Bengaluru: Between 2008 and 2017, international Tier 1 main Continental made a major funding of ”near 260 million Euros’ (round INR 2,100) in India, adopted by a ‘excessive two digit’ million Euros between 2018 and 2020. The newest challenge below the funding already made is a floor options plant close to Pune that value the corporate a few hundred crore rupees. The plant, scheduled to be formally inaugurated on Thursday, has the capability to fabricate 5 million sq. metres yearly. ETAuto learns that the German main is getting ready to make some contemporary investments throughout the subsequent couple of years.
The brand new investments could be to faucet the India alternative, each as a market and as a world engineering base, higher. In an more and more revolutionary and dynamic trade important funding must be on additional creating technological capabilities to be able to develop the orders from OEM prospects. From 70 engineers ten years in the past, to over 6,000 (together with exterior associates) now, the expansion of Continental’s India Technical Centre is a sign of the rising know-how canvas engineers contained in the hub are busy engaged on.
A rising focus phase for the know-how creators is two-wheelers. Key among the many two-wheeler applied sciences being labored upon in Bengaluru is the ABS (Anti-lock braking system) know-how. At present, a piece of the staff is creating a brand new technology single channel ABS right here in Bangalore “which must be due within the subsequent one 12 months”. One other compact ABS unit can also be within the works.
ABS is a part of the suite of digital braking/stability applied sciences that the India engineering staff leads globally for the Tier 1 main. “We are actually 100% accountable for all of the releases, which occur within the area together with Japan, Korea, and China,” Prashanth Doreswamy, President & CEO, Continental India, mentioned. The India technical centre is the second largest in Continental’s international community of engineering centres which cumulatively have round 29,000 engineers. Its engineering hub in Romania is the most important.
Of the newly-developed wares, the OCB (optimised curve braking) characteristic is essentially the most superior for safer using via enhanced stability utilizing the ABS (Anti-lock braking system) unit. The characteristic helps riders apply brakes effectively in curves or turns the place there’s a excessive tendency of auto slippage as a result of wheels locking up. ABS first reads the motorbike’s standing, utilizing lean angle info from the sensor field, and relying on the incline place, intervenes in various levels to allow higher braking and steering.
The steadiness enhancing characteristic is new within the Indian motorbike market. At present provided by KTM and Honda, sourced from one other Tier 1, the cumulative quantity of the fashions with the characteristic is estimated to be solely 50,000 items yearly. Not like the bottom ABS know-how, which has proliferated due to the regulation making it necessary 3 years in the past, a characteristic just like the OCB will likely be pushed by OEMs providing it as a differentiating characteristic, which additionally might assist in bettering profitability of the bikes providing it. Continental’s OCB is anticipated to make a market debut with fashions from three main OEMs subsequent 12 months, and that might additionally assist the know-how’s market adoption charge.
OCB is just one of many ARAS (Superior Rider Help Techniques) options primarily based on the ABS system Continental plans to launch within the Indian market. “ABS is sort of a McDonald’s vanilla ice cream. You possibly can put toppings over it,” Krishan Kohli, MD, Continental Automotive Brake Techniques. mentioned.
‘Deflation Detection System Plus’ is one other “topping” that Continental plans to supply ifor two-wheelers. ‘DDS+’ is a price optimised characteristic that helps in detecting tyre stress loss through the use of wheel pace sensor sign, with no further wants for sensors. The characteristic is obtainable by solely accumulating information from the wheel pace sensor and informing the rider via an indicator on the speedometer console. A number of using modes and traction management are a few different superior options primarily based on the ABS unit which can be step by step using into the market.
Following the rising ADAS (Superior Driver Help System), Continental needs to leverage the applied sciences developed for four-wheelers, and adapt a few of them for two-wheeler functions too. Utilizing radar know-how, it has developed the Blind Spot Detection (BSD) characteristic that displays blind spots for the rider on the adjoining lanes with a radar sensor and may present visible warnings to the rider in case of any approaching autos. A Lane Change Help (LCA) characteristic will also be added, warning the rider in opposition to a lane change in case there’s a danger of a collision attributable to a car approaching it at the next relative pace.
Over 2,000 engineers, a 3rd of Continental India’s technical centre’s manpower power, are engaged on ADAS/ARAS applied sciences for the Indian and international markets. Jaidev Venkatraman, R&D head at Continental India’s ADAS enterprise unit, mentioned, “A whole lot of merchandise are digitalised in nature, so all the things is going on via software program, and a whole lot of revolutionary options. India is without doubt one of the energy homes, so it has moved ahead. When it comes to part improvement, and radar improvement particularly, we’re sturdy to run end-to-end initiatives and take management (in Continental’s international community).”
Because the automotive panorama will get extra disruptive, aggressive, and the car extremely software-driven, India positive aspects extra prominence in Continental’s general scheme of issues.
Just like the two-wheeler ABS regulation, an anticipated order making ESC (Digital Stability Management) necessary in vehicles will likely be one other driver for know-how adoption within the Indian market. And part suppliers providing superior and cost-efficient options will likely be main gainers. Each Indian and international majors can’t afford to overlook such a possibility.
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Continental forecast 6-9% progress this 12 months in international manufacturing of passenger vehicles and lightweight industrial autos to spice up its gross sales to 38-40 billion euros from 33.8 billion in 2021 and lift its margin to five.5-6.5%.
“Demand for our security options has been rising in each native and international markets, and proper now we’re in a robust place to fulfill our buyer wants and market demand,” Continental Automotive India Head – Segments, Automobile Dynamics and Hydraulic Brake System Krishan Kohli mentioned in an announcement.
