Auto Monitor - 14 May 2012 by Infomedia18

I N D I A ’ S N O . 1 M A G A Z I N E F O R A U T O M O T I V E N E W S , V I E W S & A N A LY S I S

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NEWS IN BRIEF Pulse in petrol Our Bureau New Delhi

enault India launched the petrol variant of the premium hatchback—the Pulse. The car, available in three variants is priced between `4.25 lakh and `5.55 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). According to the company, the vehicle offers fuel efﬁciency of 18.06 kmpl and delivers maxi-

mum power of 76 PS@ 6,000 RPM and peak torque of 104 nm@ 4,000 RPM. The engine is mated to a ﬁvespeed manual transmission. Same as the Pulse diesel K9K engine. The new Pulse petrol engine is manufactured locally at the Renault —Nissan Alliance factory located in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu.

Industry gets dull start for new fiscal Our Bureau Mumbai

uto sales began on a dull note with growth in sales in most vehicle segments hovering at a single digit rate. Passenger vehicles segment grew at 9.3 percent during April 2012 over same month last year. Within PV segment, passenger cars grew by 3.4 percent, utility vehicles grew by 47.32 percent and vans grew by 6.74 percent in April 2012, as compared to same month last year. The overall growth in domestic sales in April 2012 was around 10 percent over 2012, according to SIAM. The M&HCV segment registered a negative growth of 11.6 percent but LCV grew at 15.83 percent. The overall CV segment was up by 4.37 percent in April 2012 as compared to last year. Three-wheelers sales recorded degrowth at (-5.35) percent andthe two-wheelers grew by 10.94 percent in April 2012. Also, the overall exports went up 1.29 percent while PVs registered negative growth at (-10.47) percent in the month. CVs and three-wheelers also recorded deceleration at (-13.62) percent (-20.50) percent respectively.

Vol. 12 No. 12

www.a m onli ne.i n

14 May 2012

32 Pages

FOCUS

` 50

INTERVIEW

MACHINING

Pg 9-14

“OUR KEY PRIORITY IS LOCALISATION AND DELIVERING OUR BENCHMARK PRODUCTS TO OEMS” Michael Hankel, CEO, ZF Lenksysteme GmbH

Pg 8

Ace Micromatic to kick off Chinese facility T Murrali Bangalore

ragati Automation, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Bangalore-based Ace Micromatic Group, is all set to commence commercial production from July. The company is currently giving ﬁ nishing touches to its manufacturing facility, which has been built on a four-acre plot in Jiaxing in Zhejiang province, about 150 km from Shanghai. Speaking to Auto Monitor, CEO, Micromatic Machine Tools Ltd (the customer connect arm of the Ace Micromatic Group), TK Ramesh said, the group is settingup the manufacturing facility in China to fulﬁ l market commitments and also to support the requirements of machine building OEMs comprising both, local and multi-national companies. The company will make, among other things, tool turrets and automatic tool changers. Initially it will manufacture about 1,000 units per annum against the installed capacity of 5,000 units. The production will ramp-up according to the demand, he said. Elaborating on the operations, Ramesh said Pragati Automation will source castings locally and

carry out the machining process before assembling the products with the components imported from India. In terms of value, about 60 percent of the products will be imported, he said. The cost of manufacturing in China is more when compared with India especially for the wholly owned foreign enterprises like Pragati, he said. However, the company was incepted to support its MNC customers who are present in China, as local presence would help in offering better service during development as well as regular supply. It will be supplying components to a host of MNC customers including DMG and a range of local customers including Shenyang Machine Tools. Around ten percent of the components might go to end customers. Depending upon the demand, Pragati Automation might look at setting-up another facility in China in the future, he indicated. From its facility in India, Pragati exports about 40 percent of its products; of which about ten percent goes to China and the rest to Europe. In addition, Ace Micromatic Group is setting-up a greenﬁeld facility for its group company, Ace Designers in Dobbospet, about 35 km from Bangalore. The facility, which is the eleventh one for the

group and seventh one for Ace Designers, will be up and running before the end of the current ﬁ nancial year. In addition to manufacturing lathes, the plant facility will have a foundry to support the group companies’ casting requirements. Initially, it will produce about 1,000 metric tonne of casting a month, which will increase by another 50 percent when the plant is fully operational. It is a strategic decision for the company to have a foundry as it has been facing supply constraints for some time. The Dobbospet facility will also have 10 acre earmarked for vendor park to primarily encourage suppliers. In 2011-12, the group sold about 3,000 lathes and 1,000 machining centres and it hopes to grow by 25 percent in the current ﬁscal. Last year the company exported 300 machines including 265 lathes to few major markets including China, Turkey and Taiwan. Besides, it also exported to Germany, France and

Pragati Automation’s China Facility

Australia. While consolidating its exports in other markets in the current fi scal, it will focus aggressively on Turkey, he said. Ace Micromatic Group has five companies and brands such as Ace Designers, Pioneer CT, Pragati, Micromatic Grinding Technologies and AMS. All these brands are supported by Micromatic Machine Tools to service their customers. The group reported a turnover of `1,147 crore in 2011-12 against `820 crore reported in the previous year. It hopes to register about `3,000 crore as turnover by 2015 and become a $one billion company (about `5,000 crore) by 2020, he said. It has been growing at more than 25 percent CAGR for the last five years after it implemented ‘Flow-line Methodology’, which resulted in a three-fold increase in productivity.

Precision Camshafts set for China presence of camshafts for the passenger car segment globally. The company has joined hands with Ningbo Shenglong olapur-based Precision Group, a leading auto compoCamshafts Ltd (PCL) is nent supplier to Ford in China, laying the groundwork for to manufacture and supply a major manufacturing camshafts for passenger car presence in China even as it has OEMs. PCL signed a JV agreeemerged as the leading supplier ment with Shenglong Automotive Powertrain Systems Co Ltd in February this year. The joint venture compa ny will be called Ningbo S h e n g lon g PCL Camshafts Co Ltd and will be the contact point for PCL to introduce new technologies and solutions for the Chinese market. A machine shop is being set-up to Precision Camshaft’s Solapur Facility cater to the needs of

Abhishek Parekh Mumbai

PCL customers in China. The plants will be commissioned and operations are slated to begin by October 2012. The JV would be initially looking to supply around two million units per annum mainly for meeting Ford’s requirements and subsequently grow its presence in the Chinese automotive sector. The Chinese partner would hold the majority stake in the 75:25 joint venture established as the Chinese outpost for PCL with the assistance of Ford. “It is imperative for us to have a major presence in China given the size and nature of the market. We would initially supply raw camshafts from Indian unit and would subsequently establish a manufacturing base there for local customers,” said a senior company ofﬁcial. The company has earmarked around `200 crore for setting-up a machining facility

by next calendar year and a foundry by 2014. The company foundry capacity has already touched around one million camshafts per month making PCL one of the largest camshafts suppliers globally. It plans to notch up revenues of around `500 crore over the next two years from domestic operations alone. The company has invested around `130 crore in the last ﬁscal for expansion of foundry and machining capability to meet the customer demand from passenger car segment in India and other international markets. PCL is headquartered in Solapur, Maharashtra (India) and has presence in North America, UK, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Hungary, Russia, India, Korea, China and Brazil. It supplies over 150 different camshafts clients ranging from railways, tractors & small & mid segment cars.

EDITORIAL The potential across

just met someone who was part of the CII business delegation to Pakistan for attending the Indo-Pakistan Business Summit. The objective of the delegation was to carry forward and strengthen long-term business linkages between the two countries. The business summit focused on exploring key areas for economic cooperation and policy impediments with the key stakeholders including government, industry and civil society and opportunities for one-to-one business meetings between businessmen of the two countries. Though nothing concrete emerged out of the meeting, the gentleman expressed happiness as it was for the first time that a business and trade level delegation visited the country and had dialogue with their counterparts. First of all, it is a great initiative in the right direction; there are enough resources available in each country that is required by the other. Secondly, it can help build strong regional trade connections with which, the bargaining power can significantly increase. Though the Pakistan industry is apprehensive about investments from India as they think that these may harm the interests of the local industry, the visiting Indian business delegation has made it clear that the strengthening of economic ties would only be a win-win situation for both the countries. A few years ago, I remember a friend of mine sharing his experience when he was part of a supplier delegation to the US, organised by one of the leading OEMs along with a couple of Tier 1 companies. The visit, was primarily to look at possible options to source components from low cost countries including India. During a visit to the shop floor of one of the companies, the group of vendors encountered protesting workers who were objecting to the sourcing, as it would even-

tually lead to losing their jobs. However, it only helped the companies and the countries at the macro level as being competitive enabled them to make inroads to many a market. The Pakistan businessmen are in the same situation. They fear that their businesses would stand to lose if Indian companies invested there. It need not be the case, as the very nature of trade is to plug the demand-supply gap. Therefore, it will be a win-win situation for both the countries. Though it is too early to think of opportunities for the Indian automotive industry, at least until Pakistan removes the automotive sector from its negative list regime for trade with India, there is immense potential for Indian OEMs and component manufacturers in the neighbouring country. They can have satellite manufacturing and assembly facilities, which can cater to the local market besides exporting to Europe and the surrounding markets. It is impossible to blur the borders; however, both the countries can look at leveraging the inherent capabilities for mutual beneﬁt. For instance, exports from India to Europe by road is possible through Pakistan. This will end up in saving millions of dollars for India while enhancing the economic activities of Pakistan. The country can be a promising destination for the Indian auto industry. Wishing you much pleasure reading. Do send us your feedback.

T. Murrali t.murrali@infomedia18.in

QUOTES Steve Girsky, GM Vice Chairman and a member of the steering committee on proposed GM and PSA/ Peugeot alliance

“There are plenty of opportunities to go deeper into this relationship, but we need to walk before we can run”

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Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar

“In the case of the Etios and the Liva, it will take at least five years to attain the leadership position. These compete in segments that have established players like Maruti and Hyundai, which have a host of products”

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CONTENTS MACHINING Robots & machine tools for more efficiency

Automatica 2012, which will take place on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from 22 May, will show current trends in assembly and handling technology

Savings potential: making robot operation energy-efficient

The results from robot manufacturers and research institutes prove that energy-efficient robot paths often deviate greatly from direct point-to-point routes

GLOBAL WATCH Mann+Hummel opens new facility in Himmelkron

Mann+Hummel recently kicked off its new facility for cabin air filters in Himmelkron (Germany) that will employ around 300 skilled workers

CORPORATE VW signs MoU to reach new HIETs

VW’s seventh training centre in HIET aims to train students in their final year of the diploma in vehicle servicing

Mazda opens new CPM-managed corporate support centre Pidilite to have a larger presence in automotive

Pidilite Industries is preparing ground for overhaul of products in Do-It-Yourself (DIY) segment in the automotive aftermarket through distribution rejig and other measures

Mahindra & Mahindra launches larger wheelbase Alfa Plus

CPM will provide a range of fleet management-focussed services to Mazda’s existing team of field-based fleet sales managers

Mahindra & Mahindra enhanced its presence in the three-wheeler goods carrier segment with Alfa Plus, a longer deck variant of its three-wheeler Alfa load carrier

New thermal measurement system from NI

ACMA SAPs collaboration for ERP solutions ACMA is in a special engagement with SAP India to provide customised ERP and business analytics applications to its members

Volkswagen Fleet focuses expert eye on customer satisfaction

VW has commissioned a survey operated by Expert Eye on thirty-four major leasing providers in nine core areas, comparing Volkswagen’s performance with that of six competitors

National Instruments has expanded its SC Express PXI sensor measurement family with the new Resistance Temperature Detector module

Peugeot Sport announces new 208 R2 rally car

Peugeot Sport revealed the first of three 208-evolved competition cars, as the production car begins to go on sale across Europe with 208 ‘R2’making debut in Tour de Corse

Auto Monitor

14 MAY 2012

INTERVIEW

“Our key priority is localisation and delivering our benchmark products to OEMs” In an exclusive interaction with Auto Monitor, Chief Executive Officer, ZF Lenksysteme GmbH, Michael Hankel elaborated on the capability with the German steering systems suppliers and its priorities in the years ahead. Abhishek Parekh Why have you chosen to kick-start a new facility under a new entity for steering systems rather than introducing the products from ZF Steering Gear (India), which has an established market presence?

As a global supplier to OEMs for steering systems, our key priority is to have the majority control of the entity, which serves as our customers facing side in any market or region where we operate. We had established our Indian JV for reasons that were relevant at that time. It has been

a good experience working with our Indian partners in that JV (ZF Steering Gears (India)). We operate a global supply chain with modular manufacturing structure and backend IT infrastructure that requires collaboration across various entities under ZF umbrella. Our development teams have to collaborate within and outside the organisation and it is difﬁcult to manage intellectual property and knowledge base, especially for newer products, in entities where we cannot exercise a majority or full control. How do you think the customers will perceive this arrangement? There is a clear differentiation of products to be sold under ZF Steering Gears and ones that we would sell from this new facility. We expect migration of customers opting for the new generation, advanced steering systems to the new entity. Moreover, ZF Steering Gears (India) holds around 26 percent stake in this new entity and thus also has a stake in our growth in this market. We have demarcated activities accordingly, with the existing JV focussing on meeting the demand for traditional steering systems and products, while this new entity would focus on market development and supply of new generation steering systems. What is the future strategy for introducing newer products and technologies?

We are not looking to have any additional joint ventures or separate entities for any newer products or systems to be introduced in India. We may evaluate on having additional facilities at a different place depending on customer requirements or other logistical reasons but we would continue to grow organically through our new entity (ZF Lenkesysteme India Pvt Ltd). What technology roadmap have you envisioned for Indian market? A major chunk of the commercial vehicle segment in India prefers mechanical steerings. We are not looking to make much additional investments in hydraulic steerings globally. Our focus would be on growing our power steering business in the coming years. We feel that market evolution in India for steering systems would shape up in the form of OEMs offerings option of electronic power steerings in their model line-up. Mechanical steerings could co-exist with electronic power steerings in commercial vehicles as well as passenger vehicles segments. The adoption of EPS (Electronic Power Steering) may grow as more customers get comfortable with the idea. Another mode of market evolution could also be additional offerings of passive and active safety or driver assistance systems in a CV or passenger vehicles including lane departure warning system, side shift indicators in a mechanically steering vehicle.

How does electronic power steering help in reduction of fuel consumption? A hydraulic steering system or mechanical steering needs to be provided pressure of 180 bar during operations. It needs to draw pressure from the fuel pump for necessary support to operate under various conditions especially during low speeds and sharp turning radii. As opposed to this, electronic power steering operates in a much more efﬁcient manner and draws power from the fuel pump when needed and not all the time thus reducing the overall fuel consumption. We are looking forward to greater adoption of EPS systems in the Indian market. We are not looking to replace an existing supplier of mechanical steering systems to OEMs in India, nor are we making any further investments in expanding or sustaining our mechanical steering product portfolio or capacity as it is a product that is likely to die a slow death in the times to come. What are the priorities for your business in India? The key priority, after having set up the manufacturing facility here in Pune, is to develop a reliable and quality supply base for meeting and exceeding our localisation targets. We are also evaluating on future product pipeline and capacity additions but it is too early for us to talk about it as we are currently focussing on getting additional customers on board as well as growing our market share here.

14 MAY 2012

Auto Monitor

MACHINING

Robots & machine tools for more efﬁciency Our Bureau Chennai

ven in times of lightweight design solutions, metal remains a pivotal material, the machining and assembling of which has to become increasingly more efﬁcient using automation. Automatica 2012, which will take place on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from 22 to 25 May, will show current trends of assembly and handling technology, robotics and industrial machine vision. For example, robots are being developed to work more closely with machine tools to increase their efﬁciency or handle tasks of CNC machining themselves. Modern machine tools run at such a speed during machining that the auxiliary times, eg, loading and unloading, are becoming increasingly important for total performance. Robots are providing the needed acceleration here. Various robot manufacturers are presenting such solutions and can record substantial growth in this segment. In addition to speeding up work, the link between robot systems and machine tools can also enable completely automatic operation without the involvement of people. Two concepts are above all being pursued for automating tool machines: on one hand, the integration of a robot into the machine tool, and on the other hand the complete automation module including robot on the machine.

Only Robust Robots Can Work In Machine Tools New robot concepts are to be

exhibited at the trade fair for integration of robots in machine tools that can cope with the adverse ambient operating conditions of shavings, grinding dust, coolants and other corrosive media. Teams of robots and machine vision systems also contribute to the efficiency of automation “behind” machine tools. For example, they handle tasks of quality control, but also take care of further processing and fi nishing of workpieces. CNC machining is also becoming more widespread, in which inexpensive robot solutions take the place of expensive five-axis CNC machines. To this end, manufacturers have developed the stability in robots required for machining the hardest materials. Servo stabilisers are mounted on individual robot axes in part to accomplish this. They promise reproducible machining, during which the required dimensional tolerances are maintained. In addition, improved control technologies are provided, which are based on CNC-controlled movement planning.

Machine Vision Now Also Monitors Aluminum Weld Seams Together, robots and industrial machine vision are providing increasingly more optimised positioning solutions. For example, companies from machine vision at Automatica are presenting complete systems for robot position control, which enable precisely positioning attachment parts or tools in relation to a workpiece. In doing this, all position errors of the robot are corrected and highly accurate positioning is achieved.

Quality inspections of weld seams are also becoming increasingly more precise and faster thanks to machine vision. This task has already been handled reliably for workpieces made of steel for quite some time. Now, new technologies are making it possible to monitor weld seams of the optically more demanding material aluminum, which is also becoming increasingly important due to the lightweight construction trend. Because extreme reflections and dark deposits are customary, optical sensors were previously unable to handle this task. At Automatica 2012, you can now see new sensors that can also cope with aluminum requirements thanks to higher dynamics, greater depth of focus and improved evaluation software.

Finishing To Be Automated The tasks of machine vision with weld seams are increasingly going beyond the simple decision “IO” or “NIO”. The sensors can even detect the type, extent and location of the welding defect precisely in the meantime and consequently provide completely automated ﬁ nishing. To that end, different sensor systems and highly complex evaluation systems are combined. Surface inspection is becoming increasingly important not just from aesthetic viewpoints, but also from functional ones. Surface defects on cylinder head gaskets can result in breakdowns later, for example. Machine vision provides complex inspection systems for this with special test software, customised lighting and high-resolution line-scanning cameras.

A robot at work

In addition, the image sensors are becoming increasingly mobile. They can simply be mounted on robots and equipped with robot-capable gigabit Ethernet lines, which can cope with high stress on one hand and on the other hand provide higher transfer rates.

Handle & Mount Faster Increasingly higher speeds and greater ﬂexibility despite increasing automation in meta lwork ing a re pivota l requirements for assembly and handling technology. The industry is responding to this at Automatica with increasingly fast and more compact solutions, among other things. Feeding systems are going to be exhibited, which are suitable for very different parts thanks to the individual combination of robotics, linear systems, modern gripping technology and intelligent machine vision. Adaptable assembly systems are also responding to the need for ﬂexibility, which make it possi-

ble simply to increase capacity with growing volume, but which can also be used for semi-automatic assembly.

About Automatica Automatica is one of the leading international trade fairs, which covers all areas of robotics + automation every two years. It has taken place on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre every two years since 2004. The fair presents the entire value-added chain in robotics and automation. Messe München GmbH and VDMA Robotik + Automation, trade fair industry advisor, are behind the industrydriven concept of Automatica. Exhibitor and visitor statistics for Automatica are audited by an independent auditor for the order of the Gesellschaft zur Freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen (Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics) and internationally by UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry).

Auto Monitor

14 MAY 2012

MACHINING

Savings potential: Making robot I

n the past, programming focused on the shortest path, ie the straight line from A to B. It is now known that, particularly in applications with a complex motion profi le, the shortest route is by no means the most energy-efficient path. The results from robot manufacturers and research institutes, such as the Institute for Mechatronic Systems at the Leibnitz University in Hanover, prove the opposite: energy-efficient robot paths often deviate greatly from direct point-to-point routes. The explanation for this phenomenon is that robots are complex, multiple-axis systems for which, a path is generated from a string of many individual motion sequences. The task is now to generate a robot path from point A to point B in which, the interplay of the axes, consisting of repeated acceleration and deceleration, is coordinated in such a way that the final result is the most energyefficient motion profi le. Given the infi nite number of possibilities for describing the

path from A to B, it is obvious that it is no easy task to determine the most energy-optimised robot path. At the same time, the programming effort should be kept within reasonable limits. If the programming costs outweigh the potential savings in energy costs, the quest for the optimal robot path quickly becomes a lost cause.

Software Solutions For Energy-Efficient Programming In order to be able to offer users turnkey solutions in the future, leading robot manufacturers are working on suitable strategies for energy-efficient programming. The objective is to determine the energy-optimised path quickly and with the least possible effort. The only possible solution is sophisticated software tools for which, the user only has to deﬁ ne the start and end coordinates and the available workspace. The exact determination of the optimal robot path within the speciﬁed workspace is then the task of the

software. This calls for extensive development expertise, as complex mechatronic relationships must be converted to mathematical models and stored in the programme software. It is also necessary to take further parameters into consideration, such as the avoidance of target conﬂ icts with cycle time criteria, as for most applications the robot is not only to work in an energyefﬁcient manner, but also fast.

Energy Recovery Is A Decisive Factor When planning paths, it is important not only to minimise the primary energy requirement, but at the same time to implement as high an energy recovery rate as possible. Given that the axis drives of a robot are generally in different operating states during the motion, this interplay of the drives, consisting of acceleration and deceleration, is ideally suited to energy recovery. Recovery of the braking energy is a signiﬁcant aspect in improving the energy efﬁciency

KR Quantec Robot

of robot systems. The objective here is to make the energy generated by the braking of an axis available to the overall system once again. An obvious choice here is power supply to the drives via a so-called DC link system. This provides a simple means of making the recovered energy

available to the axis group again.

Focus On ‘Times’ The Kuka Roboter GmbH analysis of motion time and standstill time on a representative sample of robots of the medium payload category used in car body production provid-

Laser polishes components

t present, components used in areas such as tool and die making generally have to be painstakingly polished by hand—but a recently developed automated process could soon offer a much faster solution. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a machine tool that uses laser polishing to give even complex 3D surfaces a high-gloss fi nish. Millimeter-by-millimeter, the polisher uses grinding stones and polishing pastes to polish the surface of a metal mould, working at a rate of some ten minutes per square centimeter. This activity is time-consuming and hence incurs a significant cost. What is more, many companies are struggling to fi nd new recruits for such a challenging yet monotonous task. But the era of laborious hand polishing could soon be over: In collaboration with the companies Maschinenfabrik Arnold and S&F Systemtechnik, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT have developed a novel type of machine tool, which can polish both simple and complex surfaces using laser beams. “Conventional methods remove material from the surface to even it out. Our method is different: It uses a laser to melt a thin surface layer roughly 20 to 100 μm deep,” said Section Head at the ILT in Aachen, Dr Ing. Edgar Willenborg. “Surface tension—a property that applies to all liquids—ensures that the layer of liquid metal solidifies evenly.” Depending on the material, the project team can already produce surfaces with an average roughness (Ra) of between 0.1 and 0.4 μm. “Hand polishing can still get better results than that,” Willenborg admitted, “but the point is that in many applications—for example moulds for glass-making, forming and forging tools—a medium-quality surface is all that is needed”. The new machine developed at the Aachen-based ILT has the potential to save considerable amounts of time and money in these areas: the machine polishes surfaces up to ten times faster than a hand polisher and is an excellent option for serial production and for polishing small batches. The new laser polishing system consists of a fiveaxis gantry system plus an additional three-axis laser scanner, a design that enables the workpiece

The new machine developed at the Aachen-based ILT has the potential to save considerable time and money: the machine polishes surfaces up to ten times faster and is an excellent option for serial production

14 MAY 2012

Auto Monitor

MACHINING

operation energy-efficient ed surprising results. The robot is only in motion, with an energy consumption of 2.5 kW to 3.5 kW for 26 percent of the time. The remaining 74 percent, ie almost three quarters of the time, is accounted for by different types of standstill time. Around 13 percent is accounted for by the so-called “Standby mode 1” with standstill times of between two and 20 seconds with an energy consumption of 650 to 800 watts. “Standby mode 2” with standstill times of between 20 seconds and ten minutes, accounts for the most time, 37 percent, leaving 24 percent for “Standby mode 3” with standstill times of longer than ten minutes. In these two operating modes, the energy consumption of the robot with the brakes applied is 220 watts. What these fi ndings mean for energy efficiency optimisation is summed up by Dipl.-Ing. Peter Klüger from strategic product development at Kuka Roboter, “Since the robot is in wait positions or standstill positions for 74 percent of the time, we

must naturally not focus solely on productive motions with a view to energy-efﬁcient operation, but must systematically tap savings potential in the nonproductive phases.”

KR Quantec Series: Energy Consumption Reduced A glance at the new KR Quantec robot generation and the innovative KR C4 controller confi rm that Kuka is on the right track. The systematic use of energy-efficient technologies has made it possible, both during motion and in standby mode, to reduce energy consumption significantly. In the production motion itself, the new sixaxis robot with the KR C4 uses around 30 percent less energy than the predecessor model. In the operating state “wait under servo-control”, the potential saving achieved is even higher at 60 percent due to the reduced brake application time. In Standby modes 1 to 3, also, the savings are between 15 and 80 percent, meaning

to a high-gloss finish to be accessed from all sides. Carefully arranged mirrors deflect the laser beam to allow feed rates (the speed at which the laser beam moves along the workpiece within a specified time frame) in excess of one meter a second, even on small surfaces. An end-to-end CAM NC data chain has also been developed which draws on a 3D CAD model of the component to be polished. The beam path data is calculated on the basis of this model. “For this step, we use conventional Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) programmes such as those used in milling processes. The advantage is that companies are typically already running those kinds of programs so the employees know how to use them,” said Willenborg. The calculated beam path data is then supplied to a special postprocessing software programme developed at the ILT. This program configures more advanced aspects—for example adapting the laser to the specific angle of incidence and component edges in each particular case. This new process technology also offers benefits in terms of machine development: “The fact that we are working with a completely new operating principle makes it much easier to construct the machines we need,” Willenborg said. “Unlike conventional polishing techniques, laser polishing does not primarily rely on the rigidity of the machine to achieve high component quality, but rather on the physics of surface tension.” The laser polishing machine will soon be ready for market launch. This year‘s EuroMold fair is the fi rst time the researchers have presented their new development to the public. (Courtesy: Fraunhofer Institute)

Using robots similar to these, Fraunhofer Institute researchers at the for Laser Technology ILT have developed a novel type of machine tool, which can polish both simple and complex surfaces using laser beams

that there are significant efficiency improvements here, too. Incredible, but true: depending on the Standby operating state, the new robot controller only consumes between 30 and 200 watts. Systematic energy management during standstill times ensures considerable minimisation of energy consumption, due in no small part to the temperature-controlled fan operation. In Standby modes 2 and 3, the energy savings are primarily based on PROFIenergy, a feature that provides functions and mechanisms for Profi Net to enable energyefficient production. All in all, with the KR Quantec robot generation and the KR C4, Kuka has achieved a total energy saving for average robot use in body production of 36 percent compared with the previous series. Three-shift robot operation fi ve days a week and two days shut down at the weekend thus result in a savings volume of around 2,500 kWh per year. This is roughly the annual energy consumption of an energy-con-

with the KR Quantec robot generation and the KR C4, Kuka has achieved a total energy saving for average robot use in body production of 36 percent compared with the previous series

scious two-person household. Or expressing it another way: for every single Quantec robot in body production, it is possible to avoid the emission of over 1,400 kilograms of CO2 each year. This sustainable production also works to the advantage of the system operator. He saves

over Euro 250 in energy costs per robot per year. With thousands of robots in operation, the savings potential over the lifetime of the robots runs into the tens of millions of euros. (Courtesy: Kuka Robotics India)

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14 MAY 2012

MACHINING

PCML machine success: A Hass India case study Matt Bailey

We often see designs that are physically impossible to machine. We spend more and more time talking with designers at the concept stage of a new part or product, offering our advice and guidance on manufacturability. Our intervention is at the beginning: at the product development and prototyping stage— Harvey Richards, Business Development Manager

hat’s particularly clever about those “reality” TV programmes seeking to root-out and nurture the pop stars of tomorrow, is that they aren’t just scouting for any old talent, they’re looking for the sort of talent that can be turned into huge and long-lasting commercial success. The wealthy impresarios behind such shows have well-honed instincts for potential, and when they fi nd the person they’re looking for, they know precisely what’s needed to turn him or her into a marketable and profitable performer. Critics argue, of course, that it’s a formulaic approach to commercial success, but that’s precisely why it works: because there is a triedand-tested formula. The senior management at Haas UK Customer Precise Component Manufacture Ltd (PCML) would probably balk at the thought of being compared to the producers of a talent show, never mind the suggestion that their business model might be “formulaic”. But, seeking to systematically reduce risk and, as far as possible, guarantee future success, is exactly what they and the shrewd TV people have in common. PCML began in 2000 as a group of four individuals, led by Managing Director, Gavin Goates, each with their own particular skills and talents. Twelve years later, they could still be a group of four people, and they could still occupy just one of the industrial units at Fenland Business Park, March, near Cambridge. But they don’t, and there are several reasons why they don’t, and when you put them all altogether, they look suspiciously like a formula for success. For example, carefully controlled cash flow, rigorous quality procedures, and an obsession with supply chain management, including paying creditors promptly. Bu si ness Development Manager, Harvey Richards explained how, from the very beginning, PCML was a small fi rm organised as a large and successful one. “In the early days, we were a subcontract machine shop offering limited services to a just a few, mostly local, customers. But,” he said, “we had a mission, and to be successful, we knew we had to have certain things in place.” Which included the right CNC machine tools, the subject of this article. “Our investment in Haas machines began in 2001,” he continued. “We bought a Haas Mini Mill, which was followed

six months later by another.” Presently, the company has an impressive array of Haas models, including two standard mini mills, eleven super mini mills, six VF-2SS super speed mills, a VF-4, a VF-7, two mini mill 2s, an SL-10 lathe and, its latest acquisition, a DT-1 drill/tap machine. With an annual turnover now in excess of £fi ve million, PCML today employs 60 people, and utilises every unit at Fenland Business Centre, except two, which are occupied by other business who also provide them with support services. Customer focus, claimed Richards, is the daily preoccupation at PCML. “The relationship you have with your customers has a profound effect,” he said. “By taking care of relationships, we also take care of our future cash flow, which means many things, not least that we are able to fi nance our own investments in new machine tools.” PCML bought its fi rst Haas early on in the company’s evolution. It had a small number of other machines on site, but wanted a compact-footprint mill with a BT40 spindle. Haas had recently launched the Mini Mill, and PCML installed one of the very fi rst single-phase machines. Sited next to a machine from a Far Eastern manufacturer, the Haas repeatedly beat its neighbour on cycle times. “That very machine is still running today,” said Richards.

Service & Support “If you want to know why we keep going back to Haas UK when we need another machine, then service and back-up are as significant as reliability,” added Joint Managing Director, Kevin Miller. “We’ve got one particular make of machine out there,” he said, pointing to the workshop door, “that I certainly wouldn’t buy again. We don’t discuss supplier problems with third parties, but I can tell you that, with some brands, it’s a nightmare getting spare parts! We have no such problems with Haas UK.” With 19 Haas Mini Mills of various specifications on site, PCML is clearly an admirer of this versatile and best-selling machine. “Because we’ve grown so quickly, we are constantly re-jigging our shop layout, and with the Mini Mills, all you need are a pallet truck, a single-phase power supply, and air. “When the business was growing fast, we thought, ‘Oh! we’ll have another mini mill’,” said Miller. “We were ordering them in two at a time. I recall one medical project—a spinal implant component for a US customer. We had made fi ve prototypes, and the customer asked for a

An array of Haas models

With 19 Haas Mini Mills of various specifications on site, PCML is clearly an admirer of this versatile and best-selling machine

thousand more. I called Haas UK and asked how quickly they could supply two more Mini Mills. They said ‘tomorrow,’ so I placed the order there and then. The value for money that Haas machines offer is exceptional. I was paying more for machine tools 25 years ago than I am today, and I get a lot more for my money in terms of performance.” PCML describes itself as a contract manufacturer of complex, precision components for hightechnology growth sectors, such as medical devices, semiconductors, ink jet printing, analytical equipment, electronics, and life sciences. The company has beneﬁted from its location close to Cambridge, a hotbed of ideas and innovations. “There are a lot of very clever designers out there who come up with some wonderful new products, but unfortunately, they can’t make them, because they are too complicated,” said Richards. “We often see designs that are physically impossible to machine. We spend more and more time talking with designers at the concept stage of a new part or product, offering our advice and guidance on manufacturability. Our intervention is at the beginning: at the product development and prototyping stage.”

Thinking Big Even well managed companies were caught out by the credit crunch in 2008. To illustrate how PCML thinks like a big company, it’s worth considering how it responded to the worst economic conditions in living memory. “Customers were frightened to commit,” remembered Richards. “There was no credit, and everyone was thinking very short-term. The orders were still there, but they were only being placed when absolutely necessary, at the last minute, and with the expectation that suppliers would be able to provide parts immediately, which of course isn’t realistic. It made scheduling very difﬁcult, indeed.” PCML senior managers got together and “thrashed out” a 10-point plan, designed to help ease passage through the credit crunch, for both PCML and its customers. At that time, the company witnessed advance orders dropping from a typical 18 months to just four weeks. To entice customers to commit to longer-term contracts, the company designed and implemented an MRP system, which made scheduling and planning easier and less risky. “It was the perfect time to pass those advantages on to the customer,” explained Richards. “If

our client gives us a 12-month contract, they can call components when required, and they only have to pay for them when they’re delivered. We will take the risk in return for a contract. Of course, such an arrangement provides other beneﬁts, as well. One customer, for example, has achieved a 15 percent reduction in the number of components it needs to stock, tying up less capital.” During the most challenging of trading conditions, PCML transformed itself from a job shop with dozens of individual machine tools, to a supply chain partner with a sophisticated and efﬁcient scheduling system. “We now consider it one of our main missions to protect the supply chain,” said Richards.

The Formula The supply chain, customer relationships, and motivated employees are, said Kevin Miller, PCML’s three “magic” ingredients in the company’s success formula, and all, he claimed, have a common denominator. “Haas plays a role across all of these key areas. In terms of employees, we’ve got four apprentices now, and they use Haas machines at the local college. They’re at quite a high level. For instance, we will often leave them to programme and run two machines at a time. Our apprentices are really important to us,” he added. “They’re our leaders of the future.” If the apprentices and operators work hard at PCML, then so do the Haas machines. Every minute is scrutinised by the MRP system, and all work orders are closely monitored. The bill of materials, tooling, fi xtures, job plans, set-up times, and run times are all accessible from the shop floor, providing full traceability for customers, and minimising machine downtime. In the arts, applying a formula can turn a f ledgling performer into a populist moneymaking machine: a “success,” by most measures, but often one that offends the sensibilities of the discerning and the purists, perhaps because of its effectiveness. In business, by contrast, commercial efficiency is usually the desirable aim of a formulaic approach to organisation: not an unfortunate side-effect, but a characteristic that can prevent, rather than assure, its eventual demise. Applied consistently, the right formula can turn today’s unknown into tomorrow’s star. (The author is associated with Hass india. Views expressed are personal.)

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14 MAY 2012

C O R P O R AT E

VW signs MoU to reach new HIETs Our Bureau Chennai

he VG-TAP (Volkswagen Group-Technical Apprenticeship Programme), was inaugurated at the new Padappai campus of Hindustan Institute of Engineering and Technology (HIET) recently. The seventh training centre in HIET aims to train students in their ﬁ nal year of the diploma in vehicle servicing. The other six centres in India are at Pune, Mumbai, Kochi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. The initiative, which has seen the German brand tieup with educational institutions across the country to set-up training labs, where the equipments are supplied by Volkswagen. The programme initiated by the VW group is to bridge knowledge gap in the minds of students (read prospective employees) regarding academics and practical requirements of the industry. This programme will also ensure that, following the intensive training from the VW Group, students will ﬁ nd ready placements

NetApp to assist 3DPLM

The programme will involve direct training of students by the technical personnel. Thus students will find ready employment with over 200 nationwide VW dealers with the dealer fraternity of the VW Group. At present, there are 152 students in these centres. VW aims to take this number up to 500 students at any given point in time by establishing 25 centres by the end of 2015. According to Diet ma r Hildebrandt, Director-Group Service, VW Group, the ﬁ rst batch of students will undergo training at the VG-TAP Facility and will do an apprenticeship programme in the various dealerships and service centres of Volkswagen. They will be later absorbed by the company by the end of May 2012. We also propose to extend this type of academia involvement in six other cities of India,” he added He further said this pro-

Our Bureau Mumbai

gramme will involve direct training of students by the technical personnel of the VW Group. Thus students will know the exact technical specifications of the VW Group automobiles as also gain insights into the common aftersales service requirements of the various models. Thus the academic inputs are supplemented with industry-specific training, making the students readily employable. Thus the students will fi nd ready employment with over 200 nationwide dealers of the VW Group. The dealer fraternity will also fi nd brand-specific and model-specific knowledge and capabilities in their prospective

employees. The company also proposed to extend this type of academia involvement in six other cities of India. HIET has invested into the physical facility, while VW group are investing into the knowledge areas. Speaking earlier, Elizabeth Verghese, Chairperson, Hindustan Group of Institutions emphasised the need for industry to supplement academic learning’s of the students with practical requirements of the industry. She lauded the efforts of VW Group in this initiative and hoped that the students would take advantage of this very unique opportunity.

etApp has been reported to assist 3DPLM Software Solutions, a joint venture between Geometric and Dassault Systemes involved in CAD and Product Lifecycle Management product development, to make the transition to virtualised IT infrastructure. NetApp’s systems and solutions, being deployed in two phases, will help 3DPLM improve the economics of their internal IT infrastructure. This way, 3DPLM could save nearly 60 percent storage capacity due to de-duplication feature, and 20 percent due to thin provisioning. 3DPLM carries out R&D for Dassault Systemes products in India. 3DPLM, along with NetApp team, discussed the challenges for virtualisation; and with the help of NetApp’s Global Services team designed and deployed a solution that incorporated Cisco UCS, VMware and NetApp technologies and products to deliver an end-to-end solution.

India export up by 21 percent at $303.7 billion: Commerce Secretary Our Bureau New Delhi

ndia’s exports for the last year (April 2011 to March 2012) have registered a growth of 21percent, at $303.7 billion. Interacting with the media persons, Commerce Secretary, Rahul Khullar informed that during the same period the imports were $488.6 billion with a growth of 32.1 percent and a Balance of Trade stood at $(-)184.9 billion. During April 2011-March 2012, the following sectors have done well with regard to exportsengineering, ($58.2 billion) which registered the growth of 16.9 percent; petroleum & oil products, 38.5 percent ($57.5 billion); gems & jewellery registered the growth of 13.3 percent ($45.9 billion); Drugs and pharmaceuticals 21.9 percent ($13.1 billion); leather 22.5 percent ($ 4.2 billion); electronics, 9.2 percent ($nine billion); Cotton yarn and fabric made-up 17.4 percent ($7.2 billion) Readymade garments yarns and fabrics, 18 percent ($13.7 billion), Manmade yarns and fabrics 18.5percent ($5.1 billion); Marine products 31.4percent ($3.4 billion) . As regards to imports during April 2011-March 2012, the growth estimates on the following sectors are: POL, 46.9 percent ($155.6 billion); gold and silver 44.4 percent ($61.5 billion); coal, 80.3 percent ($17.6 billion); machinery, 27.7 percent ($35.4 billion), electronics goods, 23 percent ($32.7 billion), and coal 80.3 percent ($17.6 billion), Iron & Steel 15 percent, ($11.9 billion); vegetable oil, 47.5 percent ($9.7 billion); fertilizer 59 percent ($11 billion); gems & jewellery (-)10.6 percent ($31 billion) . The Commerce Secretary clarified that the figures are only the rough estimates and the fi nal figure is subject to change.

14 MAY 2012

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C O R P O R AT E

Pidilite to have a larger presence in DIY segment Our Bureau Mumbai

idilite Industries is prepa r i ng g rou nd for overhaul of products in Do-It-Yourself (DIY) segment in the automotive aftermarket. It is looking to rejig distribution and value preposition of its Motomax brands as the brand operating in the DIY segment has met with limited success. “It is imperative for us to have an extensive distribution network for Motomax in order to ensure that we are able to reach a range of customers through multi-brand service stations and dealers. We are evaluating on repositioning our Motomax brand as a prominent aftermarket brand in the domestic market,” said President, Sales & Marketing, (Maintenance Products), Pidilite Industries, Nilesh Majumdar. According to industry sources, DIY segment is not developed in India due to lack of education and wider choice of garages or unorganised service stations. The company is hoping

It is imperative for us to have an extensive distribution network for Motomax in order to ensure that we are able to reach a range of customers through multi-brand service stations and dealers—Nilesh Majumdar, President, Sales & Marketing, (Maintenance Products), Pidilite Industries to enrol or develop signiﬁcant number of automobile accessories shops, spare parts dealers and automotive paints outlets for most of its appearance product range. Majumdar is of the view that in order to ensure that there is a DIY segment, a player will need to ensure awareness and product availability. “We need to address

Automotive Engineering Show kicks off at Pune’s auto cluster Our Bureau Mumbai

uto Cluster, Chinchwad organised ‘Automotive Engineering Show’ for two days that helped gather leading players in the automotive and engineering segment in the Western region. The show also hosted the second edition of the ‘Excellence Awards for Innovation and Creative Automation’. The show had been organised to help vehicle and auto-component companies deploy appropriate technology and connect to providers of systems and processes to optimise efﬁciency, quality and costs. The show was targeted at vehicle manufacturers (OEM) and component makers (Tier I, II) as an important industry occasion or a ‘community event’. The previous (4th) International Exhibition on Automotive Technologies—Automotive Engineering Show was held last year in June at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nungambakkam, Chennai and the organisers are now expanding to the latest horizon—Ahmedabad, Gujarat. According to the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) by the Government of India, which has documented inputs for ten year mission plan for development of the Indian Automotive Industry into a global hub, the Indian Automotive Industry after de-licensing in July, 1991 has grown at a spectacular rate of 17 percent on an average for last few years. The industry has now attained a turnover of 165,000 crore ($34 billion) and an investment of 50,000 crore. The plan also states that the sector is also seen as a multiplier of industrial growth. It helps in attaining two critical goals of the common minimum programme, that of increasing manufacturing output and of providing employment. The Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) aims at doubling the contribution of automotive sector to more than 10 percent of GDP by taking the turnover to $145 in 2016 with special emphasis on export of small cars, MUVs, two-wheelers and auto components. The AMP intends to make India the manufacturing hub for small cars of the world.

a relatively smaller segment of customers by creating awareness of the product and what he/ she can do with it and ensure that the products in DIY category are available at right locations,” said Majumdar. Motomax range includes specially formulated car care products suitable for new generation paints and other automobiles ﬁ nishes, which helps in enhancing the look of a vehicle. It includes polyester putty, 2K rubbing compound, liquid rubbing compound, hard wax polish, car shampoo, premium liquid polish, cream polish, dash board polish, upholstery cleaner and tyre cleaner giving lustre and shine. Products under the Motomax brand include Motoﬂush, which cleans up the system before the changeover of new engine oil and after removal of existing engine oil for better engine performance. Oil treatment and brake and parts cleaner have already been available under Cycle range in India. The company caters to appearance segment with ‘Motomax’ and maintenance segment is catered by ‘Cyclo’.

Nilesh Majumdar, President, Sales & Marketing, (Maintenance Products), Pidilite Industries

Pidilite USA, wholly owned subsidiary of Pidilite, acquired the brand Cyclo couple of years back. The range of the US company includes products in maintenance, performance and appearance segments for DIY (Do-it-Yourself) and professional car care segment. It is currently sold in more than 50 countries including India and the US. The company offers complete line of professionally formulated clean-

ers, lubricants, and additives under the Cyclo brand. Cyclo is aimed at developing & improving vehicles’ performance standards & launching new products for meeting demands of new generation vehicles. These products are designed for the complete maintenance and enhanced performance of vehicles, including heavy-duty equipment, truck, marine, and industrial applications.

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14 MAY 2012

C O R P O R AT E

Mahindra & Mahindra launches larger wheelbase Alfa Plus Our Bureau Mumbai

ahindra & Mahindra en h a nc e d it s presence in the three-wheeler goods carrier segment with Alfa Plus, a longer deck variant of its three-wheeler Alfa load carrier. It has been designed for intra-city load transport, especially suited for the captive segments like the distributors of mineral water, gas cylinders and consumer goods. It offers a 20 percent increase in

carriage of load volume thus adding to the vehicle’s stability and helping enhance earnings for its customers, according to a company statement. M&M is offering improved transmission to improve the gear box life by upto 20 percent, offer more power with an increase in engine torque by around eight percent and increase in clutch life by around 50 percent. The company is looking to target customers seeking higher load carrying ability leading to lower operating costs. It will be manu-

M&M Alfa

New thermal measurement system from NI Our Bureau Chennai

M&M is offering improved transmission to improve the gear box life by upto 20 percent, more power with an increase in engine torque by eight percent and clutch life by 50 percent factured at the company’s plants in Haridwar and Zaheerabad. “With the launch of the Alfa Plus we have signiﬁcantly enhanced the value proposition for our customers and hence strengthened our three-wheeler load product portfolio. This product is specially designed to cater to the needs of captive segment businessmen and traders and will make transportation of voluminous cargo easier,‘’ said Senior Vice President, Marketing, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, Vivek Nayer.

ational Instruments (NI) has expanded its SC Express PXI sensor measurement family with the new Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) module. The RTD module expands measurement capabilities to offer good temperature accuracy and the engineers can use the NI PXIe-4357 RTD module with the NI SC Express family, PXI and the LabVIEW Real-Time Module to create reliable sensor measurement systems that scale from tens to thousands of channels. The high-performance module is optimised for temperature measurements with Pt100 RTD sensors for a variety of thermal monitoring applications. The NI PXIe-4357 module integrates sensor-speciﬁc signal conditioning with 24-bit ADCs to sample all 20 channels at 100 S/s and offers accuracy of up to 0.09 degree C. To expand a system’s channel count, engineers can integrate additional NI PXIe-4357 modules

NI PXIe

or use other SC Express modules to add complementary sensor inputs including thermocouples, strain gages, accelerometers and FBG optical sensors to the same system. “We designed SC Express to improve measurement accuracy and reliability by integrating signal conditioning and AD conversion into a single module,” said Vice President of R&D for NI, Kevin Schultz. “Because SC Express is based on the PXI Express platform, engineers can easily expand their channel counts or synchronise with other measurement or control modules to meet the speciﬁc requirements of their test application.”

ACMA SAPs collaboration for ERP solutions

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utomotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) is in a special engagement with SAP India to provide customised ERP and business analytics applications to its members. Since its initiation, SAP has seen Arvind Kapur, President, significant deployments ACMA and traction for its solutions amongst the member companies. “Enterprise-wide solutions are imperative to integrate the supply chain and efficiently manage and respond to dynamic business needs. A solution, which is tailored to cater to the needs of the automotive sector will enable quick access to reliable business information, thereby servicing our customers better,” said President, ACMA, Arvind Kapur. As a part of this alliance, SAP with its partner eco-system is providing the ACMA members with an enterprise class solution that will be easily accessible and affordable for the emerging businesses helping them being more agile and scalable in the competitive landscape. This platform will also enable faster deployment and a structured go-live process with emphasis on ongoing training and interaction with its members. “Auto and auto component are among the strongest growth industries contributing to the Indian economy today. ACMA, and their active involvement in technology upgradation, quality enhancement and dissemination of knowledge has made them a vital catalyst for the industry’s development,” said Vice President, Emerging Business, SAP India, Priyadarshi Mohapatra. “Our collaboration with ACMA bears testimony to our commitment to increase customer responsiveness, create better customer efficiencies and increase profitability to further improve customer competitiveness.” he added.

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14 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Mann+Hummel opens new facility in Himmelkron

ann+Hummel recently kicked off its new facility for cabin air fi lters in Himmelkron (Germany). The facility will employ around 300 skilled workers who earlier worked at the locations Himmelkron and Gefrees of the fi ltration specialist. The global vehicle production added up to around 75 million units and is set to increase to more than 100 million units by 2017. Irrespective of vehicles having a combustion engine or an alternative drive system, increasingly number of vehicles is fitted with a cabin air fi lter. The production in Gefrees has been part of the Mann+Hummel Group since 2007. The facility manufactures high quality cabin air fi lter elements for the automotive industry and automotive-related applications. Filters produced in Gefrees and Himmelkron are destined for the

Mann+Hummel have opened a new plant for cabin air filters in Himmelkron. The filtration specialist expands its production capacity and improves logistics OE production and the aftermarket of car and commercial vehicle manufacturers, as well as being sold under the Mann-Filter brand in the independent aftermarket. The newly opened cabin air ﬁ lter centre at Himmelkron will support the company’s growth strategy. The group is investing in technology, buildings and production lines to meet its

Th Mann+Humel facility

target. The company is investing around Euro 25 million in German locations. The investment plans include a new cabin ﬁ lter plant at Himmelkron of around Euro 17 million, a new extension to its Sonneberg plant in Thuringia with investment of Euro 7.2 million. The expansion of the Mann+Hummel plant at Marklkofen in Bavaria is in progress. Investment volume for a new quality and development centre is around Euro 4.5 million.

The Mann+Hummel Group is a development partner and original equipment supplier to the international automotive and mechanical engineering industries. Employing approx. 14,400 people at more than 40 locations worldwide, the company achieved turnover of about Euro 2.5 billion in 2011. The group’s product portfolio includes air fi lter systems, intake manifold systems, liquid fi lter systems, cabin fi lters and cylinder head

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covers made of plastic with many integrated functions for the automotive industry, as well as fi lter elements for vehicle servicing and repair. For general engineering, process engineering and industrial manufacturing sectors the company’s product range includes industrial fi lters, a series of products to reduce carbon emission levels in diesel engines, membrane fi lters for water fi ltration and fi lter systems.

Honda celebrates 500 new employees starting work as Swindon Plant introduces second shift

here were celebrations today at Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd (HUM) in Swindon as they introduced a second shift within their car plant 2 facility. As announced in December 2011, 500 new associates were being recruited and today, they began their new roles within the plant. This brings the total number of employees at HUM to 3,500, with the production volume forecast to double to 180,000 units in 2012.

Meeting Growing Demand Spea k ing in December, Honda Motor Europe President, Manabu Nishimae said Honda remained totally committed to building cars and engines in Europe with Swindon at the heart of Honda’s European manufacturing activities. This move to a two shift pattern on line 2 represents a further step in HUM’s increased production activity, and coincides with growing demand for Honda’s new Civic family hatchback.

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HUM Director, Andy Piatek commented, “I am delighted to welcome our new Associates. At HUM we are proud of the skills of our workforce and the quality and reliability of the products we build.” New Honda Associate, Dan Smith, spoke about his excitement at starting work at Honda, “I am really looking forward to building the new Civic here at HUM. Over the past few months we have been through all kinds of training and now it’s ﬁ nally time to get started!” In addition to the new Civic and the successful Jazz, 2012 will also see the mass production launch of the new European CR-V and the introduction of a new small diesel engine, both of which will be produced at HUM.

GM places transmission plant in France on sale

M has put its Strasbourg, France transmission plant up for sale as it works to restructure its money-losing European operations. GM will pursue potential buyers that will continue operations with the existing workforce, supply base and customers. Approximately 1,000 people are employed in the Strasbourg operations. Last year, the plant produced about 280,000 six-speed automatic transmissions.

14 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Auto Monitor

Mazda opens new CPM-managed corporate support centre

azda UK is anticipating an increase in ﬂeet sales following the opening of a new dedicated Corporate Support Centre. Thame-based CPM (UK), one of the leaders in providing integrated sales strategies, will provide a range of ﬂeet management-focussed services to Mazda including: B2B prospecting and database management, test drive booking, marketing and communication with existing customers and sales support to Mazda’s

existing team of ﬁeld-based ﬂeet sales managers. CPM has won a competitive tender recently to manage inbound and outbound telephone and e-mail communications with existing and prospective customers and make appointments for Mazda’s corporate sales team with potential customers. CPM has been appointed on an initial three-year contract and will also be working on behalf of Mazda’s retail and aftersales divisions.Mazda UK

Steve Tomlinson, Head of Fleet,, Mazda

New Focus drives 24% increase for Ford China

he 2013 Ford Focus is lifting Ford’s China sales, comprising 10 percent of automaker’s April sales there in its fi rst 10 days on the market, the company said. The automaker is planning to roll out 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, said President of Ford’s Asia and Africa regions, Joe Hinrichs. The Focus is the fi rst vehicle to roll out on Ford’s global platform under the plan. The automaker predicts an average annual growth of five percent for the decade. The market grew less than three percent last year. The Dearborn-based automaker has invested $4.9 billion in China in an effort to catch up with larger competitors who entered the market earlier and added capacity before China imposed additional restrictions on production. Ford announced last month plans to double passenger-car production capacity in China by mid-decade with expansion of its Chonqing and Hangzhou plants. The automaker will debut in China later this year three SUVs as part of its growth plan. They are the Explorer, EcoSport mini SUV and Kuga (known as the Escape in North America). It is building seven more plants in Asia—five in China, and two in India where the market has also slowed over the last nine months due to interest rate hikes over fears of inflation. The company is focusing on Thailand, where it recently opened a new assembly plant that will manufacture the Ford Focus, among other vehicles. . The Ranger pick-up is produced in Thailand in a joint venture with Mazda, in South Africa and soon-to-be in Pacheco, Argentina. The company plans to triple annual output of EcoBoost-equipped vehicles built in Europe by 2015. The automaker said that it would boost production to about 480,000 vehicles by 2015 from 141,000 in 2011, and expects to double the number of models offering EcoBoost engines over the same period. To meet the goals, Ford started production of the 1-liter EcoBoost engine at a new plant in Craiova, Romania. Ford plans to produce more than 1.3 million EcoBoost engines for the European market from 2012-15, with more than 800,000 of those expected to be the new 1-liter EcoBoost built at plants in Romania and Cologne, Germany. The company has already introduced the 1.0liter EcoBoost engine in the Focus and will offer it in the C-Max and B-Max crossovers later this year. The Bridgend and Valencia plants also build the 1.6-liter and two-litre EcoBoost engines for the North American market. The two engines will be offered on both the 2013 Escape crossover, on sale later this spring, and the Fusion mid-sized sedan, on sale this fall in North America.

Head of Fleet, Steve Tomlinson said, “We anticipate that CPM’s innovative approach to helping organisations inside and outside the automotive sector will deliver significant opportunities for our corporate sales managers.” We are looking forward to a longterm partnership as CPM has an excellent track record in insight and planning in relation to B2B sales. Their ideas, expertise and innovation is market-leading and we anticipate that will deliver Mazda a significant return reflected by sustainable corporate sales growth.” Last year, Mazda UK sold more than 31,000 vehicles in the UK with fleet demand accounting for approximately 20 percent of registrations. The appointment of CPM coincides with the UK arrival of the all-new Mazda CX-5 compact crossover SUV, which is powered by breakthrough Skyactiv technology that promises fuel bill savings and both corporate and company car driver tax bill benefits as a result of fuel sipping engines and low CO2 emissions, whilst delivering unrivalled performance. CPM Commercial Board

Director Phil Roberts said, “Mazda has a number of exciting products and with the introduction of Skyactiv technology, it will secure a fi rm standing in the fleet market. “As a key strategic partner for CPM, we are excited to begin our journey as the allnew Mazda CX-5 comes to the UK to join an established stable of products that includes the Mazda3, Mazda6 and the iconic MX-5 with further Skyactiv models in the pipeline. “Our knowledge of the ‘fleet managers world’ and how the role of the decision maker and the user chooser is evolving, will support Mazda with making further inroads into the fleet market. “This is underpinned by living and breathing the CPM brand promise of ‘Insight, Influence and Sales’, which allows us to not only understand our clients’ customers, but create and deliver a solution that secures the end result for our clients. “The CPM fleet team will be at the core of appointment generation, however they will ensure every contact compliments each and every touch point of the fleet journey.”

CPM has won a competitive tender recently to manage inbound and outbound telephone and e-mail communications with existing and prospective customers and make appointments for Mazda’s corporate sales team with potential customers A team of four people from CPM will be dedicated to customer relationship management at the Mazda Fleet Support Centre. CPM UK was established in 1936. CPM is a division of the DAS (Diversiﬁed Agency Services) group and its parent company is Omnicom. CPM’s client list includes Kellogg’s, British Airways, Revlon, Royal Mail, Mars, Dairy Crest and British Gas.

Auto Monitor

14 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Volkswagen Fleet focuses expert eye on customer satisfaction

ol k s w a gen F le et Services is focusing more than ever on its customers this year, with a unique on-going survey that is designed to ﬁ nd out exactly what contract hire and leasing customers want, and how the organisation can work best to help them. The survey, commissioned by Volkswagen and operated by benchmarking company Expert Eye, started in December. Thirtyfour major leasing providers are being questioned about nine core areas, comparing Volkswagen’s performance with that of six competitors. “Part of the reason for commissioning the survey was a realisation that we didn’t know exactly what our partners in the contract hire and leasing sectors thought of the services we provided, and so it was going to be difﬁcult to enhance our service offering,” said Volkswagen

Fleet’s National Contract Hire and Leasing Manager, Iker Lazzari. “We recognise that our leasing partners are our customers, and if we want to be the best in the industry, we need to know how we are doing and where we can improve.” Based on the results from December to the end of March, Volkswagen is already working on its ‘leasing improvement plans’, reviewing the results in conjunction with leasing company partners, and agreeing specific areas of enhancement. These specifically focus on areas for development that were identified in the survey results. In addition to the ‘leasing improvement plans’ there are a number of other key service initiatives underway, such as a Fleet Sales Excellence programme that is designed to enhance the service quality delivered by Volkswagen’s 63 Fleet Business Partner retailers.

Also under way is a programme to move all Volkswagen Fleet specialist retailers to electronic delivery technology using the MoDel platform, following a highly successful trial. Easy-to-use handheld computers make the car handover easier and more effective than ever: the digital platform cuts paperwork and transmits delivery notiﬁcations immediately to the leasing company, so they can seamlessly initiate the customer contract. What’s more, the driver gets a better experience, as the handheld devices are quicker and easier to deal with, and using them also allows drivers the opportunity to give direct feedback via a customer satisfaction questionnaire. Lazzari continued, “We’re sharpening our focus on what matters most to leasing companies, to help ensure we’re fulﬁ lling their requirements, and the requirements of every Volkswagen

The driver gets a better experience, as the handheld devices are quicker and easier to deal with and using them also allows drivers the opportunity to give direct feedback via a customer satisfaction questionnaire

fleet driver.” Further research will be conducted throughout 2012 to ensure any actions

taken on the basis of the results remain current and relevant to customers’ requirements.

The end of the road for safety

ocal councils in England slashed their road safety budgets by 15 percent (£23 million) last year compared to average spending cuts of just six percent for other council services, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). This includes cuts to services such as rehabilitation courses for motoring offenders, training and information for young drivers, safe routes to schools schemes and school crossing patrols.

Research Findings The research also shows that over half of English councils cut their spending on road safety and trafﬁc management by more than ten per cent. Of the 152 councils contacted, 81 replied. Spending on road safety saw huge variations. For example, London’s Camden Council cut road safety spending by more than 70 percent (£fourmillion), despite the fact that road casualties have increased by 10.6 percent there since 2006. More than 100 people were killed or seriously injured on Camden’s roads in 2010. At the same time, neighbouring Islington Council increased funding for road safety and trafﬁc management by £134,000.

Difficult Choices Spending on roads also varied. Thirty councils (37 percent) cut spending on road maintenance by more than ten percent, but generally, road maintenance fared well with an overall increase of 0.37 percent. For example, Northumberland Council cut road maintenance by 63 percent while Blackpool Council increased it by 34 percent. IAM chief executive Simon Best said, “In difficult times, councils can be more innovative and flexible in their approach by working with the voluntary and private sectors to provide the services they can no longer afford.” He continued, “Austerity is forcing councils to make difficult choices, but the fact that these cuts only represent the fi rst year of savings under the coalition’s spending review is deeply worrying. Cutting road safety so hard makes no sense. The average wage of a lollipop lady is £3,000 a year while the cost of each road fatality is £1.6 million. So the returns on investment are huge.

Better Targets Required “Cuts of this scale risk lives as well as the UK’s table-topping status as the best in the world for road safety. The government needs to bring back casualty reduction targets so that councils make road safety a priority. “I’m also concerned that patchy spending on maintenance will not keep pace with our crumbling roads.”

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Auto Monitor

14 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

International auto round-up Cadillac to provide concierge service for its XTS buyers Cadillac will offer US customers a free concierge service centred around its new infotainment system CUE (Cadillac User Experience), which debuts on the new 2013 XTS luxury sedan. In addition, every XTS buyer will be given an iPad loaded with videos to help them navigate CUE. The system offers drivers infotainment, navigation and communication tools while on the road, and is compatible with many devices such as iPods and iPads. Its centre is an eightinch touchscreen that works much like a smartphone or tablet. Drivers can tap or swipe the screen to pull up information or make selections. GM will hire at least 25 specialists to work with Cadillac dealers and customers nationally—even going to customers’ homes or business to help them with CUE, Harland said. In addition, Cadillac’s 900-plus dealerships across the US each will have at least two certiﬁed technology experts to aid customers. Customers will be able to contact their dealer, press the blue ‘OnStar’ button in their car for help or use a toll-free contact number to reach CUE infotainment experts, Harland said. GM and Cadillac also will monitor and answer questions through chat rooms and use other social media to reach customers. It plans to give customers high-level service on par with Apple Store’s Genius Bar. Luxury automakers including Lincoln, Lexus and Inﬁ niti have

some type of concierge services. Lincoln announced last month that it will begin providing 24-hour online concierge services early next year. Its service will include interaction through video and a personalised product portfolio of customer vehicle preferences that can be accessed on an iPad or smartphone. GM plans other infotainment concierge programmes for its other brands’ systems including Chevy MyLink, and Buick and GMC’s IntelliLink, though it may not be as broad as Cadillac’s, Harland said. The XTS is expected to begin hitting dealer lots by the end of May or the ﬁ rst of June.

GM to end Astra production at Opel’s home plant GM plans to end production of the Opel Astra compact car at its Ruesselsheim plant in Germany to stem losses at the automaker’s European operations, according to a German newspaper. The nextgeneration Astra, due in 2015, will be built in only two GM Europe plants, Ellesmere Port in England and Gliwice in southern Poland. The Astra is Opel’s second-best selling model after the Corsa. The loss of Astra production would be a major blow to Ruesselsheim, where Opel is based, threatening the plant’s future. Roughly one third of the factory’s capacity is used to build 30,000 Astras annually. The midsized Insignia is also built there. Ruesselsheim, near Frankfurt, is one of four GM plants in Europe that build the compact model, along with Gliwice, Ellesmere Port and Bochum in Germany.

Annual production of the Astra would rise to 205,000 from 145,000 in Ellesmere Port in a threeshift operation, while output in Gliwice, will be boosted to 240,000 from 185,000, the report said. The report did not mention Bochum, which also builds the Zafi ra minivan in addition to the Astra. The Ellesmere Port and Gliwice factories are cheaper and more flexible to operate than Ruesselsheim where employees are paid above the usual industry rate. Workers at the UK and Polish factories are prepared to accept 80 extra Saturday shifts a year. According to the report, Ruesselsheim workers are prepared to agree pay reductions and other cost-cutting measures to keep production of the next Astra, which would require an investment of about 70 million euro at the plant. Opel’s union said it will fight for Ruesselsheim to remain an Astra production plant. With only the Insignia output to rely on, Ruesselsheim’s production would be too low for the factory to survive long. European sales of Astra was 327,458 last year, up 2.7 percent from 2010, and the Corsa subcompact had sales of 327,717, down 1.5 percent. Opel is under pressure from GM to cut costs and reduce excess capacity as its vehicle sales fall in Europe. In the fi rst quarter, Opel and UK sister brand Vauxhall saw sales fall 15.8 percent to 227,590 in the EU and EFTA countries, according industry body ACEA. Total industry sales fell 6.6 percent. GM’s operating loss in Europe for the fi rst quarter was $256 million.

Govecs bags award for e-scooters Govecs GmbH has won the “European e-Scooter of the Year” Award for its GO! S2.4 model, the company beat off strong competition in the under 25 km/h category. The other first place was achieved in the highly competitive 45 km/h category with the GO! T2.4 cargo scooter. GOVECS also won second place in both these categories with their GO! S1.2 and GO! S2.4 models. The models of this line were developed particularly for use in companies and by traders and are available with 50-170 litre cargo boxes. The international award was presented as part of Clean Week 2020 and organised in cooperation with the international Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA). The event is a big draw for representatives from the government and the education, media and motoring sectors and visitors are able to try out the latest ‘green’ vehicles at Belgium’s Zolder racing circuit, the venue for the third Clean Week 2020. The internat iona l competition was judged by a disting uished panel of 13 motorcycling journalists from Belgium, t he Net herla nds, Ger ma ny, Fra nce, Spa i n, S c a nd i n a v i a , t he UK, Switzerland, Italy and Austria. The vehicles were judged against a number of different criteria, including quality and fuel consumption, with a particular emphasis on emissions and noise output. Other factors taken into

account included design, range, charging time and driving performance. Judges were also interested in the comfort, handling and market availability of the various vehicles. Govecs GmbH, based in Munich, develops, produces and sells electric vehicles. The company’s electric scooters are produced in its own certified production plant in Breslau.

Transmission maker Getrag predicts record 2012 sales Getrag plans to top last year’s record sales of Euro three billion on the back of its fast-growing business in Asia. Its customers include Ford, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover, expects its output of manual transmissions to grow to more than 4.2 million in 2016 from 2.8 million units in 2011. The dual-clutch transmission volumes are forecasted to rise to more than 1.3 million in 2016 from 655,000 in 2011. The main driver for this growth is China. Getrag said that its Asia Paciﬁc unit expects to deliver 1.7 million manual transmissions to customers in the region by 2016, up from 644,000 in 2011. Demand for dual-clutch transmissions is forecast to grow to 200,000 by 2016 from 10,000 in 2013. The surge in volumes will increase the company’s Asia Paciﬁc sales to nearly Euros one billion in 2016 from Euro 268 million last year, the company said. The next market for Getrag will be India, where it will open a new factory to produce small manual transmissions for Ford.

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Auto Monitor

14 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Peugeot Sport announces new 208 R2 rally car

o follow and build on the achievements with the 205, 206, 207, Peugeot has applied its expertise, utilising the ‘spirit of re-generation’ that combines all of their best features to produce the Peugeot 208. Peugeot Sport reveals the ﬁ rst of three 208-evolved competition cars, as the production car begins to go on sale across Europe. The ﬁ rst competition version revealed is the 208 ‘R2’, which will be campaigned as a ‘zero’ car on this month’s Tour de Corse in the hands of Stéphane Sarrazin and Benjamin Veillas. Peugeot 208 R2

The Competition Versions Of 208 Development of the competition versions of the Peugeot 208 has been in operation since the car was announced in 2011, and the ﬁ rst version to be released is the R2, which will provide a glimpse of its potential at the recently held Tour de Corse in France. Two other motor sport derivatives of the 208 will see the light of day before the end of 2012, beginning with the circuit version, which features a speciﬁcation very similar to that of the R2. The circuit version will be followed by the eagerly-awaited 208 which complies with the FIA’s R5 regulations and which will go on to take over from the successful 207 Super 2000 rally car at national and international level. It is due to be unveiled in September.

Creation Of An Icon “With the 208, Peugeot has given itself the means to create a new motoring icon,” noted Peugeot’s Range Director, Laurent Blanchet at the model’s launch. “The 208 carries over the successful spirit of the 205 and the 206, plus the functionality of the 207 in a thoroughly modern package,” added the Brand’s Product Director, Xavier Peugeot. Through the livery of the R2, Peugeot’s stylists have sought to mark the launch of the 208’s competition line-up by highlighting the model’s emotional appeal and resolutely modern lines. The 208 R2 appeared at the Tour de Corse, the fourth round of the 2012 Intercontinental Rallye Challenge. Regular Peugeot Sport driver Stéphane Sarrazin and co-driver Benjamin Veillas were reported to have driven the hot hatch ahead of the ﬁeld at the French event before staying on in Corsica for a week of testing after the rally.

208 R2: A New Benchmark The R2 was a part of the model

line-up and had made its debut the end of 2011. It was expected to replace the existing 207 RC Rallye not only as the star of the Brand’s ‘Volant’ single make series, but also as a challenger for class success at the national and international levels. Ford, Renault and Citroën all have R2 cars, but Peugeot Sport has set itself the target of becoming the class’s new benchmark in terms of both performance and low competing costs. Careful attention was also paid to reliability, notably with regard to its transmission, electrics and electronics. Another aim was to make life easier for owners by minimising the number of parts required to convert the car from gravel- to asphalt-spec, and viceversa. This was made possible by using as many shared parts and assemblies as possible for the two versions and by beneﬁting from the PSA group’s customer competition catalogue.

‘Regenerated’ Styling Through its compact forms, short overhangs and f lowing transition between the bonnet and windscreen pillars, the 208 is a fresh interpretation of the Brand’s styling cues, both in terms of their underlying principles and in the details.

Technical ‘regeneration’, described by 208 R2’s Project Leader, Yann Goraguer: Lightweight: “The 208’s bodyshell is approximately 40 kg lighter than that of the 207. In addition, the 208’s overall volumes are one of the R2’s chief strengths, while its long wheelbase ensures stability. Weight-saving work has enabled us to bring down the centre of gravity further, optimise where the weight is located and reduce the intrinsically low inertia of this car with its short overhangs. These features combine to provide the 208 R2 with outstanding road holding.”

Modern Structure: “The 208 R2’s strengthened shell incorporates a multi-point, welded roll cage which marks a real step forward in terms of safety compared to rival roll cages thanks to a new manufacturing process.” Modern Engine: To comply with the regulations, Peugeot Sport has developed for the 208 R2 a brand new, naturally-aspirated, 1600 cc engine based on the 1.6 VTi available for certain versions of the 208 road car.

The R2 was a part of the model lineup and had made its debut the end of 2011. It was expected to replace the existing 207 RC Rallye not only as the star of the Brand’s ‘Volant’ single make series, but also as a challenger for class success at the national and international levels “For the competition version of this engine, we started from a clean sheet of paper and achieved the 185 hp speciﬁed in the brief. At the same time, we succeeded in maintaining the low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions that are features of the original engine. This modern powerplant comes with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) for the intake and exhaust. The Group R regulations specify that the valves must be of the same size as those of the standard engine. Like its air intake dimensions, the 1.6 VTi’s valves are smaller than those of the former 1.6 unit. The main factors which inﬂuence performance in the case of a normally-aspirated engine are its

valves and intake, so we worked closely with Sodemo to make our new engine driver-friendly by focusing on flexibility rather than on peak power which often goes unused in rallying. We achieved this thanks to the use of VVT. The 208 R2 kits will be sold with the engine built, run-in and checked on the dyno.” Innovative Gearbox: “The gearbox, too, is new. The 208 R2 is equipped with a five-speed, manual, sequential gearbox with the lever mounted on the steering column. The gearshift system is identical to that of the 207 S2000 and represents a significant evolution for a car of this class in which the original gearshift is more conventionally mounted on the floor. The lever is much shorter and also positioned higher, while the shift is more direct and precise because it is in line with the gearbox. The system is much more rigid since it is shorter and lighter. The gearbox itself features innovative cooling with an air duct at the front of the car which channels cooling air to fi ns built into the front part of the casing which help dissipate heat and cool the oil.” Reduced Fuel Consumption: The lower weight, carefully designed aerodynamics and naturally-aspirated engine have resulted in a significant fuel consumption saving compared to the 207 RC Rallye. This makes an appreciable contribution to keeping the costs of competing to a minimum. Suspension Performance: “We have carried over the proven three-way adjustable dampers, plus a new, bespoke adjustable hydraulic bump stop, which has been developed specially in association with our supplier Öhlins. The R2 also features a specific wishbone arrangement which increases suspension travel. This, in turn, improves traction and is positive for the car’s performance.” Hydraulic Steering: “The 208

R2’s steering is specific, too. We have switched from the standard car’s electric power steering to a hydraulic system, combined with a higher-ratio hydraulic rack for greater precision and enhanced comfort in response to demand from the drivers. The use of a hydraulic system also permits more accurate feedback of information, notably on loose surfaces.” Single Calliper Brakes: “The diameter of the brake discs is dictated by the regulations. As wear parts, they need to be effective and reliable, but also relatively economical. To simplify the ordering and management of parts and to facilitate the conversion from gravel- to asphalt-spec (and vice-versa), we have opted for a single Alcon calliper plus standard, re-machined discs. Thanks to the floating calliper arrangement, the conversion from gravel- to asphalt-spec only requires the calliper mount to be changed.” Clutch: the 184mm-diameter single clutch plate arrangement is dictated by the regulations. Peugeot Sport specifies an Alcon plate for the R2. Wheels: the wheels are also covered by strict regulations regarding their width, diameter and weight. Tyres: All the 208 R2 development work was done on tyres provided by Michelin, Peugeot’s Sport partner.

Close Collaboration To Minimise Costs The 208 represents a new generation of car, while Peugeot Sport has collaborated with PSA group experts to make the necessary modifications for motor sport use in compliance with the regulations. “Throughout the process, we worked closely with the group’s different technical departments,” says Alexis Avril, Customer Competition Manager. “At the beginning of a project like this, in-house skills and expertise allow you to make swifter progress when developing certain advanced solutions. The 208 R2’s transmission, for example, is made entirely by PSA to a brief drawn up especially for competition purposes. We also benefited from the savoir-faire and experience of the Brand’s series production experts in fields like materials, surface treatment and processes. The 208 features a new, modern powertrain, so we spent a great deal of time with the fi rm’s specialists during the 208 R2’s different development phases. Last but not least, as a function of the regulations and in order to minimise costs, we called frequently on our colleagues to source the most suitable parts from the catalogue of the series production version.

14 MAY 2012

Auto Monitor

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