Aftermarket - July 2011

I N D I A ’ S F I R S T M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E A U T O M O T I V E A F T E R M A R K E T

Vol. 1 No. 1 July 2011 64 Pages `50

EXTRA MILEBafna Motors

CUTTING EDGENavigation services

Brought to you by Auto Monitor

INTERVIEWJagdish Khattar, MD, Carnation

FEDERAL-MOGUL’s NEW FACETS OF GROWTH

FEDERAL-MOGUL’s NEW FACETS OF GROWTH

I still remember the story that my friend’s grandfather narrated to me on how the British engineers used to recruit people for

the post of mechanics at railway workshops, which were then emulated by several auto garages. During those times, the interviewer would throw a hammer towards the candidate to see how he caught it. When thrown, the hammer should be caught at the head and not the handle, as per the law of mechanics of motion. The candidate’s future was then decided based on how he executed the catch.

Also, the entire property of a garage during those days could be bundled in a two feet by four feet wooden box, and so there were innumerable ‘garages’ under shades of trees on roadsides. However, with the vehicles getting increasingly effi cient and complex, the after-sales service has gone way beyond imagination now.

Today, the scanner has become a common diagnostic tool at garages. And the trend is to get the workshops hooked on to the internet to even remotely diagnose problems. It is becoming like the TeamViewer software, which helps software technicians to access computers from a remote location and fi x the problems. However, there are several issues for the garage operators to address while aiming to scale up to the next level. Paramount amongst several challenges is training manpower.

Anyone can invest in equipment, but the investment is in vain unless it is handled by people with adequate knowledge. It can end up in not only being non-productive, but also destructive. Therefore it is necessary for the garage operators to constantly train people besides organising refresher courses to keep the technicians abreast of the trends. This point-of-view has been discussed in the news report on Bosch on Pg 7.

The issue that you are holding is the inaugural issue of the magazine and is loaded with information that will enable you upgrade your business to the next level. We have carried stories on several companies including Car-o-liner, Continental, Hella and Pidilite. Wishing you much pleasure reading.

Do send us your feedback.

Then And Now

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T MURRALI

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EDITORIAL

T. Murrali [email protected]

2 AFTERMARKET JULY 2011

NEWS4 Hella India Lighting to introduce new products

6 Pidilite to penetrate DIY segment

7 Next-gen diagnostics to propel future services

9 Vanjax to setup third plant 12 Kenwood sounds strategy for visible presence

14 Cars wrap to open a new business avenue

CUTTING EDGE 34 Navigation aids are moving into mobile handsets and vehicle dashboards

38 Infrared heating technology is being touted as nextgen practice for drying and curing paints

COVER STORY24 Federal-Mogul’s fillip takes new course The company aims to introduce products that have not yet been represented in India

FOCUS44 Aftermarket dynamics lead to renewed interest in cross ply tyres

CONTENTS


NEWS

Hella India Lighting (HIL), a

subsidiary of Hella KGaA

Hueck, Germany which deals

in automotive lighting and signalling

equipment, is in the process of launch-

ing new products for the aftermarket.

It will expand its portfolio in LED, front

lights and thermal product category.

“The product development team

of HIL is working on developing LED

tail lights similar to those used in

high end luxury cars like Audi, BMW,

Mercedes and Skoda at cheaper

rate in order to suit the Indian con-

sumer,” MD, Hella India Lighting,

Ramashankar Pandey said.

These lights which are generally used

by high-end luxury cars like BMW, Audi

and Mercedes cost somewhere between

`4,000-10, 000, which is too expensive

for the Indian consumer. As a result,

most of them use fi lament bulbs or hal-

ogen lights which increase the chances

of lower visibility at night or in case of

fog and rain. This increases the prob-

ability of road accidents. We are trying

to customise it according to the Indian

market demand and bring down the

cost to around `2,000, Pandey added.

New LaunchesApart from lighting, the company

is also in the process of adding new

products to its thermal portfolio. It will

launch condensers for the aftermar-

ket by September 2011 and in the next

three months it will also introduce

compressors. Last year, it introduced

radiators and sold around 10,000 units

of the same.

In order to increase the availability

of all its products the company plans

to double the number of its dealers in

the country. The dealer strength which

is presently 2,000 will be increased to

4,000 next year.

HIL, which mainly deals with

Commercial Vehicle (CV), agricultural

equipment and construction equip-

ment, handles aftermarket for all

segments for Hella Group.

Broad Capacity The manufacturing plant of

the company is at Derabassi near

Chandigarh, and has a capacity to

produce 115,000 head lamps and

80,000 tail lamps in a month. It cur-

rently produces 69,000 head lamps

and 32,000 tail lamps in a month. The

company which follows a fi nancial

year from June to May has a turnover

of `36.3 crore in FY10 and expects to

reach to `48 crore in FY11.

HIL is a subsidiary of the 3.7 bil-

lion Euro Hella Group which has

headquarters in Germany and is

one of aftermarket organisations in

the world for automotive parts and

accessories, with its own sales com-

panies and partners in more than 100

countries. Apart from HIL, Hella has

another entity, Hella India Electronics

also. While HIL looks after the light-

ing and thermal portfolios Hella India

Electronics takes care of electronics.

Markets in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri

Lanka are also looked after by HIL. �

Hella India Lighting to introduce new productsShambhavi Anand

Ramashankar Pandey, MD, Hella India Lighting

A generic closeup of an Audi’s LED tail light

A generic image of Audi S4

Imag

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purp

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onl

y


NEWS

Pidilite Industries is hoping to

develop increased presence and

offer products in Do-It-Yourself

(DIY) segment in the automotive after-

market. It has earmarked products

which could have a signifi cant market

through multi-brand garages and its

own dealership network.

“Given the scenario in India, we are

actually looking to have customers for

the ‘Do-It-For-Me’ (DIFM) segment before

we create DIY (Do-it-Yourself) products

and services. The DIY segment across

any consumer product category has not

taken off or lived up to the manufactur-

ers expectations. But given the sheer

size of the market potential that it offers,

we need to offer a wider range of local-

ly developed products and application

as well as products from Cyclo’s brand-

ed portfolio here,” said President, Sales

& Marketing, (Maintenance Products),

Pidilite Industries, Nilesh Majumdar. He

added that in order to ensure that there is

a DIY segment created in the aftermarket,

any player will need to ensure two things:

presence and availability. “We need to

address a relatively smaller segment of

customers by creating awareness of the

product and what he/she can do with it and

ensure that the products from the DIY cat-

egory are available at the right locations,”

said Majumdar.

Some of the products under consid-

eration and already introduced include

Motofl ush, which cleans up the system

before the changeover of new engine oil

and after the removal of existing engine

oil for better engine performance.

Oil treatment and brake and parts

cleaner have already been availa-

ble under the ‘Cyclo’ range in India.

Maintenance spray that is more com-

monly referred to as ‘Anti-rust spray’ is

another product that is likely to have a

major market, given the humid weath-

er conditions in many parts of the

country. The company is targeting the

market with an estimated potential of

around `350- 400 crore in the near to

medium term.

In the process, Majumdar is hoping

to enrol or develop a signifi cant number

of automobile accessories shops, spare

parts dealers and automotive paints

outlets for most of its appearance

product range.

Most products from manufacturers

catering to the automotive aftermarket

broadly fall into two segments: appear-

ance and maintenance. Appearance

products or accessories help enhance

the looks or aesthetic appeal of the

vehicle while maintenance products

help maintain or improve the perform-

ance of the vehicle. The company caters

to appearance segment with ‘Motomax’

and maintenance segment is catered

by ‘Cyclo’.

Pidilite USA, a subsidiary of Pidilite

Industries, acquired the brand Cyclo a

couple of years back. The portfolio of the

US company includes products in main-

tenance, performance and appearance

segments for DIY and the professional car

care segment. It is currently sold in more

than 50 countries including India and the

US. The company offers a complete line

of professionally formulated cleaners,

lubricants, and additives under the Cyclo

brand. These products are designed for

the complete maintenance and enhanced

performance of vehicles, including heavy-

duty equipment, truck, marine, and

industrial applications.

The Motomax ranges include spe-

cially formulated car care products

suitable for new generation paints and

other automobiles fi nishes which helps

in enhancing the look of a vehicle. It

includes polyester putty, 2K rubbing

compound, liquid rubbing compound,

hard wax polish, car shampoo, premium

liquid polish, cream polish, dash board

polish, upholstery cleaner and tyre

cleaner giving lustre and shine. Cyclo

is aimed at developing and improving

vehicles’ performance standards and

launching new products for meeting

demands of new generation vehicles. �

Pidilite to develop DIY segment, introduce new productsAbhishek Parekh

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

JULY 2011 AFTERMARKET 7

NEWS

Leading automotive diagnos-

tics equipment manufacturer

Robert Bosch GmbH, is plan-

ning to extend its next generation after

sales service for its equipment,‘Remote

Service’ to its customers present

beyond Europe soon. The global com-

pany has introduced the concept to

European customers recently, which

helps them offer better and faster serv-

ice to vehicle owners.

At a recent interaction with this

publication, the Head of Business

Unit Diagnostics and Vice President

(Automotive Aftermarket), Robert

Bosch GmbH, Olaf Henning, said

that the ‘Remote Service’ helps the

customers to minimise the downtime

of equipment and the vehicles at the

workshops eventually enhancing

profi tability. Typically, if a service

engineer of garage experiences

diffi culties with the diagnostic

equipment or its application, he calls

the hotline and the engineers from

Bosch headquarters will reach the

equipment through internet to fi x the

problem. It is a paid service and will be

required only if the customers are in

dire need of support. This is an addi-

tional service and the customers are

willing to pay since they get faster

service and the equipment available

time is increased signifi cantly.

“At the moment we have rolled out

the service in Europe and the glo-

bal launch will be during next year,

but cannot say the exact time. It also

depends up on the requests from

the specifi c markets as the service

requires high-speed internet connec-

tivity. Our global approach strategy

will have both online as well as offl ine

solutions,” he said. Asked about

the timeline for this service to be

launched in India he said it is based

on the demand. The Vice President

(automotive aftermarket) of Bosch, S

Muralidharan clarifi ed that the garag-

es in India have been evolving over a

period of time and reached to the cur-

rent level where they manage with

software, manual and instructions

through compact discs. It will take

some more time for these service cen-

tres to embrace remote service,

he added.

The Chairman of Business Unit

of Diagnostics, and Vice President

of Automotive Aftermarket, Robert

Bosch GmbH, Ulrich Thiele, said, glo-

T Murrali

Next-gen diagnostics to propel future services

Olaf Henning, Head of Business Unit Diagnostics & Vice President, Automotive Aftermarket, Bosch

Thiele Ulrich, Chairman, Business Unit, Diagnostics & Vice President,

Automotive Aftermarket, Bosch

The Remote Service will reach the car equip-ment through the internet and fix the problems


NEWS

bally the demand for these kinds of

next generation service is increasing

as the vehicles are getting more com-

plex being driven by regulations and

customers’ expectations. “If you open

the hood of any car you won’t be able

to understand anything; therefore

you need diagnostics tools. Since the

complexity is growing, diagnostics

has become the enabler to understand

the problems. If we want to be the best

partner for the workshop operators we

must offer them effi cient diagnostic

equipment,” he said.

Emerging nations including India

also demand next generation technolo-

gies but at affordable costs. Seeking his

views about how Bosch is addressing

the issue, Henning said that the garage

operators in India, for instance need

both high-end and low-end equip-

ment due to the presence of wide range

of vehicles. Therefore, the company

focuses on development of equipment

based on the local demand. “India

is an integrated part of our global

approach,” in the development of diag-

nostics equipment and parts, he said.

Increasing the presence in emerging

markets including India would help

the division to notch the numero uno

status in the world by middle of this

decade from the second position now,

he added.

Thiele said, India needs to be an

integral part of global approach, since,

“we need to integrate the team, which

also means we are looking for local

talent. And this is the philosophy of

Bosch—we want to grow in the most

interesting economies of the world

and India for sure is one of the most

interesting countries and the fastest

growing economies with a signifi cant

young population.” This is because

the automotive sectors in countries

like India and China have begun to

grow from the middle of the growth

trajectory of the automotive industry

of the developed world. Therefore the

requirements are different and, “they

will not make the mistakes like what

the other industrially developed coun-

tries did.” For instance, these markets

need low emission and higher fuel

effi cient engines, which require bet-

ter diagnostics tools. To address these

markets, especially India, the global

company will look at several options

right from developing the product

locally and manufacturing them. It

will also look at importing CKDs and

SKDs and assemble in India to be cost

competitive, he said. Muralidharan

added that currently over 100 engi-

neers are working on developing

diagnostic products.

With cars getting more complex

and people at the workshop with less

exposure, the situation does get com-

plicated at the after sales service;

therefore the challenge for compa-

nies like Bosch is to educate people to

keep them abreast of the technological

trend. The mandate for the company is

to manage to make the equipment as

easy as possible to use and as effective

as possible to diagnose the failures.

Bosch, according to Henning has

different strategies. Firstly, it will

concentrate on human-machine-in-

terface as “we want our equipment to

be like an iPhone (user friendly) in the

workshop.” Secondly, to bring more

effi ciency to the workshop by sharing

knowledge data base with workshops

globally, in order to fi nd failures faster.

Therefore training plays a vital role.

Globally the company has 44 major

training centres and in India it has 15

training centres including the major

one in Bangalore. �

Diagnostic tools help locate problems faster

S Muralidharan, Vice President, Automotive Aftermarket, Bosch


NEWS

The Chennai based hydrau-

lic equipment manufacturer

Vanjax is setting up a manu-

facturing facility in Chennai for

supplying jacks to major OEM’s. This

will be the company’s third manu-

facturing facility in the country. The

company manufactures a range of

garage equipment including hydraulic

bottle jack, hydraulic trolley jack, air-

hydraulic jack, hydraulic fl oor crane

and hydraulic four-post lift.

DGM, Marketing, Vanjax, TP Davis

said, “we are constructing our new

plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai. We

already have two manufacturing units

in Ambattur and Sriperumbudur and

the new plant will be used to manu-

facture jacks for major OEMs.” The

company is already supplying jacks

to Volvo India and Ashok Leyland and

is expecting orders from other OEMs

in a couple of months. “We are plan-

ning to supply jacks to Tata Motors and

Daimler,” he added.

Vanjax has major presence in the

fi eld of industrial

hydraulic tools,

equipment, devices

and machines for a

wide spectrum of

applications. The

company supplies

lifting equipments,

maintenance

equipment and

material handling

equipments to

government, pub-

lic and

private sectors.

The company

has diversifi ed its

product portfolio

by including mul-

ti-level car parking

solutions for the

garages having space constraints for

parking of the vehicles. “We have good

demand for multilevel car parking

system and we are already supplying

these systems to entities like Khivraj

and ABT in South India,” Davis said.

Vanjax is supplying garage equip-

ment to dealers of Maruti in India and

it is planning to tie-up with major

OEM’s like Hyundai and Volkswagen.

“We have given proposal to the major

OEM’s and these are in various stag-

es of discussions. We are expecting

to get the orders soon,” he added.

Recently, the company has got orders

from Indus Motors for 30 two-post

lifts and 13 multi-level car parking

systems from Khivraj Motors. More

orders are expected in the next couple

of months for multi-level car parking

systems, he said.

The company has been manufac-

turing hydraulic equipment for past

30 years catering to various industries

like infrastructure, engineering and

automotive and also exports to few

countries like Germany, Saudi Arabia

and other Gulf countries. It has record-

ed a turnover of `20 crore last year and

targeting `30 crore this year. �

Vanjax to set up third plantAkmal Rahman B

We are constructing a

new plant in Sriperum-

budur, Chennai. It will

manufacture jacks for

major OEMs

Vanjax manufacturing unit

Hydraulic bottle jacksTwo and four-wheeler parking

Inside views of the Vanjax manufacturing unit


NEWS

Bridgestone India is planning

to enter into two wheeler tyres

segment. The company is also

setting up a new plant in Pune which is

expected to be operational by 2013.

“We have recently started pro-

ducing bus and truck tyres from our

Indore factory and in the next level, we

are thinking of entering into motor-

cycle and farm equipment segment

as well,” Director-Sales & Marketing,

Bridgestone India, H Gonzalez Mori

told Auto Monitor.

The Indore facility expanded at an

estimated investment of Rs 170 crore,

will achieve a capacity of around

200 truck and bus tyres per day by

December 2011 which will be further

enhanced to 400 tyres per day by

July 2012.

The Tokyo headquartered tyre

manufacturer started its operations

in 1996. In March 1998 with setup of

its manufacturing facility in Indore,

it started building network of dealers.

Right now it has 2000 retail channels-

dealers, and amongst them over 215

Select Super Stores- offering quick car

services apart from selling tyres.

However, the tyre maker will con-

tinue its focus on passenger car tyres

which is growing at fast pace. As of

now it has bagged around 25 percent of

the total market in terms of passenger

cars and hopes to get 15 to 20 percent

of total market share in bus and tuck

segment by 2020. Over 85 percent of

trucks and buses in India use nylon

tyre, which the company doesn’t man-

ufacture but it does not plan to enter

this segment. It will continue focusing

on radial tyres, which are better suited

for overloading.

Bridgestone is setting up a new

plant in Pune for producing tyres for

passenger vehicles and trucks and

buses. The plant is expected to be

operational by 2013.

At this moment major Indian

truck manufacturers make vehicles

with very low load capacity suitable

for nylon tyres. But Mercedes,

Volvo, Scania are expanding in

India and Tata Motors has also

announced venturing into bigger

trucks. This is likely to create more

demand for radial tyres. The radial

itself is also more fuel effi cient which

is bound to accelerate demand in

this segment.

The company is ready with to

counter the competition and with this

view it is trying to shift to maximum

localization of the raw materials and

even machinery.

“We have lots of competition, fi rst-

ly MRF, Apollo, JK tyre, and then the

Chinese products coming here. The

other major area of concern is the

increasing price of input material and

general infl ation. We always keep our

customers and dealers keep connected

through our family channel. Family

channel means basically Bridgstone’s

support to the products, training.” �

Bridgestone mulls two-wheeler debutNabeel A Khan

Bridgestone tyres

H Gonzalez Mori, Director-Sales & Marketing, Bridgestone India


NEWS

In-car entertainment major

Kenwood Electronics has drawn

aggressive plans to focus more on

the aftermarket to enhance its pen-

etration further. As part of its strategy,

the company plans to focus on the

covering more places in India through

different concepts.

Elaborating the strategy the sen-

ior manager of Kenwood Corporation,

India Liason Offi ce, Takeshi Shinmen

said the fi rst and foremost priority for

the company is to augment its semi-

nars being conducted to propagate

information about its products. With

the in-car entertainment accesso-

ries and gadgets becoming more tech

intensive, Kenwood realised that the

dealers need more elaborate and in-

depth information on the products to

not only install the product but also

make the end users aware about the

range of features. Therefore the com-

pany will also be conducting technical

seminars at important hubs.

Navigating PlacesThe company has already con-

ducted the product seminar in Kochi,

Chennai and Pune this year. It plans

to organise similar programmes in

seven more cities in addition to the

special technical seminar in Delhi,

which will, in addition to regular

course, cover installation and appli-

cation of in-car entertainment. “We

will be focusing on navigation system

this year as it is an untouched market.

Kenwood is the fi rst Japanese com-

pany to introduce it. Besides, India is

evolving and the customers” needs are

increasing. Supporting applications

like Bluetooth, USB, multimedia, DVD

players and reverse camera, will help

the customers to have all the facilities

in one unit, he said. Earlier, these facil-

T Murrali

Kenwood sounds strategy for visible aftermarket share

Kenwood sounds strategy for visible aftermarket share


NEWS

ities did fi nd application in high-end

models, but now it will focus on the

mid-segment also as affordability of

people is increasing, he pointed out.

BoutiquesAsked if the company would look at

setting up boutiques in India to facili-

tate customers, Shinmen said it will be

done in consultation with its sole dis-

tributor Nippon Audiotronix based in

Noida, which has been the face of the

manufacturing company for the last 18

years. It may be recalled that Kenwood

has its own retail outlet in Tokyo in

Japan and another in Amsterdam. “If

set up in India, it will be only for brand-

ing and educational purpose,” he said.

Share To ShoreCurrently about 40 percent of the

total sales comes from the aftermar-

ket and the rest from OEMs. In India

Kenwood caters to several OEMs

including Maruti Suzuki, Ford India,

Hyundai Motor India, General Motors

India and Mahindra, commanding

over 80 percent market share in OEM

market. The target is to get equal share

from OEMs business and aftermarket

in two to three years. “The aftermarket

is increasing because of the expan-

sion of the market base and not at the

cost of the OEM market. The custom-

ers are also changing their purchasing

style,” he said. In order to increase the

share of business from aftermarket the

company is aggressively pursuing 360

degree branding exercise. It will also be

focusing on promoting India specifi c

products and look at options to pro-

mote the brand through the FM Radio

network. At present the company has

about 600 dealers across the country.

The company is

also contemplating

on sourcing compo-

nents from India but

yet to take the fi nal

call, he said. While

it will continue with

the existing dealers,

Kenwood’s priorities

will be to make every

dealer gets more busi-

ness, since it will be

a win-win for both.

Yet another strategy

for the company is to

enter Tier I and Tier

III cities, which will

create brand awareness besides, boost-

ing sales from these markets.

Linking Chain Cheaper products are fl ooding the

market and Kenwood is not spared. The

company facing the heat of competition

especially from Japanese companies

that fi elds cheaper products. According

to Shinmen, cheap pricing is not

healthy as one has to look at the lifetime

of the products. It is the cost of owner-

ship that is crucial. “We would like to

keep everyone in the value chain—from

the manufacturer to the distributor,

dealers and the end customers—happy

as the product should be experienced.

The Senior Manager, CE Consumer

Dept, Sales Planning, Kenwood Asia

Headquarters, David Tan Tiah Wee said,

“We will focus on end customers and

educate them, who will then demand

for quality products from the OEMs”.

This chain reaction will help not only

the customers with quality products

but also support sales for the company,

he added. The key area of evolution for

the company is functionality emphasiz-

ing more on connections with diverse

devices like iPod, iPhone, SD Card, USB

and Bluetooth. Besides, the company

is also offering easy-to-operate sys-

tems that reduce operational time while

enhancing features and performance.

Most of the models offer plug-and-play

connections for modern gadgets and

equipment. These seminars will help

the company to communicate the fea-

tures” of its products better, he said. �

(L) Takeshi Shinmen, Senior Manager, Kenwood, India Liaison Office & David Tan Tiah Wee, Senior Manager, CE Consumer Dept, Kenwood Asia Headquarters


NEWS

Leveraging on the increasing

popularity of vehicle wrap for

inexpensive mobile outdoor

promotion, the graphic solutions busi-

ness division of Hewlett-Packard (HP),

had recently showcased digital print-

ers for vehicle wraps at the Indian Sign

+ Digital 2011 (ISD2011) in New Delhi

and looking for business partners who

could offer the service.

As the competition is growing

stronger day-by-day, innovation and

optimum utilisation of resources is

the key to success for players. The car

wrap—an innovative marketing con-

cept—is expected to be available to

dealers, workshops and other players

in the aftersales sector.

In India, brands across categories

from FMCG to technology are utilis-

ing this eye-catching medium to the

hilt hence venturing into this is a good

opportunity. “This will enable car

owners to jazz up their vehicles with

colours and designs of their choice.

We see that the regular process of

painting takes time and is costly but

wrapping can be executed easily in

less time. Also, it is durable for at least

two years, thus it would open a new

option for the customers,” Country

Business Manager, Signage, Imaging

and Printing Group, Hewlett Packard

Sales, Paresh Shetty said.

HP is geared to set up a design

centre where all the integrated facil-

ities—designing, printing, wrapping

will be available at one hub. One car

can take around six hours for the

entire wrapping and designing job.

“We are talking to some entrepre-

neurs for setting up a design studio for

this and we would be primarily look-

ing for the dealers, spare part sellers

with adequate

space for

accommodating printers and cars,”

Shetty pointed out, “The company has

tied up with Auto Graphic Digital in

Bangalore and will be announcing its

partner in Delhi very soon.

It will be providing an option to print

on vinyl any design or colour of indi-

viduals” choice with exclusivity. Being

done digitally, it has the advantage of

bringing multiple designs and graphics

on the wrap. The durability and quality

of the wrap can depend on the material

used. “This will be equally good as paint

and could also be used as substitute for

it. Suppose you have been driving a car

for many years and now you want to

change and make it look different, you

can do so with the help of the car wrap

within few hours,” Shetty added.

Vehicle wraps have been in style

with fun loving trendy auto admirers

who love to customise their vehicle

and broaden up their style statement.

HP’s Scitex printers’ series will facili-

tate customers getting the best quality

of prints in water—based on Latex

technology. During ISD 2011, HP made

a live demonstration of vehicle wraps

creation so that customers have the

option to print on vinyl with a design

or colour of their choice with exclu-

sivity. Being done digitally, it has the

advantage of bringing multiple design

and graphics on the wrap.

“These printers use HP has patent-

ed latex inks which are water-based

and odourless, hence require no spe-

cial ventilating system at the Print

Service Provider’s premises. Thus,

they pose no health hazard to the

workers and are also good for home

applications like wallpaper printing,”

Shetty explained.

The wrap could cost around `150

per sq and the minimum of 10 feet

print can come in one time. So the

minimum expenditure for a one-time

wrap could be at least `1,500. The wrap

offers a quick and smart alternative to

repainting or repair work for scratches

or similar cosmetic damages, which is

expected to become popular among

car owners and create good business

for the workshop owners. �

Car wrap to open a new business avenueNabeel A Khan

A demo vehicle wrap in Delhi (inset) Paresh Shetty, Country Business Manager, Signage, Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett Packard Sales

India’s 1st magazine on Automotive aftermarket

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NEWS

Telit Wireless Solutions, an Italy

based machine-to-machine

(m2m) communication pro-

vider, has entered the Indian market

with hi-tech products like eCall box

and GPRS driven, high-end infotain-

ment modules. It has special modules

for fl eet management system for the

aftermarket.

Nascent Stage“We have entered the Indian market

with a lot of technology driven prod-

ucts. We have products ranging from

safety devices to infotainment systems

to fl eet management systems. Though

in the nascent stage the Indian mar-

ket is ready for such products,”

Country Sales Manager, Telit Wireless

Solutions, Ashish Gulati.

M2m is basically wireless technol-

ogy which can enable communication

and help in effi cient and faster manage-

ment and monitoring of machines. Such

a fast communication system can help

in better management of traffi c systems

and fl eets and enhance communication

through transfer or sharing of data.

“With the service sector booming

the number of fl eet owners are increas-

ing at a very high rate and so has the

need for fl eet management systems. We

have several modules which can help in

keeping track of a fl eet,” Gualti said.

The GPRS-based module of Telit

can help owners to keep a track of

geographical location, mileage, maps,

driver profi le, fuel or refuel events and

service alerts. It also notifi es the about

any problems and service require-

ments of the vehicle.

Target GroupThe company has some distributors

and channel partners for the purpose

of making it available to the target cus-

tomers. It will increase the number of

channel partners depending on the

market response.

Headquartered in the Italian

capital, Rome, the company designs,

manufactures and markets GSM

and GPRS based solutions for retail,

telecom, automotive and agricultural

sectors including others.

Some of its automotive modules

include the eCall box and technologi-

cally advanced infotainment systems

apart from the fl eet management sys-

tem modules.

The company which has presence in

56 countries and has four R&D centres

with 250 engineers across the globe. It

expects to have the fi rst mover advan-

tage in the country. Globally it has

clients like Audi and Magneti Marelli. �

Luminous Power technologies, a

power backup solution provider

for domestic, commercial and

telecom towers has introduced two

batteries for the aftermarket, Electra

and Luminous Start for four-wheelers

and the Racer range exclusively for

two-wheelers.

The batteries are technologi-

cally advanced and are intended for

the domestic as well as the interna-

tional markets. The technologically

advanced batteries are affordable

with durable separators for longer

life span, high corrosion resistance,

power conservation and prevention

against acid spillage. The Electra

range is a fusion of European technol-

ogy and Indian engineering

while Start range is advanced

and affordable.

“With the launch of Luminous auto-

motive and motorcycle batteries, we

are confi dent to repeat the same suc-

cess story that we have created for our

inverter and other battery segments,”

Founder and CEO, Luminous Power

Technologies, Rakesh Malhotra said. �

Telit brings fl eet management module for aftermarket

Luminous launches automotive batteries

Shambhavi Anand

Ashish Gulati, Country Manager, Telit

The Electra battery

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NEWS

Mahindra First Choice

Services has introduced a

car care value pass book-

let for its potential customers. The car

care value pass is an exclusive offer-

ing from the company available for a

limited period and allows customers

to avoid roadside breakdowns, reduce

costly repairs and keep vehicle safe,

reliable and in proper operating condi-

tion. Mahindra First Choice Services is

a chain of multi-brand car workshops

across Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Nasik,

Pune and Hyderabad. A wholly owned

subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra,

the company provides car service for all

brands of cars with latest equipments

operated by expert technicians. �

Tyre manufacturer Ceat is look-

ing to grow its presence in

semi-urban and rural areas

through multi-branded dealerships.

‘It is not practical and viable to set

up exclusive dealerships in small-

er towns but since most of our OEM

customers also have dealerships in

towns with population of as less as

50,000, we will also reach such places

through multi-branded dealerships,’

said Executive Director-Operations,

Ceat, Arnab Banerjee.

He added that branded or exclusive

stores/outlets help build up a brand

in a market where customer educa-

tion is very low and he is very receptive

to experience that a brand provides.

Given the growing vehicle sales, cus-

tomer expectation for fast moving

components like tyres and batteries

is rising. Wider availability is critical

under these circumstances.

The company expects to notch up

around 30 to 40 percent of its overall

volumes from such exclusive outlets

christened ‘Ceat Shoppe’. These exclu-

sive outlets provide services like

automatic tyre changing, digital tyre

infl ation, periodic tyre rotation, rim-

straightening and nitrogen infl ation at

select outlets.

But multi brand tyre distributors are

critical for gaining wider reach across

the country and will provide bulk

of volumes, according to Banerjee.

Ceat has a presence in all the seg-

ments of vehicles including two, three

and four wheelers as well as commer-

cial vehicles with focus on providing

cross-ply and radial tyres in the 10 to

14-inch segment. �

Mahindra First Choice Services initiates new brand experience

Ceat to focus on multibrand dealerships


NEWS

Weighing the opportunity in

the high-end crash repair

equipment, Alignment

Systems, one of the world's leading

manufacturers of equipment for repair

and inspection of damaged vehicles,

is planning to expand its network of

distributors in India for its subsidiar-

ies—Car-O-Liner and Josam.

In continuing with this endeavour,

it has signed ARO Equipments (ARO),

Delhi as its distributor in the north-

ern part and will be announcing its

new distributor who would be catering

to eastern India shortly. Car-O-Liner

focuses on cars and light trucks while

Josam covers heavy-duty vehicles.

The crash equipment manufacturer

entered India with Car-O-Liner around

ten years ago and so far has been able

to install its product at 450 workshops

through its two distributors.

The company is running a special

campaign for educating and training

people from various dealerships to use

the equipment. Crash repair is a very

critical area, especially for commercial

vehicles, as the traditional technique

has a number of limitations. Even the

replacement of chassis takes too long

causing great loss to the vehicle owners.

Car-O-Liner, along with ARO

Equipment, has set up a new training

centre at the Gurgaon (NCR) work-

shop of the ARO. This centre provides

complete training to all the workshop

engineers and technicians who have

bought the equipment so that they can

effi ciently use the technology.

“Looking at the increase in the

premium segment, we expect more

business opportunities for us. We hope

to install wheel alignment systems

at more than 50 workshops over the

next three years,” Country Manager,

Alignment Systems, Jasvinder Singh

told Auto Monitor. Madhu's Garage

Equipment is another distributor for

the company which caters to the south

Indian Market. Before partnering with

ARO, Car-O-Liner had collaborated

with Rai Automotive as its distribu-

tor in the north. This partnership was

recently discontinued.

The company claims that its equip-

ment provides solution based upon

effi cient methods for repairing and

measuring damaged vehicle bodies

and frames. It offers collision repair

benches with anchors where the

hydraulic puller is used to bring the

damaged position into right shape,

unlike the use of traditional meth-

ods of heating and hammering, which

damages the metal and raises safety

concerns.

The Swedish manufacturer claims

to have got a satisfactory but ‘not as

desired business’ in terms of Car-O-

liner, as it has been able to penetrate

Crash repair equipment maker scouting for distributorsNabeel A Khan

Crash repair by Car-O-Liner

Wheel alignment by Josam Remote PC floor by Josam


NEWS

into only a modest number of OEMs.

Recently, it has installed equipment at

Honda workshops in Delhi and NCR.

“We think there are two major reasons

as to why we have not been able to get

the desired result in India—fi rstly,

because there is still lack of awareness

about the products and secondly, the

start up cost is a little high for install-

ing complete range of crash repair

equipment which is close to `one

crore,” Singh pointed.

Josam, which focuses on heavy

duty vehicle segment, entered India

around four years ago but has not been

able to have wider penetration in the

market. The company has enrolled

Mumbai based Tribotech as it distribu-

tor. Presently, it is looking for a partner

who could help them in getting good

business for cabin and chassis straight-

ener. The company had installed its

fi rst cabin straightener system at the

Volvo workshop in Bengaluru a few

months ago. The company is talking

to a number of OEMs for equipment

like the frame straightener and chas-

sis straightener. It is also hopeful that

in the near future, the major hubs of

heavy vehicles like Hyderabad, Nagpur,

and other mining areas in India will

encourage OEMs to open workshops

near them that could also increase

their business. �

Delphi Automotive was

recently presented with the

AutoInfo Award for ‘2011 Best

Supplier of Digital Navigation System’

for its MyFi 3D navigation system.

Presented by the China Information

Association, an industry association

affi liated with China State Information

Centre, AutoInfo is the only state-level

award recognising information tech-

nology development and advancement

in the Chinese market.

“This award highlights Delphi’s

commitment to safe, green and

connected technologies as well as

the company’s leadership in con-

nected infotainment technology,”

said Managing Director, Delphi’s

Infotainment and Driver Interface

PBU, Asia, Doug Brandt.

Developed and launched at the

Delphi China Technical Centre,

the MyFi 3D navigation system was

launched by Shanghai GM in the

Chinese market earlier this year. It

provides lifelike 3D images and offers

multiple search choices for directions

and elevated road recognition.

Using 3D images, the MyFi displays

map information consistent with the

driver’s forward view. The system also

displays road signs and major public

facilities nearby; provides multiple

search choices for directions, includ-

ing the shortest and most convenient

routes; and helps drivers avoid the

inconvenience of a wrong turn using

elevated-road recognition to deter-

mine if the vehicle is at street level or

on an overpass.

The Delphi MyFi 3D navigation

system is seamlessly integrated with

a Delphi multimedia entertainment

system. Offering additional features

such as audio and video playback

as well as radio and personal music

management, the multimedia system

is compatible with multiple media

formats and devices including HDD,

USB, fl ash cards, iPods and iPhones.

With added features such as high-

resolution displays, hands-free phone

operation and more, Delphi is pro-

viding drivers with unique en route

entertainment and information to

help make the journey safer, easier

and more enjoyable. �

Delphi receives AutoInfo award

Cab straightener by Josam


Performance accessories supplier

Privilege Motomall, which offers

a wide range of accessories for

passenger cars, is making a push into

the car servicing market. It has recently

started a paint and body shop, which

enables the customers to beautify their

car under one roof.

Privilege Motomall offers a wide

range of car accessories, auto detailing,

body repair and paint work, said the

company’s Managing Director, Pavan

Reddy, in the recent interaction with

Aftermarket.

Motomall started with privilege car

spa a year back catering to all detailing

services. After seeing a huge potential

in accessories market, Motomall ven-

tured into accessories business which

also complements car detailing busi-

ness. Reddy said, “we have integrated

with the world’s best car accesso-

ries with detailing and paint shop for

our customers.” Its main focus is on

bringing in more innovative prod-

ucts, mainly in accessories and audio

systems range. In detailing business,

Motomall is launching some new serv-

ices like repairing of cracked glasses,

restoring damaged leather and restor-

ing faded out headlamps, which will

enhance and add value to the cars.

Getting the vehicle ready for paint-

ing and subsequently undertaking the

refi nishing and dent removal is their

forte. It uses special types of abrasives,

which is an important tool for both

the refi nishing and car care detail-

ing process. Detailing is the process of

enhancing and restoring the value of

a car where steam washing and paint

correction is also done. He said that

using the new technology can help

repair the cracks in the plastic bumper

instead of replacing the entire bump-

er, thus lowering the cost by up to 70

percent. Elaborating on the under-

body rust coating process, Reddy said

that the underbody anti-rust coating

is specially formulated to evade auto-

motive corrosion to the underbody,

rocker panels and wheel arches while

effectively controlling and dampening

noise and vibration. Heat insulation

properties provide for a comfort-

able drive by shielding the car from

extreme temperatures. The coating

comes with a fi ve-year warranty.

To maintain their services in the

spare parts and marketing business

Motomall is looking for additional

space for expansions, where more cars

can be accommodated for servicing

and accessories. Currently it has an

area of about 7,500 sq ft for both acces-

sories and service.

Motomall is restricting itself to

painting, detailing and accessories and

there is no plan to enter into mechani-

cal services. It has tied up with major

accessories and service equipments

manufacturers like 3M, JBL, K&N,

Thule, Infi nity, Bosch, MapmyIndia,

Alpine, Blaupunkt and Bridgestone

among others. “Our objective is to

bridge the gap between the automotive

customers and technologies available

across the global” said Reddy. �

NEWS

Motomall targets

hi-tech car service market

Bhargav TS


REARVIEW

While the usual scene at an

automobile service station

might have dusty garages

and mechanics spotted with oil

and lubes, the scene at Deutsche

Motoren, the BMW service station

at Mohan Estate might be an envy of

many service station owners. This

service centre qualifi es with the

brand name ‘BMW’.

“When you are dealing with BMW

you have to live up to their reputation

in the market. BMW is an aspiration-

al brand and its customers are elite.

They have travelled across the world

and are aware of the technological

advancement. They have felt luxury

and want to own it. We have to offer all

that to them even in a service station,”

Executive Director, Deutsche Motoren,

Yudur Kapur said.

Being advanced in terms of tech-

nology, the car indicates when it

needs to be taken to the service cen-

tre. The vehicles coming to the service

station are programmed rather than

serviced. “The BMW cars are like

computers. They are totally compu-

terised and indicate to the user when

servicing is required. In fact, they are

not serviced, they are programmed,”

Kapur said.

In order to be able to assist cus-

tomers in the best way possible, the

service centre is connected to a cen-

tral server located in Germany. “Our

main motto is to be at the service of

customers all the time and provide

Deutsche Motoren: Carrying forward the brand imageShambhavi Anand


REARVIEW

them with services which are at

par with the global standards. We

are available for our customers 24

hours,” the proud owner of the serv-

ice station said.

To service such cars, the

mechanics have to be qualified and

specially trained. They are chosen

from among the best in the indus-

try. After their recruitment they

undergo rigorous training. They

are attached to an experienced and

senior technician in order to learn

on-the-job. Also, BMW follows strict

training for all the technicians.

They have to be well versed with the

extensive training module that the

company provides.

“Our people, starting from senior

to junior, undergo training pro-

grammes all the time. Training is a

continuous process at BMW and we

adhere to this policy strictly. Some

programmes are organised by the

company and others are organised

by us,” Kapur informed. It is not just

the technical skill that is impart-

ed to the technicians but also soft

skills. “All our technicians can talk

in English. Keeping the customer

profi le in mind this is imperative,”

Kapur informed. Though most of the

owners have drivers, the service sta-

tion gives them an option to get their

vehicle picked up from their home

and then delivered at their doorsteps

after being serviced.

The workshop which services

around 40 vehicles in a day might

be expanded owing to the increas-

ing volumes of the BMW cars in

the market. �

Inside Deutsche Motoren, Mohan Estate, New Delhi


COVER STORY

One of the largest automotive

Tier I companies and after-

market players in the world,

Federal-Mogul is aiming to penetrate

the aftermarket in India further by

introducing a slew of initiatives. In

addition to introducing a new range

of products that were not hitherto

present in the country, the company is

also planning to engage the people in

the entire value chain for overall and

sustainable growth. The company is

also developing a special tool, which

will help the distributors and custom-

ers to identify the original components

from counterfeit products. This will

help contain the menace better.

As part of its strategy, the compa-

ny is setting up a new manufacturing

facility in India to make brake pads

and linings to cater to the domes-

tic aftermarket as well as OEMs. This

is the fi rst time that the company is

entering this business through local

manufacturing and it claims that the

products will offer close to double

the life of the existing brake pads and

brake linings presently available in the

replacement market.

Hitherto Federal-Mogul was cater-

Federal-Mogul’s fi llip takes new course

T Murrali

The company aims to introduce products that have not yet been represented in India.

Jean de Montlaur, CEO, Federal-Mogul India


COVER STORY

ing to the domestic aftermarket by

importing products from few locations

across the globe including Thailand.

The CEO of Federal-Mogul India

group of companies, Jean de Montlaur

said, the upcoming plant in Mahindra

World City, about 45 km south of

Chennai, will be fully integrated in to

the friction materials manufacturing

plants and systems of Federal-Mogul

worldwide. He continued, “It will be

very much interconnected with the

several testing facilities including

Germany and the US, where we test

every single product in terms of dura-

bility, friction capability and abrasion.”

The Chennai facility will make a

range of products that are not manu-

factured at its Thailand plant like large

brake pads and linings for commercial

vehicle applications.

Montlaur revealed, “We are in talks

with several OEMs in India who have

been waiting for us to set up local

manufacturing operations. Secondly

the formulations that we are going to

offer will reduce the cost of operations

of most of the end-users. At the end

of the day, what is adding costs to the

fl eet operators is not the brake linings

or pads but the immobilation (down

time at the workshops). Thus, the long-

er the life of the friction material, the

lesser the time for vehicles down time.

Moreover, if the products are more

abrasive, which is the case today, they

will damage the drums and disc; there-

fore the total cost of operations is going

to be much higher,” Montlaur added.

When it comes to catering to the

Indian aftermarket, “in the beginning

it will be a mix between the products

manufactured by our Chennai plant

and imported from Thailand. Soon

the entire range of products will be

manufactured in India,” he said. The

roadmap for the company is to start

the commercial production by January

2012. Since the vehicle manufactur-

ers play the key role in the selection of

the raw material in the case of brakes,

as being a safety critical item, he states

that it will take a while for the com-

pany to start supplying to the OEMs in

India. Moreover, brake pads and liners

are supplied to OEMs through brake

system suppliers.

The road ahead for the aftermarket

division of Federal-Mogul in India is to

retain market leadership in engine parts

and expand presence in other product

categories. Being a leading aftermarket

player with one of the largest product

portfolio in the country, the company

plans to offer more value added by pro-

viding total aftermarket solutions for

their needs, said Vice President Asia

Pacifi c, Global Aftermarket, Federal-

Mogul, Madhur Aneja.

Towards this, it hopes to establish

strategic relationship with distribution

partners to foster industry advance-

ment. As a probable step, it will

integrate global product management

and supply chain expertise with local

manufacturing and market penetra-

tion capabilities. For instance, under

the engine solutions it offers a full

range including pistons, piston rings,

Federal-Mogul has recently com-menced a project in India to train young mechanics to develop their own business. As part of its CSR activities, the project will be supporting them with their studies too. “The project has commenced and the fi rst generation is going to come,” stated CEO, Federal-Mogul India group of companies, Jean de Montlaur. Initiatives like this will help in better understanding of the products and technologies in addi-tion to contain counterfeit products. Besides, it will be a win-win for the end customers and the manufacturer.

Motivating mechanics

Ecotough: ultra low-friction piston

Madhur Aneja, Vice President Asia Pacific, Global Aftermarket, Federal-Mogul


COVER STORY

valve seat guides, bearings and cylin-

der liners, he added. Similarly, it offers

a range of sealing products including

cylinder head gaskets, dynamic seals,

intake manifold gaskets and exhaust

gaskets. “We clearly see that the trend

in the Indian market is becoming more

sophisticated; an increasing number of

service stations will be coming to the

country. Therefore we are gearing up to

provide complete value added solutions

to the customers,” he said.

The company has doubled the sales

of spark plugs in the last two years and

has became the second largest player in

the country. It has also tripled engine

bearings sales in the last four years and

became the third largest player in the

country. The new focus for the company

will be on the friction material side for

both passenger cars and CVs. “Our tar-

get is to be amongst the top players in

the next three years,” he said. Besides, it

will also look at entering unrepresented

categories to gain rapid revenue and

market share growth.

Currently it has 456 distributors

across the country covering over 15,000

mechanics, about 2,000 rebuilders

and close to 5,000 retailers managed

by 17 aftermarket distribution loca-

tions. Aneja stated that the Global

Aftermarket India is an independent

strategic business unit and is a critical

part of Federal-Mogul India operations.

With its wide portfolio of products it is

able to cover over 95 percent of Indian

and global vehicle parc. Besides, it is

also serving several other industry

requirements including industrial,

agricultural, mining, marine, power

generation and construction. Aneja

attributed the success of the company

to the fact that over 80 percent of the

distributors have more than 25 years of

association with Federal-Mogul.

At present, the national highways

in India accounts for less than fi ve

percent of the road network carrying

about 40 percent of the traffi c. There

is poor culture of preventive mainte-

nance amongst vehicle owners and

drivers besides, varying maintenance

habits amongst urban and rural areas,

he observed. Top 40 cities constitute

50 percent of cars and 35 percent of

CVs, two-wheeler and three-wheel-

er population. At present, the parts

distribution structure is extreme-

ly fragmented with several layers.

However, the future is promising, he

said since the national highway net-

work is planned to be doubled in about

fi ve years. Also, the state, local and

arterial road network is improving due

to governments’ focus on infrastruc-

ture improvement in Tier II cities and

rural areas. What’s more, OEM service

centres and third-party multi-brand

service outlets are to be complimen-

tary and will offer substantial options

to the users. Lower lead time to serv-

ice the customer and management of

inventory costs to be the key factors of

channel profi tability. In addition, the

strong non-OEM brands is expected to

remain in focus along with OEM spare

parts, he iterated.

Globally Federal-Moghul’s after-

market division contributed about

$2.3 billion to the total sales in 2010. It

has 24 major distribution centres in 18

countries and selling to more than

150 countries. �

Nimbus heat shieldA range of products manufactured by Federal-Mogul

An array of pistons

Automotive Dealership Excellence Awards

Dealer Nomination Form

Name of the dealership _____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

City__________________________State__________________________Pin_________________

Tel_______________________Fax__________________________Mob______________________

Email___________________________________Website___________________________________

Contact person _________________________________Designation________________________

Dealership category �2 wheelers �3 wheelers �4 wheelers �Commercial Vehicles

Brand/s__________________________________________________________________________

ISO Certifi cation____________________________________________________________________

Age of dealership (dealer since): __________________________years

No. of employees __________________________________________________________________

No. of outlets Sales----------------------------- / Service-----------------------------

Name of the owner / director ________________________________________________________

Mail/ Fax this form to us 1st

Tel: +91-22-3003 4650, Fax: +91-22-3003 4499, www.adea.inPRACHI MUTHA, ADEA,

Signature PartnerKnowledge Partner Media Partner A

Event

2. Brief overview of the dealership- background and future plans (Upto 100 words)

__________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do you think you deserve to win this award? ( Upto100 words)

__________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

4. Have you undertaken any Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative this year? If yes, please

provide a brief write-up and substantiate the same with citations, awards, media releases etc. (Upto

100 words, please attach photographs of documents if any)

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

5. Have you undertaken any eco-friendly initiatives (Green initiatives) in your company (power/

water conservation, use of eco-friendly materials) this year? If yes, please provide a brief write-up

to substantiate the same with citations, awards, media releases etc. (Upto 100 words, please attach

photographs or documents if any)

__________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. Award category applied to

��2 wheelers ��3 wheelers ��4 wheelers ��Commercial Vehicles

Please tick on the category that you wish to send your nomination for

Mail/ Fax this form to us

Tel: +91-22-3003 4650, Fax: +91-22-3003 4499, www.adea.in 1stPRACHI MUTHA, ADEA,

Signature PartnerKnowledge Partner Media Partner A

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Signature PartnerKnowledge Partner Media Partner


IN CONVERSATION

The multi-brand aftersales service provider, Carnation, will continue to expand and roll out newer hubs across the country. At the same time, it will be launching an e-business platform, which will be catering to all the needs of car owners. This will be first time that the e-Busi-ness platform will be supported by brick and mortar outlets to help strengthen consumer confidence in them. The company is also planning to initiate a franchisee mode this year that will be rolled out in a phased manner over the next couple of years, Managing Director, Carnation, Jagdish Khattar tells Nabeel A Khan in an interview.

Carnation to get into franchisee mode

Carnation to get into franchisee mode

Phot

ogra

phs:

Aar

ti K

oul


IN CONVERSATION

How is Carnation fairing? What has

been the response from the market

with the fi rst-of-its-kind concept

in India?

We have received instant accept-

ance of our business model. Even

through our website, we have received

various testimonials and feedbacks,

which made us believe that indeed

there was a gap in the aftersales serv-

ice. Our vision to provide a solution

to every discerning Indian car owner

stands vindicated.

Our network of 24 hubs across

15 cities has delivered more than

2.5 lakh cars and as of now we are

receiving more than 20,000 footfalls

at our hubs. We also have a network

of 48 workshop-on-wheels that visit

corporate and multi-storied RWAs

(Resident Welfare Associations). All

our workshop-on-wheels service

vehicles, conduct check up camps

and touch more than 9,000 customers

a month.

Many companies are contemplating

entering this business. How was last

year and what is the outlook for this

year?

The past year was a year of consoli-

dation and initiation of our various

business verticals. Consolidation took

place in service operations which

includes general repair and body

repair. New verticals like pre-owned

cars and insurance renewals were

rolled out. We currently have nine

outlets for pre-owned cars, around a

dozen accessories stores as well insur-

ance renewals centres. These verticals

are all integrated along with the hubs

that we have across the country. Also,

we have a network of 48 workshop-on-

wheels in the cities where we

are present.

This year, while consolidating,

we will continue to expand. We will

be rolling out newer hubs across the

country and at the same

time, we will be launch-

ing the e-business platform

which will be catering to all

the needs of car owners. This

will be one of the fi rst times

that an e-business platform

is supported by brick-and-

mortar outlets, which helps

develop confi dence in the

business model.

As far as competition goes,

we believe that if more play-

ers come in the multi-brand

space, the business model will

be validated. Also, as more

organised players enter this

space it helps in expanding

the market.

What are the ways forward

for Carnation from the

expansion point of view? How

big is the opportunity for

such a concept in India?

The opportunity for the multi-brand

after-sales service is huge. Overseas, a

third of the market is managed by third

party organised players, but in India

the share is miniscule. We propose to

add 15 company-owned and operated

hubs in the future and also initiate the

franchisee mode this year which will

be rolled out in a phased manner over

the next couple of years.

Earlier, OEMs considered you as com-

petition, but now the attitude seems

to be changing. Can you throw some

light on the change in status?

We have always held the view that

we are not competing with the OEM

authorised dealerships. If at all, we

are in fact supplementing their efforts

as with the expansion of the auto

industry, the customer’s needs have

increased and he has become more

demanding. We feel that the OEM’s

priority is to ensure that their custom-

er is looked after irrespective of where

he goes.

How effectively is Carnation able to

deliver services in terms of its mul-

ti-brand/third party after sales and

service?

As already indicated, the cus-

tomers footfalls tell us that we are

delivering as per the customer satis-

faction. We have a robust post-service

follow up system and track the feed-

back of each and every customer,

which helps us understand customer

reaction and cater to all his needs.

Even the response from the insur-

ance companies for the accidental

repairs business has been good. The

insurance companies fi nd us as an

alternative service provider. We are

also meeting a great need of corporate

and leasing companies who have cars

of various brands as they get a one

stop convenient access to our pan-In-

dia network for all their cars. �

Jagdish Khattar, MD, Carnation


IN CONVERSATION

US-based Top1 Oil Products Company has launched its premium range of lubricants for the first time in India recently in New Delhi. Top1 lubricants targets the niche market segment which comprises high quality users and are used mostly in new generation vehicles. The company has tied up with Lucas Indian Services, an organisation that specialises in sales and service of auto electrical and automotive products, as their marketing partners for distribution. The latter has a strong distribution network of premium products all across the country. Both being leaders in their respective segments, the strategic tie-up would bring favourable competition in the premium lubricant market in India. “We see huge po-tential in this market and we decided to enter the market right now based on close watch on the developments here”: Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Top1 Oil Products, USA Frank Ryan, tells Nabeel A Khan in an interview.

We see tremendous potential in the Indian lubricant market:

Frank Ryan


IN CONVERSATION

Do you think this was the right time

for Top1 to enter the Indian market?

We do think that this is the right time.

We have been working here for a number

of years, looking at the market and ana-

lysing it. After weighing the potential

here, we think that with the prolifera-

tion of the synthetic and semi-synthetic

lubricants, we assume that the Indian

market is ready for this. Though it is a

very small percentage, it will grow like

many other markets in the world. We

think of positioning our ranges as high

value products at a very competitive

price brand in the market place here.

This would be the main strategy in the

launch to catapult it to a success. The

growth in the automotive industry here

was also a major reason while deciding

on entering here. India is a very dynamic

country and we look at entering a mar-

ket which has a lot of growth potential.

Many markets around the world is not

growing or declining, generally, so there

is always a pressure to go to a new mar-

ket and increase the business.

What kind of strategy and plans have

you in order to establish your products

here in India?

We have already signed up with Lucas

India-TVS Group, which will give us

a big network of dealers and distribu-

tors in north, west and eastern part of

the country. Distribution is a big thing

for penetrating any market. Through

Lucas, we will have sizeable access to

the market. We are known for producing

lubricants for the niche market segment

and new generation vehicles. We hope

that our high quality and innovative

products will soon become popular in

the Indian automobile market, which is

the world’s fastest growing sector.

Lucas will be distributing in three

regions of the country only. What are

your plans for the other markets?

We have a distributor in the south—

LG Balakrishna & Bros. Thus

our presence will be pan-

India.

Are you launching a com-

plete range of products as of

now?

At this point, we are looking

at motorcycles in the two-

wheeler market, passenger

cars in four-wheeler and heavy

duty sector. Top1 products

for motorcycles will be avail-

able in the range of `285-750

per litre, while that of passenger cars are

priced between `285 and `1,200 for every

litre. The per litre cost of heavy duty die-

sel vehicles’ lubricants will be `310-370.

Which segment do you think will fetch

the highest revenue?

We are expecting to see the largest

number coming from the two-wheeler

market. Our company is not a motor-

cycle specialist but we have developed

a new technology in this range.

What are your investment plans to

marketing your products in India?

The marketing will be a collaborat-

ed effort in India. However most of the

marketing expenditure will be done

from Top1 and those will be mostly

BTL activities. We feel that this time it

is all about deeper penetration in the

market. We are working on the invest-

ment plans for marketing.

The price of your products is a little

higher than your competitors. Please

comment.

Yes, sometime price remains a fac-

tor. To be honest, in the last 30 years,

we have heard this concern from every

market we have entered. So every mar-

ket is quite sensitive when comes to

price and there are many different

strategies to combat that. What we do

is that we put technology into a pack-

age and then communicate about how

the technology relates to the end con-

sumer’s value and that spells out into

our business success.

What kind of revenue target have

you set?

We see tremendous potential in the

Indian lubricant market which today is

worth `25,000 crore, from which, over

`2,000 crore is for the high quality syn-

thetic and semi-synthetic oil segment,

the market which we are targeting in

India. It would be very tough for me

to comment on any revenue target.

However, we will launch more product

ranges by the end of this year.

Will you be importing the whole prod-

uct range?

At this point in time, we will be

importing all the products from

America. On the changes down the

road we will have to see. Certain

products make sense, probably the

industrial products.

Where in India will be you be based?

We will be based in Mumbai. We have

already set up our offi ce after forming an

Indian subsidiary. We have a very com-

petent and professional team in place.

Right now we have total fi ve to

six employees and we are looking for

more people. �

Frank Ryan, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Top1 Oil Products, USA & Sandeep Abbi, Lucas launching Top1 Lubricants in India



Slowly but surely, navigation aids

are moving into mobile hand-

sets and vehicle dashboards

in a way unimaginable. Though still

considered ‘add-on’ or luxury device,

navigation devices are evolving fast to

accommodate varied interest

and budgets.

“I can easily visualise an explo-

sion in installation base of navigation

related software in India, whether

through mobile devices or consoles

or other instruments. We are at an

infl ection point in the adoption of

navigational aids in India and it’s

a matter of time before it becomes

ubiquitous,” said Vice President,

Sales & Business Development, APAC,

Navteq, Ogi Redzic during the launch

of Navteq’s latest offering ‘Natural

Guidance’ software.

Product RangesMost service providers have demar-

cated customer segment into four

distinct categories: automotive,

pedestrian, fl eet or logistics

and government.

The devices range from around

`2,300 to more advanced ones cost-

ing `40,000, while more interactive

ones providing weather updates, voice

interactivity, self diagnosis, parking

sensors and music system along with

premium navigation software costs

even higher.

More interestingly, service pro-

viders are also offering products in

segments that were considered mar-

ginal ones with limited potential. The

pedestrian segment has a potentially

CUTTING EDGE

Abhishek Parekh & Nabeel A Khan

Watch your way


large user base in a developing country

like India with low vehicle population

per thousand people. “We are try-

ing to identify ways that pedestrian or

person on foot is likely to use a naviga-

tion aid, as such a person could easily

converse with a fellow pedestrian or

get information on locations through

other means. We are realising that

major diversity in terms of language

and other complexities pose chal-

lenges to pedestrian movements,” adds

Redzic. He added that Indian produc-

tion centre located in Mumbai will be

expanded to accommodate the grow-

ing needs of the Indian market, as well

as undertake work for other markets as

well. It is establishing another produc-

tion centre in Mumbai and this centre

is likely to grow as big as the

existing centre.

Consumer HabitsAccording to a survey conducted

by Navteq over the last few months,

Indian travellers do not consult

maps prior to or during their journey.

Approximately 70 percent of the drivers

in India stop by the side of the street to

ask for directions because they need to

reconfi rm or they are confused. Most

drivers stop and ask for direction at

least two times per trip for an average

of nearly three minutes or six per-

cent of their total travel time. Indian

travellers place value on guidance

information in the form of local points

of interests such as banks, hospitals,

movie theatres, places of worship and

traffi c signals for guidance cues. The

survey also indicated that approxi-

mately 30 percent of respondents

stated ‘landmarks’ as a piece of infor-

mation they would request when

asking for directions.

DevelopmentsMapmyIndia is gearing up to launch

seventh version of its map and real-

time traffi c update system by the third

quarter of this fi nancial year. The

new version will have house number

details of around 50 top cities, addi-

tional place of interests (POIs). The

current version 6 contains maps of 18

top cities with house number details,

maps of 1027 cities, four lakh Point Of

Interests (POIs) and six lakh villag-

es. MapmyIndia is a brand owned by

CE Info Systems and has around 700

CUTTING EDGE

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Navteq Geographic Analyst use patented tools, techonology

Navteq launched the 280 degree multiview camera field vehicle in India

Rohan Verma, Director, CE Info Systems


CUTTING EDGE

employees working out from its head

offi ce in Delhi.

“We got some negative feedback

from drivers that most PNDs only

have foreign languages option in

the voice guidance so we introduced

the regional languages and it has

helped us in boosting our presence.

Today, we hold over 80 percent of

the total automotive Personal

Navigation Device (PND) market-

share,” Director, CE Info Systems,

Rohan Verma told Auto Monitor.

The map builder has recently intro-

duced a camera which could enable

the driver to see the rear view on the

screen of the navigation system. The

company is also working on a complete

in-car entertainment cum navigation

system—In Dash AVN (Audio Video

& Navigation) priced around `40,000.

Earlier, it had also introduced car

locator, which is accessible from any

personal computer or laptop through

a login Id and password provided by

the company and changed every six-

months. The device enables a user to

log in and check the exact position

of the car from anywhere. It will also

provide logs for a period of six months

containing details of the movement of

the vehicle during the entire period.

UpgradesCurrently, it offers a premium ver-

sion of multimedia PND at `20,000

with hardware from a Vietnam-based

manufacturer-Mio, while the entry

level product costs around `8,000.

It provides value added service like

local language voice based guidance

in as many as nine Indian languages

including Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi

and Tamil have been recently added

in the voice guidance of the PND. It

has also introduced 3D image of the

place of interest in top four cities

including Delhi and Mumbai.

Most service providers have been

frantically working to make low cost

PNDs available at a variety of locations

or distribution channels. These PNDs

are sold at all the authorised dealer-

ships of the major car manufacturers

as well as accessories dealers and big-

ger departmental stores. In most cases,

PNDs come loaded with the navigation

software and cannot be changed with a

rival service provider.

The Road AheadIndustry players are not willing to

hazard a guess on whether naviga-

tion enabled mobile phones or PNDs

would emerge as a preferred mode of

consumption. But service providers

like Navteq, Satnav and MapmyIndia

are certain that automobile sector will

lead the way in getting customers

hooked to software assisted naviga-

tion and help in making these services

more widespread across multiple

devices and platforms. �

Ogi Redzic, Vice President, Sales & Business Development, APAC, Navteq

Specialised inhouse training for all of Navteq’s field team

We are identifyng

ways that a pedes-

trian is likely to use a

navigation aid, as the

person could easily

converse with a fel-

low pedestrian to get

information on loca-

tions. We are realising

that language diver-

sities also pose chal-

lenges to pedestrian

movements


CUTTING EDGE

Imagine if one could reduce the energy

bills of paint shop operations by 15-20

percent, or consider doubling the produc-

tivity of painted components while saving

approximately 60 kW of energy per hour. Yes,

it is possible to achieve enhanced quality,

increased productivity, and yet save substan-

tial energy in the process.

In other words, it is possible for a company

to beat its competitors and gain market leader-

ship by producing higher quality products for a

lower unit cost. This is now achievable through

path-breaking innovation in infrared (IR)

heating technology encapsulated in the design

of cutting-edge IR emitters, new IR refl ecting

materials and the architecture of the heating

system and its electronic controls.

The Painting ProcessIt is a known fact that the painting process

serves the dual purpose of protecting any type

of surface as well as enhancing its aesthetic

value, thereby giving any product a higher

market appeal. Recent trends and awareness

in the direction of environment protection

has led to worldwide legislation forces want-

Offering

innovative solutions for paint drying

& curingConsidered as the most efficient form of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum with regards to transfer of heat, infrared heating technology is being touted as the next generation practice for drying and curing paints. The biggest benefit is that IR emitters can deliver heat in exact amounts directly to a specific point, thereby saving a significant amount of energy. A quantum leap is possible in paint drying and curing efficiency, provided a radical, out-of-the-box approach is taken when planning new paint curing operations or upgrading existing facilities.


ing to limit the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds

(VOC). This has encouraged many companies to become

more responsible and adopt water-based paints and coatings

(eco-friendly materials) as a replacement to solvent-based

coatings. However, water-based paints are known to require

longer drying times, which results in extended process times

and reduced throughput, thereby affecting manufactur-

ing operations. By using IR heating, water-based paints are

effectively force dried and cured within a few minutes.

How IR Works For Paint FilmsIR is the most effi cient form of radiation in the electro-

magnetic spectrum with regard to transfer of heat. In other

words, the IR emitters heat the object without heating the air

in between. It has virtually similar properties as light. It trav-

els in straight lines from its source and can be focussed into

specifi c zones by special refl ectors. The IR is categorised into

short wave, medium wave and long wave. Popular emitters of

IR (made in quartz) have low thermal inertia; hence, they are

instant on/off type (ie heat-up/cool down times of about one

second).

IR can enable breakthrough innovations in the whole of

painting process including drying and curing. This is pos-

sible by way of using IR boosters, compact IR ovens, infrared

heating systems, to name a few.

IR AdvantagesA few advantages of radiant (IR) heat for surface painting

applications are as follows:

Non-Contact Heating: As there is no physical contact of the

air, there is no contamination due to airborne dust particles.

This in important in cases where such contamination can

CUTTING EDGE

Convection heating Infrared heating

*First the air is heated *Then the paint fi lm is heated

from outside by convection which is a slow process

*Heat transfer is through the paint fi lm by conduction (paint is a bad conductor of heat)

*IR does not need a medium to heat

*IR rays penetrate the paint fi lm, are partly absorbed in paint fi lm, partly at surface and partly refl ected. During refl ection they reheat the fi lm. As a result, the fi lm is heated uniformly throughout its thickness

*High at paint surface, low at bottom*Entire mass gets heated*Slow process

IR rays penetrate the fi lm*Hence heating throughout the fi lm is

uniform*Entire mass need not get heated – an especially useful property when heavy castings etc are to be heated*Fast process- Typically infrared heating takes only one-third the time of convection heating

A brief comparison of convection heating (hot air) versus IR


CUTTING EDGE

mar the quality of the surface of any

product.

Fast Response: Low thermal inertia of

an IR heating system eliminates the

need for long pre-heat cycles. As IR emit-

ters require only a few seconds to reach

operating temperatures, they can be

switched off even during small breaks in

production, thus saving energy.

Shorter Time Cycles: Due to one-stage

heat transfer, IR heating times are typi-

cally one-third of convection ovens.

High Effi ciency: IR is energy in the

form of electromagnetic waves. Since

IR does not impact the air or surround-

ings, the energy radiated may also be

concentrated, focussed, directed and

refl ected in the same manner as light.

This greatly increases its fl exibility and

adaptability and reduces energy losses.

Control Accuracy: Electric IR emitters

can be easily and precisely controlled.

They can be zoned wherever required.

IR sensors can sense the actual product

temperature and be used to control the

heater temperature or line speed.

Clean Heat: Unlike gas-fi red ovens,

electric radiant heaters do not produce

combustion by-products, so the product

is not contaminated. Low air velocities

reduce the possibility of surface con-

tamination by airborne dirt.

IR Boosters Integrated With Existing Convection Ovens

Most existing paint curing processes

involve a ‘heat-up’ stage followed by a

A few path-breaking IR heating solutions achieved in India:

Curing of water-based paint on metal strips by raising the temperature to

1500C in 3 seconds

Water based paint cured on fi lters in eight minutes @ six m/min. Conveyor

length inside IR oven: 48 m instead of 180 m required for a typical convec-

tion oven

Paint drying achieved on heavy valve / actuator / engine components in

15-30 minutes. Turnaround time after primer coat reduced from one day to

one hour

PU Paint drying achieved in IR – Convection hybrid oven on plastic compo-

nents in four minutes

Drying of pre-treatment chemicals (PVA) on plastics done in one minute

Drying of anti-corrosive coating done on MS plates, 3.2 m wide, 10 m long

and 50 mm thick , travelling on a conveyor at 2 m/min.

Electric IR emitters can be easily and precisely controlled

CUTTING EDGE


‘holding’ stage. The heat-up stage often

occupies up to 50 percent oven length

in conveyorised operations. In the case

of convection heating systems, oven

lengths are long. A successful innova-

tion in such a case is to install an IR

booster ahead of the convection oven.

Here an initial quick boosting of tem-

perature by IR reduces heat-up time,

leaving more space for the holding. In

practical terms, this can mean a 50-100

percent increase in line speed with

10-20 percent increase in length.

IR boosters have been an immense

success in industry, and they have

been used in various ways. Popular

applications include curing of paint on

automobile bodies, consumer goods,

industrial components and so on.

Compact IR Ovens For Curing Paint On Large Components

The practice of high temperature

drying is most commonly accepted for

all industrial products. However, for

heavy components like valves, pumps,

actuators, etc, the weight and size of

component pose problems in design-

ing a conventional hot air

oven. Such an oven would

be large in size, requiring

considerable energy and

time to generate hot air to

encompass the oven. Sudden

shut-downs or start-ups in

such systems would be both

impossible and impracti-

cal. This challenge can be

overcome by using IR ovens,

which are modular, compact

and can be designed opti-

mally in terms of materials.

Such applications also

have paints that are cured

at elevated temperatures

only. However, forced dry-

ing of air drying paints gives

many benefi ts such as time

span between each coat gets

reduced from one shift to one hour or

less. In practical terms, it means that

the second coat can be completed on

the same day and the product or mate-

rial can be packed and shipped out the

very same day. This can also helps in

reducing work-in-process inventory

drastically.

IR For ‘Just-In-Time’ OperationsHeating equipment in most opera-

tions work on the age-old concept of

‘heat-up time’, ie the ovens have to be

started much in advance before the

production starts and even when the

components are not processed, the

oven has to be kept ‘on’.

Short duration, instant switch on/

switch off IR ovens are an effective solu-

tion in many such situations. With the

advent of PLCs, machines are automat-

ed and ovens switch on automatically

upon sensing the components and

switch off automatically when there are

no components.

Coupled with short-duration time

cycles, this leads to effi cient just-in-

time operations. In fact in many cases,

IR ovens can be switched on/off even

for every single component.

Using IR Effectively For drying and curing operations,

one can consider alternative technolo-

gies such as IR heating, which provides

several opportunities for improving the

effi ciency of existing paintshop opera-

tions. IR technologies work well for

drying inks, coatings, fi nishes or adhe-

sives applied to materials, especially

the sensitive ones such as fi lm, release

paper or some types of fabric where the

more controlled IR drying helps to

avoid damage to the material from

excessive heat.

As illustrated above, a quantum

leap is possible in paint drying and

curing effi ciency provided a radical,

out-of-the-box approach is taken when

planning new paint curing opera-

tions or upgrading existing facilities.

Established market players who can

offer the right combination of IR

sources, equipment design and process

controls can elevate your operations

to world-class and environment-friend-

ly levels. The sun’s rays are considered

the purest Infrared (IR) energy, but

remember, the sky is the limit when it

comes to innovative and energy effi -

cient IR solutions!

End NoteElectric infrared technology pro-

vides a paintshop with signifi cant

versatility in fi nishes. Switching from

one paint formula or method of appli-

cation to another is also much simpler

with the new drying system. The infra-

red heaters can be easily adjusted for

waterborne painting one day and for a

powder-coated fi nish on the next. �

* Nilay M Shah is the Director, Litel

Infrared Systems. He can be contacted at

[email protected]. The feature has been

republished from SEARCH.

Automated Touch-up IR curing of water-based paints on automobile bodies

olled


CUTTING EDGE

Flash programming has become an inte-

gral part of servicing and repairs for the

majority of newer vehicles as car manu-

facturers are making increasingly complicated

vehicles with multiple ECUs.

When the manufactures launch a vehicle,

there can be subsequent problems found dur-

ing daily use. These problems are often fi xed

by the manufacturers releasing a ‘refl ashing’

fi x for the ECU, similar to the software patch-

es released by Microsoft to fi x known bugs

within the latest programme. Flash program-

ming can address issues such as transmission

shifting problems, hesitation, rough engine

idle, drivability, check engine lights, emis-

sions quality, poor performance and any

number of other operational problems. More

frequently, fl ash programming may be the

only way to repair a vehicle and tackle these

issues. Over 100 million cars on the road sup-

port fl ash programming.

All vehicle parts will experience wear and tear

through daily use. For example, an automatic

gearbox may be suffering shift jolt. Refl ashing

with a modifi ed program allows the transmis-

sion pressures to be used in a modifi ed way,

increasing drivability resulting in the prolonged

life of components. As another example, given

the especially cold weather experienced of late

whereby many cars may have been jumpstarted,

in turn could have led to voltage spikes to the

ECU software, fl ash programming is the only

way to restore the ECU back to its original state.

Flash programming also comes into play

when fi tting new ECUs. ECUs are typically

supplied with base software, giving them lim-

ited functionality. A calibration software must

then be matched to the vehicle specifi cation

and then fl ashed to the ECU in order for it to

work properly. Flashing may also be required

to allow retrofi ts to function correctly. The

Dension Gateway 500 will interface an iPod

with the in-built car entertainment system.

However it will only work if the vehicle has

been programmed to know that the Gateway

interface is present.

Flash programming to aid in vehicle

repairing, servicing

Flash programming to aid in vehicle

repairing, servicing

CUTTING EDGE


Additionally, when certain compo-

nents are fi tted, the internal engine

software needs to be updated so that

the new component is recognised, oth-

erwise the vehicle won’t run properly.

A genuine example of this was when

BMW changed the air mass metre fi tted

to E46 3 series diesel engines. The new

metres were not compatible with the

old ones and therefore could not just

be swapped out without compromis-

ing the exhaust emissions. The Engine

Management System required refl ash-

ing with a software update so that the

ECM could interpret the correct signal

from the metre.

Accurately diagnosing and repair-

ing many of these newer vehicles used

to require full access to expensive

dealer tools, leaving many independ-

ent garages held to ransom. Without

a diagnostic tool with fl ash pro-

gramming capabilities, independent

garages may end up wasting time and

money trying to repair an issue with

hard parts that cannot be repaired

without a calibration fl ash update.

However the diagnostic market

provides a solution to enable inde-

pendent garages to continue working

at dealer-levels without the need

for expensive dealer tools or dealer

intervention. The solution comes in

the form of the Autologic diagnostic

tool, which provides full fl ash repro-

gramming and coding capability to

dealers. Other diagnostic tools with

some fl ash programming and coding

are available but they are very limited

in terms of fl ash capability and per-

formance, so any garage considering

investing in a fl ash-enabled diag-

nostic tool should check that it will

deliver fi rst time fi x solutions.

A ‘refl ash’ of commonly experienced

problems, isn’t regarded by vehicle

manufactures as a recall, so unless it’s

discovered as part of a normal servic-

ing of their vehicle, most affected car

owners won’t even be aware of any

potential problems which could be eas-

ily rectifi ed through a simple refl ash.

Consequently, they won’t book their

car in to receive the quick fi x. This

provides independent garages with

another reason to invest in a diagnos-

tic tool with fl ash programming– the

upsell. Even if the customer isn’t aware

they are experiencing a problem with

their vehicle, by garages offering cus-

tomers the opportunity to get their

vehicle updated to the latest available

calibration fl ash, the car owner may

see some benefi t in performance, driv-

ability, or even fuel economy. It also

serves as good preventative mainte-

nance to update the calibration fl ash

and avoid any problems that it was

intended to fi x.

A key aspect to bear in mind before

undertaking any fl ash programming

is to ensure that there is a stable power

supply. It is imperative that the volt-

age supply does not falter during the

fl ash programming procedure as this

can destroy the ECU which is being

programmed! A number of suitable

battery chargers and support units are

available such as Fronius, Deutronic

and Traction.

Autologic Diagnostics is the manu-

facturer of a dealer-level automotive

diagnostic tool enabling independent

garages to retain their independence.

Covering all systems and functions,

Autologic includes ECU fl ash program-

ming and coding. Service functions,

DTCs, live data/actuations and data

logging are also standard. Autologic

also offers performance tunes for

select brands, giving independent

garages another revenue stream.

Unique in the aftermarket

workplace through technical sup-

port, dedicated teams of specialist

software engineers and master tech-

nicians mean Autologic can offer

frequent software updates over the

Internet alongside telephone support,

providing technicians with real-time

support and solutions to any prob-

lems encountered. �Autologic diagnostic tool

The Autologic diagnostic tool enables independent garages to continue working without the need for expensive dealer tools or dealer intervention


FOCUS

Even as most tyre manufacturers

are looking at expanding their

radial tyre capacity to meet

the burgeoning demand in OEM and

replacement markets, the demand for

bias tyres is far from exhausted in the

replacement market. Large volume

categories within passenger and goods

carrier segment including Tata Ace

and Mahindra Pick Up range, though

equipped with radial tyres as origi-

nal fi tment, get replaced with bias or

cross ply tyres when their regular tyre

replacement cycle kicks in.

“It may seem a bit of an irony that

even though most small sized com-

mercial vehicles (like Tata Ace) come

with radial tyres as OE fi tment, these

are replaced by bias tyres as their

replacement cycle kicks in. These

vehicles are overloaded and driven

in diffi cult and varied terrains and

hence it is unviable for operator or

owner to opt for radial tyres,” said

Executive Director-Operations, Ceat,

Arnab Banerjee. He added that most

tyre manufacturers are looking at

sustainable demand for cross ply or

bias tyres in the replacement market

for several segments.

Radialisation in the commercial

vehicle segment has been slow to pick

up pace. Most tyre manufacturers

have expanded their capacity in order

to keep pace with higher acceptance

level of radial tyres.

Renewed interest in cross ply tyresAbhishek Parekh

Arnab Banerjee, Executive Director-Operations, Ceat


FOCUS

“Most utility and small commer-

cial vehicles are fi tted with radial

tyres and invariably get replaced with

bias tyres. There is a cost difference of

more than `500-600 between replace-

ment with cross ply vis-a-vis radial

tyres and this is a signifi cant differ-

ence for any operator,” said Hindustan

Tyres and Batteries, a Mumbai based

dealer, Mukesh Gala for various tyre

brands. Most small commercial vehi-

cles including Tata Ace and Mahindra

Maxximo are fi tted with 12-inch tyres

while Mahindra Pick-Up range comes

fi tted with 14-inch radials. The key

volume drivers for most tyre dealers

are tyre ranging from size 12-14 inch

in diameter.

He added that radial tyre prices

have not yet reached a ‘conducive’ level

for commercial vehicle to make a major

shift to adopting radials. This implies

that most commercial vehicle opera-

tors too prefer cross ply tyres during

replacement cycle. The preference of

bias tyres over radial based on sheer

economic logic rather than perform-

ance or availability factor may come as

a major setback in radialisation drive

in the country.

“In cost sensitive segment like the

Ace, it is diffi cult to sell radial tyres

given the compelling economic logic

of adopting bias tyres and persistent

overloading that these vehicles expe-

rience. The scenario may change in

favour of radials if overloading stric-

tures are enforced in letter and spirit

across commercial vehicle segment,”

said a Pune based dealer.

Though dealers do not anticipate

a major shortage for cross ply or bias

tyres in the replacement market given

suffi cient manufacturing capacity at

manufacturer level, the lack of demand

for radial tyres in replacement market

in various vehicle segments is likely to

lead to a delay in radicalisation proc-

ess. “Such a scenario will lead to delay

in adoption of radial tyres which are

superior in quality compared to bias

tyres,” said Banerjee.

Industry players point out that not

only should customers be educated

about the benefi ts of radialisation as

the way forward for all segments of

the tyre industry, but also the prices

of radial tyres have to reach a level low

enough to make economic sense for

small business owners and fl eet opera-

tors to make a shift to radial tyres. �

Most small sized com-

mercial vehicles come

with radial tyres as OE

fi tment but these are

replaced by bias tyres

as their replacement

cycle kicks in


EXTRA MILE

For any Mumbai resident, Bafna

Motors is a name synonymous

with Tata Motors itself. The

former commands as much respect,

recognition and trust as the latter.

It is diffi cult to locate a commercial

vehicle without the ‘Bafna Motors’

name embossed on the vehicle in the

front or rear in and around Thane’s

Ghodbunder road where Bafna Motors’

main dealership is located.

One of the oldest dealers of Tata

Motors, Bafna Motors began its jour-

ney towards recognition and success

in the dealership business almost

fi ve decades back. It is arguably the

largest dealer for Tata Motors in the

country and has close to eight percent

marketshare for Tata Motors in the

commercial vehicles segment.

Differentiating Factor“The key differentiating factor for

us is our long association (almost fi ve

decades) with Tata Motors and our

customer orientation in the Medium

and Heavy Commercial Vehicles

segment. We have grown even as

Tata Motors has acquired its stat-

ure of preferred CV manufacturer for

transporters and infrastructure devel-

opers over the last decade or so,” said

Chairman, Bafna Motors, SM Bafna.

He added that the CV sector, being

cyclical in nature, implies that a dealer

has to plan and anticipate the busi-

ness scenario. “Most dealers scramble

to downsize during downturn, but

Such a long journey

Abhishek Parekh

SM BafnaChairman, Bafna Motors


EXTRA MILE

this indicates bad planning on his/her

part, and not the adverse the business

scenario. If you are clear about your

objective and are conservative in your

approach, you will not have to resort

to any downsizing during highs and

lows,” he added. He elaborated that

during downturn, the focus invari-

ably shifts to services with attractive

schemes and packages offered to cus-

tomers to ensure that service bays in

the centres are fully occupied. A dealer

who lays off workers during the down-

turn suffers during the upside as it

becomes increasingly diffi cult to hire

talented employees to support higher

growth. Moreover, the dealerships’

reputation is tarnished.

Cutting EdgeThis customer orientation has

helped Bafna Motors build a reputa-

tion based on trust and reliability next

only to Tata Motors itself. “More than

65 to 70 percent of our incremental

sales every year is from our existing

customers as repeat sales and this is

not possible without a customer cen-

tric approach,” he elaborates. Unlike

most dealers, he is circumspect of

notching up 15 to 20 percent growth

year-after-year and is delighted with

six to eight percent growth over the

next three years. “In the event of 15 to

20 percent growth in volumes, a deal-

er could invariably end up cutting his

margins and viability as a business and

that is a bad idea to achieve growth,”

he explains.

It is also very important for a dealer

to analyse models from competitors,

interact with customers to anticipate

needs and provide inputs to OEMs

based on such customer feedbacks.

Over the last decade, customers have

been demanding higher powered vehi-

cles due to improving infrastructure,

better cabin comfort and proactive

and widespread service network. Tata

Motors has been working in these direc-

tions based on such market feedback

with regular launches of trucks and

buses to cater to these demands. In the

face of growing competition from glo-

bal CV majors setting up shop in India,

Tata Motors continues to lead the mar-

ket. Customers are assured of service

assistance almost every 50 to 55 km—a

network build up over the last three to

four decades that is diffi cult to repli-

cate by any competitor

in the near future, elabo-

rates Bafna. He should

know since he has also

branched out into logis-

tics business (Kishore

Transport) and owns a

fl eet of 450 odd trucks.

It is very critical for

a commercial vehicle

dealer to identify macro

trends in the economy to

anticipate and stock up

on vehicles likely to get

in demand. OEMs help

in the identifi cation of such trends and

present suitable vehicles to fulfi l such

demands. For instance, Bafna Motors

has been instrumental in helping Tata

Motors identify latent demand for spe-

cial applications for the ‘Ace’ including

milk distribution vans, gas distribution

vans and garbage collection and holds

major marketshare for these fully built

vehicles meant for special applica-

tions. He further points out that there

is a demand for half tonne vehicles in

semi-urban and rural areas which can

double up as good and

personal transportation.

ChallengesThe biggest challenge staring

at vehicle dealers is attracting and

retaining quality manpower and

meeting customer expectations in

terms of service delivery. Different

customer segments have different

expectations and it is a challenge

meeting and satisfying these expecta-

tions all the time. Big customers (fl eet

owners) expect servicing to be done

immediately, free of cost and with-

out the hassle of coming to service

centres, whereas a smaller or single

fl eet owner is more open but has his/

her own issue in terms of delivery and

expectations, he adds.

Bafna Motors is in the process of

training 35 potential recruits in vari-

ous technical and non-technical

aspects of auto servicing. The aim

of the initiative is to hire and mould

the potential recruits in company’s

culture and ensure their growth and

loyalty. Bafna claims to have attri-

tion levels of less than fi ve percent

in a business where 20 to 25 percent

attrition per annum is a norm. Annual

sports and cultural meeting, medical

benefi ts, pensions, free education and

higher than industry compensations

are some of the factors that he counts

among his unique prepositions.

He advises newer entrants into the

dealership business to be clear on their

objective and stick to their core princi-

ples while conducting business. Short

term measures to increase sales and

bottomline are not worth the effort

and earn industry and principals a

bad reputation. �

Tata LPT 1618 truck

Vol. 02 | Issue 03 | JUNE 2011 100/-

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YOUR PARTNERS INBUSINESS GROWTH


AUTO POINT

The Indian PV industry had a

dream run in FY10 and FY11 after

a dismal performance in FY09.

This growth was mainly driven by the

strong revival in liquidity scenario and

improvement in consumer confi dence

due to rise in income levels. Almost all

the players achieved impressive growth

rate riding on such a healthy market

condition. The attractive prospects of

the industry also pulled many global

automobile biggies to enter the market.

Indian players also responded with new

launches with improved technology and

styling at affordable prices.

Macro-Economic Conditions CARE Research believes, recent

rise in interest rates and continuously

increasing fuel prices, combined with

expanding infl ation may dent con-

sumer confi dence to some extent. It

has been observed that PV demand

is majorly infl uenced by fi nanc-

ing scenario; more than 85 percent

of the vehicles are purchased on loan

fi nance basis. Hence constant up-

movement in interest rates during last

fi ve-six months have increased the

operating cost of the vehicle substantially.

Escalating Fuel Prices Apart from interest rates, escalating

fuel prices especially of petrol during last

one year has affected the cost of operat-

ing a vehicle considerably. It has been

observed that during last one year there

have been seven revisions in petrol prices

which has increased its retail price by

almost 21 percent. However, the diesel

car owners have some respite until now,

as the increase in the diesel prices has

Rising cost of ownership to impact passenger

vehiclesRevati Kasture Head, Industry Research, CARE Research

Vishal Srivastav Analyst, CARE Research

Kunal Maheshwari Analyst, CARE Research

Trend and growth in the PV industry

Source: SIAM


AUTO POINT

been much lesser. Nevertheless, govern-

ment plans to increase diesel price by

`three–four would also raise the oper-

ating a diesel cars as well.

Influencing Buyer Decisions The slashing of excise duty on small

cars during FY06 from 24 percent to

16 percent and further to 10 percent

in FY09 proved as an encouraging

move for passenger vehicle market,

as product prices could remain stable

enabling demand to grow at a CAGR of

around 14 percent during FY06-FY11

period. Although fuel prices especially

petro,l moved northwards due to con-

stant revisions, positive sentiments

owing to healthy liquidity scenario

and rise in income levels helped to

keep demand at healthy levels dur-

ing most of the period in last fi ve years

(barring FY09, when tightening in

liquidity condition slowed down PV

industry growth).

However, during last 11 months,

there have been seven revisions in pet-

rol prices since its de-regulation in June

2010, and the prices have increased by

almost 21 percent. An increase of such

a magnitude in petrol prices has never

happened in the past. Furthermore, the

spiralling infl ation level and high inter-

est rates during last two-three months

have further dented consumer afford-

ability levels signifi cantly.

In order to capture the impact on

affordability levels, CARE Research has

build an index explaining the increase

in the minimum threshold income

required to purchase a small car. It

was observed that, in FY11, infl ation-

ary pressure, combined with increase

in petrol prices and interest rates have

considerably pushed the target income

levels upwards, thus impacting con-

sumer confi dence signifi cantly.

Negating Adverse ConditionsCARE Research believes the impact of

macro-economic conditions and rising

fuel prices may undermine the growth in

PV industry. It estimates that the growth

in PV would be around nine percent

during FY12. However CARE Research

believes that the monsoons levels this

year would be the key monitorable to

determine the infl ationary scenario as

well as demand from rural market that

has been picking up in the past. �

(The report is prepared by CARE

Research, a division of Credit Analysis &

Research. Views expressed are personal.)

Rise in fuel prices

Impact of monthly EMI due to rise in interest rates

EMI Calculation - Popular passenger car

Apr’10 Apr’11

On Road Price 5,50,000 5,50,000

Loan to Value 85% 85%

Interest Rate 9% 12%

Tenure (Months) 60 60

EMI (in `) 8,828 9,309

Difference (in `) 481

Growth of EV sales across two years

Source: CMIE

Perc

ent


ANALYSIS

The automotive component

industry in India is a critical

part of the growth being expe-

rienced by the country’s light vehicle

market presently. However, it is also

the weakest link in the chain, in terms

of its capacity to produce enough high

quality components, as well as its abil-

ity to innovate and develop new parts

on its own. Since the past year, when

the Indian vehicle market rebounded

strongly, manufacturers have been

struggling to ramp up their output

mainly because Indian parts suppli-

ers were unable to meet the increased

demand for components.

This was due to a shortage of invest-

ment in expanding their facilities, as

they believed the market would take

much longer to recover than it actually

did. However to their credit, many of

the major Indian supplier groups have

begun to invest in upgrading their

existing facilities and building new

plants that would allow them to meet

demand in the future. Many of them

are also focusing on building up their

research and development

capabilities so that they can innovate

and develop products on their own.

Also, with India making a deter-

mined effort to become a global

production centre for small cars, sev-

eral local suppliers are already meeting

global quality standards. For example,

India is the only country that builds

the Hyundai i10 sub compact model

for supply to the rest of the world. And

the majority of parts that go into this

vehicle are procured from component

manufacturers based in India.

The recent earthquake and tsu-

nami in Japan, and its adverse impact

on parts supplies and global vehicle

production may offer a signifi cant

opportunity to the Indian auto compo-

nent industry. The disaster that struck

Japan in March clearly highlighted the

overdependence of Japanese and even

global manufacturers on just one sup-

plier for many automotive parts.

The Japanese manufacturers that

were hardest hit by recent events in

their country could also be looking to

source parts from new suppliers. This

would enable them to avoid vehicle

production losses in case of another

natural calamity. However we fi rmly

believe that while this is an opportu-

nity for the Indian auto component

suppliers, it is one that they are unlike-

ly to be able to tap into at least in the

near future. The reasons for this are

manifold and include the lack of scale,

capacity, technology and the unavaila-

bility of some advanced raw materials.

Another weakness is that the small-

er Tier II and Tier III suppliers, which

are usually fam-

ily owned business

have struggled to

expand their pro-

duction capacity and

improve their R&D

capability in line

with the growing

requirements of Tier

I suppliers and vehi-

cle manufacturers.

The result is a bottle-

neck created up the

value chain, which is

now threatening to choke the growth

of India’s light vehicle market.

The lack of suffi cient capital, reluc-

tance to take risks and the shortage of

skilled manpower are the key reasons

for the slow maturity of India’s Tier II

and Tier III suppliers. Many compo-

nent makers are also yet to understand

the need for discipline, consistent

quality and timely delivery—attributes

that make them lag behind global sup-

pliers. Suppliers also need to catch up

with other countries, particularly in

south-east Asia, where there is greater

discipline within the workforce, high-

er quality, timely deliveries, customer

focus and a better understanding of

the needs of clients. These smaller

suppliers also need to understand that

there is greater integration within the

industry, and that the necessity for

higher effi ciency is driving the move

towards modules and sub-assemblies.

In the future, smaller suppliers

would also need to develop their abil-

ity to design and manufacture modules

since it will become increasingly diffi -

Indian auto components industryneeds to step up its game

Top India Groups (Sales)YTDGrowth

Volume Share

%02104,302srotoM ataT

%01232,99ardnihaM

%1226,9srotoM ecroF

%0099,1srotoM natsudniH

%0969srotoM rehciEYTDMonth

-50% 0% 50% 100%


ANALYSIS

cult for them to make just a single part

and survive over the long term. This is

a diffi cult task, and smaller component

makers will struggle to live up to the

challenge.

Therefore, the automotive industry,

including the vehicle manufactur-

ers, need to acknowledge and address

these core issues. In fact they need

to help suppliers move up the value

chain, whether it is in the form of

fi nancing, technology transfer or work-

force training.

Greater cooperation between vehi-

cle makers, Tier I suppliers and the

smaller parts makers is very important

if the component industry hopes to

grow within the country and tap into

emerging opportunities on the

global stage.

LV Sales Under PressureHigher prices, rising interest rates

and the start of the fi scal year put light

vehicle sales under pressure in April

2011. Total volumes reached 228,000

units, compared to a record high of

281,000 units in the previous month.

However this performance still rep-

resented a growth of 10 percent over

April 2010.

Sales in April usually decline as

many buyers bring forward their pur-

chases to March which is the end of the

fi scal year in India. Purchasing vehi-

cles in March gives buyers tax benefi ts,

while manufacturers offer incentives to

stimulate sales. As a result April sales

are usually weaker than March.

Sales of passenger vehicle sales

were at 189,000 units in April 2011, an

increase of 12 percent compared to

the previous year. During March, pas-

senger vehicle sales were at a high of

226,000 units. The infl ux of new buy-

ers in semi-urban and rural areas is

driving demand for passenger vehicles

across the country.

Light commercial vehicle sales were

at 39,000 units during April 2011, which

represented a decrease of two percent

over the same time last year. This is a

rather worrying development but one

explanation for the decline in April

could be the record high sales of 56,000

units during the previous month. We

expect that truck sales would bounce

back next month. Renault made its debut

in the Indian market as an independent

company with the recent launch of its

Fluence luxury sedan. It has been priced

competitively with the base version

starting at $26,000. It will be assembled

at Renault’s new Chennai plant.

Tata Motors has begun assembling

the Land Rover Freelander 2 model

at its Pune plant from May 2011. This

would allow the model to become

more price competitive. Jaguar mod-

els would be also be assembled here in

the future. The rapid increase in the

price of several raw materials includ-

ing steel, aluminium and rubber,

prompted most major manufactur-

ers to raise retail prices in April 2011

by two-four percent. This did have an

adverse impact on vehicle demand

during the month. However we expect

that demand would bounce back in the

coming months. �

(The JD Power study has been

extracted from India Automotive

Monthly: Executive Summary May 2011.

Reprinted with permission)

India OutlookIndia Light Vehicle Sales Outlook

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

PV LCV Growth

Grow

th

�� The recent launches of several new hatchback models like the Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo and Nissan Micra, which are priced in the USD 10,000 range, should help to increase car sales over our forecast horizon.

�� Strong economic fundamentals including rising GDP growth and higher income levels, combined with the development of the road network, are likely to propel India’s light vehicle sales to new highs during the next seven years.

Sale

s (m

illio

ns)


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Air Fluid Engineers & Equipments offers various types of pumps man-ufactured by Grundfos Pumps. These pumps are used for various applications in the industries, like HVAC system, water treatment,

RO plants, water transfer, boiler feed, fuel transfer, water transfer, sew-age/effl uent transfer, sludge removal, storm water/rain water removal, etc. Hydropneumatic pump systems are useful in industries for applications where there is varying demand for water from the process. These pump sys-tems are also used in water supply to multi-storey buildings, hotel industry, etc. The pumps are also used for centralised air-conditioning system in malls. For corrosive liquid applications, the pumps are available in stainless steel SS403/316 and in titanium.

Air Fluid Engineers & Equipments, Chandigarh 160 002.Tel: 0172-5012220, Fax: 0172-501 2221, Email: airfl uid@airfl uidindia.com, Website: www.airfl uidindia.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 certifi ed company

Torque wrenches

Tulex Industrial Tools manufactures and offers torque wrenches that are calibrated tools rec-ommended for use in controlled tightening of

nuts & bolts to avoid over-/under-stressing. These are preset/adjustable click-type wrenches available in ratchet and non-ratchet versions. They are compact, lightweight and rigid to suit heavy-duty working conditions existing in Indian Industry particularly the automobile sector and other critical industries. The torque wrenches are fast-acting precision span-ners-cum-instruments of an entirely new design for tightening of bolts and nuts to the required torque. They are available in a set of 12 models covering torque requirements from 3 to 2500 Nm. The torque wrenches are calibrated to accuracy ±4 per cent on calibrators and are traceable to National Physical Laboratories. These are also available in special pro-duction models to suit exact torque requirement and critical applications. The torque wrenches fi nd appli-cations in automobiles, heavy engineering, power plants, petrochemicals, fertilizers, aeronautics, defence organisations, etc.

Tulex Industrial Tools (P) Ltd, Thane 421 201.Tel: 0251-2436207, Fax: 0251-2436208, Mob: 09820725520Email: [email protected], Website: www.tulextools.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 Certifi ed Company


PRODUCTS

Nuts/bolts & industrial fasteners

Zenith Industrial Products offers nuts, bolts and

industrial fasteners by cold forging, hot forg-ing, turned & machined process, etc, as per IS, BS, DIN, ISO standards and also non-standard items as per drawings & samples provided by customers. Threads are

of METRIC MM, BSW, BSF, UNC, UNF, BSP, BSPT, NPT, 4-12 NC/NF, self-tapping 2-14 types. Material & grades include: mild steel, 4.6 grade, HTS, EN 8, 8.8 grade, EN 19, 10.9 grade, EN 24, 12.9 grade, spring steel & sheet metal, SS410, 303, 304, 316, 304L & 316L, brass, copper, aluminium, titanium, PB, etc. Finishes available are: natural fi nish, self colour, phosphating, blacko-dising, zinc platting, blue/yellow/olive green/copper/black passivation, nickel & nickel chrome platting, trivalent zinc platting and heat-treatment on request. The nuts, bolts and industrial fasteners are used in various industries, like machine tools, textile, electrical & electronics, automobiles and other engineering industries.

Zenith Industrial Products, Mumbai 400 072.Tel: 022 2847 8806, Fax: 022-2856 0705, Email: [email protected], Website: www.zip-india.com

Torque screwdrivers

Summit Engineering offers torque screwdrivers with interchangeable tips to overcome such problems. The torque screwdrivers are available in two-piece construction, an ergonomically refi ned handle with exchangeable blades (insert) for greatest fl exibility in all areas of use. Present ranges available are 0.6 to 1.5 Nm, 1.5 to 3.0 Nm, 3.0 to 5.4 Nm.

Torque can be very easily adjusted with the help of Allen key. Set torque achieved is indicated by acoustic and mechanic sig-nal. No over-torquing is possible as after achieving set torque it starts to slip. Various screwdriver blades suitable for slotted heads, PH, PZ, TORX and TORX Plus (IP) are available. These exchangeable blades are manufactured from chrome-molyb-denum-vanadium steel with superior hardness, which exceeds DIN and ISO requirements by up to 100 per cent and have black tips for precise fi tment.

Summit Engineering Technology Pvt Ltd, Navi Mumbai 400 708.Tel: 022-2764 2776, 2769 9667, Fax: 022-2760 0819, Mob: 9821150858Email: [email protected], Website: www.summitengg.com

Automotive cables

Q-Flx Wires & Cables (a div of Cybele

Industries Ltd) offers a wide range of quality automotive cables to wiring harness manufacturers for their supplies to heavy-du-ty vehicles, like buses, trucks, tractors, earthmovers, etc; and all four-wheelers and two-wheelers for the purpose of lighting, igniting, wiping, battery charg-ing, starter, steering column, horn, signaling, motor antenna, motorised outside rear view mirror, power windows, stereo systems, communication, etc. Automotive cables are manufactured to reference standards BS:6862, JIS:3406 and IS:2465 with bright annealed high conductive electrolytic copper con-ductor conforming to the requirements of IS:8130/BS:6360 and insulated with specially designed dielec-tric grade Q-Flx brand PVC compound as per IS:5831/BS:6746, which is impervious to water, oil, petrol, acid and greases. The automotive cables are also manu-factured as per conventional sizes prevailing in the market where the copper and the PVC insulation meets the above standards requirements and imper-vious to water, oil, petrol, acid and greases.

Q-Flx Wires & Cables, Chennai 600 098.Tel: 044-2625 0549, Fax: 044-2625 7580, Mob: 09884522777, Email: investor@qfl excable.com , Website: www.qfl excable.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 Certifi ed Company


PRODUCTS

Painting booths

Ami Industries offers side draft, non-pressurised painting booths that are totally compact and suitable for small and medium size component painting. These painting booths are suit-able for conventional or electrostatic hand guns with no addition or modifi cation. Adequate

exhaust results in effective removal of overspray paint particles and thus eliminates its setting on wet painted surface. They also provide clean air to the operator. Washing action minimises escape of paint along with exhaust air and thus eliminates surrounding pollution and also the risk of fi re. The air fl ows have been so designed so as to offer total comfort to operator and in accordance with safety standards applicable. They fi nd applications in automobile parts, control panels, pumps, valves, cycle parts, castings, fans, non-stick cookware, ball pens, air pins, refrigerators, etc.

Ami Industries, Mumbai 400 063.Tel: 022-2686 3120, Fax: 022-2873 4753, Email: [email protected], Website: www.amiindustries.com

Bolts & set screws

ABC Industrial Fasteners manufactures and offers bolts and set screws, such as square head, T-head, taper head, rectangular head, T-bolts, square head set screws, fl ash point, plain cup point, half, full and extra dog point, fl anged or col-

lar head, square T-bolts (6 mm to 48 mm, ¼” to 2” diameter), rectangular T-head bolts and also with square neck T-bolts. These fasteners are made as per IS, BIS, JIS, GOST, ASTM, ISO and BSW, BSF, UNC, UNF threads. Materials of construction include: MS 4.6 grade, EN-8, 6.6, 8.8 grade, EN-19, 10.9 grade or 10K, EN-24, 12.9 grade or 12K, brass,

SS304/316, R, S, T, V grades, etc. These are also supplied with sursulf, liquid nitriding and nitrocar bruising process. Applications are in machine tools, light and heavy industries, textile, automobile, tractor, cement, chemical and sugar plants and other service industries.

ABC Industrial Fasteners, Mumbai 400 072.Tel: 022-2847 0806, Fax: 022-2847 0705, Email: [email protected], Website: www.abcfasteners.com

Oils & lubricants

Lubrication is necessary for the maintenance of motor vehicles, transformers, etc, as it not only

makes the engine run smoothly, but also reduces its rate of wear and tear. The engine fuel produces high pres-sure, which acts between the sliding surfaces like those in crankshaft bearings, and between the cylinder walls and the piston. Frictional forc-es acting between the sliding parts cause wear and tear of the engine. Unless the engine parts are properly lubricated, serious engine troubles are likely to occur. Raj Transoils has been catering to the lubrication needs of the various sectors. They manufacture and export transformer oil, motor starter oil, re-refi ned base oil, MTO spray oil, etc. All products are as per international norms and standards of quality.

Raj Transoils, Bahadurgarh 124 507.Tel: 0120-329817, Fax: 01276-268060, Mob: 9313045794

Nuts & bolts

Friends Engineering Works manufactures and offers nuts and bolts in all sizes suitable for a varied number of equipments and tools, primarily

electrical, electronic, automobile and hardware. Speciality has been achieved in fi ne threading. Quality control is at its best. Each and every piece undergoes stringent quality control checking before dispatch. Nuts and bolts of all sizes and specifi cations and for usage in all type of equipment, gadgets, switches and tools are available. Nuts and bolts of following specifi cations are being manufactured, such as nuts 3 to 16 mm, 1/8” to 5/16”, 6 to 2 BA; and bolts –6 mm to 5/16” in all sizes. Also manufactured are nuts and bolts as per customised requirements virtually for each and every kind of industry electrical gadgets, switches, telecommunication equipment, electronic equipment, machinery, automobiles and hardware.

Friends Engineering Works, Ludhiana 141 010.Tel: 0161-2673622, Fax: 0161-2673623, Mob: 09872464194Email: [email protected], Website: www.fewnuts.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 Certifi ed Company


PRODUCTS

Wrenches & spanners

Solsons Exports offers small wrenches and spanners (#SP622) that replace 21

wrenches and operate 42 stand-ard sizes in inch, metric and SAE. These wrenches and spanners automatically size any nut/bolt. They have self-adjusting rack and pinion design. Features include: slip-free grip as harder as turned, the tighter they are gripped; quick ratchet action; and shock-proof handles up to 100 V. The wrenches and spanners operate on rounded or stripped nuts/bolts of any standard or non-standard size. These are available in award winning interactive packag-ing. They are quality approved by British Standards Institution (BSI) London. The wrenches and spanners come with one-year limited warranty.

Solsons Exports Pvt Ltd, Ahmedabad 380 009.Tel: 079-2225 0488, 2642 3515, Fax: 079-2642 3729, 2656 9541, Email: [email protected], Website: www.solsons.com

Tyre infl ators

Digital automat-ic tyre infl ators (model SetAir-201S)

offered by Instrument Research Associates are fully automatic, safe, electroni-cally controlled closed loop systems to infl ate tyres accu-rately to a preset pressure level by adjusting the fi lling rate automatically after sens-ing the size and type of the tyre. These equipments auto-matically decide to infl ate or defl ate a tyre depending on the under-/over-pressure of the tyre. A single equip-

ment can infl ate and defl ate tyres of all types of vehicles including mopeds, scooters, mobikes, cars, vans, buses, trucks and tractors. The equipments offer utmost ease of operation to users who are not well versed in English. Features include: exhaustive facility for fast infl ation of fl at tyres; convert function to show the desired and actual tyre pressure in kg/cm³ and PSI; confi rm/backlight functions combined in one switch; LCD specially designed with icons to indicate the select units of pressure reading kg/cm, PSI, etc; and waterproof integrated keypad with positions of inc, dec, fl at tyre, convert and confi rm/backlight functions.

Instrument Research Associates Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru 560 100.Tel: 080-2852 0590/2/4, Fax: 080-2852 1525Email: [email protected], Website: www.irainstrumentation.com

Dock levellers

Textile Machinery Manufacturing Company manu-

factures and offers dock levellers (model TL-2H

& TL-3E) with lifting capacity up to 3000 kgs and 10000 kgs respectively. These dock levellers are available in modular and electro-hydraulic versions. They are ideal equipments for use where there is a difference in the levels of storage and level where goods are to be transferred. By acting as a bridge these dock levellers make work easier, faster and economical. A variety of customised versions are available to suit end-user requirements.

Textile Machinery Manufacturing Company, Ahmedabad 380 021.Tel: 079-2216 1389, 2294 1747, Fax: 079-2294 1822, Mob: [email protected]: [email protected], Website: www.truckmanindya.com

Spray guns

Pilot India manufactures and offers HVLP spray guns (model HVLP-03)

that are lightweight and come with sleek body. These spray guns have comfortable handle and trigger action. They make operation easier and non-tiring. The spray guns have round-to-fl at pattern adjustment. Water-based lacquers can also be applied. Other features include: air volume con-trol, symmetric gravity cup for perfect balance, etc. Unique air circulation technology (ACT) air cap deliv-ers greater transfer effi ciency resulting in substantial saving of material, which can be as high as 25-30 per cent. The versatility of these HVLP spray guns has resulted in multiple applications in diverse industries. Some of the technical specifi cations are: cup capacity 0.57 litres, gravity feed, gun distance from workpiece 200 mm (8”), fl uid nozzle orifi ce diameter 1.3 mm, required pressure 3 kgf/sqcm, minimum air compres-sor 3 HP, weight of gun with cup 700 gms.

Pilot India, Mumbai 400 069.Tel: 022-6697 8900, Fax: 022-6697 8907Email: [email protected], Website: www.pilotindia.com


PRODUCTS

Scissors lift tables

Servo Tech (India) offers an exclusive range of pit-mounted scissors lift tables that are designed as per specifi cations of clients. These scissors lift tables are fabricated using high grade of raw materials using most advanced technology. Apart from this, the range fi nds application in different sectors. Salient features include: multi-utility, highly durable,

lifting height up to desired height, etc. Technical specifi cations are: platform size of 1500 mm (L) x 800 mm (W) up to 10000 mm (L) x 4000 mm (W); minimum closed height 200-2000 mm; maximum lifted height 0-15000 mm; clear lift available 1500 mm; and load capacity 50-10000 kgs.

Servo Tech (India), New Delhi 110 059.Tel: 011-2325 9123, Fax: 011-2534 2007, Mob: 09810287375

Tools & alloy steels

Steel Mart offers import substitute tools and alloy steels to meet the demands of major industries, like defence, heavy and medium engineering, automobile, sugar,

cement and other small scale industries. The latest range of products include, specialised steel category of alloy steel forgings, carbon spring steel sheets, high manganese steel plates, wear resistant plates, die steel blocks, fl ange steels, boiler quality plates, etc. Apart from special steels, normal range of EN series steels is readily available off-the-shelf and the same can be supplied in random lengths as well as cut lengths as specifi ed.

Steel Mart, Mumbai 400 011.Tel: 022-2308 0096, Fax: 022-2307 9961, Mob: 09820038501Email: [email protected], Website: www.steelmartmumbai.com

Engine oils

Mahathol 2T Super from Mahatha Petroleum is a two-stroke engine oil developed with suitable base oil and select additives to minimise spark plug fouling and

pre-ignition. These oils prevent rusting, minimise deposit for-mation and provides protection against seizure, scuffi ng and wear. The oils also have advantage of lower oil consumption and contain diluents for easy mixing with petrol. These oils are recommended for all types of two stroke engines of mopeds, scooters, motorcycles and three wheelers. The recommended dosage of Mahathol 2T Super is 20 ml per litre of petrol.

Mahatha Petroleum Pvt Ltd, Chennai 600 117.Tel: 044-2247 1542, Fax: 044-2247 3800, Mob: 09444065754Email: [email protected], Website: www.mahathapetroleum.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 Certifi ed Company


PRODUCTS

Painting booths

Ami Industries offers side draft, non-pressurised painting booths that are

totally compact and suitable for small and medium size compo-nent painting. These painting booths are suitable for conven-tional or electrostatic hand guns with no addition or modifi ca-tion. Adequate exhaust results in effective removal of overspray paint particles and thus elimi-nates its setting on wet painted surface. They also provide clean air to the operator. Washing action minimises escape of

paint along with exhaust air and thus eliminates surround-ing pollution and also the risk of fi re. The air fl ows have been so designed so as to offer total comfort to operator and in accordance with safety standards applicable. They fi nd applications in automobile parts, control panels, pumps, valves, cycle parts, castings, fans, non-stick cookware, ball pens, air pins, refrigerators, etc.

Ami Industries, Mumbai 400 063.Tel: 022-2686 3120, Fax: 022-2873 4753Email: [email protected], Website: www.amiindustries.com

Welding holders

Atul Arc man-ufactures and offers

welding electrode holders that are available with fully-insulated brass body light-weight with fibre body. Some of the features of these welding holders include: for high conductivity of cur-rent (copper/bass) body; heat-resistant insulators for longer life; heavy-duty manual arc welding; current rat-ing up to 600 A; suitable for electrode dia up to 5 mm; open mouth jaw type; for better cable connection 2 Allen screws provided with grip plate in fully insulated; and for better cable connection 3 bolts provided with grip plate in semi-insulated.

Atul Arc, New Delhi 110 005.Tel: 011-2573 6102, Fax: 011-2705 3622, Mob: 9811825256, 9810273058 (SK Jain)Email: [email protected], Website: www.atularc.com / www.atularc.net

Pneumatic impact wrench

CP7749 from Chicago Pneumatic is the industry’s fi rst ½-inch pneumatic impact wrench to feature side-to-side (S2S®) forward/reverse functionality. This wrench

is well-balanced, lightweight at only 1.98 kg (4.37 pounds), and packs a punch with 980 Nm (725 ft lbs) of torque. This is a tool that reduces the strain on wrist and forearm common with the use of typical impact wrenches when changing direction of rotation. The exclusive S2S technology allows user to effort-lessly change between forward and reverse with one hand in any position. The three-position power regulator in forward provides control and helps to prevent over-tightening, while full power remains constant in reverse to ensure technicians have maximum power to remove fasteners without changing the set-ting in the forward position. The CP7749 is also available with a two-inch anvil (CP7749-2) for tyre removal applications when accessibility is an issue or the use of ‘fl ip’ sockets. In continu-ation to S2S series, Chicago Pneumatic plans to launch more variants in 3/8”, ½”, ¾” and 1” square drive categories.

Chicago Pneumatic has developed tools that helped build and maintain some of the world’s most recognisable land-marks. CP impact wrenches and riveting hammers were used to construct such icons and engineering marvels as the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge.


ADVERTISERS’ LIST

Pg No. Advertiser ...........................................Tel .................................E-mail ............................................Website

27,29 .. Automotive Dealership Excellance Awards ..+91-22-30034650 [email protected] .....www.adea.in

37 ...... Aftermarket Magzine .........................+91-22-30034651 [email protected]

17 ...... Auto Monitor Magzine .......................+91-22-30034651 [email protected] .....................www.amonline.in

3 ........ Bosch Limited ....................................+91-80-22999269 ......... [email protected] ...www.boschindia.com

BIC ..... Engineering Expo ...............................+91-9819552270 [email protected] .............www.engg-expo.com

BC ...... Litel Infrared Systems Pvt Ltd ............+91-20-66300636 ......... [email protected] ...........................www.litelir.com

5 ........ Madhus Garage Equipments ..............+91-80-26660656 [email protected] .........www.madhusindia.com

45 ...... Naman Electronics .............................+91-79-22900186 [email protected] ......www.namanelectronics.com

51 ...... Overdrive Hindi Magzine ................................................................................................................www.overdrive.in

39 ...... Sreelakshmi Traders ...........................+91-44-24343343 ......... [email protected] ....www.sreelakshmitraders.com

11 ...... Subros Ltd ..........................................+91-11-23414946 [email protected] ....................www.subroslimited.com

FIC ..... Sushma Industries..............................+91-80-28397463 [email protected] ...www.sushmaindustries.com

63 ...... Chicago Pneumatic Sales ...................+1800-200-0040 ..................................................................www.cp.com

� Our consistent advertisers

Rudrapur 23 - 26 Sept ’11

+91 98195 52270 | www.engg-expo.com | SMS EXPO to 51818

Ahmedabad14 - 17 Oct ’11

Pune18 - 21 Nov ’11

Chennai 8 - 11 Dec ’11

Indore6 - 9 Jan ’12

Aurangabad17 - 20 Feb ’12


PRODUCT INDEX

Product ................................................................................pg no.

4 gas analyser ....................................................................... 45

A/c service equipment .......................................................... 5

ADEA - Automotive Dealership Excellence Awards ............... 27,29

Aftermarket magzine ............................................................ 37

Air density monitoring systems ............................................ FIC

Alternatives........................................................................... 3

Auto monitor magzine ......................................................... 17

Automobile performance testing systems ............................ FIC

Automotive component testing systems ............................... FIC

Batteries ............................................................................... 3

Bottle cap torque testing systems......................................... FIC

Brake pads ............................................................................ 3

Brake testing equipment ...................................................... 5

Bus a/c .................................................................................. 11

Clutch plates & cover assemblies .......................................... 3

Collision repair system ......................................................... 5

Compressors ......................................................................... 11

Computerized wheel aligner ................................................ 45

Condensers ........................................................................... 11

Cooling module .................................................................... 11

Crimp testers ........................................................................ FIC

Diesel smoke meter .............................................................. 45

Exhibition - Engineering Expo .............................................. BIC

Filters .................................................................................... 3

Force ..................................................................................... FIC

Force & pressure calibration & testing equipment ............... FIC

Force & torque gauges .......................................................... FIC

Fuel injector cleaner ............................................................. 45

Gas analysers ........................................................................ 5

Product ................................................................................pg no.

Gasoline systems .................................................................. 3

Gear pumps .......................................................................... 3

Heating solutions .................................................................. BC

Horns .................................................................................... 3

Hvacs & evaporators ............................................................. 11

Instant drying & curing technology for water based colour . BC

Lighting ................................................................................ 3

Lubricants ............................................................................. 3

Motor testing systems ........................................................... FIC

Nitrogen infl ator ................................................................... 45

Overdrive Magzine ................................................................ 51

Pneumatic Tools ................................................................... 63

Pressure sensors and indicators ........................................... FIC

Relays ................................................................................... 3

Self adhesive tapes ............................................................... 39

Soses & tubes ....................................................................... 11

Spark plug ............................................................................ 3

Spot welding equipment ...................................................... 5

Spring testers ........................................................................ FIC

Starter motor ........................................................................ 3

Tensile testing systems ......................................................... FIC

Torque .................................................................................. FIC

Torque tool testers................................................................ FIC

Tyre changers ....................................................................... 5,45

Tyre infl ation equiment ........................................................ 5

Ventilators ............................................................................ 39

Wheel aligners ...................................................................... 5

Wheel balancers ................................................................... 5

Wheel blancer ....................................................................... 45

Wiper blades ......................................................................... 3

FIC : Front Inside Cover BIC : Back Inside Cover BC: Back cover

DATA


AP

RIL

201

1 15

9816

11

1900

45

69

1192

22

1600

24

66

0 24

453

566

4322

9 75

513

9233

60

20

5585

87

AP

RIL

201

0 14

8139

85

229

0 12

5788

11

0 28

39

850

1072

4 0

4459

6 46

855

7109

49

87

4772

26

%

Cha

nge

A

pril

11 o

ver

8%

31%

10

0%

(-)5

%

1355

%

(-)1

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12

8%

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(-

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61

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21

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3 23

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4 11

9058

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7014

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10

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770

1720

4 11

3805

8 68

4157

35

6090

7 47

889

1033

6148

AP

RIL

201

0 12

5667

6 19

3389

5 13

2457

47

5705

22

9373

14

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79

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2585

0 13

968

8684

68

5196

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3168

553

3956

7 88

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tal

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ar

(L

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r Tr

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(L.C

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Fron

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ler

(2 W

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eler

)

DATA


PERFORMANCE OF NATURAL RUBBER(Tonnes)

Production Consumption Import Export Stock at the end

May’10 56,400 79,150 15,372 1,478 18,7750

May‘11(p) 59,700 81,000 16,293 1,742 24,9470

April & May 2010 109,900 157,400 26,248 3,705

April & May 2011 (p) (% Growth)

116,500(6.0)

163,500(3.9)

22,811 3,849

(p): provisional

Production of NR for the month of May 2011 increased by 5.9% to 59,700 tonnes compared to 56,400 tonnes during the month of May 2010. The consumption of NR during the month of May 2011 decreased by 1.8% to 81,000 tonnes compared to 82,500 tonnes during the previous month.


Why Aftermarket?

India has been scripting success stories in the auto industry for some time now. Vehicle production has doubled in the last six years and still growing strong. And this momentum is expected to continue for the next few years as the density of passenger

cars in India is just 12 per 1,000 population, which is abysmally low even when compared with our Asean peers. Healthy economy, increasing disposable incomes, expanding urban centres, creation of new townships and growth in infrastructure will only catalyse the growth of automobiles further.

The used car market, which is still in its nascent stage, is predominantly in the unorganised sector. However, the business is set to boom due to infl ow of vehicles on account of shrinking life cycle of passenger cars - from about 15 years a decade ago to about fi ve years now, at least in the cities and towns. Today the cream for dealers lies in the after sales service, which is why multi-brand third part service stations are mushrooming. Most of the players in this space offer quick repair service, which is a money-spinner. And this is the stimulant for more players to get in to the organised multi-brand service centres and used car retail outlets.

It is a well known practice in the country that the owners of older vehicles migrate to independent service networks for various reasons including proximity, convenience, affordability and faster service. Besides, the trust that the neighbourhood garages offer outweighs the authorised service centres due to personal attention etc. Moreover, with the vehicle manufacturers focusing more on the warranty period, catering to service requirements of older cars are being taken up or shared by independent players. However, with the vehicles getting feature rich, the probabilities of the conventional garages offering repair services is getting reduced. To address the issue some of the branded third-party multi-brand car service companies have conceptualised methods to help these garages move up in the value chain both in terms of technical capability and profi tability.

These factors made the Indian automotive aftermarket grow at a steady pace. With the vehicle parc increasing it is expected to expand rapidly over the next fi ve years. The total size of the Indian aftermarket is currently estimated at `33,000 crore, while the global market is worth `2,700,000 crore. These mind-boggling fi gures only reemphasises further the potential for growth.

Automotive aftermarket offers tremendous opportunities for the players across the value chain and we at Infomedia 18 believe that these esteemed people should be informed of the developments periodically. And this is the impetus for launching a new magazine – Aftermarket.

The monthly magazine will keep you posted of the developments in this segment in terms of news, views, trends, technology, analysis and features on best dealerships and review of service centres.

Aftermarket will initially have eight sections – News, Rearview, Cover Story, Interview, Cutting Edge, Focus, Viewpoint and Extra Mile. Besides, it will have snippets on new products that come in to the aftermarket space. The News section will update you on the recent happenings while Rearview will look back some of the best service centres and their best practices. Each issue will have a cover story, which will be topical in nature. You will have the opportunity to listen to celebrity CEOs of companies operating in the aftermarket, in every issue under the Interview section. Cutting Edge will have stories on technology, Focus on some issues concerning the segment and Viewpoint, as it denotes, will have the viewpoint of industry representatives. The last section, Extra Mile, is all about the art of selling automobiles – you will have stories on the best dealerships and can be a stimulant for you to emulate best practices.

- T Murrali

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Documents

Aftermarket - July 2011