In a bid to increase the localisation of BS-VI components, auto component major Continental announced that the company is adding new production lines at its Manesar plant to meet growing India requirement. The company is significantly increasing its capacity to produce speed sensors at its plant to meet the growing demand caused by recent safety and emission legislations in India.
“Continental has been an ardent advocate and promoter of integrated road safety technologies across different markets. On-road fatalities in India are significantly higher, as compared to other markets. For this reason, it becomes critical for us to have a strong focus on road safety technologies for the region,” said Prashanth Doreswamy, market head of Continental India and MD, Continental Automotive, India.
He also said, “With our wide portfolio of safety technologies, we are supporting OEMs in India and in global market to achieve optimal level of vehicle safety.”
According to Sukhdeep Sandhu, head of Continental’s passive safety & sensorics business unit in India, “Continental has been consistent in standardizing processes and components across different locations. Last year we completed one million units of electronic brake systems production from the Gurgaon plant. We reached a milestone for production of one million airbag control units this year. And in this occasion, we have achieved full capacity utilization, by producing one million speed sensors a month. This means that in a year we will reach the target of producing more than 12 million speed sensor units.”
Sandhu also said, “These achievements speak volumes about Continental’s commitment for vehicle safety. In addition, we have been rapidly expanding our production capacity to meet increasing OEM requirement.”
With the vehicle safety legislation coming to effect in April 2019, there is a rapid increase in demand for ABS units. The signals from the wheel speed sensors are required for control systems like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This information is used to prevent the wheels from locking or spinning, thus taking an appropriate control action to maintain the vehicle’s stability and steering responses.
When Bharat Stage VI comes into action in April 2020, the emission norms will demand advanced technologies to support the upgradation. This is where engine speed sensors will be of great value as they provide information to the Engine Management System to control the ignition and injection times, allowing compliance to the exhaust gas regulation and reduction in fuel consumption.
The transmission speed sensors provide a highly accurate speed signal of gear in the transmission box. The sensor signals are used by the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) to control the transmission box.
“Apart from the manufacturing capabilities, Continental has also invested in R&D development, with teams located in Manesar and Bangalore. For the speed sensors, the team in Manesar does the complete design, prototyping and validation. Our R&D team works closely with our customers to design and develop products relevant to the market,” added Sandhu.
At the Manesar plant, the company has reached a milestone of producing one million speed sensor units a month. The speed sensor product portfolio of Continental includes wheel, engine and transmission speed sensors for passenger vehicles, while for 2-wheelers it is wheel and engine speed sensors.