The Gurugram-based automotive technology company is making strides of innovation and sophistication in design, development and production of emission control systems and key products for hybrid and electric vehicles.
“It was a major challenge for us – an Indian company – to be accepted as a technology supplier in global markets, since our competitors have always been globally renowned ones. As a corollary, satisfying our customers to the best possible way and achieve prime recognition as technology company in the industry became our vision statement”
– Mr. Kabir Bhandari, Founder and MD, Padmini VNA Mechatronics
Technology is shaping our future. It is an ontological fact that an old problem and a new spark of idea begets innovation in perpetuum, and the more problems identified, the more the transformation, all tipped in an endless continuum.
An illustrious case in point is the future of automobiles. Hinged to a multi-directional evolution and progress, the automotive industry is being shaken up by profound quest for technological innovation in a big way today. Innovations egress throughout the supply chain, unlike the previous era.
It is indeed this quest for technological innovation and sophisticated engineering that has transformed Padmini VNA Mechatronics into a global solutions provider with a wide range of product portfolio.
Its story has a very humble beginning that dates back to 1991 when the newly found company started producing automotive horns. Thanks to enhanced product lifecycle, the horns were a big hit among OEMs, and the company seized about 80 per cent market share within three years to become a distinct market leader in the segment.
Founder and Managing Director today, Mr. Kabir Bhandari says that later in 1999-2000 came the next break for his company. “In a bid to expand our business, we were looking for more high-technology product portfolio, the time when clean emission systems were fast emerging across the globe. We ventured into the making of new products – EGR valves, water separators, vacuum pumps, and solenoid valves – that matched our pursuits of technology”, he claims, while recollecting his company’s destiny with mechatronics.
“It then became clear to us that clean emission systems are our future. We sold our horn business in 2005 and shifted our focus towards developing innovative solutions for emission control engineering”, adds the MD. Today, Padmini VNA’s entire product portfolio is into energy efficiency and CO2 reductions, which includes a wide range of solenoid valves, pumps, actuators, evaporative components, thermal management solutions for engine fluids, electronics control sensors, EGR, and throttles, to name a few.
Striking right chords
Noting that the demand for automotive emission control systems is driven by legislation in all markets, and that different markets have different technological standards, Mr. Bhandari said that it became pertinent for his company to set its priorities right. “Since India was lagging behind Western markets in terms of clean emission mandates in the beginning of the century, we realised the catering only to local OEM requirements would simply mean imitating technologies and solutions from global markets, and hence no scope for in-house innovation”.
That when in 2008, he continued, we started to look for opportunities in developed markets starting with European OEMs. To convince those customers that we are a reliable technology supplier, we had to innovate in every avenue possible. “We worked on to bring best hardware and software for efficient heat and mass transfer, invested on finite element analysis, electromagnetic and systems designs, backed by superior simulation and testing facilities”, he added.
The company has about 45 patents to its credit as a testimony to its problem-solving abilities through innovative designs and engineering. He brought the lego blocks that kids play with as an apt metaphor – “If you have the right building blocks, you can build whatever products you want to”.
“To realise our global potentials, the first step was to gain the trust of international customers. In the last decade, we have gained entry into the largest and most prestigious automakers around the globe. Our next step is to deliver their big projects on time and commit ourselves to constant technological innovation. If we did, we see years of excellent growth ahead of us”, observes Mr. Bhandari. Supplying to almost all leading automakers and tier-1 suppliers of North America, Europe and Japan, companies like Toyota, Honda, BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler have already recognized Padmini VNA as their development partner.
Although the company’s primary focus is on Western markets and high-technology products, its in-house innovation naturally ends up serving the domestic OEM requirements as well, as and when the market is ready. It is already supplying a variety of products to almost all two-wheeler and passenger car makers located in India. “As first things first, we made a conscious decision to diversity our business in terms of geography, vehicular segments, and fuel types, so as to stay innovative in our turf and immune to changing market dynamics”, noted Mr. Bhandari.
A ‘Hybrid’ Future
For CV and off-road applications, the company offerings include innovative and efficient products for engine, transmission, exhaust and electronic applications, including brushless actuators with more than 10 million operation cycle life, turbo charger actuators, SCR system aggregates, and so on. Its client base in this segment includes invariably all tractor manufacturers in India, along with truck makers like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra, Eicher and Daimler.
Establishing that the trucks and off-road segments will continue to stay with diesel fuel in future, passenger vehicles are likely to embrace hybrid technologies, followed by electric and hydrogen fuel cell, to go greener, opines Mr. Kabir Bhandari. “We foresee enormous demand for hybrid systems in the years to come, and the trend has already started in the Western markets”, he added, while pointing out that Padmini VNA is fully geared up to leverage the scenario.
The company has developed the lightest, energy-efficient and reliable components for hybrid vehicles, including fuel tank isolation valves with integrated pressure sensor, smart e-actuators, water solenoid valve, electric water pumps, dual purge valve, fuel adaptor, etc. Padmini VNA also revealed that it is supplying similar products to a leading German EV maker as well among other client orders in this regard. An yet another cutting-edge technology product that the company has developed for next-generation cars and commercial vehicles is liquid cooling and heating technology for seats.
“In the last 14 years, we have grown at a CAGR of 16.5 per cent. We do face the heat of the competition, but as long as our products are technologically reliable and cost-effective, and if we can satisfy our clients to the best, we see enough demand and growth ahead”, claimed Mr. Bhandari. With almost 100 per cent supply to direct OEMs and tier-I, the exports of Padmini VNA will reach the 50 per cent volume threshold in the next two years.
“We are risk-averse, so we always prefer to grow slowly and steadily, backed by consistent in-house innovation and engineering sophistication towards smarter clean emission systems”, he added.