Move to support customers on BS-IV & BS-VI applications
BorgWarner Cooling Systems (India) Private Ltd., a subsidiary of BorgWarner Thermal Systems Inc., has opened a new fully-automated Visctronics assembly line at its state-of-the-art plant in Sriperumpudur near Chennai. The new line will cater to locally producing electronically-controlled Visctronic fan drives that will be predominantly used in BS-IV and BS-VI applications, reflecting BorgWarner’s commitment to the Indian market and its efforts to support local customers.
Commenting on the development, Mr. Karl Wagner, Vice President Global Sales & Engineering, Thermal Systems, BorgWarner, said: “We recognized the requirement and the potential in the Indian market very early but it needed a certain demand that would make it possible for the OEMs and end-users to appreciate the value of these products and the benefits they offer. The upcoming emission legislations clearly indicate the progress of the Indian market. It’s not only the BS-IV but what really makes a big difference is the market starting to talk about BS-VI very early which is making the OEMs think about the future.”
BorgWarner has been producing viscous fan drives and polymer fans at the facility for the Indian commercial and light-duty vehicle segments since 2002. The company has also been importing and delivering the new generation of electronically-controlled variable speed Visctronic fan drives to customers in the Indian market since 2015, so the localization move will further benefit customers by bringing down costs and making the logistics smoother. With an annual capacity of 500,000 units, the new line will start rolling out products in Q2, in sync with the introduction of BS-IV across the country.
Sharing his views on the occasion, Mr. G. Murali, Director and Plant Head, BorgWarner Cooling Systems (India), shared: “We saw a growing need for bringing in products to meet environment regulations, especially when discussions on BS-IV introduction became stronger. We decided to invest in a new product line to cater to the BS-IV requirements of the market. This line is capable of manufacturing V2P and Gen2 Fan Drives & Actuators for heavy, medium & light-duty vehicles respectively. We received a trigger by one customer in May 2015 and decided to take it forward in a strong way. Now we have requests from other customers for a range of Visctronic products.”
Tech advantage
Featuring precise electronic control and BorgWarner’s proven viscous technology, Visctronic fan drives respond directly to engine cooling needs, resulting in more available horsepower, improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions. The Visctronic variable speed fan drives use specially calibrated software to communicate with the engine’s electronic control unit, continuously responding directly to the engine’s needs based on engine temperature, engine speed, vehicle speed or engine load. Even under dynamic conditions, the Visctronic fan drives operate only when needed, reducing average fan speed in any given duty cycle. As engine needs change, the system responds quickly for more precise cooling than traditional fan drives. As a result, the engine runs more efficiently, delivers more horsepower, uses less fuel and emits fewer emissions. In addition, the technology features a maintenance-free design and improves driver comfort with low noise, vibration and harshness.
Talking about BorgWarner’s competitive advantages, Mr. Wagner explained: “There are not too many alternatives for our Visctronics solution as this is the state-of-the-art technology today, if we stay below fully-electrified systems. Apart from the technology edge, our global footprint enables us support global customers who come to India which gives us a major competitive advantage. Looking beyond our Thermal division, the systems understanding at BorgWarner from an engine and powertrain perspective is another very important competitive advantage which puts us ahead of others in the market.”
Mr. Murali added: “Visctronics is a technology where our Drive can receive inputs on seven different parameters through the engine ECU. It is essential for customers to apply the product well in order and derive the best value from the product. The product differs from one customer to another and from one application to another, so we have different solutions for buses, trucks, tippers, tractor-trailers, etc., primarily depending on the engine rating and the heat generation.”
While BorgWarner plans to focus on the CV segment to start with, it also sees good potential for its Visctronics products in other segments including off-highway, agricultural tractors and light trucks. Within the CV space, the strong demand from the M&HCV segment has been complemented by encouraging response from the bus segment, driven mainly by the STUs. BorgWarner has already equipped its Gen2 Fan Drive in some of the buses resulting in improved fuel efficiency for operators.
Future steps
With Make-in-India becoming a buzz word not just in India but also globally over the last couple of years, BorgWarner is keen on using its new production capability to ship out products to relevant neighboring markets. “The product and the processes involved in making it here are exactly the same as in our global facilities, in line with our global quality standards. We have a strategy of being close to our customers, so we will also cater to the Visctronic product requirements of our customers in the South-East Asian and Korean market from our Chennai facility. We plan export our first product in 2018”, revealed the Indian Director and Plant Head.
Concluding with a comment on BorgWarner’s future plans for the Indian market, Mr. Wagner said: “India was growing a bit slower compared to what could have been expected but it is definitely a very sustainable growth. India is doing the right thing and that’s the exciting thing about the market – its market potential and sustainable migration to next generation technology. Therefore, I’m very optimistic and confident that there will be more investment into India from BorgWarner moving forward.”