For more than 100 years worldwide and close to a decade in India, Eaton’s Vehicle business has been providing leading-edge vehicle technologies and components that enhance power and fuel efficiency and make transportation safer and more reliable.
“Eaton is a partner of choice for leading passenger and commercial vehicle OEMs in India. Our focus will continue to help OEMs in India with the latest vehicle technologies that increase fuel economy as well as improve a vehicle’s overall efficiency, performance and control in a sustainable manner.” says Mr. Krishnakumar Srinivasan, President of Eaton’s Vehicle business for the Asia Pacific region. “Auto Expo has always been an excellent platform to interact with industry peers and customers, understand new trends and exhibit our capabilities. We are also excited to launch a few of our globally proven technologies for the India market at the show.”
Today Eaton, with its wide range of vehicle technologies and solutions, is well positioned in India to provide safe, sustainable, efficient and reliable solutions to its customers. At Auto Expo, the company is showcasing its range of industry-leading products and technology offerings to the commercial vehicle, off-highway and passenger car markets.
Medium and heavy duty transmissions
Eaton is rapidly strengthening its customer footprint in India by offering highly efficient and reliable 6 and 9-speed transmissions suitable for the demanding Indian operating conditions. Presently, over 60,000 Eaton transmissions are operating successfully on Indian roads. The transmissions are recognized for superior product performance, reliability and robustness and are locally manufactured at Eaton’s state-of-the-art 8-acre greenfield plant at Ranjangaon, near Pune. Eaton’s transmission products and components for display at Auto Expo include automated medium duty dual clutch transmission, automated manual transmissions (AMT) for bus applications, enhanced 6-speed and 9-speed manual transmissions, and clutches for demanding applications.
Valvetrain products
Eaton forayed into the Indian automotive market in 2008 with its engine valves business, which today is strategically spread across key segments such as passenger cars, commercial vehicles, off-highway equipment, railways and aftermarket. Apart from a growing domestic customer base, valves produced in India are also exported to global customers in Europe, the US and the Asia Pacific region.
Eaton in India produces over 20 million engine valves annually at its world-class facilities in Ahmednagar and Nashik and also offers full-service supplier capabilities for design and development of complete valvetrain for new engine development programs of OEMs. Also on display is Eaton’s range of engine valves and valve actuation products like hydraulic lash adjusters, rocker arms and engine brakes at the expo.
Torque control products
Eaton also has an extensive portfolio to address the growing needs of various off-road and off-highway applications which help in improving product utility and vehicle uptime.
Eaton will also be displaying its mechanical locking differential – MLocker for pick-up trucks and SUVs that provides traction automatically on demand. It utilizes a self-energizing clutch system and gets activated in low traction situations when a wheel speed difference is detected. Automatic locking takes place within a fraction of a second, providing the driver with increased safety and confidence when travelling on wet, slippery or muddy roads. The mechanical locker is also compatible with the existing anti-lock brake and vehicle stability systems, which simplifies platform integration for global OEMs. In India, Eaton is already supplying MLocker to leading OEMs for use in both domestic and export vehicles.
Eaton’s NoSpin, a patented differential for off-highway commercial vehicles, will also be on display. NoSpin maximizes traction by delivering 100% of the torque and power to both drive wheels. It is engineered to keep both wheels in a constant drive mode and yet has the ability to automatically unlock during vehicle turning to permit necessary wheel speed differentiation.
In addition, some leading technologies such as Supercharger and fuel emission control valves will also be showcased. Eaton’s Supercharger for gasoline and alternate fuel engines help in engine downsizing and down speeding, while significantly minimizing the response lag and improving fuel efficiency. It maintains instant throttle response and torque across the engine’s entire power band, especially at low rpm. In India, Eaton is working with leading OEMs to demonstrate the supercharger’s technology benefits.
Eaton’s fuel emission control valves manage refueling dynamics for both petrol and diesel systems. Eaton has experience of over two decades as a leader in fuel emissions management and has a comprehensive portfolio of patented products that support various applications. The group develops value-driven fuel venting solutions to meet most demanding emission regulations such as the Evaporative Emission Norms (EVAP). It has full-fledged design, testing and system integration capability to address EVAP compliance.
Eaton’s leadership in this highly competitive market scenario is attributed to its capability in understanding customer needs and offering localized and customized solutions. It has active engagement with all major OEMs in the country. With the growing customer base for its transmissions in India, the company is expanding and strengthening the service network across the country. Eaton Authorized Service Centers (EASCs) have been set up at key strategic locations to service transport and logistics service-providers as well as OEMs. There are 12 completely functional EASCs across India. The company keeps strengthening its aftermarket channels with the addition of more EASCs and field technicians. Eaton also invests hugely in field training, and as on date more than 4,500 technicians at OEMs and dealerships have been trained.
The way ahead
Eaton’s Vehicle business in India continues addressing the end market needs and providing tailor-made solutions for demanding Indian applications. Truck products in focus include manual transmissions, AMT and clutches. The plan is to have deeper market penetration by portfolio expansion, targeting additional applications and OEMs.
Eaton also continues to expand its automotive offerings like engine valves, valve actuations, engine brakes, fuel emission solutions, torque controls and superchargers for various applications for the Indian automotive industry.
Eaton is focused on enhancing its presence in India across all key business segments and leveraging the diverse opportunities that India offers. Today, with 18 key locations and seven manufacturing facilities, all of Eaton’s businesses, namely, Electrical, Hydraulics, Vehicle and Aerospace, are well represented in India. The company remains committed to introducing the latest technologies in the country to help customers address their power management needs more efficiently, safely, reliably and sustainably.