Leading supplier of safety, technology and connectivity systems for the CV industry, WABCO is eagerly awaiting the BS-VI shift in India, a move it sees as a welcome one for the industry over the long-term and a highly opportune one for its growth in the market. P. Kaniappan, Managing Director, WABCO India, shares his thoughts with N. Balasubramanian on the upcoming transition.
BS-VI fuel norms will come into effect from April 1 this year. How do you think it will differ from the previous emission norms and what will be the market impact?
With the leap from BS-IV to BS-VI in April, the auto industry will take a significant step in the right direction towards harmonizing and being on par with emission norms of the European and American markets. In the BS-VI regime, given that the vehicles and the technology in them would be on par with the global standards, it will set a level playing field for both OEMs and auto component industry players to participate in the global market through exports. BS-VI migration would also propel the switch to cleaner fuel in the country.
How do you see its implementation affecting the manufacturing ecosystem in India? How does WABCO India plan to respond to these changes?
Globally, WABCO has been rated as one of the most successful and dependable suppliers of safety, technology and connectivity systems in the CV industry. For WABCO India, this opportunity means that air consumption in the vehicle would increase for the treatment of the exhaust gases, thus driving a need for bigger size compressors on these vehicle platforms. To cater to the higher operating temperatures and have precise control that is mandated to meet BS-VI norms, retarders would have to be redesigned. The stricter safety norms will help WABCO in working closely with manufacturers to further penetrate the Indian market and introduce newer technologies for the benefit of its customers. We are currently working with various OEMs to introduce advanced technologies as value enhancers along with BS-VI introduction like Hill Start Aid (HSA), Automatic Traction Control (ATC), Air Disc Brakes (ADB), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), and Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
This shift brings in numerous digitalization opportunities within the entire ecosystem and there is a significant potential to mobilize vehicle intelligence to provide deep meaningful insights on the vehicle performance to the end user.
On the aftertreatment side, the maintenance of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) is of paramount importance in the new BS-VI regime, and with this in mind WABCO has introduced Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) to maintain the efficiency of the SCR system.
How will you maintain support for BS-VI compliance requirements while keeping a check on the cost?
In India, WABCO is continuously working towards developing cost-effective and reliable solutions to assist these trends in the industry. WABCO India is today working with several OEMs in the country to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by recommending the right value enhancers and by providing improved uptime for the fleets through connectivity and diagnostic solutions. Post GST and increased axle load norms; the fleets are looking at amplified vehicle utilization and optimizing their total cost of ownership. In line with this, WABCO’s advanced solutions including our AMT solution, FMS and TPMS, would further support the fleets to better manage their costs and improve overall efficiency.
We also feel that the logistics cost in India is still quite high. However, the government has committed to reduce this cost, by improving infrastructure and the adoption of tractor-trailer combinations. In this regard, WABCO along with key OEMs will work in synergy with the government’s mission to upgrade the trailer industry to keep up with global standards.
What opportunities do you see for WABCO India going forward?
WABCO always views India with a positive outlook for the long term. With BS-VI we will be harmonizing the technology with global markets. We believe that the service industry will have to consolidate and become structured, paving the way for numerous possibilities for organized players in the market. Fleet consolidation and the arrival of mega fleets will be a trend to expect in future, and this will shift the focus to TCO and adoption of advanced technologies to optimize the same. WABCO in India would continue to bring advanced technologies and offer localized solution to the Indian CV industry.