EXPERT SPEAK
Vehicles are Becoming Smart Devices & Connectivity/Autonomy the Norm challenges which the ACES (autonomous, connected, electric and sharing) trend in automo ve is presen ng. We currently have several strategic ini a ves underway, which will determine the future course of the company in this direc on.
India seems to be moving closer to a world of electric and autonomous vehicles. How TTL will orient its E&D services to address changing strategies in manufacturing, which may emerge, for these future vehicles? Warren Harris CEO & Managing Director Tata Technologies Warren Harris has been with Tata Technologies and its predecessor companies for more than 25 years. His roles have evolved from engineer to a number of technical management posi ons worldwide. He is an authority on global manufacturing. He has also contributed his insights to the book, “Globality – Compe ng With Everyone From Everywhere For Everything.”
What is at the core of Tata Technologies? How has it evolved over the years? Engineering, Research and Development (ER&D), as we call it internally has been our biggest line of business, and is at the core of what we do. Over the years, we’ve evolved from being a strategic staffing business into an organiza on that can take on complex work packages (system / subsystems), and full-vehicle programs, and deliver them successfully within technical parameters and defined budgets. Quite a few established and emerging OEMs are leveraging this capability of ours. Our automo ve manufacturing DNA, and the excellent pool of talented engineers spread across the globe is what lends us that strategic advantage. While already excelling in their respec ve domains, our engineers are now embracing new PG.22 | Smart Automo ve | Mar - Apr 2018
During the opening of our new European Innova on and Development Center in June last year, Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar & Land Rover highlighted that the rate of change that the automo ve industry will see in the next 5 years is going to be faster than what it has seen in the last 50. You are correct in poin ng out that this is true even in India’s case. The Indian government’s push to electrify all vehicles by 2030 is going to be a major factor in this direc on. Any OEM that does not embrace it is staring at ex nc on. Tata Technologies too is gearing up as an engineering service provider to address the needs of our customers in these spaces. On the electric front, we are experts in the field of lightweigh ng, or ‘rightweigh ng’ as we call it. We have internally developed a methodology based on which we have successfully designed and engineered electric vehicles for OEMs. We also have an electric vehicle pla orm about which we are in discussions with a few emerging OEMs. Our teams have also done some great work on electrifica on, and ba eryswapping techniques. On the autonomous and connec vity side, we have several internal projects going on, the benefits of which, we are taking to our customers. We are also currently formula ng our digital strategy roadmap, where our ER&D line of business forms a cri cal piece.
How the company is developing its capabilities to tap the electric mobility wave in India?
Capabili es-wise, we are already able to tap into the electric mobility wave. Currently we are in discussions with several established and emerging OEMs about their electrifica on needs. As men oned earlier our electric vehicle pla orm, coupled with our lightweigh ng and prior experience with developing electric vehicles is a game-changer. Throw-in our frugal engineering, and strong VAVE, tear-down benchmarking capabili es; we have it in us to be able to roll-out a complete electric vehicle by ourselves in a country like India. We are prac cally a one-stop shop for our electric vehicle customers.
How do you see Indian automotive telematics market in terms of investments, growth opportunities, R & D capabilities, resources, and challenges, among others? The poten al is huge! With Tata Technologies having a strong presence in the U.S. and Western Europe, we are in a vantage posi on to be able to see the pace at which different technologies are converging into automo ve. The influence that telema cs is having on connec vity and related features is immense. So far, I would say India has been a ‘fastfollower’ of the trends in automo ve industry and s ll has a lot to catch-up on. If anything, this only means a tremendous opportunity either by adap ng technologies already been embraced in the west, like telema cs for car insurance, or by inves ng to solve local issues, like parents tracking the school bus in which their kids are traveling.
TTL at present has only one centre in India for advanced engineering design, dedicated to the automotive and aerospace sectors. As both of these are growing sectors in India, do you plan to open more centres in near future? While our main engineering and design centers are in Pune, we serve our clients across India and have satellite
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