IT Fuel for the Automobile Sprint

Ever since the first automobile was rolled out in India in 1897 and Walchand Hirachand started Premier Automobiles Ltd. by assembling De Soto cars at a small facility in Mumbai, the story of these machines of motion has been one of the remarkable technological transcendences. Cast as the terminal point in this series of geometric technological progression is the IT-powered automobiles. As India Inc. gears itself up to claim the premier place under the automobile run, to hold the ground already won and to satisfy its hunger for more global automobile market share, ever-increasing IT applications in the automotive sector is the call of the hour. VARIndia ventures into a digital exploration of this critical kinetic equation with IT as the variable.     


As we drive down from our offices to homes, very few of us would ever have realized that the cozy comfort, the floating sensation that we indulge ourselves in has been feasible because of a combination of mechatronics and microcomputer controls, navigation and communications systems in-built in our cars. IT has, indeed, brought about far-reaching changes into our travel experience. It is heartening to see the Indian automotive sector carving its niche in the global market. Major European and US automotive giants like BMW and Daimler-Chrysler are recognizing and accepting the Indian vehicles and components. As per an estimate by SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers), the automotive sector is set to become a $145 billion industry by 2016, with an additional employment generation of 25 million jobs. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also emphasized that the Government would take all the necessary measures to make India world’s manufacturing workshop. If this is to be translated into a reality, then the sector will have to be out and out innovative. To address the challenges and ward off stiff competition from Mexico, China and the Philippines, Indian automobile manufacturers should increasingly leverage IT to create value for the business.

IT lubricating the Automotive friction
Apart from differentiation on the ground of design and image, safety and ergonomics, the industry is a demanding one for OEMs, component suppliers as well as the electronics industry, especially semiconductors. The thrust is on building cleaner cars for a safe and pollution-free environment, and, last but not the least, comfort and infotainment solutions.

With electronics filling up nearly 20 per cent of a vehicle’s systems, today’s cars are nothing but software-defined systems. Luxury cars are loaded with between 40 and 70 electronic control modules along with sensors and actuators. The trend, without doubt, is towards making abundant use of electronics and associated mechatronic systems and information-driven software will increasingly define automobiles. High- performance computing which has played a critical role in reviving the US automotive industry is all set to re-enact the same in the Indian sector. It enriches product quality, streamlines designs, improves vehicular safety and boosts fuel efficiency, while reducing production cost and development time.

Information technology has become a strategic asset for the automotive industry. The focus is shifting from overall cost reduction to improving in value and support for business growth and a better customer experience. Global biggies such as Bosch, BMW, Ford, Delphi, General Motors, Chrysler, Honda and their Indian counterparts like Bajaj and Maruti are stressing to make the IT integration more efficient and innovative. Automotive executives increasingly view IT as a key contributor to their business success. Many auto majors are seeking software solutions from vendors, while some choose joint ventures to develop software for their vehicles.

Tata Motors has roped in Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd. to design and jointly develop electronic products. The companies are using IT to provide improved features in the vehicles as well as for better sales and administration. Software such as product lifecycle management (PLM) and in-vehicle solutions are helping to provide better features to the customers.

HPC essaying a silent revolution
High-performance computing (HPC) is another significant IT application in the automotive industry. It is used in mechanical computer-aided design and computer-aided engineering to test structural integrity, airflow motions of components and systems and simulated crash testing. HPC is plunging for an evolutionary development that will help drive accelerated speed to market, significant cost reductions and astounding flexibility.

HPC will certainly help manufacturers relate the impact of a design change to the costs and investments. Microsoft’s Windows Compute Cluster Server offers significant solutions in this category. The auto industry can now play a greater role in the development of alternative fuels, as auto engineers examine the impact of design on fuels and of a fuel’s chemical composition on the vehicle’s performance

In-vehicle networks networking your comforts
KPIT Cummins Infosystems has collaborated with CG-Smith Software to provide certain complementary practices for automotive electronics such as Body Electronics, Vehicle Networks, Chassis/Safety, Driver Information Systems and Audio systems. Additionally, it also offers several customer relationships, product IPs, capabilities and scale in the sector. KPIT has developed four products for in-vehicle networks.

The in-vehicle solutions connect various Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and reduce the development time and cost substantially. The software services have augmented the engineering capacity for car manufacturing. BMW X5 is equipped with Freescale’s new 32-bit FlexRay MCUs enabling 10 Mbps bandwidth for collision avoidance, powertrain management and driver assistance.

Semiconductors conducting the motion-machines
The semiconductors era has arrived in the automobile industry. Freescale, whose microcontrollers are used in body control modules, instrument clusters, engine control units, wiper controls, power windows lifts, glow plug timers is also designing and manufacturing sensors, access and remote control transmitters and receivers for applications such as keyless entry. The trend is that safer automobiles, anti-lock braking system (ABS), traction control system (TCS), airbags, electronic stability program will increasingly be used in the future. Freescale also works with auto component suppliers and Bajaj for its MCUs in the areas of electronic ignition control, cluster and body electronics for Bajaj motorbikes.

Although the four-wheeler segment is growing, but very few vehicles offer enhanced features for fear of cost enhancement. Adoption of microcontrollers, RFID technology and advanced driver assistance systems, adaptive cruise control in the Indian market is also low because of that.

PLM the way forward Automobile manufacturers also need to deliver increasingly more complex products, while lowering product development costs. PLM solutions help them to enable key processes such as requirements-driven design, portfolio and program management, product design, engineering and simulation and manufacturing process planning and simulation.

UGS, a provider of the technology, targets key automotive industry initiatives like commonisation and reuse, change management, strategic sourcing, knowledge-driven automation and supply chain synchronization. Maruti, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and Bajaj –and other automotive suppliers in India – look to UGS for this technology. To compete in dynamic markets, more and more automotive manufacturers are opting for mechatronic systems (the ability to incorporate electronics and software into a mechanical product) in their products in a big wa y.

Currents of Change
Unless customers prepare themselves to pay a premium for new MCU-enabled applications, Indian automobiles cannot boast of feature- enriched IT-enabled vehicles. However, customer awareness is changing the scenario. Although automotive companies appreciate the value of implementing PLM in their products, the need to discipline their existing processes to be able to leverage the value of these solutions puts for speedy adoption.

Safety the IT way
Presently, there are 3,000 deaths happening in our country every day. eSafety has been touted as the most potential weapon to ward off this fatal danger.

In the recently held
“Proceedings of EU-India eSafety Conference”, while delivering the keynote address on road safety aspects, A. P. Joshi, Managing Director of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, shared Karnataka’s experience in bringing in ITS to increase traffic management efficiency. To avoid road fatalities, KSRTC has taken various IT initiatives and several others, particularly in accounting GPS and Passenger Information system. It has also introduced the e-Ticket system for passengers’ convenience.

In the IT sector, India is leading as the second-largest country with over 3,000 IT service providers. In the automotive sector, the Government of India will be investing half a million dollars over the next four years. India has a turnover of 37 million dollars and investment of 412 million dollars is in the pipeline. There is an investment of US$7 million, according to the figures of 2005-2006 .We also have 10 million vehicles across our country. Therefore, from the safety perspective, introduction of eSafety has become the crying need of the hour. Implementation of the GPS by various transport corporations will go a long way in addressing the traffic problem on the killing Indian roads. GPS will design the transport system in the manner that we can extract the maximum benefit out of the limited road space available.

Complementarily Yours
To sign off, India’s two most vibrant complementary industries have found a magical interdependence and an astounding complementarity. Each sector’s growth will significantly propel the other sector’s growth. But for this to continue, each of them needs to explore the space in the other’s area of operation where it can fit in to leverage its expertise and this makes significant business sense. Hence, their commitment to each other should be “helping to grow and growing to help”.