Auto Monitor - 28 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

Auto Monitor ns Tur w o N

kly e e W

Vol. 12 No. 14

28 May 2012

www.a m onli ne.i n

48 Pages

FOCUS

` 50

INTERVIEW

WESTERN INDIA Pg 12-18

IT IS NECESSARY TO INTRODUCE MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED PRODUCTS THAT MEET GLOBAL NORMS Hitesh Mehta, GM-Marketing, Automotive & Aerospace Coating-India & South Asia, AkzoNobel

Pg 8

INEL technology powers OEMs

NEWS IN BRIEF

Hyundai announces Petrol Price Lock Assurance Our Bureau Chennai

yundai Motor India has structured a Petrol Price Lock Assurance programme to protect its customers from the fuel price hike announced on 23 May. Under the programme, customers will be offered discounts on the petrol models of the Eon, Santro, i10, i20, Accent and Verna.

Fuel Price Hike Coverage Scheme The programme covers this fuel hike for the next seven months; it is valid on purchases made till 31 May. The scheme is being offered in addition to the ‘5-star Assurance Scheme’ announced for the Santro and i10 earlier this month. Director-Marketing and Sales of Hyundai Motor India, Arvind Saxena said, “The Petrol Lock Scheme will insulate the customer from the impact of the price hike. The price hike is severe and we need to soften the blow for our customers.”

Assurance Programme Earlier this month, the company had announced the ‘5 Star+ Assurance Programme’ to offer 360 degree services to the customers ranging from maintenance to roadside assistance.

DATA MONITOR Top 5 CV Makers Company

Apr-11

Apr-12

TML

32,851

29,692

Change -9.62%

M&M

8,539

10,582

23.93%

ALL

4,832

7,712

59.60%

VECV Eicher

3,353

4,025

20.04%

FML

1,431

1,537

7.41%

Top 5 CV Exporters Company

Apr-11

Apr-12

TML

3,115

2,183

Change -29.92%

M&M

1,136

1,173

3.26%

ALL

711

974

36.99%

VECV Eicher

316

250

-20.89%

FML

* Source: SIAM/ ** Excluding exports/ *** all sub segments considered/ ^ excluding MRPL

T Murrali Chennai

awazaki is mulling options to introduce SmartRR—the smart reg u lator rect i f ier developed by the Hosur-based India Nippon Electricals Ltd (INEL), in its new two-wheelers meant for Europe. The two-wheeler maker is the fi rst company to use SmartRR in its sports bike KLX 125, which saved substantial costs while also accruing several non-tangible benefits including improved fuel economy and longer battery life. Once the new business deal is fi nalysed, INEL will be augmenting exports of SmartRR further. The company is also planning to set-up a greenfield manufacturing facility in Kolar near Bangalore, close to the upcoming factory of one of its domestic customers, HMSI. Currently, the company has three manufacturing facilities based in Hosur, Puducherry and Rewari. Later, it will look at setting up a manufacturing facility in Haridwar.

Speaking to Auto Monitor, I N E L’s Operations Head, Subhasis Dey and Engineering Head, R Umashankar said that the company has developed SmartRR originally targeting three-wheelers as the power requirement for these kinds of vehicles, especially by the headlamps, are high. Most of the three-wheelers, be it passenger or cargo version, come with twin headlamps that directly draw power from the battery, though the power is generated through permanent magnet alternators like in the case of two-wheelers. Elaborating on the technology, they said the microcontroller in the SmartRR gets information on engine speed, battery voltage and other user-deﬁ ned parameters such as acceleration, and dynamically controls the load and battery charging. For example, if the vehicle is idling, say in a trafﬁc signal, the

SmartRR developed by INEL

control algorithm slowly dims the headlamp so that battery discharge is contained thus saving energy. If the battery is fully charged, at low speed the generator power is diverted to the headlamp, thus improving low speed performance. W hen Kawasa k i wa nted to develop a regulator rectiﬁer for its new sports bike, it approached its supplier Kokusan Denki, which in turn connected with its JV partner INEL, since it was ready with a suitable product. The regulator rectiﬁer helped the two-wheeler maker

to manage with single-phase permanent magnet generator against its original plan of going in for a three-phase generator, which would have escalated cost of bike further. INEL is a JV between Lucas Indian Service Limited and Kokusan Denki Co—a group company of Hitachi. Currently, it ships around 1,500 units of SmartRR to Kawasaki’s plant in Thailand. The company aims that its exports will increase in future due to many companies actively looking at the innovative product. It also sees huge potential in the domestic market with the three-wheeler OEMs beginning to look at smart regulator rectiﬁer. The trigger point is that the OEMs can manage with even a single phase generator and still reduce the size of the batteries. The unit will help OEMs reduce the battery size, in terms of ampere-hour, by 25 percent while in the case of two-wheelers it will help optimise the magneto by 10 percent. It will also cut the cost of ownership for the end user.

Avtec bags engine order from Daimler Nabeel A Khan New Delhi

vtec Ltd, an automotive transmission and engine manufacturer, is vying to become a major player in the high precision powertrain component business. It has recently received an order from Daimler for heavy duty and light duty vehicles. For the light commercial vehicle, the component maker will supply engines from the Pithampur plant. While in case of heavy commercial vehicles, some transmission components will be supplied from the Hosur plant. “We are preparing ourselves to be ready for the supply of the components as and when the vehicle manufacturer requires the same. The capacity and volume will be according to the demand from the Daimler” said Managing Director, Avtec, Prabhakar Kadapa to Auto

Monitor in an exclusive interview. The company used to invest around `70 crore annually, for expansion and production ramp up, but this ﬁ nancial year, the investments are likely to go up to the tune of `90 crore. The increase in the investment plan is based on the orders that the component maker has already bagged from Daimler and in anticipation of the new project volume.

Shifting Transmission Assembly Plant On yet another growth trajectory, Avtec is relocating its axle assembly facility to Hosur, near its main customer—Ashok Leyland-Nissan JV by the end of this year. The move comes primarily to feed the increasing demand and to be more competitive in terms of quality and cost by curbing the logistic cost. Before this Q1 (ﬁ rst quarter), the CK Birla Group company was supplying around 2,000 units

of transmissions for the Ashok Leyland-Nissan JV product— Dost, but from the Q1 of this ﬁ scal, the supply volume for this customers has gone up to 2,500 units a month. The new facility will be in the existing plant of the company in Hosur, which is undergoing expansion following fresh orders for component. “We are planning to shift the transmission assembly facility to Hosur, because that’s the place where my customer is located. We want to be near the customer, the way we do for Ford. This would enable us to make just-intime delivery and will help the customers also in terms inventory management. However, the component manufacturing will continue at Pithampur plant because of the scale and volume,” added Kadapa. The just in time supply is a big help in terms of better synchronisation with the customers need. As the transmission is a bulk-

ier component (in size) and logistic costs are very high, it would be viable idea for the company to relocate the transmission assembly unit to be closer to the customer, Avtec expects to reduce the costs incurred in transportation. This will also help the company compensate for the increasing input cost and investment made for setting up the new unit. The new facility in Hosur will have a full capacity of around 50,000 units of gearboxes a month and will cater to new customers also in future. “Now the volume has crossed 2,500 units a month from the ﬁrst quarter and we understand that the product (Dost) has been appreciated in the market so the volume will go up further. Once they launch the LCV on the pan-India basis, the volume will further go up,” Kadapa said. The investment for the set-up of the axle assembly unit will be around `20 crore.

EDITORIAL Records have broken a million hearts

ricketers are known to break records and everyday new records are set and/or broken at the recently concluded fi fth edition of Indian Premier League. Influenced perhaps by the game, the government has created a record of sorts by raising the petrol price by about `7.54 a litre. Though the hike was expected, no one would have imagined the quantum. The government was delaying the announcement as the Budget session of the Parliament was on till last Tuesday and the price was hiked the very next day. The hike is primarily due to two factors—the major issue is due to the rupee depreciating to about `55 against the US dollar. And secondly, the crude oil prices have also touched $106.96 per barrel a day before the announcement. The steepest increase will no doubt kill the enthusiasm of the auto industry as it will affect the middle-class population who account for the majority of the motoring population. The sales of petrol cars have already been affected due to a huge price differential between petrol and diesel, and also due to low sentiments coupled with the higher cost of finance. SIAM expressed deep concern about the impact saying that this would not only hurt the consumers of petrol who are primarily the middle class two-wheeler users who consume almost 70 percent of petrol alongwith the small car owners, but will bring back the negative sentiment in

the market. While the petrol price increase has hit the consumers hard, the oil reﬁning and marketing companies are lamenting as they are still losing due to under-recoveries as only a portion of the losses are shared by the consumers with the recent petrol price revision. These companies are suffering due to the high level of under-recoveries on three sensitive petroleum products such as diesel, kerosene and domestic LPG, as the last revision for these products was carried out in June 2011. The consumers should not suffer and at the same time, the oil companies also should not get affected. Therefore, the government needs to revisit its hydrocarbon pricing policy. In addition to creating confusion, the policy only favours the ruling parties that politically sensitises the pricing of petroleum products conveniently and playing around that. Amidst the volatility, prices are hiked and our hearts are broken. Wishing you much pleasure reading. Do send us your feedback.

T. Murrali t.murrali@infomedia18.in

QUOTES Sergio Marchionne, Chairman and CEO on cooperation with Mazda for garnering volumes on global scale

“Asia is the weakest part of our stool”

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“China is a high priority for Ssangyong, but not for Mahindra”

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CONTENTS WESTERN INDIA Piaggio hit by slowdown in three-wheeler segment

Piaggio is bracing for a slowdown in the three-wheeler segment in India and looking to counter the downturn with launch of more variants and entering two wheeler segment

GLOBAL WATCH 30

Powertrain props up Fiat’s fortunes in India

Even as Fiat continues to struggle with its passenger car operations, the company’s engines have proven to be saving grace for Italian automobile major in India

Mahindra faces headwinds in tractors sales

Even as M&M has been scrambling to meet the demand for passenger and utility vehicles, the company is already facing turbulent weathers in the tractors business

CORPORATE Why has Ashok Leyland taken a beating in NP despite top line growth?

Higher depreciation and financial expenses on several projects on capacity expansion and new product development contributed to erosion of profits

Volvo’s safety world first to help further reduce road accidents

Pedestrian airbag fitted as standard on the all-new Volvo V40 is the next step towards the manufacturers target to cut the death toll and injury in a new Volvo by 2020

Start of series production for the cleanest regular-service diesel bus

The first series from the Citaro production to meet the Euro VI emissions standard left the production line at the EvoBus plant in Mannheim

Gas Mileage Top Concern For New-Car Buyers

New-car buyers ranked fuel efficiency their top issue and are considering smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, according to survey by Consumer Reports

Nissan Rolls Out Quick Chargers

Nissan unveiled battery chargers that would replenish the battery of any compliant electric vehicle to 80 percent of capacity in 30 minutes

GST to lend edge to domestic and international markets: FM

The benefit of GST would be the removal of cascading effect of taxes, which acts like a hidden cost and makes goods and services uncompetitive, according to the FM

Vehicle dealers diversify revenue stream to counter slowdown

GM’s Opel to build new Astra in UK

Vehicle dealers in India are managing the risks of a slowdown in the automotive market by increasingly diversifying their sources of revenue, according to the JD Power study

Is the petrol price increase justified?

GM’s European Opel division will build an updated version of the Astra compact car at a plant near Liverpool, England, while ending production of the model at its German headquarters

The need of the hour is to bite the bullet by reducing the price hike on petrol and revising the price of diesel which will bring some level of parity between the two competing fuels

ComfortClass 500 designed for safety, better aerodynamics ComfortClass 500 generation, S 515 HD, S 516 HD and S 517 HD launched in the autumn of 2012 features comfort and safety in the tour bus premium segment

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

INTERVIEW

As one of the world’s leading suppliers of paints and services for keys markets like cars, commercial vehicles, automotive plastics and aerospace coatings, AkzoNobel Automotive & Aerospace Coatings sells coatings for original equipment and refinishing applications to body shops, aircraft manufacturers, fleet owners, automotive suppliers and major bus and truck manufacturers. The company’s key brands include Sikkens, Lesonal, Dynacoat, Wanda and Sikkens Autocoat BT. With strong presence across 60 countries, Automotive & Aerospace Coatings has specialists around the world who understand local markets and can serve local needs. In an interview with Auto Monitor, General Manager-Marketing, Automotive & Aerospace Coating-India & South Asia, AkzoNobel, Hitesh Mehta throws light on next-gen refinish technologies for the CV segment.

According to you, what are the key requirements from paint suppliers by bus or CV manufacturers? We can broadly classify key requirements in three basic categories. These would include product requirements, service requirements and supply requirements. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and independent bus manufacturers are increasingly demanding quality & consistent gloss ﬁ nish, distinctness of image, Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) compliance, extended warranty on the paint life, which sometimes is as much as 10 to 12 years. We have been manufacturing such benchmark quality products meeting global standards for Indian roads. Our strength lies in colour science and research, colour craft that leads to exact formulations and state-of-the-art colour tools that meet the needs for the advanced automotive coatings market and professional body-shops. Large commercial vehicle manufacturers expect value addition in terms of enhanced participation like apply & supply on turnkey basis. AkzoNobel is a pioneer in delivering the expectations in terms of high quality standards. On time delivery and uninterrupted material availability are the key aspects for bus manufacturers. Maintenance of expected inventory close to manufacturer’s location is another supply related requirement. Can you elaborate on the prospects or scope of develop-

Photograph: Joshua Navalkar

It is necessary to introduce more technologically advanced products that meet global norms

ing aftermarket or refi nishing business? India is a growing market for commercial vehicles. We are confident that apart from meeting the increased quality expectations of customers, there will also be a necessitation to introduce more technologically advanced products that meet global norms. Can you discuss the size of AkzoNobel automotive coating business and future plans for automotive segment? We would not like to put any specific numbers in terms of revenues, but we are market leaders in commercial vehicles segment with a significant market share. Our future plans for commercial vehicles include meeting our customer needs even better by offering more cost effective, high quality products by improving our value offering and broadening the product range. This in turn will increase our reach in both, premium as

well as other bus segments in commercial vehicle market. There is a significant increase in the number of multinational commercial vehicle manufacturers entering Indian market. Backed by our global presence and relations with these manufacturers, we intend to leverage an accelerated penetration in these customers. What are the newer technologies that could be offered to bus body or bus manufacturers? Some of the global automotive majors are evaluating environment friendly waterborne paints that meet tough international VOC norms. Bus manufacturers who have traditionally used paints that are low on performance and cost, are now increasingly switching over to PU (polyUrethane) based paints for better value addition. PU provides more durability, increased weather resistance and aesthetics ie higher gloss.

28 MAY 2012

Auto Monitor

C O R P O R AT E

Why has Ashok Leyland taken a beating in NP despite top line growth? Our Bureau Chennai

espite four positive indicators—such as highest overall sales volume in its history (101,990 vehicles), an all time high in production (103,319 lakh units), higher sales in international operations to 12,852 units registering 25 percent growth and the success of its light commercial vehicle Dost, Ashok Leyland’s reported 10.3 percent decline in its net profit (NP) to `565.98 crore in 2011-12. The f lagship company of Hinduja Group has registered a sales turnover of `12,841 crore during 2011-12 compared to `11,177 crore in the previous fiscal reflecting a rise of 14.9 percent. Net profit, however, was down by 10.3 percent at `565.98 crore against `631.3 crore in the previous year. Higher depreciation and fi nancial expenses on several projects on capacity expansion and new product development and such things eroded the profit. Depressed market conditions in southern parts of the country,

The company’s efforts to protect its bottom line through focus on non-cyclical or support businesses yielded rich dividends with Leyparts,the spare parts business, growing by 20 percent

where the company is relatively strong, was the reason for the drop in net profit. At a recent media interaction, the Managing Director of Ashok Leyland, Vinod K Dasari said, “We were hit from many sides: our strongest market—the south—was depressed. Also, segments like ICV in which, we are not too strong grew substantially. We have, however, rebounded. We gained market share in March ’12 and continued the good showing in April and hope to keep up this momentum.” However, the company gained market share in the central parts of the country. The company began recovering in the south from the last quarter of last fi scal and it continues to gain momentum. “FY 2011-12 for us saw quite a few triumphs. Our sales and production numbers reached all-time highs, the initial market feedback for Dost was overwhelming: we climbed a new peak in international operations both in terms of volumes and new markets tapped, our ramp up of the Pantnagar plant was robust and complete and, to top it all, we were able to sharpen our focus on our customers by significantly increasing our network,” he said. The company’s efforts to protect its bottom line through focus on non-cyclical or support businesses yielded rich dividends with Leyparts, the spare parts business, growing aggressively by 20 percent and both the Defence and Power Solutions businesses able to hold their own. On the domestic front, Dasari felt that more could have been

ACMA, Automechanika in partnership Our Bureau Mumbai

Vinod Dasari, MD, Ashok Leyland and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Captain, Indian cricket team & ALL brand ambasador

achieved. Although the company gained precious market share in the central region for the ﬁ rst time and in the Tipper and ICV segments, growth in other segments was muted. The company’s plant in Pantnagar that was commissioned in March 2010 reached full capacity utilisation of 40,000 vehicles with two shifts. It is mulling options to start third shift as it is economical to produce more here due to excise advantage. Its plant in Rasal-Khaimah also achieved full capacity, which currently rolls out four buses per day. The total sales of the company included about 3,500 vehicles under the U-truck platform, which it claims is the revolu-

tionary invention with modular features among other things. “This is slightly below expectation but teething areas have been resolved,” he said. The company hopes to sell more such vehicles in the current ﬁscal. About prospects for FY 201213, Dasari said, “We feel the full year volumes would grow as there are signs of robust growth in some segments. We also have a number of innovative products ready to roll out like the Jan Bus and the 10x2 and with a new thrust to our brand building efforts with our new brand ambassador, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the coming year should be an interesting one for us,” he signed off.

CMA is set to enter into partnership with Messe Frankfurt to organise ACMA Automechanika New Delhi, slated to be held in New Delhi in February next year. The agreement would also entail both partners encouraging participation of Indian automotive component manufacturers and other related companies at Automechanika’s global fairs, including the Frankfurt fair with a dedicated pavilion for the ACMA members. “We will work closely with Messe Frankfurt to ensure significant presence of ACMA members at our pavilion at the various Automechanika shows. The ACMA pavilion at the Automechanika Frankfurt spread over 650 sq mt will showcase over 30 leading Indian auto component manufacturers. Moreover, ACMA will also mobilise business delegations to Automechanika’s twelve worldwide fairs held in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa,” said President ACMA, Arvind Kapur. Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s leading trade fair organiser, with Euro 457 million in sales. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and 52 international sales partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Its events are organised in more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2011, Messe Frankfurt organised 101 trade fairs, of which, more than half took place outside Germany.

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

C O R P O R AT E

GST to lend edge to domestic Our Bureau Chennai

he Union Finance M i n i ster, Pranab Mukherjee in a meeting titled ‘GST: The Way Forward’, at the Second Meeting of the Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Finance during the current year held recently, said that the primary beneﬁt of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), when intro-

There are several factors that make the current situation conducive to the introduction of GST in India. Studies have shown that the introduction of GST would act like a stimulus and spur the rate of growth of the economy

duced, would be the removal of cascading effect of taxes, which acts like a hidden cost and makes goods and services uncompetitive both in domestic and international markets.

GST Advantages He said that GST would check leakage of revenue and the states should be able to realise tax revenues commensurate to consumption of goods and services within their territories. He believed that it would provide a stable source of tax revenue and would play a very vital role in sewing India together into one common market. For the consumer, the biggest advantage of the GST would be its transparent character as well as the reduction in the overall tax burden on goods which is currently in the range of about 25-30 percent. Mukherjee said that there are several factors that make the current situation conducive to the introduction of GST in India. Studies have shown that the introduction of GST would act like a stimulus and instant-

ly spur the rate of growth of the economy. All the states have successfully switched over from the erstwhile Sales Tax system to the state Value Added Tax (VAT). With the implementation of the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, the two items in respect of which the states were prevented from levying VAT viz., textiles and sugar have also been omitted from the AED schedule. He added that ever since the introduction of VAT, almost all the states have witnessed a spur in the rate of growth of their tax revenues. As central taxes are concerned, the integration of central excise duty and service tax ie the taxation of goods and services is almost complete. Besides, the movement to a negative list of services would bring the nation to a near GST situation in the taxation of services. He stressed that leaping to GST is only logical step from here.

Developing GST Framework The Finance Minister felt that the substantial and commenda-

Pranab Mukhrjee, Finance Minister, India

ble efforts have been already put in by the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers in providing ﬂesh and blood to the blueprint of GST suited to the Indian context. The ﬁ rst discussion paper on the subject was released by the Committee in

November 2009, he said. Based on the FM’s conception, the centre has already introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha in February 2011— the ﬁ rst step in the legal process that would culminate into the GST. The minister said that he

Minister smelts R&D roadmap

he Union Minister for Steel, Beni Prasad Verma has released a report entitled ‘A Roadmap for Research & Development and Technology for Indian Iron and Steel Industry’ here recently. The report analyses the reasons behind the unsatisfactory performance of Indian Steel Industry in the areas of technology and R&D. The main problems in the industry relate to technological obsolescence and lack of timely modernisation, availability of inferior quality raw materials, inefﬁcient shop ﬂoor practices, lack of automation & control, lack of R&D intervention. The roadmap plans to develop a collaborative R&D projects at national level with academic and research institutes/laboratories of repute as well as the industry to share expertise. The report also aims at giving due recognition to R&D programmes and envisages increase in Investment in R&D from the present level of 0.15 to 0.25 percent of sales turnover to at-least one percent of total turnover by 2015-16 and two percent by 2020. It also aims at further streamlining R&D investments in the steel industry through incentives and lays emphasis on phasing out obsolete production facilities.

High Points Among the major highlights of the report, the focus was on improving the quality of basic input/ raw materials and developing/adopting suitable beneficiation technologies to suit Indian conditions and developing alternate iron making technology suitable for indigenous raw material, including direct smelting of low grade ore using indigenous non-coking coal. Also utilising iron ore fines, including beneficiated micro fines, adopting relevant agglomeration techniques like sintering and pelletisation can go a long way.

Major Thrust Areas • Technology for modiﬁcation of coal blending, covering utilisation of high ash non coking coal.

Steel Being Smelted At A Plant

28 MAY 2012

Auto Monitor

C O R P O R AT E

and international markets: FM The EG recommended that creation of the SPV would help in integrating central and state system of taxation and leveraging the IT infrastructure for the benefit of the tax authorities and the taxpayers even before the GST roll-out is hopeful that the Standing Committee on Finance would soon give its report on the Bill so that the process of legislation in this direction can move forward.

The Special Purpose Vehicle Mukherjee said that the Empowered Group on IT Infrastructure for GST (EG) headed by Nandan Nilekani

had recommended creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which was further endorsed by the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers (EC). The EG also recommended that creation of the SPV would help in integrating central and state system of taxation and leveraging the IT infrastructure for the benefit of the tax authorities and the taxpayers even before the GST rollout. He said that the SPV for GSTN has been approved by the Union Cabinet and the Department of Revenue is taking necessary steps to make it functional. The Finance Minister said that keeping in view the importance of the GST, another Meeting of the Consultative Committee would also be held on the subject. Thereafter, a power point presentation on GST was made by a senior official of the Department of Revenue for the benefit of the participating Members of Parliament.

Gaining Consensus Participating in the discussion, most of the Members of Parliament (MPs) present in the

for Indian steel industry • Develop technologies to convert non coking coal into coking coal including synthetic production of coking coal • Emphasis on coal gasification to produce syngas to produce sponge iron and utilisation of hot gases flowing out of iron & steel plants • Developing/adopting technologies/practices which impact reduction in energy consumption and reduce CO2 emission • Working on alternative energy sources for Integrated Steel Manufacturing • Reducing generation of waste in all stages from mining to steel making • Focusing on technologies for reducing water consumption in steel plants • Managing /recycling/utilising wastes including full utilisation of LD/EAF slag • Controlling effluents in coke ovens through bio-chemical / microbial treatments • Technologies have to be developed for production of high performance steel viz ultra high strength high formable steel etc • Developing strategies for improving rate of PCI in blast furnace to at-least 100-150 kg in next five years and about 200 kg/THM in next 10 years • Improving productivity of LD converters/EAFs, improving lining life of converter/EAF to 15,00020,000 heats/1,000-1,200 heats respectively • Reducing power consumption in EAF to below 300 KWh/tcs • Conserving water in beneficiation and iron/ steel making including exploring dry beneficiation techniques • Developing/adopting compact technologies and lay out to ensure optimum use of resources • Developing suitable technology/strategy for production of extra low phosphorous Ferro manganese for wide range of low carbon grades of steel • Developing suitable beneficiation methods to effectively use low grade chromite ore fines • Beneficiation of raw materials required for refractories—magnesite, bauxite and graphite for use in iron/steel industry • Computational fluid dynamic studies for production of clean steels in ladle furnace and RH-OB • Developing Technologies for Production of ferro-alloys using alternate technologies • Development of innovative techniques for systematic use of waste refractory material • Bringing out optimisation packages of activities from mining to out bound logistics by leveraging soft-ware development Releasing the report, Verma said that the Indian steel industry is marred by low investments in R&D because of which, the industry has not realised its complete potential. He said that the report would go a long way in setting the tune for further developments in the sector and aim at adopt.

meeting supported the proposal for introduction of GST and hoped that this would lead to one percent to 1.5 percent increase in GDP growth of the country. The MPs said that GST is a key reform and be introduced at the earliest. GST would result in higher tax collections both by the states and the centre. This will also lead to increase in the tax GDP ratio.

Other POVs They however cautioned that it must be ensured that introduction of GST does not lead to any hike in prices of commodities as inﬂation is still above comfort level. Some members suggested that there should be single point of taxation as multi-point taxation leads to harassment of businessmen and traders. It was also suggested that the threshold limit should be kept little higher so that small traders are outside the purview of GST as it is very difﬁcult for them to maintain books of accounts etc. Many members suggested for the same rate of taxes in all the states so that businessmen and traders do not

indulge in any tax evasion activities. Some felt that there is no clarity regarding taxation of services by the different states. They said that different states were treating service tax differently. They suggested that there should be standard rates for goods and services. There should be more participation of industry in policy making in this area. The new industrial units may also be considered for inclusion within the ambit of the GST. There may also be a time frame for all the services provided by GST. Subsidy provided for various goods and services can be linked with its network. The present provision for settlement of disputes between the states as well as between the Centre and State(s) needs to be reconsidered and simpliﬁed.

Delegates Present The meeting was attended by the Ministers of State for Finance, SS Palanimanickam and Minister of State for Finance, Namo Narain Meena. Other delegates who attended among others were Anto P Antony,

For the consumer, the biggest advantage of the GST would be the reduction in the overall tax burden on goods, which is currently about 25-30 percent Mukesh V Gadhvi, Narahari Mahto, Natubhai Gomanbhai Patel, Prabhat Sinh Chauhan, Rajkumari Ratna Singh, SPY Reddy, Suresh C Angadi, Vijay Inder Singla, W Bhausaheb Rajaram and MS Reddy all from Lok Sabha and Amar Singh, Mukut Mithi, NK Singh, Rajkumar Dhoot, Sabir Ali and Dr Ashok Sekhar Ganguly from Rajya Sabha. Among the ofﬁcials, Finance Secretary, RS Gujral; Secretary, Financial Services, DK Mittal; Secretary Disinvestment, Haleem Mohammed Khan; Chief Economic Advisor, Dr Kaushik Basu and senior ofﬁcials of the Ministry of Finance.

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

W E S T ER N INDI A

Piaggio hit by slowdown in three-wheeler segment Our Bureau Mumbai

iaggio Vehicles India is bracing for a slowdown in the three-wheeler commercial vehicle segment in India. Three-wheeler sales declined by 9.11 percent to touch 42,276 units in the month of March compared to same month last year and by 5.35 percent in April to touch 31,986 units compared to corresponding month last year, according to the data available from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Overall, three-wheeler sales declined by around 2.43 percent to touch 513,251 units in the last ﬁ scal ending March 2012. Industry players attribute the decline to cyclical factors and constrained credit availability for the declining trend in the three-wheeler segment. Piaggio Vehicles India and TVS Motors were the biggest losers in the three wheeler segment in the last ﬁscal. The former’s sales declined by around nine percent to touch 184,362 units while the latter’s sales fell by around

Piaggio is lookingto play a proactive role in raising its profile as a two-wheeler manufacturer with the launch of Vespa last month. It plans to expand the capacity of Vespa at its Baramati plant to manufacture around 300,000 units by the end of next year 36 percent to touch 14,172 units. TVS Motors is considered to be a south-based regional player and does not have a major national presence as opposed to pan India three-wheeler players like Bajaj Auto and Piaggio Vehicles. Passenger carrier segment took a major beating in the last fiscal and affected the overall three-wheeler sales with sales falling to 406,236 units in

April-March 2011-12 period as compared to 425,358 units in the comparable period in the previous fiscal. The Italian two and threewheeler ma nufacturer is looking to penetrate deeper into the commercial vehicle segment by launching a petrol variant of the Ape City by the third quarter this fiscal. It was displayed at the Auto Expo held earlier this year. The company’s sales declined by around 18.7 percent including foreign exchange related losses, according to a recent presentation by Piaggio Group to investors in early May this year. The company is looking to play a proactive role in raising its profi le as a two-wheeler manufacturer with the launch of Vespa last month. It plans to expand the capacity of Vespa at its Baramati plant to manufacture around 300,000 units by the end of next year from around 150,000 units currently. The company is also looking to have in place around 100 dealers for Vespa by the end of next year with a pan India presence. Piaggio offers a range of passenger and cargo vehicles for

Ravi Chopra, Chairman & MD, Piaggio Vehicles with the apé launches

many customised and standard applications. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Piaggio & Co spa of Italy and commenced its Indian operations in 1999 with the launch of the brand ‘apé’. The company has an estimated marketshare of 41 percent in the overall three-wheeler segment and around 64 percent in the three-wheeler cargo seg-

ment. It has built up its capability through advanced R&D centre, manufacturing unit and responsive dealer & service network. Over the last decade, it has introduced latest products through a network of over 804 touch points across the country. It entered the sub one tonne four-wheeler cargo segment with the launch of apétruk and apétruk plus.

Comsol invites case studies, research papers for annual meet Our Bureau Mumbai

omsol Conference has invited paper and poster abstracts for presentation at the world’s largest conference on multiphysics modelling and simulation. More than 1,800 papers and posters from users of Comsol multiphysics software showcasing their modeling and simulation work have been presented at this annual event since its inception. The 2012 India Comsol Conference will be held in Bangalore in November 2012. The conference is looking to connect more than 2,000 engineers and scientists from all industries, government and academia. It focuses on advanced cross-disciplinary modelling and simulation techniques and sharing best practices, offers attendees in-depth training sessions, panel discussions, networking events, and keynote speeches from industry leaders in addition to more than 100 user presentations. Some of these topics or areas of deliberation include acoustics & vibrations, batteries & fuel cells, bioscience & bioengineering, chemical reaction engineering, computational fl uid dynamics, education, electrochemistry, electrodynamics, electromagnetic, geophysics, heat transfer & phase change, MEMS & piezoelectric devices, microfluidics, multiphysics, nanotechnology, numerical methods, optics, photonics & plasmonics, optimisation, particle tracing, plasma physics, porous media flow, quantum mechanics, RF & microwaves, semiconductor devices, sensors & actuators, structural mechanics and transport phenomena. All abstract submissions will be reviewed by the 11-member programme committee. Accepted papers will be delivered during the conference’s user presentation breakout sessions and will be published in both the conference proceedings and the Comsol Conference CD.

The conference is looking to connect more than 2,000 engineers and scientists from all industries and academia. It focuses on advanced cross-disciplinary modelling, simulation techniques and sharing best practices

28 MAY 2012

Auto Monitor

W E S T ER N INDI A

Powertrain props up Fiat’s fortunes in India Our Bureau Mumbai

ven as Fiat continues to struggle with its passenger car operations in India, the company’s engines are outshining all options in the market and have proven to be saving grace for Italian automobile major in India. Fiat India’s passenger car sales declined by around 23 percent to touch 16,073 units in the last ﬁscal ending March 2012 as com-

The powertrain division is likely to play a key role for Fiat not only in India but could also for our parent company’s growing prominence in China—Gurpratap Boparai, VP, Head of Powertrain Division, Fiat India Automobiles

pared to the previous ﬁscal. The sales were down by around 24 percent in the month of March to 1,415 units compared to the corresponding month last year and further declined by around 50 percent to touch their nadir of around 1,000 units in April this year compared to same month last year. “As opposed to Indian auto market, which is skewed towards diesel powered cars, China is largely a petrol market and we are in a position to help our parent to meet the demand for gasoline engines in China. But it is too early to predict what role we could play in this direction as demand for diesel engines in the domestic market is robust and may keep us occupied,” said VP, Head of Powertrain Division, Fiat India Automobiles Ltd, Gurpratap Boparai in an earlier interaction with Auto Monitor. He also emphasised that Fiat’s Pune powertrain facility is in a position to ramp up its annual capacity to around 500,000 engines through efforts like debottlenecking and addition of shifts. Even as the Italian car maker discontinued its distribution alliance with erstwhile partner

Tata Motors, the manufacturing alliance remains intact and the company would continue to supply engines for Tata Motors. It also entered into agreements with for supplying its 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine with Maruti and Premier Automobiles for 100,000 and 28,000 engines respectively over a three year period from its Ranjangaon facility. Even as Maruti has been facing supply constraints due to burgeoning demand for diesel cars, Premier is looking to be a prominent player in the compact SUV segment with its Rio powered by Fiat’s 1.3-litre diesel engine expected to be priced around `45,000 higher than the current price. More pertinently, the agreement would allow Premier to set-up a nationwide distribution, with Fiat’s BS IV complaint engine, as opposed to its existing model facing emission related regulatory constraints for a nationwide availability. Formed in 2006, the Fiat-Tata joint venture encompasses manufacturing activities located in Ranjangoan. In its ﬁve years of operation, the JV has manufac-

tured around 190,000 cars and 337,000 powertrains (engines and transmissions). Development of the new Fiat dealer network for India is expected to gather pace with a standalone Fiat dealership already inaugurated in Hyderabad last month. 178 existing Fiat-franchised Tata dealers in 129 cities will be encouraged to form the foundation of the future Fiat network, according to a company release. Fiat will establish a separate entity to assume responsibility for all commercial and service related activities from the current Tata-dedicated team assigned to manage the Fiat brand. In an effort to establish its distinct distribution network in India, the company recently kicked off its second exclusive Fiat Caffé in Pune in addition to its ﬁ rst Caffé in the NCR and exclusive dealership in Hyderabad. The 6,300 sq ft Caffé in Pune with a frontage of 70 feet is designed to give the Fiat expe-

Gurpratap Boparai, VP, Head of Powertrain Division, Fiat India Automobiles Ltd

rience to customers and will be managed by Millennium Driveone of the leading automobiles dealers in Pune. The company also launched its limited edition Punto Sport. The company sells vehicles under the Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Abarth brands and Fiat Professional brand. Fiat Group includes 5 wholly owned entities: Fiat Automobiles, A l fa Romeo Automobi les, Lancia Automobiles, Abarth & C and Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles.

AMW wins Tata Power order Our Bureau Mumbai

MW’s Tranztar has recently bagged an order of 41 custombuilt trailers from Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Division. These trailers would be used to transport gensets and electronic equipment around the country. Tranztar recently launched a new ‘Curtain Sider’ model, which has been especially designed to carry steel coils. It is also developing a similar curtain sider trailer using air-suspensions for applications in the FMCG, auto components, paper and glass sectors. Tranztar is the leading tipper, trailer and other commercial vehicle applications manufacturer and a part of the AMW Group. Currently, there are over 15,000 Tranztar tippers and 2,500 trailers operating on Indian roads. It has the capacity to manufacture 24,000 tippers and 3,000 trailers and other CV applications at its plant in Bhuj, Gujarat. The company has also been expanding its global sales and recently received orders for specialised trailers from Maldives and the USA.

TMA appoints new president and vice president Our Bureau New Delhi

ractor Manufacturers Association (TMA), elected Senior Vice President (Marketing & Product Strategy), Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE), TR Kesavan as its President for the year 2012-13. While Senior Vice President (Sales & Channel Development), Tractor Division of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Avinash Patankar has been elected as the Vice President of TMA. The elections were held recently in Delhi during the 23rd AGM. Fully conversant with IT, he was the steering committee member in SAP implementation and in implementing B2C and C2C portals. Currently, he is spearheading the New Product introduction process in the company. He has worked closely with Warwick Manufacturing Group. Patankar is a member of Farm Executive Council (FEC), Farm Product Council (FPC) and Farm Strategy Board (FSB) of Farm Division. In 2011, he was appointed on the Board of Mahindra Gujarat Tractor Limited.

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

W E S T ER N INDI A

Mahindra faces headwinds in tractor sales Our Bureau Mumbai

ven as Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has been scrambling to meet the demand for passenger and utility vehicles including the XUV 500, the company is already facing turbulent weathers in the tractors business. Irrespective of the current turbulence, the company management is hopeful of improvement in the demand scenario in the farm equipment as well as automotive sectors and is planning to pursue its capital expenditure plans as well as product development in both businesses.

M&M has announced stoppage of tractor production for two days a week since April and has adopted a cautious scenario with slowing demand

The tractor sales have been softening over the last three to four months, according to industry players. M&M’s tractor sales fell by around 10 percent in the month of April to 16,049 units as compared to 17,740 units in April last year while exports too, fell by around ﬁve percent to 748 units in April. The company had been bracing up for a slowdown in the tractors segment as indicated by President, Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors, M&M, Dr Pawan Goenka in a conference call early this year. The tractor division or Farm Equipment Sector put brakes on production by curtailing manufacturing at the tractor plants around the country. The company has announced stoppage of tractor production for two days a week since April this year and has currently adopted a cautious scenario with slowing demand so as not to increase inventories at the factory or dealers’ end. Moreover, the customers expect to be delivered more recently manufactured tractors (15 to 35 days) and vehicles sold from much older inventory are not well

received by customers and tend to degrade the company’s image in the market. Production stoppage is a strategy employed in the automobile sector to avoid being piled up with unwanted inventory during the times of slowdown or short term unfavourable market conditions. Such production halts could extend well beyond initially planned production halts for tiding over the downturn and lead to job losses and major output cuts. Tata Motors adopted to similar production stoppage in the late 2008 to tide over the CV sales downturn and it was promptly followed by Ashok Leyland, its Chennai-based competitor announcing similar production cuts by stopping its facility for few days a month. In a recent conference call with analysts, the company ofﬁcials indicated that the sales may stabilise by the next quarter but growth rate would still be muted at around eight to 10 percent over the next two years. The company management cited a combination of factors including bumper crops leading to lower MSP prices compared to last year,

AMW wins Tata Power order Our Bureau Mumbai

MW’s Tranztar has recent ly bagged an order of 41 custom-bu i lt t r a i ler s from Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Div ision. These trailers would be used to transport gensets and electronic equipment around the coun-

try. Tranztar recently launched a new ‘Curtain Sider’ model, which has been especia lly designed to carry steel coils. It is also developing a similar curtain sider trailer using airsuspensions for applications in the FMCG, auto components, paper and glass sectors. Tranztar is the leading tipper, trailer and other commercial vehicle applications manufactur-

er and a part of the AMW Group. Currently, there are over 15,000 Tranztar tippers and 2,500 trailers operating on Indian roads. It has the capacity to manufacture 24,000 tippers and 3,000 trailers and other CV applications at its plant in Bhuj, Gujarat. The company has also been expanding its global sales and recently received orders for specialised trailers from Maldives and the USA.

Bishwambhar Mishra, CEO, Farm Equipment Sector, M&M

slow offtake of major irrigation projects and other factors for the downturn in tractor sales. The current demand scenario will not have any impact on the company’s expansion plans for Zaheerabad facility to cater of mid and higher HP range. “We take strategic decisions based on the market scenario and demand for our products and our production stoppage plans is unlikely to have any impact on long term capex plans as the demand scenario for tractors continues to be robust,” said CEO, Farm Equipment Sector, M&M, Bishwambhar Mishra at a recent

conference call in the aftermath of production cut announced by the company. M&M had around 42.4 percent marketshare in the tractors segment in India in the nine months ended December 2011 followed by TAFE-EIC combine (22.5 percent) and Escorts (11.2 percent). The combined Mahindra and Swaraj branded tractors dealers total to around 1,300 with 2,200 service points serviced by around seven manufacturing plants around India. For the nine months ended December’ 12, M&M exported about 9,850 tractors, a 12.3 percent growth from last year.

M&M ties up with regional rural bank for financing vehicles Our Bureau Mumbai

a hindra & Ma h i nd r a Ltd recently signed a preferred financier agreement with Satpura Narmada Kshetriya Gramin Bank (SNKGB), a leading regional rural bank in Madhya Pradesh

to enable M&M customers to avail of vehicle ﬁ nance services from any of the 348 branches of SNKGB. The bank is looking to provide loans for purchase of the vehicles at a comparatively low EMI at rates starting as low as 11 percent for personal products and 12 percent for commercial products, according to a company statement.

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Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

W E S T ER N INDI A

Service forum to facilitate interaction among professionals, entrepreneurs Our Bureau Mumbai

utomotive aftermarket business has been growing increasingly complex with several newer players entering the market and network development activities growing in tandem for existing players. In a bid to help professionals and entrepreneurs learn from best practices by established players in automo-

tive aftermarket as well as other sectors, Entercoms is looking to establish a core team christened ‘Service Chain Forum’ (SCF) to facilitate regular interaction among participants and players in the business. The ﬁ rst meeting of the core team of the Service Chain Forum was conducted in the Pune in late April this year. The key speakers included Independent Director, Alfa Laval, Ravi Krishnamurthi, and a Consultant to Bosch, P

(Third From Left): BN Sampath,John Deere; Sushil Rathi, Mahindra Logistics; Prof. Sandeep Kayastha, KIAMS; P Rajenthiran, Gamesa; Vasu, Ravi Krishnamurthi, Bosch

Rajenthiran of Gamesa, BN Sampath from John Deere, Sushil Rathi from Mahindra Logistics, Prof Sandeep Kayastha from the Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies and Vasu Ramanujam of Entercoms. A former head of Bosch Aftermarket division and currently serving as a Consultant, Krishnamurthi made a presentation on best practices in automotive parts and components. Rajenthiran offered an insight on the best practices in the aftermarket business in the wind energy industry to draw lessons in terms of pitfalls and opportunities for the automotive aftermarket business. SCF is working on initiatives including a portal by June, city and venue for next meetings, online registrations, academic interface and conference relevant for the forum this year. Vice President, Mahindra Logistics, Sushil Rathi was elected as the President of the Forum while

The core team celebrated Ravi Krishnamurthi ‘s (Bosch) birthday with a cake cutting session

Vasu Ramanujam was elected Secretary-General of the Forum up to March, 2013. A mong ot her initiatives, the forum has already started a monthly newsletter SCFBuzz for its members and is working on website in June. The website will be the platform for communicating with members, both organisations and individuals, and will have pages dedicated to discussions, through leadership, news and events.

It is also looking to organise activities dedicated to academics. Some planned activities in this area include paper presentat ion compet it ions for students, sha ring of class notes and internship exchanges. These activ ities w ill be spearheaded by the professors in the core team. Before the end of the year, it plans to host a conference in Pune, and achieve a membership base of around 5,000.

Rane Group companies notch better performance Our Bureau Mumbai

hennai-based Rane Group declared better performances for the last ﬁ scal compared to earlier periods on the back of higher sales, productivity improvement measures practised across all group companies and growing demand from automotive sector. Rane Engine Valve Ltd registered sales of `307.02 crore for the fiscal year ending March 2012 as against `288.32 crore for the previous year, a growth of six percent. The net profit for the last fiscal stood at `20.77 crore as compared to `10.8 crore in the previous fiscal. Sales in domestic OEM market grew by five percent, domestic aftermarket grew by five percent and export market grew by seven percent, according to a company statement. Due to some slowdown in offtake from customers in Europe, there was a drop in export in fourth quarter that affected overall export sales growth for the year. The company continued efforts towards operational efficiencies and productivity improvement.

Sales Analysis Bangalore-based Rane Group company Kar Mobiles Limited registered sales of `118.81 crore for the last fiscal year ending March 2012 as against `95.86 crore for the previous year. This represents a growth of 24 percent on yearon-year basis. The net profit for the last fiscal stood at `5.22 crore as against `3.14 crore in the previous fiscal. The company’s sales in the domestic OEM market grew by three percent, domestic aftermarket grew by 27 percent and exports grew by 41 percent in the last fiscal. Optimisation of the cost structure and improvisation of the operational efficiencies contributed to the increase in profit before tax despite higher input costs, according to a company statement. Rane Brake Lining Limited registered sales of `359.17 crore for the last fi scal ending March 2012 as against `305.84 crore for the previous year. The profit after tax stood at `16.18 crore in the same period against `15.28 crore in the previous fi scal. The company pointed out that the timely capacity enhancements enabled it to service the increased demand and compared to the previous year, sales in domestic OEM market grew by 18 percent, domestic aftermarket grew by 24 percent and export market grew by 24 percent, according to a company release. The company pursued its efforts to achieve process efficiencies in manufacturing, productivity improvements and cost savings through innovative shopfloor practices.

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Vehicle dealers diversify revenue stream to counter slowdown: JD Power study Our Bureau Mumbai

ehicle dealers in India are managing the risks of a slowdown in the automotive market by increasingly diversifying their sources of revenue, according to the JD Power Asia Paciﬁc 2012 India Dealer Satisfaction with Automotive Manufacturers Index Study. The study ﬁ nds that dealers are looking to generate 34 percent of their revenue through sales activities including parts and accessories, automobile insurance and commissions on loans, which represents an increase from approximately 22 percent in 2011. Moreover, dealer satisfaction with the working relationship with auto manufac-

Dealers who indicate their experience in vehicle ordering was “better than expected” are notably more satisfied with their respective manufacturers than are dealers who have a less satisfying ordering experience

turers is higher among those who expect a greater proportion of income from diversified sources. Among the manufacturers included in the 2012 study, Toyota ranks highest in overall satisfaction for a second consecutive year with a score of 913. Hyundai ranks second with a score of 878, followed by Maruti Suzuki (858 points). “With fewer retail sales and subsequently lower revenue from service within warranty, dealerships are looking at additional sources of income to diversify their business risks,” said Executive Director, JD Power Asia Pacific, Singapore, Mohit Arora. He added that dealers rely on automakers’ support in generating additional revenue through these sources, which is important in maintaining their viability and further strengthens the dealer-manufacturer working relationship. The study fi nds that overall dealer satisfaction with automotive manufacturers averages 820 points on a 1,000-point scale in 2012, up from 749 points in 2011. Overall satisfaction improves across all nine factors, with the largest improvement occurring in support from the manufacturer, which is also the most influential factor. Now in its second year, the study measures dealer satisfac-

tion with vehicle manufacturers or importers and identifies dealer attitudes regarding the automotive sales business. Overall dealer satisfaction is determined by examining nine factors. These include marketing and sales activities, product, vehicle ordering and delivery, sales team, parts, warranty claims, aftersales team, training and support from the manufacturer. The study is designed to provide manufacturers with insights about dealer opinions and attitudes to help them improve dealer relations. In addition, the study identifies key network-related opportunities and challenges to assist automakers in achieving their overall business objectives. Dealers who indicate their experience in vehicle ordering was “better than expected” are notably more satisfied with their respective manufacturers than are dealers who have a less satisfying ordering experience. Dealers’ satisfaction with the timeliness of vehicle delivery improved the most among all attributes in the study in 2012, as the proportion of dealers who indicate they are “delighted” (providing a score of 10 on a 10-point scale) with this attribute has doubled from 2011. More than one-half of the dealers surveyed for the 2012 study indicate automakers

invoice vehicles on the same day of order placement, compared with approximately one-third of dealers in 2011. Nearly 80 percent of dealers say they are able to track the real-time delivery status of vehicles, which also allows them to track delays and changes in the delivery status. “Not only are the dealers more satisﬁed with the order and delivery of vehicles, but also they seem to appreciate being better informed about any eventual delays or changes in the delivery status. Having a more informed

and satisfied dealer network in turn aids manufacturers in enhancing customer relations and boosting sales,” Arora said. The 2012 India Dealer Satisfaction with Automotive Manufacturers Study is based on responses from 583 dealer principals or dealership general managers located in more than 208 cities throughout India. The study was conducted in association with the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), and was ﬁelded between February and March 2012.

Direct part marking and its vital role in today’s automation process

utomatic identiﬁcation of products using onedimensional (1D) bar codes has been broadly used in many industries for more than 20 years. Traditionally, these bar codes are applied to products with labels or as part of the product package. Today, there’s a trend to extend tracking through the full life of a part so that it can be identiﬁed from the beginning of its life to the end. To address full life cycle traceability, manufacturers are marking parts with two-dimensional (2D) codes that are marked directly on the part, and automatically identifying the part

throughout the manufacturing and supply chain operations. This process is known as Direct Part Mark Identiﬁcation (DPMI) and is often used by automotive, aerospace, and electronic manufacturers to facilitate a reliable identiﬁcation of their parts.

Types of Direct Part Marking There are mainly two types of Direct Part Marking: Data Matrix Code: A Data Matrix code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode consisting of black and white “cells” or modules arranged in either a square or rectangular pattern. The

information to be encoded can be text or raw data. Data Matrix codes are part of a new traceability drive in many industries in the particularly aerospace & automotive where quality control is tight and a black market exists for counterfeit or non-serviceable parts. QR Code: A QR code (Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) ﬁ rst designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data (eg binary, alphanumeric, or Kanji symbols).

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Key features Of Cognex ID Readers • Unmatched code reading performance • Superior reading versatility • Modular communications • Rugged ergonomic design • All ID readers have CE, FCC, KCC, TÜV SÜD NRTL, RoHS certifications extremely small size. Lighting, camera, processor and communications are all integrated into an industrial housing, making the DataMan ﬁ xed-mount readers ideal for the most demanding applications.

tiple codes (MultiCode) in a single image (single or self trigger mode) or in a sequence of images (burst trigger mode). The reader is able to read different 1D code types at the same time, and can read up to 128 codes in the field of view. Burst Trigger Mode Burst Trigger Mode allows you to capture and process a sequence of images. With the Setup Tool it is possible to view a complete sequence of burst mode images in a fi lmstrip to allow for adjusting settings of trigger delay, burst length, and interval between acquisitions to better match the specific application.

Conclusion Liquid Lens Technology The DataMan 200 was the first fi xed-mount reading system in the world to offer the variable focus liquid lens technology. This optional feature of the DataMan 200 provides greater focal range and ease of set-up with extremely fast response times. This unique technology adjusts the camera’s focus by applying an electrical charge to fluid within the lens. The liquid lens technology is ideal for applications with variable focus requirements and for the simplest set-up and deployment. MultiCode Capability The DataMan QL readers support the ability to read mul-

Conventional bar codes have gained wide acceptance in various industries for part-tracking applications. The part-tracking data is vital for those that make, store or move items through the supply chain because the data is used in production output calculations, inventory control, revenue forecasting and other business operations. With both increased customer demand for product traceability and heightened regulations in place, the demand for ID products in the market has increased dramatically and we might see a host of new technologies coming our way soon. Courtesy: Cognex

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28 MAY 2012

C O R P O R AT E

Germany India to deepen investment engagement

er ma n Fe d e r a l Minister of Economics & Technolog y of Germany, Dr Philipp Roessler has informed visiting Indian Minister of Commerce Industry and Textiles, Anand Sharma that most German Companies in India are happy with the business environment in the country and expressed his desire to further deepen economic engagement with India. Reciprocating to the sentiment, Sharma said “Indian industry majors such as Tata Motors, Bharat Forge, Suzlon and the Mahindras Group, Wipro, Infosys have all established their base in Germany. There are 215 Indian companies active in Germany employing over 24,000 people, making an enriching contribution to the local economy.” About 600 Indo-German joint ventures are presently in operation in India. FDI inﬂows from Germany into India are around $4.55 billion and it ranks eighth among investors in India. FDI

The bilateral trade between India and Germany has more than doubled over the last five years to reach nearly $23.64 billion last year. Minister of Commerce Industry and Textiles, Anand Sharma has expressed confidence that the trade target of Euro 20 billion by 2012 will be surpassed

ﬂow from India into Germany is $5.9 billion in 2011. The two ministers met in Berlin recently. Both sides raised issues pertaining to the companies of their companies, which need governments’ attention. Sharma raised the issue of dispute between Ideafarms (an Indian Company) & Continental AG concerning unauthorised use of software, copyright of which, was held by Ideafarms. India was given assurance of a just solution and Indian side will follow the issue up with the German side. He also raised the ease of movement for business visitors and said “I do hope that there will be further simpliﬁcation of the visa regime between our countries and work permit procedures for facilitating easy movement of professionals, business persons and tourists.”

opment centres across the rural hinterland involving investments of nearly $fi ve billion,” added Sharma. Sharma also met Governing Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit and explored the possibility of collaboration in town planning with the city of Berlin specially with regard to proposed smart cities under National Manufacturing Policy and Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The bilateral trade between India and Germany has more than doubled over the last five years to reach nearly $23.64 billion last year. After a bilateral meeting with German Federal Minister of Economics & Technology of Germany, Dr Philipp Roessler in Berlin recently, Sharma expressed confidence that the trade target of Euro 20 billion by 2012 will be surpassed.

Siemens To Collaborate Sharma also visited Siemens Technical Academy and discussed the possibilities of Siemens providing skill development services particularly in the ﬁeld of manufacturing. Only 20 percent of the Indian workforce undergo skill training as against 75 percent in Germany and this brings out sharp differences in potential and prospects. “We have launched the National Skill Development Initiative, which aims to enhance training opportunities of new entrants to the work force for 10 million per year, and to augment vocational educational capacities by ﬁve times from the current three million to 15 million. This will involve a massive effort in establishment of hundreds of new industrial training institutes, poly-techniques, vocational educational centres and 50,000 skilled devel-

Aim To Surpass Targets The Union Minister informed that the bilateral trade between India and Germany has more than doubled over the last ﬁve years to reach nearly $23.64 billion last year. After a bilateral meeting with German Federal Minister of Economics & Technology of Germany, Dr Philipp Roessler in Berlin recently, Sharma expressed conﬁdence that the trade target of Euro 20 billion by 2012 will be surpassed. Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh in his opening statement at Joint Press Interaction in Berlin in December 2010 said “German excellence in the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors is well known. We welcome the steady growth of German investments in India. Despite the economic downturn, we are hopeful that the target of achieving bilateral

Anand Sharma, Union Minister For Commerce & Industry and Textiles meeting Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin, in Berlin

trade of Euro 20 billion by 2012 will be achieved” India asked for better collaboration between India and Germany in the ﬁeld of generics. After the meeting, Sharma stressed, “Generics constitute just about one-ﬁ fth of German pharmaceutical industry, but the recent moves of German Government to promote the use of generics affords enormous opportunities of collaboration with Indian Pharma companies, which have acquired global repute in developing affordable generic medicines.” Both ministers reviewed the economic and commercial relations between India and Germany. Following the bilateral meeting, Sharma and Roessler joined the meeting of German and Indian CEOs. The minister congratulated the German minister on the on-going German Year in India titled ‘Germany and India: Infinite Opportunities 2011-2012’, that was launched in September 2011, which will end in November 2012. The two ministers have been reported to have inaugurated ‘Days of India’

in Germany at the Hamburg Port Festival recently. Speaking on the areas of collaborations, Sharma pointed out “Small and medium enterprises which form the backbone of Indian industry, employing 26 million people, contributing to 45 percent of our manufacturing output and 40 percent of total exports would beneﬁt immensely through a technology collaboration with Germany.” Speaking on mutual investments Sharma said that there are more than 1,600 IndoGerman collaborations and over 600 Indo-German joint ventures in operation. BMW has emerged as one of the largest selling luxury cars in India. Indian corporate leaders have been equally enthusiastic about investing in Germany, given the welcoming investment climate and the natural synergy that exists between the two countries. “Indian corporate entities invested over $six billion in Germany. Indian industr y majors s have all established t heir base in Germa ny,” stated Sharma.

28 MAY 2012

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C O R P O R AT E

Is the petrol price increase justiﬁed? Our Bureau Chennai

he UPA-II Government has increased the petrol price by `7.54 a litre. This is the fi rst revision in the last six months. Petrol price has been increased from midnight last Wednesday. The rates of diesel, LPG and kerosene, raised in June last year, have been spared from revision, however, according to official sources the government will review the same as these commodities also need an increase to prevent oil marketing companies from heading to bankruptcy. According to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), since the post deregulation of petrol with effect from 25 June 2010, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are reviewing petrol prices on a fortnightly basis and have revised the prices on several occasions. During 2011-12, petrol prices were revised fi ve times in order to bring domestic prices in line

Year 2011-12

with prices in the international market. Out of this, there were upward revision three times, and downward revision twice, latest being the price reduction of `0.78/litre (Delhi market) on 1 December, 2011. Thereafter, due to domestic market conditions, it has not been possible to change selling price of petrol in line with international prices. As a result, the company has suffered a loss of `2,108 crore (Industry: `4,651 crore) since the last price change, of which `1,052 crore (Industry: `2,321 crore) loss was incurred up to 31 March, 2012 and balance `1,056 crore (Industry: `2,330 crore) during current ﬁ nancial year (ie 2012-13) till date. Since last price change w.e.f. 1 December, 2011, international oil prices have increased and USD-INR exchange rate has shown further deterioration. While Indian basket of crude has increased by 3.5 percent from $109.23/bbl to $113.08/bbl, the international petrol price

Total Under-Recovery (`-crore) 1,38,541

Burden Sharing By Government (`-crore) 83,500

Particulars

Unit

Crude Oil (Indian Basket)

($/bbl)

Exchange Rate

(`/$)

(`/bbl)

has gone up by 14.5 percent from $108.62/bbl to $124.42/ bbl. USD-INR exchange rate has deteriorated 3.2 percent from `51.50/$ to `53.17/$. The combined effect of changes in international petrol price and exchange rate has resulted in an increase in under-recovery since last price change. However, due to declining international petrol prices during the current ﬁscal, under-recovery has shown a downward trend from `8.04/ litre in April’12 second fortnight to `7.17/litre during May’12 ﬁ rst fortnight, and further to `6.28/ litre during the current fortnight. Given the losses being incurred, IOC is compelled to increase the price of petrol by `6.28 per litre (excl. VAT / Sales Tax) w.e.f. midnight of 23/24 May. This excludes losses already suffered till date during current FY ie 2012-13, which would require an additional increase of around `1.50/ litre in selling price of petrol for balance part of the year. The increase of `6.28 per litre is exclusive of sales tax / VAT. Given that the rate of sales tax / VAT varies from 15 percent to 33 percent in the states, additional sales tax of `0.94 to `2.07 per litre will be added. This will be over and above the existing sales tax of `10.30 per litre to `18.74 per litre already being levied in the existing petrol prices. Ditto with other OMCs.

Price on 22 May, 2012 Last Fortnight May 01-15, 2012 (previous trading day ie 21 May) (previous fortnight, April 16-30, 2012) 106.95 (106.43) 111.15 (116.20) 5869.42 (5819.59) 5957.89 (6063.32) 54.88

(54.68)

In addition, OMCs are suffering high level of underrecoveries on three sensitive petroleum products such as diesel, kerosene and domestic LPG. Last revision in selling price of sensitive products was undertaken with effect from 25 June, 2011. As compared with last price change, current underrecovery on diesel has gone up from `6.13/litre to `13.64/litre, for kerosene from `24.16/litre to `31.41/litre and for domestic LPG from `331.13 per cylinder to `479 per cylinder as on 16 May, 2012. At these rates, it is estimated that under-recovery on sale of sensitive products during 201213 will be around `186,000 crore for the OMCs.

Crude Price Increase The international crude oil price for the Indian basket as computed/published by the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Ministr y of Petroleum and Natural Gas increased to $106.95/barrel (bbl) on 22 May, 2012. This was slightly higher than $106.43/bbl, the previous trading day’s ﬁgures of 21 May, 2012. In rupee terms, however, the crude oil price increased to `5,869.42 on 22 May, from `5819.59 per bbl the previous day. This was due to increase in the price in dollar terms despite

53.41

(52.18)

rupee depreciation with rupeedollar exchange rate on 22 May, at `54.88/$ against `54.68/$ a day before.

Negative Impact On Automotive Industry Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM), expressed deep concern about the impact of the steep increase in petrol prices saying that this will not only hurt the consumers of petrol who are mainly the middle class two wheeler users who consume almost 70 percent of petrol and the small car owners, but will bring back the negative sentiment in the market. The apex body pointed out that petrol cars, which are essentially in the lower end of the market are already not selling because of the price distortion of petrol and diesel and with this record price hike, the situation will go from bad to worse. If affordable mobilit y is denied to the masses without any alternative solution, it w ill hurt the societ y and economy as a whole. The need of the hour is to bite the bullet by reducing the price hike on petrol and rev ising the price of diesel which will bring in more revenue to government as well as some level of parit y bet we en t he t wo competing fuels for automotive industry.

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28 MAY 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Packaging solutions to reduce external damages to two-wheelers: Case study Problem

Protec Armour

Transit damages and scratches to two-wheelers resulting in higher rejection rate

Protec Armour is non-crosslinked, expanded polyethylene foam of a closed-cell structure. The superior properties of the foam make it really versatile for a variety of applications across industries. It fulﬁ ls your packaging, transportation and marketing objectives that are functional and cost-effective. Above all, it ensures total protection of your product.

Solution Designed and manufactured c ustom ised, combi nat ionlaminated protective covers and padding for two-wheelers made of Protec Armour / Protec Bubble / Protec Capcell. Available with fixing elements like elastic / velcro / adhesive / cotton cords etc. These products are designed and fabricated keeping in mind the extent of protection required for every specific part of the vehicle

Benefits More than 10 percent reduction in packing cost and no transit damage

Protec Bubble Protec Bubble is a ﬂexible polymeric ﬁ lm comprising small air pockets. The symmetrical air bubble pattern ensures excellent cushioning and provides protection against transit damage. Protec Bubble offers most cost effective protection for all your basic packaging needs.

Protec Armour Rolls

Protec Bubble is manufactured using the right proportion of special polymers to provide assured protection to the product throughout its life span.

Protec Capcell Protec Capcell is a microcellular, high mechanical strength EVA PE Foam. It is available in sheet form and in various colours. It provides unique advantage of low weight v/s high strength requirement thus improving efficiency. Thermoformable grades are available. The Supreme Industries Ltd., founded in 1942, pioneered many path-breaking products in the country and became trendsetters in plastics products by introducing many advanced solutions for various applications and industries. It follows the philosophy of S.A.V.E.—Supreme Always Value Efficient. The company focuses on applied intelligence and innovation, enabling costeffectiveness and precision in delivery that are the drivers of this belief. The company is the leading and largest plastics processor in the country offering the widest and the most comprehensive range of plastic products. Additionally, Supreme handles over 130,000 tonne of polymers annually and the group turnover in excess of `3,500 crore. Supreme has 17 manufacturing units located across India. All the plants have an ISO 9001: 2000 certification and feature a large production capacity. It

Protec Automotive Gaskets

is powered by technology from global leaders that complement the extensive facilities for R&D and new product development. It is backed by dynamic and resourceful marketing team and committed top management to ensure customer satisfaction and continuous growth. With a business philosophy of achieving total commitment in quality and service, we are serving the major growth impulses of the Indian economy. The Protective Packaging Division (PPD) offers a large basket of products manufactured in-house. However, we are willing to import material from international sources, wherever necessary. With three manufacturing plants and eight converting facilities spread

countrywide, the division is ideally placed to provide a complete range of solutions. These units are equipped with hightech fabrication equipments. We have ofﬁces in all the metros with distribution network all over India backed by a complete team of techno commercial professionals. A powerful synergy of men, material and machines, backed by unrivalled experience and expertise, and a huge infrastructure that encompasses production, warehousing and logistics facilities, enables the Division to render professional services of the highest order. We have vast experience of six decades, serving diverse industries and a track record of successfully partnering blue chip Indian and international clients.

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28 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Volvo’s safety world ﬁrst set to help further reduce the 1.3 million people killed on roads

he world’s ﬁ rst pedestrian airbag fitted as standard on the all-new Volvo V40 is the next step towards the manufacturers target to cut the death toll and injury in a new Volvo by 2020. The new airbag is launched one year after Volvo, as a strategic partner of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), joined road safety experts and MPs to set the blueprint in the UK for safer roads over the next 10 years with the launch of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. Volvo’s new pedestrian airbag will go some way to help further reduce the number of fatalities involving pedestrians, currently 14 percent in Europe and 25 percent in China. Every year, 1.3 million people are killed on the world’s roads with 24,510 killed or seriously injured in the UK alone. For Volvo, safety has been a key priority for 85 years and in 2008, launched a unique goal in that “By 2020, nobody shall be seriously injured

Volvo’s’ Safety World’ First Set To Help Further Reduce The 1.3 Million People Killed On Roads

or killed in a new Volvo’ and to contribute towards the aim, it has ﬁtted technology including pedestrian detection, city safety and the pedestrian airbag. The pedestrian airbag technology was a world breakthrough when the all-new Volvo V40 was launched in Geneva earlier this year and will to be ﬁtted as standard to all specifications. The system is active at speeds between 20 and 50 kmh. 75 percent of all accidents involving pedestrians

take place at up to 40 kmh.

Pedestrian Airbag Technology The most serious head injuries involving pedestrians and cars are caused by the hard structure under the bonnet, the windscreen’s lower edge and the A-pillars. These were the main areas that Volvo Car Corporation looked at when starting development of its pedestrian airbag technology. Seven sensors embedded in

the front of the car transmit signals to a control unit. When the car comes into contact with an object, the signals change. The control unit evaluates the signals and if it registers what it interprets as a human leg the pedestrian airbag is deployed. The bonnet hinges are each equipped with pyrotechnic release mechanisms which, when the system is activated, pull out a pin and release the rear of the bonnet panel. At the same time, the airbag (consisting of a sack and a gas hybrid generator) is activated and starts ﬁ lling with gas, which only takes a few milliseconds. During the inﬂation sequence the airbag raises the bonnet by 10 centimetres and stays in the raised position. The added gap between the bonnet and the hard components in the engine compartment gives space for the bonnet to deform, creating a dampening effect when it is hit by a pedestrian. “The airbag has two functions. Firstly, it raises the bonnet

The pedestrian airbag technology was a world breakthrough when the all-new Volvo V40 was launched in Geneva earlier this year and will to be fitted as a standard to all specifications to create distance, and secondly it cushions the impact around the hard parts of the area near the windscreen,” explained Senior Technical Advisor Safety, Volvo Car Corporation, Thomas Broberg. In its inf lated position, the airbag covers the entire windscreen w iper recess, about one-third of the windscreen and the lower part of the A-pillars. The entire sequence from activation of the system to full inf lation takes a few hundredths of a second.

Bosch plans takeover of Koller + Schwemmer’s ops

he Bosch Automotive Aftermarket division is planning to take over the operations of Koller + Schwemmer GmbH & Co KG, which is headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany. An agreement to this effect was signed in May, 2012. Last year, Koller + Schwemmer generated sales of some Euro 20 million with a workforce of 125 associates. It has been agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The acquisition is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities. With the takeover of Koller + Schwemmer, the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket division is expanding its portfolio of diesel-related products and services. “By adding Koller und Schwemmer’s manufacturing activities to our portfolio, we are ensuring the long-term availability of diesel replacement parts. In addition, we are adding to the scope of our remanufacturing activities for the entire product life cycle,” said President, Automotive Aftermarket division, Robert Hanser. Bosch can already look back on a lengthy partnership with Koller + Schwemmer, which has a long tradition. The new Bosch subsidiary will carry on the existing operations of the Bosch Car Service repair shop and of the Bosch Diesel Centre.

BMW marks record first quarter in global sales

ith over 400,000 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles sold worldwide, we have had an outstanding ﬁ rst quarter and the best ever in the company’s history, said Member of the Board of Management, Sales and Marketing BMW, Ian Robertson from the New York Auto Show. “We have seen over 16 percent growth in the US this quarter and we expect further momentum with the new BMW 3 series sedan on the market, as well as the introduction of the BMW X1 to the US in September this year.” The introduction of the BMW X1 to the US market will build upon its global success. Since its launch at the end of 2009, over 264,000 units have been sold worldwide, making it the leader in its segment. Record first quarters in both the US and China contributed to the BMW Group’s outstanding first quarter sales results. In the US, sales climbed +13 percent in March to 29,806 vehicles (26,382). Year to date, 75,729 vehicles have been sold in the US, an increase of +16.6 percent over the previous year (64,957). In China, the company achieved strong double digit growth in the first quarter with over 75,000 vehicles delivered.

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

All set for Euro VI: Start of series production for regular-service diesel bus

he fi rst series from the Citaro production to meet the Euro VI emissions standard left the production line at the EvoBus plant in Mannheim recently. With the start of series production, Mercedes-Benz once more takes the lead in the field of eco-friendly buses. Based on pioneering diesel technology, they reduce CO2 emissions and ensure a clean environment for our towns and cities. “In anticipation of Euro VI, we are launching a clean urban bus, which provides an affordable means of promoting widespread environmental practice among transport operators,” said Head of Daimler Buses, Hartmut Schick. The company has already supplied its fi rst touring coaches with Euro VI in the form of the Travego Edition 1.

Technology Cuts Diesel Consumption One of the inherent features of Euro VI emissions technology

is that it increases fuel consumption. And yet the Mercedes-Benz Citaro manages to use even less than ever. To achieve this, the engineers have really put their innovative thinking caps on. As an example: during braking or coasting down a slope, the alternators generate “free” electricity that is then stored on board the truck in a series of super-condensers, which is optimised by the technology. Another instance is that the rear door entrances are now lower. When “kneeling” or lifting again at a bus stop, the bus therefore requires less energy. All in all, the Citaro with Euro VI saves around three to ﬁve percent fuel. With normal service mileage, it will therefore use around 1 000 litre less diesel and emit around 2.6 tonne less CO2 each year.

New Engines With Technical Features Working away at the back of this regular-service bus are some new engines. The six-cylinder in-

line units with a displacement of either 7.7 or 10.7 litre deliver output ranging from 220 to 290 kW (299 to 394 HP). The triedand-tested Mercedes-Benz SCR emission control system with AdBlue injection and closed-loop particulate ﬁ lter is combined here with an exhaust gas recirculation system. The engines are characterised by a number of special technical highlights. The smaller power unit, for example, is the ﬁ rst diesel engine in the world to feature an adjustable exhaust camshaft. It injects fuel at a pressure of up to 2,400 bar, which is around a thousand times the pressure in a passenger car tyre. The larger six-cylinder engine features the unique X-Pulse injection system with pressure booster.

Citaro: The Clean Diesel Engine Service Bus The new Citaro with Euro VI is a clean diesel-powered regular service bus. Optimised combustion processes and a complex

Europa Premier

emission control system reduce the emission of soot particles to just three percent of what was possible 20 years ago with Euro I. Emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen to ﬁve percent. To accommodate the new engines and the complexities of the emission control system, the Citaro now features a new tail end design. The potential extra weight of Euro VI is compensated for here by a number of measures,

ranging from a lightweight glassﬁbre-reinforced plastic roof to a weight-optimised rear axle. As a result the payload, and thus the number of passengers who can be accommodated in the Citaro, remains unchanged. The new Citaro is rolling off the production line at the Mannheim plant. EvoBus GmbH produces urban buses, inter-city buses and touring coaches here with a workforce of around 3,500.

Europcar to boost electric car usage in Glasgow

uropcar, the leader in car hire services in Europe, is inviting motorists in Glasgow to test the ground-breaking Peugeot iOn electric car with the launch of a new allelectric car hire centre. This forms part of Glasgow’s new interactive renewable energy public exhibition, created by SSE, the UK’s leading generator of renewable energy.

Next-Gen Vehicle Europcar believes that by hiring electric cars, business and leisure renters will discover this new generation of vehicle offers a really cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to get around Scotland’s cities which, in turn, could help encourage more motorists to buy electric in the future. Glasgow’s motorists are, therefore, being invited to ‘try before they buy’ with electric car hire from Europcar’s Glasgow Central branch, opposite Central Station. “Figures suggest that the UK has, so far, been slow to embrace electric cars” said Managing Director, Europcar UK Group, Ken McCall. “But it could be the ideal option for motorists keen to reduce their fuel costs and avoid congestion charges.

Sustainable Solution “Giving motorists the chance to ﬁ nd out more about electric themselves, our new Glasgow Central location features six charging car park spaces, with car hire of the Peugeot iOn. We think this is the perfect time for motorists to test out the new technology and we are delighted to be part of Glasgow’s effort to promote greener technology, which ﬁts perfectly with our own philosophy of pioneering sustainable car hire solutions.” Every Europcar customer hiring a Peugeot iOn electric car will be given a face-to-face handover by a Europcar representative who has been fully trained on the car and its workings. Plus, Europcar will recharge the vehicle completely free of charge, even waiving the standard service fee usually made for vehicle refuelling.

New Technology On Hire McCall concluded, “Buying an electric car is a big step to take, but hiring electric allows motorists to check that the new technology can meet their expectations without taking an expensive risk. “Europcar continues to invest in the quality of our ﬂeet and that includes electric cars, to ensure we offer the widest possible choice of vehicles. With access to the new generation of electric vehicles, Europcar customers in Glasgow can try before they buy or just enjoy the cost savings on short city trips.”

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

International auto round-up Gas mileage top concern for new-car buyers: Consumer reports New-car buyers ranked fuel efficiency their top issue and are considering smaller, more fuelefficient vehicles, according to survey by Consumer Reports. The survey found 37 percent of buyers said their leading consideration when shopping for their next car will be fuel economy. Quality, at 17 percent, was a distant second, followed by safety (16 percent), value (14 percent) and performance (six percent). In 2006, fuel efficiency was the fourth-most important factor for car buyers, steadily increasing since 2001, when it was the 22nd-most important. Oil prices have been sharply higher for much of 2012. Early predictions were that gas prices could average nearly $five a gallon this summer. But in recent weeks, oil prices have fallen amid global economic uncertainty. US gas prices average $3.71 a gallon, down more than 13 cents from a year ago, and down four cents from last week. In the Consumer Reports survey, two-thirds of owners surveyed said they expected their next vehicle to get better fuel mileage than the one they’re driving now. After topping 24 miles per gallon for the fi rst time ever earlier this year, fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States in April slipped, said the University of Michigan Tra n spor t at ion Resea rch Institute. Average fuel economy (window-sticker values) of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs purchased in April was 23.9 mpg, down from 24.1 in March, but the

Nissan rolls out quick chargers Nissan unveiled its fi rst fast battery chargers in Europe for drivers of its own and other technologically compatible electric vehicles. Nissan said its Quick Chargers, the fi rst of 400 free units that will be installed in the region, should help allay motorists’ fears of being stranded. The chargers built by Nissan would replenish the battery of any compliant electric vehicle to 80 percent of capacity in 30 minutes, the automaker said. The fi rst chargers were shown in France, where Nissan’s alliance partner Renault SA has its headquarters, and in the Netherlands. Nissan is installing a 40-unit network in the Netherlands that will leave most Dutch motorists within 20 miles of a Quick Charger. The fi rst French charger was set-up at a supermarket in the Alsatian town of Haguenau. Forty Quick Chargers will be installed across France. The Nissan Quick Charger features a Direct Current design that conforms to the ChadeMo charging standard. It can be made compatible with Renault’s AC 43kW fast charging system. In an unrelated development, Nissan is looking to expand its presence in the Russian market and will build low-cost cars same as in February. Despite the drop, fuel economy is up 3.8 mpg (or 19 percent) from October 2007. The survey found car owners were open to different ways of saving at the pump, from downsizing to looking at hybrids, electric cars or diesel models. Women dis-

under the Datsun brand at the facilities of its Russian partner Avtovaz. It would join its alliance partner Renault in a $750 million investment deal that would allow them to acquire control of Avtovaz. Nissan alone is striving to take a 10 percent share of the Russian market in four years, up from 5.9 percent, by tripling its sales to nearly 500,000 vehicles. It is planning to double the production capacity of its assembly plant in St Petersburg to 100,000 vehicles. The factory produces the Teana sedan, X-Trail SUV and Murano crossover and will build the next-generation Qashqai, a popular crossover. Renault established the relationship with AvtoVAZ in 2008, when it paid $one billion for a 25 percent stake after a long partnership between GM and the state-owned Russian company soured. Under the terms of a deal struck in early May, the alliance agreed to invest $750 million in the Russian automaker—$450 million coming from Nissan—while state-owned Rostekhnologii will restructure more than $1.5 billion of AvtoVAZ’s debt. The deal would allow Renault-Nissan to increase its stake in Avtovaz from 25 perproportionately said they were motivated by environmental beneﬁts (65 percent vs. 58 percent of men) and more concerned about dependence on foreign oil (63 percent vs. 49 percent of men).

PSA attracts potential

cent to just over 50 percent in mid-2014. Russian auto sales plunged by half during the global downturn to 1.47 million in 2009 but rebounded to 2.65 million in 2011—with Avtovaz selling nearly 600,000 of those vehicles, mostly Lada-brand cars. Together with Renault and Nissan, the group sold 880,000 vehicles in Russia last year, amounting to 30 percent of the market. In ﬁve years, the partners aim to have a combined market share of 40 percent. It is investing Euro 167 million to double capacity at its plant in St Petersburg, Russia, to 100,000 units, as it seeks to triple its sales in the fast-growing market by 2016. It will use the extra capacity to begin production of

bidders PSA/Peugeot-Cit roen is attracting interest for its Gefco car logistics unit from at least six potential buyers including Axa Private Equity and the French national railway operator. Geodis, a unit of Societe Nationale des

its popular Qashqai crossover and to complement its existing output of the Teana sedan, X-Trail SUV and Murano crossover. The company hopes to raise its Russia market share from 5.9 percent to 10.0 percent and triple its annual sales there to 161,000 units by 2016. Renault and Nissan will together invest about $750 million to take a majority holding in the joint venture, which will in turn own 74.5 percent of Avtovaz. The investment will include about $300 million from Renault and the remainder from Nissan. Renault already purchased 25 percent of Avtovaz for $one billion in 2008. The companies aim to complete the deal by mid-2014. Chemins de Fer Francais, is one of the companies weighing a Gefco bid. PSA is asking for non-binding bids for as much as 90 percent of the unit by May 25. Other bidders planning to

Contd. on Page 36

Auto Monitor

G L O B A L WAT C H

36 Contd. from Page 34 make indicative offers include Apollo Global Management LLC, PAI Partners, CVC Capital Partners and Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC. PSA announced plans in February to sell assets, including a stake worth about Euro 500 million ($638 million) in its Gefco division, as the carmaker grapples with European overcapacity and increasing debt. The European market is set to contract in 2012 for a fifth straight year. Industrywide sales in the region through April are down 7.1 percent, according to data from industry association ACEA. Gefco’s recurring operating profit rose 13 percent last year to Euro 223 million. PSA’s overall profit for 2011 dropped 27 percent to Euro 1.32 billion, with the automotive division reporting a loss of Euro 92 million. Peugeot said last month that first-quarter revenue fell 7.3 percent after cutting prices to stem a contraction in the demand for cars in Europe. Peugeot is setting up a broad alliance with GM that includes developing vehicles and joint purchasing as the two carmakers work together to turn around their European operations.

28 MAY 2012

GM’s Opel to build new Astra in UK GM’s European Opel division will build an updated version of the Astra compact car at a plant near Liverpool, England, while ending production of the model at its German headquarters. The Ellesmere Port site operated by Opel’s British Vauxhall brand will be the lead factory in making the new Astra, to be introduced from 2015, after workers voted to accept proposals for improved productivity. Ellesmere Port will become one of the most competitive in the Vauxhall-Opel manufacturing network, which has 40,000 workers at 11 European plants, 2,100 of them at the UK site. GM will invest $382 million in Astra production in the UK and at an existing site in Gliwice, Poland, while ending assembly of the model at Opel’s Ruesselsheim base. The next-generation Astra that will create 700 new jobs at Ellesmere Port. Employees there approved new contracts starting next year and running into the early 2020s, according to Opel, which will invest $199 million there and guarantee output of at least 160,000 cars a year. Workers will move to a threeshift daily work pattern, from the current two shifts spread across

three plants, and the site will be profitable running at full capacity, the automaker said. GM has been pressuring workers at each Opel site for concessions after the European business had an adjusted operating loss of $256 million in the fi rst quarter versus a $5 million year-earlier profit.

Fiat, Mazda in cooperation pact

Chevrolet to add new small SUV to line-up The Chevrolet Trax, an all-new small sport utility vehicle, will join the Chevrolet portfolio and make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012. “Trax provides Chevrolet an entry into a growing small SUV segment and delivers the ﬂexibility, great fuel economy and car-like handling that urban explorers require,” said President and Managing Director of Chevrolet Europe, Susan Docherty. With room for ﬁve passengers and generous cargo space, Trax will meet the needs of customers in over 140 markets. The small SUV will arrive at European Chevrolet dealerships in spring of 2013, following the introduction of the all-new Chevrolet Malibu and the much-awaited Cruze station wagon in 2012.With the new Chevrolet line-up at showrooms across Europe, the coming years

Sergio Marchionne

Fiat Group Automobiles and Mazda Motor Corporation recently signed a non-binding agreement for the development and manufacturing of a new roadster for the Mazda and Alfa Romeo marques based on Mazda’s next-generation MX-5 rear-wheel-drive architecture. The study calls for both Fiat and Mazda to develop two differentiated, distinctly styled, iconic present an exciting opportunity for further growth. Trax exhibits its SUV robustness and capability in a small package through a muscular exterior design and wide athletic

and brand-speciﬁc light weight, roadsters featuring rear-wheel drive. The Alfa Romeo and Mazda variants will each be powered by speciﬁc proprietary engines unique to each brand, according to a joint statement. The project assumption is that both vehicles will be manufactured at Mazda’s Hiroshima, Japan, plant with production for Alfa Romeo envisaged starting in 2015. “Establishing technology and product development alliances is one of Mazda’s corporate objectives and this announcement with Fiat is an important first step in that direction” said Mazda’s Representative Director and Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Takashi Yamanouchi. The Final Agreement is expected be signed in the second-half of 2012. Fiat and Mazda have also agreed to discuss further opportunities for co-operation in Europe. stance. While its contemporary form evolves the global Chevrolet design aesthetic, Trax’s interior will be executed to standards usually found in more expensive vehicles.

Worldwide sales of Toyota and Lexus top four million mark

otal global sales of Toyota and Lexus full hybrid vehicles have topped the four million mark as of 30 April. Cumulative sales of full hybrid vehicles in Europe reached 423,000 units. In the UK the number is 94,000. Toyota became leaders in the development of hybrid cars as a response to environmental issues, the company believing that low emission vehicles can only have a positive impact if they are used widely.

It Started With A Bus The Toyota Prius, famously the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle, was launched in December, 1997 in Japan, but the first hybrid vehicles was actually a bus, the Toyota Coaster Hybrid EV which was introduced to the Japanese market in August, 1997. Sales of the Prius began in Europe, North America and elsewhere in 2000. The second generation Toyota Prius was launched in 2003 at which point the company expanded the use of its full hybrid technology to vehicles such as minivans, SUVs, luxury saloons and family hatchbacks. The third-generation Prius launched in May 2009 and was a hit with customers around the world, leading to global cumulative sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles topping three million vehicles by the end of February, 2011.

Different Shapes & Sizes And Made In Europe As Toyota’s hybrid range expanded so came localised production such as the UK built Toyota Auris Hybrid and upcoming Toyota Yaris Hybrid which will be built in France. Later this year, the range will appeal to an even wider audience with the launch of the seven seat Prius+ and Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Globally, Toyota currently sells 19 full hybrid passenger vehicle models in approximately 80 countries. This year, hybrid vehicles have accounted for 15 percent of Toyota’s global vehicle sales.

Saving For The Future Toyota estimates its full hybrid vehicles have led to a saving of approximately 26 million tonnes in CO2 emissions compared to what would have been emitted by petrol or diesel powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance. Having positioned hybrid as a key technology, Toyota plans to continue working to further raise performance, reduce costs, and expand its product line-up, including that of non-hybrid environment-friendly vehicles, to create vehicles that are popular with consumers.

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

New ComfortClass 500 designed for safety, better aerodynamics

he new ComfortClass 500 generation launched recently features comfort and safety in the tour bus premium segment. The two-axle model S 515 HD, the two- and three-axle S 516 HD and the three-axle S 517 HD will be launched in the autumn of 2012. They are distinguished by the systematic reﬁ nements in design that continue to bridge the gap between traditional and modern bus values. The familiar elements of the Ulm-based Daimler brand convey the classic Setra values of innovation, comfort, efﬁciency

and safety, but in a new style. Setra brand spokesman at EvoBus GmbH, Lothar Holder explained, “With the new ComfortClass 500, we want to do more than just prepare our customers for the challenges of the next few years. As a technology leader, we are setting standards for design, aerodynamics and efﬁciency with this new generation of vehicles, making the future tangible today.” A typical feature of the ComfortClass 500 is the curved side line, rising and falling gradually, with the new decorative element at the B-pillar, producing a gentle sweep that encircles the fully redesigned vehicle. In the front section, it gives the new tour bus a friendlier, yet at the same time, more distinctive, face.

Features ComfortClass 500

Two of the most striking features are the

long roof drain at the front, and the much more rounded windscreen, which runs down as far as the front logo panel with the three-dimensional Setra lettering. The front, along with the redesigned outside mirrors, was optimised in the course of a painstaking development process that included countless hours of testing in the wind tunnel. In conjunction with the new aerodynamic rear section, and also additional individual measures, the CC500 achieves a drag coefﬁcient of 0.33, a ﬁgure that up to now would have been considered unattainable in this segment. Also new are the modular-design headlight and indicator segments, featuring unmistakeable trim elements. These further underline the vehicle’s features such as high quality, safety and reliability, and gently introduce the encircling lines, which sweep upwards into the side areas like wings. Not on ly does t he ComfortClass 500 already comply with the Euro VI emissions standard for new vehicles, which is due to come into force in 2014, the overall concept also incorporates numerous safety

regulations and legal provisions planned for the next few years. These include additional requirements for driver assistance systems, which will apply from 2015, as well as Regulation ECE-R 66/01, which introduces a stricter rollover standard for tour buses, and which will come into force two years later. In keeping with the Setra brand tradition, an intelligent lightweight construction concept was developed to meet the The ComfortClass 500 was optimised in the latter requirement, Daimler wind tunnel using a 1:2.5 scale model combining greater rigidity with less weight. torque of 2,100 nm at as little as The new ComfortClass 500 1,100 RPM. The aerodynamic will be powered by engines from design of the ComfortClass 500 the new BlueEfﬁciency Power and a raft of weight-reduction generation from Mercedes-Benz. measures also mean that Setra The new in-line, six-cylinder OM will be presenting a tour bus in 470, with a displacement of 10.7 the autumn that, in addition to litre, has been optimised for fuel a host of exclusive equipment efﬁciency and performance, and variants, has the added attracgenerates 315 kW (428 hp) at 1,800 tion of operating with reduced RPM. It achieves a maximum fuel consumption.

Chevrolet UK launches Volt advertising campaign

hevrolet is planning a digital advertising campaign—the fi rst project for the two companies since Chevrolet signed Carat as its global media agency, to launch the award-winning Volt Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV). The Chevrolet Volt is the world’s fi rst EREV, and the Chevrolet/Carat team have created a strong online presence, introducing new partnerships with global media giants including AOL, Yahoo and AskMen. Marketing Manager, Chevrolet UK, Rebecca Lawman said, “We wanted to launch a completely new type of campaign, one that is a fi rst for Chevrolet and one that will create a wideranging impact across a number of different media channels. As part of the campaign, Chevrolet has partnered with AOL’s Huffington Post UK, which sees a dedicated ‘Innovation’ brand channel within the technology section of its website that will run for six weeks and play host to a variety of content spanning technology, housing and travel through to design and fashion. AOL has also commissioned three short fi lms with a focus on innovation, featuring TV and radio personality, Jo Whiley conducting interviews as well as blogs and reviews of the Volt itself. Designers, Wayne Hemmingway, Ada Zanditon and duo Jailmake all feature in the video interviews in which the revolutionary Volt takes centre stage in the discussions and even sees Jo take the vehicle for a test drive. In addition to the videos, the theme of greener technologies and sustainability will take precedence within display ads, infographics and across a series of homepage and mail login takeovers. Similarly, in partnership with Yahoo, a series of login and in-mail interactive displays allow users to explore the key features of the Volt and learn more about the innovative technology behind it. Chevrolet Volt has also become an official sponsor of the AskMen Innovation Awards, which celebrate 50 years of life-improving technology. The partnership sees the utilisation of ad placements and video site takeovers across both the AskMen and the bespoke Innovation Awards webpage. Lawman adds, the focus of the campaign is interaction with customers. She said, “One of the key aspects of this campaign is consumer perception, and developing our brand outreach within the digital sphere, this means we are able to gauge exactly what people think about the Volt. We are working with Unruly Media to stream the top four fantastic video entries for the Volt MoFilm competition on ‘Range Anxiety’ within the blogging community, along with increasing our Facebook presence through high impact content, images, adverts and in depth information.”

PADMINI VNA MECHATRONICS PVT. LTD.

PADMINI VNA

Regd. Office : 5, Padmini Enclave, Haus Khas, New Delhi -110016 Factory : Jal Vihar, Basai - Garhi Road, Dhankot, Distt. Gurgaon, Haryana (India) Ph.: +91-124-3207398/99 Mobile : +91 9818610607, +91 9810384215 E-mail : sales@padminiengg.com, Website : www.padminivna.com

Leading by Technology Shriram Pistons & Rings (SPR) is one of the largest integrated manufacturers of Pistons, Pins, Piston Rings and Engine Valves. The Company has access to world-class technology from global leaders at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the NCR, at Ghaziabad (30 km from Delhi) and Pathredi (50 km from Delhi). This is supplemented with comprehensive design and development facilities including advanced 3D modeling, FEA analysis, Simulation and Diagnostic software, Rig Testing, Engine Testing facilities, Advanced Analysis Laboratory etc. This enables SPR to offer end-to-end solutions and new designs of Pistons, Rings and Engine Valves for improvement in fuel efficiency, lower oil consumption and meeting the latest emission norms. SPR has provided several innovative cost effective solutions to OEMs in India and abroad that have won the Company more recognition and rewards for Excellence in Technology, Quality and Overall Performance than any of its competitors.

Auto Monitor

28 MAY 2012

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Tej Control Systems Pvt Ltd Plot No.329/331, Road No.25, Wagle Industrial Estate, Thane(W) - 400 604. Tel. +91 22 2583 8191 to 98, Fax: +91 22 25838199 Email: tivs@tejcontrol.com, vision@tejcontrol.com Website: www.tejivs.com

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Engineering Expo

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Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.

Guhring India Private Limited

BIC

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FIC

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Osram India Pvt Ltd

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Phoenix Contact India Pvt Ltd

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Tata Motors Ltd.

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United Steel & Structurals Pvt. Ltd. 14 28

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Rane Holdings Limited

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Mahr Metrology India (P) Ltd.

Molex Incorporated

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Mipox

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G W Precision Tools India Pvt Ltd

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Ferromatik Milacron India Pvt Ltd

Fox Solutions

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Epoch Distribution Pvt Ltd

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