors. He also brings along an invaluable overseas exposure. In his current role, he will be reporting to Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director and Anshuman Singhania, Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. based out of Delhi. Commenting on his appointment, Dr Singhania said, “I am sure that Kathuria will provide adept leadership and lead JK Tyre on a new growth trajectory”.
BYD partners Pallia Transport
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 13 Bulletin
Commenting on his appointment Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd. said, “Vikram joins us in a senior leadership role for the region, and given his strong track record of providing strategic and operational leadership in FMCG and Automotive Industry, he would be a key asset for us going forward.”
Anuj Kathuria is President of JK Tyre & Industries Retail network expansion
Garga joins Apollo Tyres from Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. (Automotive and Farm Equipment Business) where he was the Vice President and Head of Strategy, Insights and Analytic, and Innovation. Prior to that he was the Head of Marketing for passenger vehicles and pick-ups. He has spent a large part of his career with Castrol where he held key positions as the VP, Sales for Industrial and Heavy Duty lubricants and as the Global Brand Director for the commercial vehicle category to name a few.
JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has expanded its retail network in Tamil Nadu by inaugurating Amirtham Tyres, a new JK Tyre Truck Wheel Centre at Pattanur, in Tamil Nadu. This is the company’s 70th such centre in India and 28th in South India. It is also the 15th in the state of Tamil Nadu. Providing an automated wheel and tyre servicing facility for CVs, the state-of-the-art facility is a one-stop solution for all tyre needs including smart tyre solutions. The sprawling 4000 sq. ft. facility is equipped with a fleet of highly trained technical advisors, wheel servicing equipment, full range of smart tyres for truck and bus, and an experience zone showcasing JK Tyre’s retail identity for its exclusive stores. “Having implemented all the necessary safety protocols laid by the authorities, the new centre will cater to the customers’ tyre needs offering value and ease of access,” commented Srinivasu Allaphan, Director-Sales & Marketing at the company.
with its supply chain management platform intends to support thousands of small businesses in streamlining their logistics operations to save time and costs. Addressing these challenges, cargo-partner’s entry into the market will contribute to making Chandigarh a logistically strong economy. “We want to offer reliable, door-to-door solutions to our customers while doing our part to build a better logistics space in India. This is a critical milestone for cargopartner, as we’ve long been laser-focused on strengthening our network across the Indian Subcontinent,” said Shravan Gautam, Regional Sales Manager (North & East India), Cargo-partner. “By bridging the current gap between demand and supply in the city, our focus is to improve customer satisfaction and retain the trust of our delivery partners in the long run.”
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in14 Bulletin
Schwing Stetter India has joined hands with the Government Polytechnic College, Cheyyar for a Construction Equipment (CE) training programme. The idea of this collaboration is to train 125 students. The students who belong to different branches of study which include mechanical, electrical, and electronics and communications engineering will undergo a 25 days training at the state-of-the-art global manufacturing hub. The training programme, which officially started on July 01 is funded by the State Government. This program aimed at making the trainees job-ready with simulations of a real-world shopfloor and manufacturing process using cutting-edge machinery.
Schwing Stetter CE programmetraining
Ecom Express has appointed Amit Choudhary as Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO). He will be based out of the company’s headquarters in Gurugram. He holds over 20 years of experience in management consulting, product management, technology architecture, new-age solutions and engineering leadership and will be tasked to propel Ecom Express into its next phase of growth through innovation and emerging technologies. As the CPTO, he will drive the company’s technology strategy and lead the product, engineering, data science, IT Security, and infrastructure teams to build ultra-high scale systems and cutting-edge data science and AI-driven logistics solutions.
New officeCargo-partnerinChandigarh
Ecom Express appoints Amit Choudhary
landscape.unorganisedfragmentedandmultipleaccessofcityChandigarh.officeannouncedCargo-partneranewforTricityinTheasthecapitaltwostatesisanpointformarketshasahighlyandlogisticsThecompany
Flipkart
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 15 Bulletin
ZF Group inaugurated a new tech centre in Hyderabad. To join forces with the Oragadam establishment as the global centre of development, employees at the new facility will focus on projects in core and application development, serving every region and supporting most OEMs as strategic partners to the engineering teams around the world. With plans of doubling sales in a five-year span, the focus for growth and talent will be on key technology areas such as AI applications, data sciences, and digitalisation. The emphasis is on developing technologies such as digital twin and simulations, cyber security, and functional safety. The centre will also serve as a hub for key product development competencies such as systems engineering and project management as well as supporting the various advanced engineering projects in the domains of system functions and autonomous driving. Suresh KV, President and Regional Head for ZF India, said “ZF will help make vehicles faster, cleaner, efficient, and greener. This will also contribute to the ‘Vision Zero’ strategy for safer mobility. With our vision and the market requirements, this new Tech Centre will help contribute to the overall needs of the stakeholders and impact our technological contributionenabling us to partner with OEMs on their e-mobility, VMC and safety requirements.” The ZF Tech Centre India inaugurated its first facility in Hyderabad in 2017 and has since continued to grow in talent, doubling its head count over the past two years, despite a raging pandemic.
Total Transport Systems Ltd. announced that the company has been awarded 60 new stations by Flipkart as their Outsourced Delivery Hub (ODH). The company started this business with Flipkart in the month of September 2019 with one hub and has grown to ~80 hubs serving around 381 pin codes of 11 States (Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu & Haryana) with shipment count of around 30,000 per day. Commenting on this development, Makrand Pradhan, Managing Director of Total Transport Systems Ltd. stated, “It gives me great joy that our last mile delivery business of Total Transport has been steadily entering into new partnerships and adding stations from both, new and existing partners like Flipkart. This current addition of Hubs is a reflection of execution capabilities of ‘One World Logistics’ under which last mile delivery business is conducted.
New ZF Tech centreTWU deploys Totalthree-wheelerselectricinDelhiTransportbagsmore stations
Three Wheels United (TWU) has deployed 200 electric three-wheelers in Delhi. The global fin tech company for EV financing aims at strengthening its operations in Delhi through this new fleet addition. The company further aims to improve driver livelihoods and reduce air pollution globally by starting pilots in the Middle East, Africa, and other emerging markets over the next few months.
Petronas Lubricants (India) Pvt. Ltd. (PLIPL) and Tata Motors Ltd. (TML) announced their new partnership with Tata Motors’ Commercial Vehicle Business Unit (CVBU).
Petronas partners
The state-run corporations collaborated to set up renewable energy-based power plants for Indian Oil refineries with the goal of increasing the usage and capacity of renewable energy sources in the country. NTPC Green Energy Ltd. (NGEL), an NTPC wholly owned subsidiary, will form the JV Company to supply RE-RTC power to Indian Oil in the future. NGEL will serve as a holding company for NTPC’s entire renewable energy business. Through this JV, Indian Oil intends to meet the additional power requirements of its refineries by using roundthe-clock renewable energy to 650 MW by December 2024.
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in16 Bulletin
Speaking on this partnership, Giuseppe Pedretti, Regional Managing Director – Asia for Petronas Lubricants International (PLI) said, “It is a matter of great pride for us to partner with TML, the leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in India, from the house of the globally admired Tata Group. We are excited to see how this strategic partnership helps elevate both PLI and TML to the next level.” Pranav Bhanage, CEO at PLIPL added, “This partnership further strengthens the relationship between our two organisations given that we also supply lubricants for TML’s passenger vehicles and a testimony to the quality of our Fluid Technology Solutions™.” Bhanage also highlighted the holistic nature of the partnership which not only pertains to the supply of lubricants for the aftermarket channel of TML but also extends to the Research and Development (R&D) of new lubricants tailored for the JV partner. Commenting on the alliance, R. Ramakrishnan –Global Head, Customer Care, CVBU, Tata Motors said, “This partnership will further increase the accessibility of our affordable genuine oil.”
Tata Motors
IOCL and NTPC form JV Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) and National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) signed an agreement to form a Joint Venture (JV) company to meet the power requirements of upcoming Indian Oil refinery projects. Speaking on the occasion, Shrikant Vaidya, Chairman, Indian Oil, said, “It is indeed a powerful statement, as two fossil fuel giants of the country - Indian Oil and NTPC join hands for changing their path towards green energy.”
Daimler and Linde assess hydrogen mobility Iveco theupgradesfeatureonS-way
Setra of Daimler AG launched two new generation coaches, the ‘TopClass’ and the ‘ComfortClass’.
The new generation coaches are known to focus primarily on safety features with a new redesigned coach body. The coaches are equipped with Active Brake Assist 5 (ABA 5), Active Drive Assist 2, brighter LED headlights and the 360-degree camera setup in line. Safety features such as ABA 5 and Active Drive Assist 2 have been made available in coaches for the first time. Drawing power from the 10.7-litre Euro6 OM 470 engine with a peak rated power of 500 hp and a peak rated torque of 2100 Nm. The coach also boasts of the new ‘Driver Score Assist’ system that alerts the driver on areas of improvement.
Setra leaps over safety
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 17 BulleTin | inTernATionAl
Previously, a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck fuel-cell prototype was put through rigorous testing, both on the in-house test track and on public roads. Daimler Truck AG known to be testing the use of liquid hydrogen in another prototype is collaborating with Linde on the development of a new liquid hydrogen handling process (sub cooled liquid hydrogen or sLH2). The companies plan for the first refuelling of a prototype vehicle at a pilot station in Germany in 2023. The start of series production for hydrogen-based trucks is planned for the second half of the decade. The ambition is to offer only carbon-neutral new vehicles in its global core markets by 2039. Iveco has added a host of unique features to the latest version of the “Iveco ON Easy Way App.” which helps to make the lives of drivers on board the Iveco S-way range of heavy vehicles easier. It boasts of enhanced cab management functions and remote, mobile-based operations. With push notification drivers and voice commands to activate remote cab functions, such as scheduling cooling or heating via Amazon Alexa, the company aims to enhance driver experience. Fabrizio Conicella, Digital & Advanced Technologies, Iveco said, “We designed it specifically to make life easier for drivers, which is why it is constantly evolving to meet their needs as they emerge. We are always looking for feedback and suggestions and we study the best practices in various sectors in order to optimise the app. from their perspective, improving the user experience.”
Front And
the recent aShok leylanD truck launcheS have placeD cuStomer requirementS front anD centre. aShiSh Bhatia DrawS attention to the value offeringS. Centre
Ashok Leyland Ltd. continues to find white spaces. The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) emphasises on getting customer feedback for product improvements and new launches. A testimony to it is the company launching two 4x2 tractors. The company launched the AVTR 4220 with 41.5-tonne Gross Combination Weight (GCW) and AVTR 4420 with 43.5-tonne GCW. The launch stands out and makes Ashok Leyland the first Indian OEM to offer tractors with 41.5-tonne and 43.5-tonne GCW in a two-axle configuration. Elaborating on the strategy behind the launch, Sanjeev Kumar, Head – M&HCV, Ashok Leyland Ltd. said, “The modular platform of Ashok Leyland enables us to deliver custom-tailored products to cater for the needs of every customer. The high GCW of AVTR 4220 and 4420 tractors permits customers to carry denser loads, thus delivering superior fuel efficiency and a better Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) advantage.” “We will continue our innovation journey with new models to meet the emerging demands of our customers.”
Sanjeev Kumar, Head – M&HCV, Ashok Leyland Ltd.. @atashishbhatia
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in18 Product Launch
S A l I en T fe ATU re S Of T h IS new T r Ac TOr r A nge Proven H6 Engine, six-cylinder engine with i-Gen6 technology. GCW options of 41.5-tonne and 43.5-tonne with a suitable two-axle trailer. Higher fluid efficiency and lower DEF consumption. Optimised for Indian operating conditions. Cabin Options – Cowl, M Cabin, U Cabin and N Cabin (Sleeper Cabins) S ALIEN t FEAt U r ES OF t HE ECOME t StA r 1815 Best-in-class payload of 11.74-tonne (20 ft. HSD) Superior mileage Powered by H Series engines with 150 hp and 450 Nm torque 295/90 r20 tube tyres Five loading spans - 20 ft. /22 ft. /24 ft. (with day cabin) and 20 ft. and 20 ft. and 22 ft. (with sleeper cabin) High Strength Steel (HSS) frame (07 mm thick) and load body 10-wheel bolt front and rear axle Available in the new white colour cabin New digital dashboard with Advanced Digital Driver Assist (ADDA) Spacious, sturdy, and state-of-the-art cabin Advanced telematics (i-Alert), remote diagnostics with 24by7 customer assistance through an uptime solution centre CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 19 Product Launch
Powered by the H6 sixcylinder engine with i-Gen6 technology, the company claims to have attained higher fluid efficiency and lower DEF consumption. The tractors will be offered in multiple cabin options as per the need of the customer. The AVTR 4220 with 41.5-tonne GCW draws power from the BSVI. Notably, the launch comes close on the heels of the ecomet STAR 1815 with 17.5-tonne GVW. The latter (ecomet STAR 1815) offers a best-in-class payload of 11.74-tonne in a High Side Deck (HSD) body and comes with on the whole. The truck draws power from the BSVI 3839 cc H Series, a four-cylinder, common rail diesel engine, mated to a manual synchromesh six-speed transmission (with cable shift). It comes with inclusions like Advanced Digital Driver Assist (ADDA) and i-Alert telematics routed to the uptime solutions centre.The AVTR range in the Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle (M&HCV) segment for the company is said to have gained widespread customer acceptance based on proven performance and reliability. The launch of the CNG vehicles in the ICV range is known to have further bolstered the Ashok Leyland truck portfolio. The company continues to commit to cleaner emission vehicles. It has developed a roadmap covering CNG, LNG, hydrogen, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles to cater to different applications and customer needs. It is also working to extend CNG and LNG across the full range of trucks and buses. On the safety front, the company is working on Drive Assistance Systems (ADAS) levels with a threeyear rollout plan. It is engaging with key technology partners and customers to develop and deploy the features. The company supports the development alsodeckerintercitywillEiVmarkets.thehelpIndia,leverageLCVsfocusforadriveaccelerationbeenlastandsolutionsenhanceisgreenenablebycommercialisationandstrategybuildinganecosystemtothecustomerstodeployenergyvehicles.WorkunderwayinfullswingtodigitalisationwithlikeprognosticscustomisedAMC.Inthequarter,attentionhasdrawntotheon-groundofitsemobilitythroughSwitchMobility,separatebusinessentityAshokLeylandBEVs.TheonEVsacrossbusesandcouldhelpthecompanytheprogressmadeintheU.K.,andSpain.ItcouldtotapopportunitiesindomesticandinternationalInbuses,theSwitch12buslaunchinTamilNadubefollowedupbya13.5mcoachandadouble-bus.It’seLCVlaunchisaroundthecorner.
amiDSt the commoDity price inflation, aShiSh Bhatia with SumeSh Soman checkS the Bearing on zinc in itS variouS formS for the cv inDuStry.
Many OEMs give out warranties on their component because zinc-coated parts can withstand up to 1,000 hours
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in20 Commodity CheCk
@atashishbhatia
of salt spray testing. It is well known how the use of a galvanise sheet for automotive body panels allows OEMs to offer an up to the 12-year warranty on corrosion resistance at a fraction of the cost. Consumers stand to benefit from durability, aesthetics, long term surface stability of surface appearance and low maintenance. The chemical element is also the 24th most abundant element found in the earth’s crust and is the @SumeshSoman_
I f you start dismantling a modern CV, be it under the hood, tearing apart the chassis, or inspecting the fuel system, you are likely to find many parts plated with Zinc. The element plays a crucial role in the making of automotive parts, the reason being its anti-corrosive properties.
Zinc Becomes Dearer
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 21 Commodity CheCk
Notably, it can be recycled 100 per cent without loss of properties and qualities making it reusable.
manufacturingAutomotiveapplications
fourth most commonly used metal, topped by iron, copper andThealuminium.primary industry use of Zinc is galvanisation; a process of adding a zinc coating to steel or iron to protect against premature rusting. Zinc is chosen over other elements with similar properties because it provides a two-pronged corrosion defence, it initially serves as a barrier coating and also a sacrificial coating that experiences a higher level of oxidation than the underlying metal surface. for zinc and zinc-nickel plating include engine and other under-the-hood components, power steering systems, brake parts and systems, airconditioning components and systems, chassis hardware, climate control components and fuel systems. In the case of Electric Vehicles (EVs), zinc-ion batteries could be a potential replacement for lithium-ion packs. Manufacturers can use the same manufacturing process before mass-producing zinc-ion packs. Nickel-Zinc batteries are also known to be used for automotive applications. Until recently, it was available in abundance, and the low cost of the element appealed to the automotive industry. If the industry were to ape the west and resort to 10-11 kg of zinc per car, the consumption levels could hover around 150,00 tonnes per year as per an International Zinc Association (IZA) India study.
THE SuRGE IN ZINC PRICES
The disruption of zinc concentrate supplies is among the reason for the availability of zinc being impacted. The suspension of large mines, at first during the start of the pandemic and then China’s persistent restrictions followed by global disruptions are amongst the reasons for the surge as per experts. As per a Fitch Solutions report, the metal has averaged USD 3,688 on a Year-To-Date (YTD) basis.
“At these levels, zinc is close to reaching its all-time high of USD 4,442 per tonne reached in 2006. Our 2022 price forecasts imply that we expect prices to stabilise and weaken from hereon in the coming months, despite remaining elevated compared to historical standards,” it states. Last year, in October, the commodity price forecast by the World Bank projected that the average price of Zinc will reach USD 2,400 in 2022 against USD 2,700 per tonne at the end of 2021. But the RussiaUkraine conflict has disturbed the market fundamentals. In the ‘Pink Sheet’, the World Bank Commodities Data reflected the monthly, quarterly and
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in22 Commodity CheCk
Metals and Minerals Aluminium USD/mt b/ 1,794 1,704 2,473 2,091 2,400 2,645 2,755 3,250 3,006 3,246 3,498 Copper USD/mt b/ 6,010 6,174 9,317 8,477 9,706 9,382 9,703 9,985 9,782 9,943 10,231 Iron ore USD/mt b/ 93.8 108.9 161.7 167.2 200.7 166.9 112.0 142.5 132.5 142.8 152.1
Nickel USD/mt b/ 13,914 13,787 18,465 17,618 17,359 19,112 19,770 26,765 22,355 24,016 33,924 Tin USD/mt b/ 18,661 17,125 32,384 25,099 31,026 34,644 38,768 43,242 41,792 43,983 43,950 Zinc USD/mt b/ 2,550 2,266 3,003 2,747 2,916 2,990 3,357 3,727 3,599 3,620 3,962
annual averages of several commodities. Here zinc, on a monthly average (Jan-March 2022) surged from USD 3599 per metric tonne to USD 3962 per metric tonne. When looking at every quarter, it surged from USD 2747 in Jan-March 2021 to USD 3727 in Jan-March 2022. On an annual basis, prices surged from USD 2550 in 2019 to USD 3003 in 2021. Back home, integrated mining and resource company Hindustan Zinc attained the production milestone of more than a million tonnes of mined metal in a year during FY22. In good news for procurement divisions at suppliers, the company is now looking to acquire mining assets overseas in its attempt to boost total annual production up to 2.5 million tonnes. The company is already exploring locations in Africa, according to Chief Executive Officer, Arun Misra’s statement. The company is scouting to acquire between 0.5-and one million tonnes per annum of mining assets overseas. Speaking about the soaring prices of zinc metal in the global markets, Misra is known to have said that he doesn’t expect the prices to soften anytime soon. The prices of zinc had started inching upwards even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine due to higher energy prices and China reducing its manufacturing capacity to meet its climate goals, he had stated. The metal’s price also breached the USD 4,500 mark for a tonne on the London Metal Exchange, compared to sub-USD 2,000 prices two years ago adding to the industry woes.
ALTERNATIvE COMMOdITIES While Zinc prices along with other commodities soar away, the market is also trying to extract more zinc through other alternatives. In the short term, there is fear of the industry resorting to lower utilisation of galvanised steel used especially for the export markets. Then it could resort to using thinner zinc alloy coats. There is also the alternative to use alloys of zinc and aluminium or zinc with magnesium. Zinc-Aluminium alloy Galvanlume, for example, is known to be widely used for higher temperature applications like vehicle powertrain. Zinciron alloy (Zinc at 55 per cent), Galvanneal is known to offer improved paint ability, weld ability and draw ability. In effect, zinc coatings could be lowered by half. To understand the severity, back in 2017, the die casting, in which moulten zinc is moulded into components accounted for 10-15 per cent of the zinc consumption. Galfan (zinc at five per cent) with aluminium is used for severely formed parts and hailed for its superior coating adhesion.
Lead USD/mt b/ 1,997 1,825 2,200 2,014 2,128 2,333 2,326 2,325 2,332 2,297 2,345
Daimler truck innovation center inDia haS commenceD operationS. aShiSh Bhatia lookS into the largeSt Daimler truck ag centre outSiDe germany, acting on crucial frontS of moBility.
Acting On Safety
@atashishbhatia Daimler
(IT). The standalone entity in India, according to Raghavendra Vaidya, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, DTICI is vital to the future engineering and design roadmap at the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Addressing the needs of its domestic and global regions of interest, the centre, he pointed out, is well equipped with state-of-theart technologies and tools. It will act upon innovative research projects to help align with the crucial fronts of mobility. It comes as a critical development post-Daimler AG spun off its trucks business from Mercedes-Benz cars. The two-vehicle businesses were quite distinct, with different customers, technologies and financial requirements calling upon the need for a dedicated centre for Accordinginnovation.toVaidya, DTICI is aligned with Daimler Truck, its ambition and its strategy globally, as it entered into a phase of complete disruption in
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in24 Cover sTory
Technology And Innovation
andproductactandmobilityFocusedwithTruckoutsideandthecommencedBengaluruIndiaInnovationTruckCenter(DTIC)inhasoperations.ItismostsignificantinnovationdevelopmentcentreGermanyforDaimlerAGasacaptiveunit~1300skilledengineers.oncrucialaspectsoflikesafetytechnologyinnovation,thecentrewillasthehubofresearch,engineering,innovationInformationTechnology
CAPABILITIES AT dTICI Most of the work done at DTICI is carried out in the digital format. The exceptions include some of the labs where it has in-house, hardware-in-loop testing or component test benches for the ECUs. In the case of product engineering capability, DTICI boasts capabilities across the board for engineering a commercial vehicle. Be it a truck or a bus, from mechanical engineering to electrical, electronics, and engineering. Electronics and software are a huge focus area. In effect, the centre is claimed to cover the entire gamut of engineering capabilities on the product engineering side. On the IT front, the centre covers the entire life cycle of engineering, after sales, and manufacturing. Beyond it, the centre also boasts of extremely deep expertise in advanced analytic and data science.Theinvestments in product engineering extend to software and electronics where Daimler is invested heavily, globally. Covering trucks for all their hardware and electronics, the capabilities are spread over five domains: software and electronics, HMI which is the head unit that the drivers interact with through connectivity and responsible for
the automotive industry. “The need for alternate powertrains and software-led innovation in the commercial vehicle industry is going to define the future of commercial vehicles,” he opined. Drawing attention to the significant engineering presence in India by way of the erstwhile setup, the decision to split the entire Daimler Group into two companies gave rise to the need for a standalone, deep engineering and technical expertise. It was thought of as a way to realise ambitions of going towards zero-emission vehicles with either battery or hydrogenbased fuel cells. DTICI is driven by the goal to lead the industry in software-led innovations. To attain it, Daimler decided to up the ante from being an engineering centre to evolving as an innovation centre, shared Vaidya. With India ticking all boxes, from the perspective of talent, ability and reach that the OEM commands globally, the company zeroed in on Bengaluru for the commissioning of the new centre. Notably, the new centre is the only innovation centre that works across all the regions and brands of Daimler Trucks like North America, Europe, Asia, and China. On the capex outlay for the centre, he explained, that since it’s not manufacturing intensive, the company is instead invested in building capability and people skill sets.
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 25 Cover sTory
FINdING SOLuTIONS At DTICI, the task is cut out; to answer complex questions with real-world solutions. Vaidya admitted to range prediction being a very complex problem, and one that nobody has solved. “All of us are trying to solve it and whoever is also the first will have a competitive advantage. So, there is a very fundamental problem-solving paradigm we are entering into, because of zero-emission and because of the advances in software and electronics,” he mentioned. Moving on to scientific problems, the centre will overlook battery chemistry or for example how to build hydrogen-based solutions with a 10-year forward outlook. With engineering centres spread across Stuttgart, Germany, and Portland, USA including an engineering team in Tokyo to go along with the comparatively smaller hubs, at DTICI, teams are well aware of allocating resources consciously and avoiding duplication of work. As a crucial part of an integrated engineering team, it is determined to hold its own and build the right manufacturing capabilities without continuous access to the product or the production facilities, like software, electronics, design and so on. DTICI will also partner closely with Indian suppliers for product development and IT collaborations.
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in26 Cover STorY
big data, and powertrain which controls the engines and makes the vehicle intelligent. Through body controls, it facilitates the interaction between intelligent tractors and trailers. Lastly, it also contributes to active safety and automation, which is the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) including extremely complex, software implementations like Active Brake Assist (ABA). Notably, of these, the vehicle connectivity domain is entirely owned and managed by India with global responsibility. It breaks away from the pack from the perspective of engineering centres vesting accountability to the Withheadquarters.thedivision of Daimler Trucks and Mercedes-Benz cars division, the task was cut out. To reposition and re-establish the digital infrastructure. “A lot of the digital infrastructure that we were sharing with the passenger cars is all gone. So we’ll have to set up our own digital infrastructure in engineering and manufacturing, after sales and so on. So the team are extremely involved in those projects, where we reestablish our digital infrastructure,” he explained. With prognostic capabilities, the centre hopes to make the factories more efficient by purely harnessing the power of data and using advanced systems.
industry Talk CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 27 exClusive | indusTry TAlk in an inDuStry talk SeSSion, raghavenDra vaiDya, managing Director anD chief executive officer, Dtici SpeakS to aShiSh Bhatia aBout the innovation centre aS the nerve centre for cracking complex proBlemS at Daimler truck ag, gloBally. Backbone For Digital Solutions when it waS DeciDeD to Split the entire Daimler group into two companieS, it waS very clear that we neeDeD Deep engineering anD technical expertiSe
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in28 exClusive | indusTry TAlk Q. What compelled the commissioning of an innovation centre outside Germany when Mercedes Benz Research and development India (MBRdI) was to an extent looking at trucks? Is it a follow-up to the global separation?
A. If you look at the Daimler Truck, ambition and strategy globally, we’ve entered into a phase of complete disruption of the automotive industry. More specifically the commercial vehicle industry is led by two things, alternate powertrains and softwareled innovation. These are the two things that are going to define the future of commercial vehicles. And since we already had a significant amount of engineering presence in India by way of the earlier setup, which was an engineering centre for all of the dialogue. When it was decided to split the entire Daimler Group into two companies, it was very clear that we needed deep engineering and technical expertise to achieve these ambitions of going towards zero-emission vehicles with either battery or hydrogen-based fuel cells. To lead the industry in softwareled innovations. And since we already had this, we decided to up the ante from being an engineering centre to being an innovation centre. India is a perfect place to do that from the perspective of talent, ability and reach that we have globally. So that is why the centre was set up. The other important fact about this innovation centre is, that this is the only innovation centre that works across all the regions of Daimler Trucks like North America, Europe, Asia, and China as well. All the regions and all the brands. So there is a lot of synergy and cross-pollination of ideas that we can establish between regions and between brands. So those are the over arching reasons why we set up this innovation centre in India and Bengaluru.
Q. Would it be fair to say it has now become the backbone of all daimler Trucks innovations and developments, globally? You’re absolutely right! There is a lot of work. There is a lot of disruption going on, there’s a lot of competition that is popping up everywhere which is not conventional competition that we’ve had. So we’ll have to accelerate the process of innovation, and hence a lot of work which needs deep engineering expertise. And what better place than India to bring all of these things together? So it does become a backbone for innovation and technical excellence on the product engineering side and also to make sure that we drive this innovation across regions and products.
Q. How does it scale up to be the second largest centre? does it topple the erstwhile second largest centre outside Germany? A. Yes, it does. It is the second largest engineering centre outside of Germany, and outside of any home location that we have for demo. We have two to three engineering centres across the globe. These are, you know, near shore centres like we have one centre in Turkey, which is close to Germany, where we leverage
A. I don’t think it is any longer a secret that Bengaluru is the melting pot of digital skill sets. Most of the largest engineering centres and digital centres are in Bengaluru. So no question about that. See, what do engineers look forward to when they come to work for Daimler? What they look forward to is working on some of the most sophisticated commercial vehicles. If you look vehicle connectivity D omain i S entirely owne D an D manage D B y i n D ia, which mean S the entire i n D ia team ha S the glo B al re S pon S i B ility of D riving thi S .
Q. What are the state-of-the-art capabilities that can be expected at the centre? A. Absolutely. If you look at what we do in DTICI, it’s two things. One is product engineering, other is information technology. So when it comes to product engineering, we have capabilities across the spectrum of how we engineer a commercial vehicle, whether it’s a truck or a bus, starting with mechanical engineering, with electrical, electronics, and engineering, and with a huge focus on both electronics and software. So we cover the entire gamut of engineering capabilities on the product engineering side. And on the IT side, we covered the entire gamut like engineering, after sales, and manufacturing. And then we have extremely deep expertise in advanced analytic and data science. So the way I would put it is on the product engineering side, we go from sheet metal to software. And on the IT side, we’ve covered most of the domains. We also have very deep expertise in analytic and data science.
Q. Any exciting projects where work is underway the centre?
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 29 exClusive | indusTry TAlk the proximity of Turkey and then the language skills. We have a very small centre in Mexico, which is close to North America. But this is the centre that caters to all of the global markets as the only centre covering the entire globe, all the regions and all the branches.
A. On the product engineering side, let me focus on software and electronics and mission vehicles because these are the two areas where we are investing heavily, globally. So under hardware and electronics, all the electronics and software that goes into the truck and the bus, and makes the commercial vehicle intelligent. So we have five domains across software and electronics: HMI which is the head unit that the drivers interact with through connectivity, which is taking all the vehicle data and sending it to the cloud in real-time. We have the powertrain which is controlling the engines and making the vehicle intelligent. Through body controls, we make the facilities more intelligent, like, how the tractor and trailer interact with each other. And fifth, and the most important is active safety and automation, which is the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). Out of these, the vehicle connectivity domain is entirely owned and managed by India, which means the entire India team has the global responsibility of driving this. This is huge. I would say a big shift from the regular engineering centres that you find everywhere where engineering work happens but the accountability is still with the headquarters. We have deep expertise in software development, for example, autonomous driving or ADAS. These are extremely complex, software implementations like the brake can brake by itself, called Active Brake Assist (ABA). It can identify a pedestrian or a bicycle that is going on the side because these trucks are really big and the driver cannot see such blind spots. So there are more sensors and cameras. So in the rest of the four domains, we have deep software development expertise. And there are lots of exciting projects going on in each one of them. So that’s on the vehicle software side. On the IT side as you can imagine, when a company gets split, we’ll have to reposition and reestablish the digital infrastructure. A lot of the digital infrastructure that we were sharing with the passenger cars is all gone. So we’ll have to set up our own digital infrastructure in engineering and manufacturing, after sales and so on. So the team are extremely involved in those projects, where we reestablish our digital infrastructure.
Q. How will you leverage Karnataka’s manpower and offer upskilling opportunities in line with the daimler global benchmarks?
The second is the advanced analytic and data science that I spoke about, where we are trying to harness the power of data, using machine learning algorithms where we can predict part failures, the part pricing or we can make the factories more efficient by purely harnessing the power of data and using advanced systems.
Q. If you could share the CapEx earmarked for the centre? A. This is an engineering centre and all of our capabilities here are digital. So we don’t have test benches; we don’t have a manufacturing facility; we don’t have a prototype shop, which is very physical. So the investment here is really in building capability and people and in skill sets. Most of the work that we do here is digital, except for some of the labs where we have the hardware in loop labs or component test benches for the ECUs. Outside of that, it’s mostly digital. So our biggest investment and our biggest asset are our engineers.
A. So let me answer that question in two parts. One is we have already taken accountability for let’s say, vehicle connectivity. And this is a combination of hardware and software, the hardware is the ECU or the CTP which is a Common Telematics Platform inside the truck, So, the range preDiction iS a very complex proBlem, noBoDy haS SolveD it yet anD all of uS are trying to Solve it anD whoever iS alSo the firSt will have a competitive aDvantage.
A. We do work with Mercedes Benz as one of our brands. And we do work on some of the engineering problems for foreign brands, whether it is on creating the next derivative or whether it is complying with BSVI or whether it is on connectivity solutions. The challenge here is that the products in each region are very different. What sells in India is very different from what we sell in Europe, what we sell in North America, or what we sell in Indonesia, for example. And our task or our ambition is to make this DTICI the melting pot of all the engineering problems. And we take one solution from one region and one product and try to adapt it to the other product.
Q. Will it be directly accountable for on road performances beyond lab simulated results?
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in30 exClusive | indusTry TAlk at our trucks and buses in North America and Europe, these are some of the most sophisticated machines with extremely complex engineering, whether it is the powertrain whether it is transmission, whether it is the braking systems or the software and electronics. So they come to work for us to up their skill where they’re working on the best products. This is something that they won’t get anywhere else. Now, that also poses a challenge for us, because this is very complex engineering involved. And Daimler has been around for more than 20 years. We have many complex processes, which have been developed over decades. So we have a two-pronged approach, where we bring in engineers who already have the technical skills like software or electronics, along with a background in automotive engineering. So they know their trade craft, and they know how to apply it in automotive engineering. We recruit engineers who come with their trade craft, whether it is computer science, electrical or electronics, or who have prior work experience in the automotive industry. So they have technical skills, but also the domain skill of how to apply that technology in the automotive industry. We recruit them, and that’s kind of getting there halfway. There is also a Daimler way of doing engineering. So that’s what we scale them up on. Like, how do we do active safety at Daimler? How do we do software at Daimler, and then once we upskill them, then they become part of the team. We also have a campus strategy where we bring very young engineers and interns as Graduate Apprentice Trainees and then we train them on the specific skill sets. And then most of them, like really smart kids, get trained on the job. And then over years, they kind of get their trade craft fine-tuned with an ability to understand the automotive industry. We conduct lateral hiring, and we also do campus hiring. And a combination of them gives us the right skill sets to deliver the solutions.
Q. Which global markets and product mixes will it serve? What are the research, product engineering and IT capabilities that it will bring forth in a seemingly well-established, and proven A.ecosystem? You are right, it is a seemingly well-defined and well-understood ecosystem, but there is a lot of disruption that’s going on. For example, all the OEMs of commercial vehicles or all other automotive of us have to get to zero emissions. We’ll have to get rid of combustion engines and go to battery electric vehicles, and in commercial vehicles, because of the range requirements, battery electric may not be good enough. So there are a lot of very fundamental engineering problems that need to be solved. Let me give you an example. So we have battery electric trucks, right, which are in production, plying on the roads in Europe and the US. One of the biggest and the most complicated problems we’re trying to solve is range prediction. How does the driver know when he or she is going to run out of power? So, the range prediction is a very complex problem, nobody has solved it yet and all of us are trying to solve it and whoever is also the first will have a competitive advantage. So, there is a very fundamental problemsolving paradigm we are entering into, because of zero-emission and because of the advances in software and electronics. So these problems are not solved, and they are very complex engineering problems. There are also scientific problems with battery chemistry or say how to build hydrogen. How do you know, distribute hydrogen, how do you make sure that the compressed hydrogen stays in a certain state? So, we move from where we are to where we will be in eight to 10 years. There are extremely fundamental scientific and engineering problems that need to be solved, right and all the OEMs are in the race of solving them. Whoever solves them and brings them to the market will have a competitive advantage. Q. Will this have a direct bearing on the export ambitions from the Oragadam plant?
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 31 which is continuously collecting data from the truck and streaming it to the cloud. On the cloud, we are running a lot of algorithms and understanding how the truck is behaving. We already have full accountability for that. On the aspect of hardware where one needs to build test benches. The question is are we going to build proto shops? Where we can build a prototype of the trucks? The answer is no, we will not do it. We will stay digital. We will stay focused on solving the problems through digital technologies. We do have limited, hardware capabilities, whether it is hardware in a loop or whether it is test benches for our electronic components, not the mechanic.
Q. Elaborate on the synergies that will be leveraged between the new centre and the existing global innovation centres. Any technology transfers and collaborations that you could speak of? We have engineering centres, in our home locations, like there is an engineering team in Stuttgart, Germany. There is an Indian team in Portland, USA. There is an engineering team in Tokyo. And then there are little hubs. So we work as one team. We don’t duplicate stuff. We don’t solve the same problem in two places. But we try and work as an integrated engineering team, where we harness the capability of that location. For example, Turkey is right next to Germany, they have huge language skills. And there are very large manufacturing plants in Turkey, both for trucks and buses. So we use that as a backbone to build the right manufacturing capabilities. Similarly, Mexico and the other centres. At DTICI, we’re not away from most of the home locations. When we build capabilities here, which are digital, which can be successfully owned and executed, not having to have continuous access to the product or the production facilities, like software, electronics, design and so on. It is how we have structured across the globe. what SellS in inDia iS very Different from what we Sell in europe, what we Sell in north america, or what we Sell in inDoneSia, for example. anD our taSk or our amBition iS to make thiS Dtici the melting pot of all the engineering proBlemS.
exClusive | indusTry TAlk
The company is working on multiple projects based on the same platform, confirmed Uday Narang, Founder and Chairman at the company. He said, “The M1KA is a very special product and this architecture will be used as a base for many of our upcoming projects.” To align its domestic and export aspirations, among many measures is the strategic decision to make the Vizag greenfield plant an export hub of eLCVs. In the first phase, OSM will cater to the growing demand from the ASEAN, Gulf and Africa regions. In phase two, the company aspires to
the oSm m1ka 3.0, elcv haS reacheD itS final proDuction Stage. SumeSh Soman hopS in on the Driver’S Seat aheaD of itS commercial launch.
Nearing Rollout At Omega Seiki Mobility (OSM), its busy times! The reveal of the M1KA has been followed by a string of unveils in the cargo and people mover segment. The first electric four-wheeler from its stable — M1KA set for launch in the Small Commercial Vehicle (SCV) segment has the platform evolving as a scalable and modular mother platform. Its derivative M1KA 3.O has taken shape of a fourwheeler electric cargo Light Commercial Vehicle (eLCV).
@SumeshSoman CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in32 Cover Story | Road CheCk|exCluSive
The front bumper is flanked by LED head lamps and features fog lamps on the bumper. The centre of the bumper houses the OSM badge to go along with the model name. Pan on the lift, and it boasts of being a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV).
www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 33 Cover Story | Road CheCk|exCluSive
Drawing second looks with its imposing, tall stance, an attractive duality in body paint, a mix of contrasting shades of blue and white compliment that stance. A look at the front windshield with its coverage is enough to envision the panoramic view on offer for the pilot from within the cabin..
tap the export potential to advanced markets like the US andBackEurope.atits headquarters, the company showcased the first prototype of M1KA in the fourth quarter of Financial Year 2021 (Q4FY2021) which is doing pilot runs in Bengaluru among other interesting global terrains with some of the leading logistics players. The M1KA as a platform will cater to the one-tonne to 6.5 tonne bracket and the company hopes to commence deliveries by the early half of the second quarter of FY2022 (Q2-2022). Walk up to the truck, and right off the willow, its a looker.
The angular aerodynamic roof panel lends well to the form and functionality adding to its modern, global appeal. Walk over to the port side and the Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVM) give the impression of protruding a tad more than necessary in a bid to enhance the driver field of coverage. In markets like India, with vehicles running in close to each other, pilots will have to take special care to not lose them while manoeuvring. The dual body paint extends to the sides and goes right up to the rear of the eLCV. Claimed to have come a long way from its earlier prototype stages, the M1KA 3.0 at five-tonne Gross Vehicluar Weight (GVW) accommodates a payload of three tonnes. It measures 6040 mm long, 2160 mm wide, and 2270 mm tall with a 3360 mm wheelbase. The truck plies on 215/75R17.5 radials. The cockpiT Inside the cockpit, the dashboard and mostly premium hard plastic surfaces greet you. The instrument cluster is part digital and part analogue with a seamless relay of key metric like kilometres to refuel, engine temperature, State of Charge (SoC)to name a few. It’s nice to see CVs getting infotainment consoles of much use than in the PVs. A seven-inch infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity, radio, and navigation is quick to respond. Being in the final stage of proto typing ahead of its rollout, I came across dummy switches and spaces yet to be utilised to full capacity. The could lend themselves for charging ports among other utilities ahead of launch.The company has opted for AC and fan controls with rotary knobs over touch activated controls. I prefer the accuracy and ease of operation with the former too. It could better lend itself to on-road safety allowing the driver to focus on the drive instead. There are cubby holes and cup holders on the centre console besides the doors. The Driver plus one (D+1) seating arrangement is roomy on the whole and pilots could appreciate the side bolstering that is comforting. Its a snug fit with ample under-thigh support making it apt for daily runs. The multi-functional steering wheel is rake and Uday Narang, Founder and Chairman, Omega Seiki Mobility CommerCial VehiCle
PA r AM e T er SP ec I f Ic ATIOn Power 130 kW torque 415 Nm r ange 180 k m Max speed 90 k mph Dimension (LxWxH) 6040 mm x 2160 mm x 2270 mm Wheelbase 3360 mm Brake type Front/re ar Drum Battery type L iFeP04 total capacity 96.77 kWh OSM M1KA 3.0 CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in34 Cover Story | Road CheCk|exCluSive
reach adjustable, adding to the comfort of the driver along given its handsfree capabilities. The driveTrain The M1KA 3.0 relies on a 167.67hp (170 bhp) liquidcooled motor that develops 415 Nm of peak rated torque when paired with a 96.77 kWh battery on baord. The company claims a range of 180 km on a single charge with the top speed limited to 90 kmph a notch higher than that prescribed by the speed governors (80 kmph). Beyond flat surfaces, the vehicle offers a maximum grade-ability of 30 per cent. The vehicle takes about two hours for a full charge by a DC charger and six to eight hours using an AC charger. Though our time with the vehicle was brief, the M1KA 3.0 takes little time to make itself acquainted with the driver. The gear lever evidently shows how easy it is to drive the M1KA. Then Drive, Neutral and Reverse function inherited from the automatic transmissions ensure you are good to go and not a major threat on road. Tap on the accelerator and the vehicle doesn’t waste time before setting in motion. The instant response is exhilarating to an extent that one doesn’t mind the negligible lag on
pushing the pedal. The threespoke power steering makes manoeuvring the five-tonne truck an easy task with a turning radius of 15m. The call of zero-emission is heightened with a near silent, in-cabin NVH levels. Barring the tyres kissing the tarmac there is a commendable reduction in NVH also a major reason for operator fatigue tackled here. The braking and suspension duties are manned by fewer springs of front cross-section coupled with double acting shock on the front and the rear. The first impression is coming from driving the vehicle in a controlled environment and in an unladen state in its final stages of proto-typing. More will be known when it is commercialised and tested in a laden state for its realworld performance. At the outset, it holds promise and offers competition to more established players expected to follow through.
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 35 Cover Story | Road CheCk|exCluSive
the new mahinDra Bolero city-pikup aDDS new DimenSionS to the legacy pickup range. prateek parDeShi teStS itS mettle in the urBan jungle.
Mahindra Mahindra& (M&M) continues to dominate the pickup segment with the Bolero range. The Bolero Pickup is well known for catapulting M&M into a segment leader with a 59 per cent market share (FY202122) as it continues to diversify its customer offerings. The Original carryingrodeworkhorsecarry’sCityincludingatoManufacturerEquipment(OEM)isknownhavesold19,100pickupsonYear-To-Date(YTD)basisthenewBoleroPikup.Thenewpickuptheweightofbeingawithaplomb.Wethe1.5-tonne(payloadcapacity)variant that brings in well-thoughtoff improvements over its predecessors. These additions and subtractions meant, that Mahindra continues to reach out to its target groups, from small fleet operators to large fleet operators. It will be interesting to see how 2022 is pitted with the sales of 21,800 units in 2021 and 18,000
@Prateek2101 CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in36 Cover STorY | road CheCk
Bolero Pik-up For Intracity
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in august 2022 37 Cover STorY | road CheCk
ON OFFER FOR INTRACITy TRANSPORTATION
units in the pandemic marred 2020 where essential goods services were exempted from lockdowns to keep the wheels rolling.From assembling 75 Jeeps in the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) state in the late 1940s has the company today carving a niche for itself in the Utility Vehicles (UV) segment and for good reason. A visit to the Kandivali facility here in the western suburbs of Mumbai with Boleros doing the rounds of the premise and the specially built test track are testimony. This latest addition with the pickup aimed at intracity duty cycles undoubtedly retains the workhorse DNA and is a clear attempt at building on the learnings gathered from the predecessors up to the Bolero pickup in the Bharat Stage VI (BSVI) avataar. the Bolero roots can be traced back to the year 2000. Notably, the growth of UVs is also credited to the backing of the business unit, Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. (MMFSL).
Leveraging the well-received, Bolero Extra Long also known as the big Bolero pickup and the Bolero Extra Strong, the new city pickup is designed as a compact and convenient option. Harish Lalchandani, VP-Marketing, Mahindra Automotive cites the constant endeavour to engineer and deliver best-in-class products measuring up on metrics like performance, reliability, and profitability and credits it for the ontinued dominance over the last two decades. The pickup stands out with its reduced, overall dimensions of 4990 mm length as a result of a slimmer B-pillar and compact load tray. It measures 1700 mm in width and 1858 mm in height with a 3264 mm wheelbase that stays unchanged. This has a direct bearing on the turning radius, lowered as a result of the structural modifications making it more than just a cosmetic change.Weparked it alongside the 2018, 1.7-tonne BSVI Bolero Pik-up FlatBed (FB) XL to look at it with a closer lens. The front from close quarters gave way to changes including a redesigned front bumper with the mudguard integrated. Resembling the latter (Bolero Pikup FB) on most counts, the Mr. harish l alchandani, VP-Marketing, Mahindra Automotive.
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in38 Cover STorY | road CheCk
Walkover to the side and the single door cab on the port side leaves out unnecessary alterations including the footrest for easy ingress. It’s the fins on the B-pillar that let the cat out of the bag on the reduction. We noticed the two hinged doors tend to trap the seat fabric given the scope of abuse in daily use. Move up to the rear and the distinctly compact cargo tray measures 2640 mm in length, 1700 mm in width, and 398 mm in height. The 3.09-tonne Gross Vehicular Weight (GVW)
pickup is left with a payload carrying capacity of 1.5-tonne which might push operators towards the 1.7-tonner given that even the latter is known to be overloaded. For example, vegetable vendors visit the mandis to source fresh produce in the wee hours of the morning and have built closed containers out of the load tray to meet their requirements. With Turn-AroundTime (TAT) and Total Cost of Operations (TCO) at the forefront of decision-making for Sawant. A vegetable vendor
new clear-lens headlamps opt out of the amber extensions on the corner of the lens. The signature slat grille is now body painted giving it a more contemporary appeal. Unlike on the SUVs, the old emblem continues on the CV. The arrangement of the reflectors and the fog lights is more spread out in comparison. Get past the bonnet and slide up to the windshield and the unchanged set of wiper blades greet you. It features the spray nozzle which could be a bone of contention for some.
IN-CABIN Step into the cabin of the Bolero city pikup and you are greeted by the threespoke steering that offers a solid grip and lends to the commanding stance. It absorbs a great deal of fatigue from city and motorway driving with improved ergonomics. The thumb rest will be well appreciated over a long drive. The Driver plus 1 (D+1) seating arrangement is well spaced out with good leg room and underthigh support with a clear view looking over the bonnet. One might sense the need for a headrest though. Given its pedigree and the temptation to steer off-road or tackle the challenging tarmac within city limits, the pikup does well with the leaf spring arrangement.
Grab handles especially for the copilot would have been a good inclusion in addition to the one provided on the dash. Be it the speed bumpers, the water puddles and or loose soil, the pickup stays firmly grounded ensuring a wellrounded onroad performance. It allows the driver to push the pedal, especially in an unladen state!Not the most crucial consideration for operators in the segment, the two-tone coffee and beige trims are inviting. A 12V charging socket, optional HVAC, cubby holes and the inclusion of a flooring mat on the demo model brought in from Mahindra
operating in the western suburbs of Mumbai, Sawant owns a fleet of three vehicles that includes two Mahindra Bolero Pikups. The new truck had a lot going for him barring the prospect of lowered laden weight. Appreciating the changes and the carryovers alike, Sawant wished for the same package in the 1.7-tonne guise given his daily payload requirement. Operators like Sawant know what they want! Some ticks for the operator included the fuel tank mount on the starboard with a 45-litre holding capacity. The pickup plys on 215/75 R15 LT profile tyres. The vehicle retains its DNA at the rear end to the given way by the carryover; taillights are conventional and still use old generation of bulbs; three hinges are provided, allowing the tailgate to pivot almost 180 degrees sans stoppers resulting in a rattling sound. The rear is home to two new reverse parking sensors holding an uncanny resemblance to the Mahindra Supro. It makes use of two-stage beepers that alert the pilot when critical proximity is reached. The stepney is visible when you peek-a-boo from underneath the load tray making way for easy access. it also hints at the well accepted departure angle.
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in august 2022 39 Cover STorY | road CheCk
PA r AM e T er SP ec I f Ic ATIOn GVW 3.09-tonne (3090 kg) Payload 1500 kg E ngine BSVI 2523 cc , m2DiCr Di four-cyclinder, turbocharged Peak r ated Power 65 hp at 3200 rpm Peak r ated torque 195 Nm at 1400-2200 rpm tr ansmission Manual, five-speed ty re 215/75 r15 Fuel tank Capacity 45-litre Wheelbase 3264 mm C argo Dimensions 2640 mm x1700 mm 398 mm Bolero City Pikup CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in40 Cover STorY | road CheCk
dealership Salasar Autocrafts Pvt. Ltd. we rode stacked up as the must-haves. A fixed glass seethrough cavity allows the operator to oversee cargo and reverse. Some might miss the flexibility that comes with a sliding glass frame especially with the aircon turned off.
uNdER THE HOOd The pickup draws power from the four-cylinder, BSVI m2DiCR DI Turbo Charged, 2523 cc engine with a peak rated power of 65hp at 3200 rpm and a peak rated torque of 195 Nm in the 1400-2200 rpm range. The engine is mated to a fivespeed manual transmission unit gearbox. The OEM is claimed to have improved the engine on counts of the installation of a new turbo and intercooler visible from the first glance of the front fascia and as a result an improved efficiency. The air filter is rectangular instead of circular one. This ensures maximum airflow back into the engine. In some interesting changes, the in-cabin fuse boxes have been shifted to the co-pilot side from underneath the steering previously. There are stacks on the port side inside the bonnet as well for ease of maintenance. These cover the designated fuses and relays including the 15A fuel pump, 60A battery, 15A each for the high- and lowbeam, a 40A starter relay, 30A ECU, and the 100A Alternator grouped together in a dedicated compartment. dRIvEABILITy Driving the Bolero city pik-up was thrilling! Everything you expect from a pickup and the Bolero DNA. At the end of the day long drive across different terrains, it is safe to say the vehicle in its unladen state didn’t disappoint. The dynamics might change in the laden state but it is sure to hold its own. When driving, the company recommends to leave the turbocharged engine running for about a minute prior to start or stop. Other recommendations include engaging the reverse gear only after pressing the clutch pedal for three seconds. Turn on the ignition, and the instrument console gets cracking. The centre analogue
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in august 2022 41 Cover STorY | road CheCk
speedo is flanked by digital fuel and temperature gauge on its left-hand side with other key indicators grouped on the righthand side. All through the drive, it was easy to monitor. After the recommended idling, the vehicle took-off with ease. Gear shifts were smooth and allowed us to breach the higher rpms and test the capability of the engine. On the highway, on breaching the 60-70 kmph mark, it was easy to shift into the top gear (fifth) and sense the engine running optimally. At this stage, the pilot is rest assured to be in cruise mode. Downward shifting from city limits was equally easy. From a safety drive perspective, the ORVMs might need to be coupled with aftermarket inclusions to increase the coverage of blind spots. A top mirror angled down to see the front wheel or a wide-angle mirror could be good supplementary additions, for example. While tackling an ascent, it took a while to get used to the hand brake positioning. Mounted in a confined space the pilot could feel the need for conventional hand brake placement near the gearshift. Add to it, the long and elevated stance of the clutch, brake and accelerator pedal arrangement takes time to get used to and may result in ankle sores for an Indian with an average height of five feet and eight inches. The long gear ratios meant the shifter travelled a fair amount too. When seated with a copilot, this could be a cause of the discomfort, especially when engaging the second, fourth or reverse gear. The overall shift and vehicle response compensates a fair bit for it though. Driving in heavy downpour towards SoBo from the western suburbs meant that the single washer spray on the windshield was put to test. For a heavy-duty vehicle like the Bolero pickup, we felt the two-nozzle spray would have been more apt. All and all, operators looking at a lower TCO and quicker TAT courtesy a powerful and finetuned machine at hand have a new choice in the new Bolero City Pik-up an already proven lineup. The electric variant is around the corner too!
aShiSh Bhatia with SumeSh Soman lookS at itS role in multi-client fulfilment anD DiStriBution
T hird-Party Logistics (3PL) is not the same anymore. ‘Just-In-Time- has given way to ‘Just-In-Case’ with supplyside shocks accounting for half of the price rises. The cost of logistics in India is at 13-14 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and must come down. In the hub and spoke model, warehouses have assumed a renewed significance for various segments including e-commerce and consumer goods movement. Faced with its own set of challenges during the pandemic and supply-side bottlenecks, first with migration and then with @SumeshSoman_ CommerCial
the flagShip warehouSe of mahinDra logiSticS at luhari iS a graDe-a facility.
Multi-client Fulfillment And Distribution
VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in42 TransporTaTion and LogisTics @atashishbhatia
Other noteworthy mentions are customisable and flexible spaces, easy access to key industrial markets and fully equipped with standard amenities. Rampraveen averred, “If you actually integrate across these supply chains, you can create significant improvements in product outlets. We can actually move and take all services together, bundle these together and rampraveen Swaminathan, Managing Director and chief executive Officer at Mahindra l ogistics ltd.
reverse migration resulting in labour shortage. According to Rampraveen Swaminathan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Logistics Ltd. (MLL) Notably, companies are acting out of fear and stocking up in the case of any contingency with disruptive events continuing to plague the industry. Be it the Russian war in Ukraine, alternative procurement strategies, container shortages or the semiconductor shortage. “People are stocking up with the apprehension of not just Covid-19 but the China+1 strategy and the RussiaUkraine conflict. The market is more volatile than ever and this leads to new patterns where contingencies have taken priority. No company wants to be caught in a situation where they are at a standstill and since 2020, multiple factors have stalled the market and movement,” he opined. At the flagship, Grade-A warehouse among three such facilities of Mahindra Logistics, the company continues to challenge the status quo of 3PL. Approximately 80 kms from the National Capital and christened as one of the best, sustainable and tech-enabled facilities, the floor bearing capacity is about eight tonnes per sq. m. with a 13 m height clearance. The entire facility is tech-enabled and functions in a paperless fashion As its sustenance model. MLL, informed Swaminathan, boasts of recycled and sustainable practices being integrated in and around the facility so much so that the last mile delivery is done by ‘eDel’ e-bikes along with in-facility transportation of goods as well as employees. The company’s partnership with eDel has added over 500 electric vehicles to its fleet with over 60 charging hubs. The company claims that with this partnership, they have covered more than seven million kilometres, served over 1000 pin codes, saved over 700 tonnes of CO2 and are expanding over 14 cities.
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 43 TransporTaTion and LogisTics
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in44 TransporTaTion and LogisTics
The company, it is clear. Is building a pan India network. Starting from Luhari in the NC and ending at Coimbatore. In the middle, MLL is trying to cover all the major cities: Bhiwandi, Nashik, Jaipur, Ahmedabad,, Karnataka, Hosur, Chennai, Kolkata, and Patna for example. “Each of these will be a gateway of access to the major cities. The network focuses that the customers are engulfed in a 200 km radius of the closest facility and that’s to ensure the quickest movement and delivery of commodities,” he mentioned. In a testimony to operations being inclusive and one that embraces diversity, the staff recruitment body is claimed to hire a diverse workforce including from the LGBTQ community. During the warehouse visit, the demonstration of Material Handling Equipment (MHE) like forklift being operated by a woman named Kunti was testimony. Her skill set of displacing goodsladen pellets at a height of over fifty feet impressed along with her capability to meticulously load pellets on the racks at the warehouse. To ensure seamless movement, the goods are marked with a segregated ID that matches the consignment to the loading truck that is assigned for delivery. The entire process runs on a portal and is digitally monitored from end-to-end in a bid to strive for a zero-error margin. In a case of goods not matching the delivery truck, the system does not register the entry and thus a faulty shipment is not released from the dock.
get a lot more visibility of the supply chain. It makes it more flexible and voluminous for a multi-client facility.”A rack at the facility can hold up to 30,000 pellets with over 50 docks. There are over 25 exit points for the safe evacuation of staff along with an underground passage designed for emergencies. The company currently has about 3.2 million sq.ft.of multi-client facilities operational at 10 locations across the country, along with 2.8 million sq. ft. of multi-client facilities under construction at seven locations. The company brags sub-48-hour TAT of market access to over 70 per cent of consumers in the country. MLL warehouse caters to A-listers like Bajaj Auto, Godrej-Boyce, and Panasonic to name a Sharingfew. the future aspirations and preparations in line, Rampraveen said, “We have right now about four million sq. ft. under construction, of which 2.6 million is ready. Another 1.4 million sq. ft. is actually under fairly advanced stages of construction. I think we will be able to launch two facilities over the next three months, fairly large ones.”
Q. How do you continue to challenge the status quo of 3PL?
in an inDuStry talk SeSSion, rampraveen Swaminathan, managing Director anD chief executive officer at mahinDra logiSticS ltD. SpeakS with aShiSh Bhatia on aDDing agility anD volume to a multi-client fulfilment anD DiStriBution centre.
Q. How do the flagship warehouse and recent additions add up to a pan-India multi-client handling capability?
Agile and Expansive
A. The challenge in 3PL has always been that customers in India have always wanted to design our supply chain. Where we are trying to disrupt it is by integrating more. We believe there are increasing trends to support actual integration across the supply chains giving shape to significant improvements in the end product outlay. We can actually move and take all services together, bundle these and get a lot more visibility into the supply chain. It makes it more agile and expansive with a high-volume handling capability for a multi-client fulfilment and distribution facility. Coupling multiple services together and having more control over the entire operation is how we are trying to challenge or disrupt the system.
A. We are building multi-client facility, we have right now about four million square feet under construction, of which 2.6 million is already completed. 1.4 million is actually under fairly advanced construction. I think we will launch two facilities in the next three months, uh, fairly large ones. So, four million is already under construction, and under the market iS more volatile than ever anD thiS leaDS to new patternS where contingencieS have taken priority.
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | a ugust 2022 45 ExclusivE | industry talk industry Talk
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in46 ExclusivE |
Q. Has the restructuringsupply-chainatmostOEMs and an alternative procurement strategy like China+1 impacted business directly? I think plus one is a great thing. I think one, making those changes are difficult. If we look at it from a pragmatic approach, it will reveal the true nature of that task. I think displacing is not so easy. The China plus one changes quite a lot as a pivot. So, there are places like electronics where traction has seen a boom because of the electronic PLI scheme but it has its own set of challenges too like the chip shortage. And many countries are practicing the plus one strategy. In the United States, many North American companies look at Mexico as the plus one, and similarly in the east some companies look at Vietnam as the plus one. So, we have two questions: Can we implement plus one quickly enough and second is determining who will be the plus one? We also have the ‘Make in India’ initiative that has given birth to a new wave in the market, so all these policies also play a crucial role in shifting pressure in the import and export realms. It nudges companies to resort to more exports and an effort to produce goods and source raw materials from within the borders. It is still at its nascent stage and with time a more definitive and reliable solution will surface. “if you actually integrate acroSS theSe Supply chainS, you can create Significant improvementS in proDuct outletS.”
Q. How are you dealing with higher inventory lead times and the non predictability around it? A. I think what is happening, the mind set of the customers before was just building a network. Today customers, supply chain leaders are growing leaner. Now the same CEOs are changing with times. And so people want to have plan B, plan C and even a plan D. This has led to higher inventory accumulation across the country. People are stocking up with the apprehension of not just Covid-19 but the China plus one policy and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The market is more volatile than ever and this leads to new patterns where contingencies have taken priority. No company wants to be caught in a situation where they are at a standstill and since 2020, multiple factors have stalled the market and movement.
“we have at preSent aBout four million Sq. ft. unDer conStruction, of which 2.6 million iS reaDy. another 1.4 million Sq. ft. iS actually unDer fairly aDvanceD StageS of conStruction. “
industry talk two million contracted. So that tallies around six million and then we plan to build another three million. So that totals around nine million square feet. But, I think that the answer is not the square feet, square feet is a nice number. I think what we are trying to do is build a network across the country. It starts at Luhari and ends at Coimbatore and in the middle we are trying to cover all the major cities: Bhiwandi, Nashik, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Karnataka, Hosur, Chennai, Kolkata, and Patna to name a few. Each of these will be a gateway of access to the major metros. The network is focused on customer coverage within a 200 km radius of the closest facility and that is to ensure the quick movement and delivery of commodities.
Q. What is the current capacity utilisation? Is there excess capacity and under utilisation courtesy a low sentiment and fears of recession looming large? A. No, we have planned under utilisation. So, we do plan that two to three per cent will always be under utilised and lying vacant. Cause we are switching clients, and in the transition some customer sites are under construction. We are free from the market pressures and or market and confident in our capabilities. There is an advanced planning stage wherein we prepare for such a trough, but no such under utilisation is there on the whole.
Advertising in traditional media continues to enjoy high trust amongst consumers, with 86%* expressing confidence in print – making it the most trusted medium. FOR THE VOTE THE MOST TRUSTED MEDIUM goes to print * ASCI - ISA Report Findings
the farming equipment inDuStry iS at a crucial juncture. aShiSh Bhatia lookS at the Direction it iS taking.
@atashishbhatia CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in48 Game ChanGer | Farming EquipmEnt
The TREM Stage III A emission compliance with effect 201011 and the rollout of electric tractors are important steps in the direction of zeroemission. For tractors with greater than 50 hp engines, new compliances are expected to be rolled out. It has made India the first nation outside of the EU to adopt such stringent measures. Coupled with a winning combination of sustainable manufacturing footprint at leading tractor manufacturing plants this radicle evolution has gone well beyond just intent to execution. The repealing of farm laws and the expectations of a good harvest season have also given this segment a fillip.
Classified as essential, the FE segment sustained through a tumultuous, pandemic marred 2020-22. Agriculture and allied activities are said to have been the sole bright spot amid the slide in the GDP performance of other sectors. They clocked a growth rate of 3.4 per cent at constant prices during 202021. With a growth of CAGR of 7.5 per cent over the last
The Farming Equipment (FE) segment is a crucial driver of an agricultural country like India. It is a key contributor to the country ranking second in the world. With the nation aiming to turn a USD five trillion economy, one can’t overlook the USD 400 billion contributions of agriculture, only second after China. Tractor manufacturers must be credited for driving the transformation in the industry on a Year-Over-Year (YoY) basis. Like other automotive segments, this sub-segment is re-engineering the rules of the game. From aspects like form factor, overall design, touch and feel, coloured wheels (aftermarket), closed cabins and air-conditioned cabins to electric and autonomous machines are not far-fetched anymore. From prototypes, they have come a long way to witnessing commercialisation.
A Crucial Juncture
decades, the industry from being a 50,000 volume market through the 1960s is today well over ~6,00,000 volumes. From being a net importer, it has turned into a net exporter and at par with markets like the United States and China with the exception of the growing sub-20hp segment.
The volumes span from sub-20 hp to 60hp plus variants on offer catering to diverse needs from orchard fields to larger land holdings. Here 80 per cent of the sales are known to come from the 30-50 hp segment. The goal is to double farm mechanisation in a span of 10 years which can result in a 30 per cent boost in productivity and farming cost reduction by 20 per cent expected to drive up profitability in the sector. Notably, the industry has succeeded in localising 95 per cent of farming equipment in theThroughcountry. a ‘Custom Hiring’ scheme, the government is prioritising small- and mediumlandholders. The strategy is to double the coverage of farmland under mechanisation. The scheme is expected to provide expensive and large advanced agricultural equipment to the framers on a rental basis. This trend is vastly adopted in the bus segment on similar lines with the exception of the operator running the show. In the case of STUs, buses are added to their fleets on a Gross-Cost Contract (GCC) basis wherein the operator is paid a specified sum for a specified period. To increase the availability of equipment/machines to the small and marginal farmers on the above-mentioned hire basis, as per the Economic Survey 2020-21 study, an estimated 9970, 2866 and 4170 custom hiring centres are said to have been initiated in Punjab, Haryana and UP respectively.Theneeds of farmers have come a long way and so has the supply chain that has aligned itself with this demand-driven market. Today, considerations span across parameters like sustenance, 4WD, commercial and agricultural applications, and design. Attempting to fulfil these requirements, the Tractor and Mechanization Association
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 49 Game ChanGer | Farming EquipmEnt
(TMA) in its data for a YearTo-Date (YTD) basis has found a firm ground to build on in the coming quarters. In the adjoining table, you will see that the tractor manufacturers started the year with higher production volumes compared to sales. Production volumes matched sales leading into the new Financial Year 2022 (FY2022).Inanupward trajectory, the industry was selling higher than it produced before a slight dip in May-June 2022 and took off again. In June 2022 sales are pegged at 1,07,326 units compared to the production volumes of 1,03,563 units (including exports). The industry exported 12,849 units in the same month. With half yearly performance left to be witnessed,on a YTD basis, the industry sold 5,10,541 units with a production of 4,75,441 units and exports of 67,315 units. This is in comparison to the whole of 2021 when the industry sold 10,28,625 with a production of 10,65,280 units and exports of 1,24,901 units. Animesh Agarwal, Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Tractor Junction on tractor sale expectations said, “The tractor sales in India have been on a slow wicket, it was down by over 10 per cent YoY for June due to a higher base, and delayed arrival of the monsoon. For July too, the expectation is expected to be on similar lines - uneven distribution of rains, flooding, and a higher base of July 2021 may impact sales for July 2022.” Expressing hope in the situation normalising as the season progresses, he pinned hopes on volumes picking up in August and September. “Supply-side issues getting addressed, inflation peaking out and economic growth picking pace augurs well for an overall recovery in the rural economy. Tractor sales provide a mirror image of the rural economy,” he opined. To stack up the numbers as desired, the industry is focused on the progress of the monsoon and the Kharif crops. Releasing its tractor sales figures for the month of June 2022, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd’s FE sector registered a dip in figures. The company sold 39,825 units compared to the sale of 46,875 units in the same period last year (June 2021). The figure stood at 41,848 units as compared to 48,222 units including exports. Commenting on the performance, Hemant Sikka, President - Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. stated, “With good prices for the rabi output, the cash flow with farmers is good. The government’s approval of an increase in MSP for all Kharif crops and the forecast of a normal monsoon is very
Animesh Agarwal, Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Tractor Junction Hemant Sikka, President - Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
50 Game ChanGer | Farming EquipmEnt CoMMerCial VeHiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in
positive for a bumper Kharif crop. Though Kharif sowing is lagging in the first fortnight of the season than last year due to deficient rainfall in key Kharif states, further advancement of southwest monsoons across the country brings in positive sentiments and is likely to boost the tractor demands in the coming months. In the exports market, we have sold 2,023 tractors (including CKD) with a growth of 50 per cent over last year.”
The world’s largest tractor manufacturer by volume had a reason to rejoice further. The company bagged four awards at the third edition of the Indian Tractor Of The Year (ITOTY) 2022 including the ‘Fastest Growing Tractor Manufacturer’ Award for Swaraj Tractors. (More details are in the winner’s list that follows below*). With a presence in over 50 countries across six continents, the U.S. is the largest market for the company outside India. The company has an on-ground presence in North America, Brazil, Mexico, Finland, Turkey, and Japan through subsidiaries. It has manufacturing facilities in Mumbai, Nagpur, Rudrapur, Jaipur and Zaheerabad, India.
Raman Mittal, Joint Managing Director, International Tractors Ltd
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 51 Game ChanGer | Farming EquipmEnt
Brand Swaraj Tractors recently launched the 744 XT, in the 50 hp segment in Nepal. Claimed to boast among the largest engine for its category, the 3478 cc displacement is aimed at offering maximum performance in Agri and haulage applications. To give a sense of the progression of tractors, the latter comes with a constant mesh transmission, multispeed forward and reverse PTO, dual-clutch, oil immersed disc brakes, power steering with a high ground clearance courtesy of bigger front tyres. It also comes with a directional control valve and a best-in-class lift capacity of 1.7-tonne. The tractor is capable of handling heavy implements with ease and precision as per company claims. On the warranty front, the company is offering a best-in-industry sixyearLeadingcoverage.exporter Sonalika Tractors registered its highest ever first-quarter sales in Q1FY2023. It clocked an overall sales of 39,274 units, an 18 per cent growth above 33,219 overall tractor sales recorded in the corresponding period FY2022. Raman Mittal, Joint Managing InternationalDirector,Tractors Ltd. states, “Achieving our highest ever Q1 overall sales of 39,274 units with 18 per cent growth is a testament that we understand farmers and their regional market requirements well. Strategically supported by our unique approach to customising our tractor portfolio, I am optimistic that we have set our FY2023 course in the right direction for upcoming seasons later during the year.” He committed to addressing regional farmer requirements to ensure high productivity and income for their buoyant future. A testimony to the plans progressing in the right direction, the company bagged an impressive four awards including ‘Exporter of The Year’. (More details are in the winner’s list that follows below*).
AwA r DS cAT eg tr actor Under 20 HP VSt 171 Best tr actor between 21-30 HP C aptain 283 4WD tr actor between 31-40 HP Swaraj 735 FE Best tr actor between 41-45 HP tr actor between 46-50 HP tr actor between 51-60 HP tr actor above 60 HP Mahindra
Powertrac Euro 55 Powerhouse Best
The awards recognise the innovation and hard work of the tractor and farm equipment manufacturers. Mahindra 575 DI XP Plus and Massey Ferguson 246 DYNATRACK were jointly adjudged the “Indian Tractor of the Year 2022”. Farmtrac 60 Powermaxx was awarded the “Best Tractor For Agriculture 2022”. In the Implements category, “Maschio Gaspardo Super Seeder” won the “Machinery of the Year 2022” award. While “Powertrac Powerhouse Series” earned the title of “Launch of the Year” Rajat Gupta, Founder of ITOTY and Tractor Junction stated, “Our primary aim is to create awareness and give information to farmers on farm equipment and other allied products. With the ITOTY award, our goal is to award and encourage innovative products that help our farmers. Indian tractor industry and monsoon are the most accurate barometer of the rural economy of India. Healthy tractor sales are critical to boosting farm output. Easy availability of finance, deep distribution network, and innovative product is the key for the growth of tractor volumes.”
New Holland 3600-2 All rounder + Best
Kubota MU4501 Best
Novo 755 DI Straw re aper Of the Year DASMESH 517 Str AW rEAPEr re versible Plough of the Year 2022 L emken Opal 090 E Hydraulic re versible 2 MB Plough Smart Farm Machinery Of the Year Shaktiman Cotton Picker / Code by Swaraj Post Harvest Solution of the year New Holland Square Baler BC 5060 rotavator of the Year Maschio Gaspardo VIr At rotavator Self Propelled Machinery of the Year Shaktiman Sugarcane Harvester Power ti ller of the Year VSt 165DI (16hp) Machinery of the year Maschio Gaspardo Super Seeder Launch of the Year - Farm Machinery L emken Melior 1/85 - Subsoiler Fastest Growing Implement Manufacturer D asmesh Best CSr Initiative Mahindra, Swaraj, tAFE, New Holland, Sonalika, ACE, the Classic tr actor Of the Year S onalika Sikander DI 740 III Most Sustainable tr actor of the Year Massey Ferguson 241 Dynatrack Best 4WD tr actor of the year S ame Deutz Fahr Agrolux 55 4wd / S olis 5015 4wd Best Design tr actor Kubota MU5502 Launch of the Year Powertrac Powerhouse Series Best tr actor for Commercial Application Eicher 557 Best tr actor for Agriculture Farmtrac 60 Powermaxx Orchard tr actor of the year S onalika Baagban r X 32 Fastest Growing tr actor Manufacturer Mahindra & Swaraj tr actor tr actor Exporter of the Year International tr actor Limited Indian tr actor of the year Mahindra 575 DI XP Plus & Massey Ferguson 246 Dynatrack tractor junction organiSeD the inDian tractor of the year (itoty) –awarD in aSSociation with ceat Specialty. SumeSh Soman giveS a low Down of the winnerS. Indian Tractor Of The Year Awards 2022 Indian Tractor of the Year Award 2022 CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in52 Game ChanGer | Farming EquipmEnt
Best
Ory wI nner Best
The third edition of the award function witnessed the participation of numerous national and international players and focused on their innovation, new products, and features. With a jury comprising of eight eminent personalities from diverse backgrounds in Sales, Product, Marketing, Testing, and Ergonomics from the Tractors and Farm implements industry, the process of choosing the winners was transparent, based on 60 per cent weightage of Jury Members and 40 per cent of public voting. Amit Tolani, Chief Executive, CEAT Specialty added, “The combination of votes by industry experts and consumers ensures that the winners are the ones that have truly made a difference in farmers’ lives. This year’s awards edition had five categories under the 60 hp category, which shows a trend of high demand for small capacity tractors. The ‘Fastest Growing Implement Manufacturer’ award was bagged by Dasmesh. The CSR award was shared between Mahindra, Swaraj, TAFE, New Holland, Sonalika and ACE. The event witnessed awards in 29 categories across tractor segments. A full list of winners is alongside:.
in part two of thiS feature, Deepti thore lookS at the ongoing effortS to Strengthen reSilient Supply chainS further anD Be future-reaDy. Resilient Supply Chains Part 2 I n part one of the feature Chains’,Resilient‘BuildingSupplywelooked at how stakeholders of the automotive industry including tier suppliers are strengthening resilient supply chains in the aftermath of the pandemic.
-
With the importance of risk management and continuity plans to avoid supply chain disruptions being realised across the board, the attention is back to turning future-ready and unlocking long-term plans beyond safeguarding shortterm business interests. To walk the talk, the
@DeeptiT9 CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 53 Game ChanGer
Building
Tagging, sensors and geolocation technologies are also in use.
C ROW d SHIPPING Cr owd shipping or crowd sourced delivery is the method of delivering packages to customers through nonprofessional and local courier services. As companies struggle to meet customers’ every growing delivery demands and compete with giants like Amazon, the delivery method is known to help uplift supply chain efficiency. More importantly, it helps create a centralised platform for delivery ItinbringingCrowdshippingmanagement.isalsotransformationthelast-miledelivery.helpsbringdownthe Jayaraman Krishnamurthy, Industry Strategy-o9 Solutions, Inc. Mayur Danait, Chief Information Officer at Pidilite Industries Ltd.
industry continues to adopt digitisation in the value chain and innovate on fronts like the Artificial Internet of Things (AIoT). To tackle the global demand, many players have resorted to opening the global Centre of Excellence and R&D hubs in India as the biggest centres outside their homeCommentinggrounds. on the advances made, Mayur Danait, Chief Information Officer at Pidilite Industries Ltd. opined, “There are two things that are driving the change in the supply chain which include the push coming from technology including cloud technology, smart sensors, IoT and algorithms. There is a constant push on how you can modernise the supply chain.” In contrast, Danait cited external pull factors playing a part in shaping the supply chains. “The complexity of the supply chain constantly keeps going up courtesy of e-commerce and as a result pressurising service models. There is also some amount of regulation which further promotes the adoption of digitisation,” he shared.
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in54 Game ChanGer
Digitisa tion is inevitable, asserted andforecastempoweringeverytotheanstrategictocapturingpointsembracedofto(AR).AIelectricwirelessall.industrytostudy,accordingstudies.ThisStrategy-o9Krishnamurthy,JayaramanIndustrySolutions,Inc.isbackedbymultipleForexample,toaGrantThorntonfromproductionsupplychain,theautoiswitnessingitConnectivity,theIoT,solutions,adoptionofvehicles,embeddingandAugmentedRealityFrommanufacturersdealers,everystageautomobilesaleshasdigitalisation,itout.Thefocusisonreal-timedatahelpstakeholdersmakedecisionsbasedonend-to-endoverviewofsupplychain.Theeffortsbringintransparencyatlayerarefructifyingandcompaniestoimminentdisruptionsprepareforthem.
On-demand warehousing has been identified as one of the more innovative ways of addressing common pain points like scouting for lesser capital-intensive, contract warehousing. For example, MG Group inaugurated a contract warehousing facility christened ‘MG EV Park’. It is not farfetched to expect collaborative robots (Cobots) driven automation at such facilities. It is known to enhance efficiency and productivity levels. To make the chains transparent, the industry is adopting block chain which makes backtracking possible. In the automotive industry, block chain aids in tracking parts and identifying counterfeits.
There is a greater emphasis today on the use of technology to streamline the processes and promote efficiency at every stage. This has meant greater participation from outliers and ancillaries like technology suppliers offering retooling production operating systems to turn leaner, agile, and nimbler.
dIGITISATION IN S u PPLy CHAINS
STREAMLINING PROCESSES
delivery costs and offers more flexibility. Logistics costs in India are at 13-14 per cent of the GDP and must settle around seven to eight per cent levels.
Crowdshipping supports risk management strategies as it offers more visibility into where risk events may occur, and help understand their financial implications. The impact of crowd sourcing on mitigating supply chain risk is also apparent in technology that enables companies to communicate and collaborate with their suppliers in real time. Today, both traditional and emerging companies have also deployed crowd sourcing to transform the way they design and develop new products.
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 55 Game ChanGer
M AN u FACT u RING RE P u RPOSE One way to keep the supply chain working is to repurpose the manufacturing. It is a rapid response solution in case of crisis brought upon by situations like the pandemic. Re purposing is a method in which the existing manufacturing system or process is altered to adapt the disruptions caused. According to Kearney, there are three universal steps to help quickly identify the bestfit manufacturing segments for re purposing and generating additional production capacity. The steps involve analysing the therelevantproductcharacteristicsproductionofeachvitalandmatchagainstindustries,assessingcapacityprojectionfor current business with relevant industries and prioritising. For example, parts from existing models are known to be fit into orders pending delivery. According to one of the papers titled ‘Barriers in re purposing an existing manufacturing plant: a Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) approach’ authored by Aadarsh Poduval, Maruti Sriram Ayyagari, Mohit Malinda, Anil Kumar, Vimal K.E.K and Jayakrishna Kandasamy and published on Springer, re purposing makes the manufacturing plant adaptable to changes, makes it productive by manufacturing products that are currently in demand, prevents the dissolution of the plant and thus harvests the maximum potential of the manufacturing plant in the need of an emergency.
CommerCial VehiCle august 2022 // www.commercialvehicle.in56 plugged-in Top TweeTs Top FB posTs Top TwiTTer FANs Top iNsTAGrAM FANsTop FB FANs Chambhare,Shubham Mumbai Dhruv Prashar Jalandhar Ranvir Singh Lotay Mumbai Rajesh Gogate, Mumbai Top iNsTAGrAM Top iGTV Girish Mallya Mumbai Subbu Kola Amalapuram
CommerCial VehiCle www.commercialvehicle.in | august 2022 57 plugged-in Top LiNKeDiN FANs Top LiNKeDiN Koo Rafiq Somani Area Vice President –India and South Asia Pacific, Ansys, Inc Now read your favourite magazine wherever you go... Available on PC... Mac... Tablet... or any other handheld device! Available on Digital Platform @cv http://commercialvehicle.in/@@cvmagazineindiamagazinecvmagazinecvmagazinet.me/cvmagazine/commercialvehiclemagazine Top youTuBe Jehaan Kotwal CEO, JFK Transporters
Now read your favourite magazine wherever you go... Available on PC... Mac... Tablet... or any other handheld device! Available on Digital Platform Partners
Jammu Udhampur Highway, Jammu, India
Jammu Udhampur Highway, Jammu, India
Jammu Udhampur Highway, Jammu, India
RNI No. MAHENG/2006/20842 Postal Reg no. MCW/215/2021-2023 Post at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office G.P.O. Mumbai 400 001 Published on 9th of every month and posted on 16th & 17th of every month. 60
