German tier 1 supplier Continental’s Gurgaon plant has attained a new production milestone of producing 10 million Electronic Brake Systems (EBS) and 100 million Wheel Speed Sensors (WSS), two components integral to the safety of a vehicle. 

The EBS portfolio comprises Electronic Stability Control (ESC) for passenger cars and Anti-lock Brake Systems (ABS) for both, passenger cars and two-wheelers. It provides directional stability and steerability of the vehicle whereas, ABS aims to avoid locking of the wheels and keeps the vehicle steerable during braking. Additionally, the signals from the WSS are required for control systems like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).

The company states that over 1.3 million people loose their lives in road accidents worldwide every year and more than 50 million are injured. In India, 53 accidents and 19 deaths occur every hour, or an average of 1,264 accidents and 42 deaths daily due to road crashes, according to a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways report in 2023. To enhance road safety in the country, ABS technology was made mandatory in 2019, followed by a proposal for ESC in 2022 by the government.  

Sukhdeep Sandhu, Head of Safety and Motion, Continental Automotive India said, “Safety is non-negotiable. At Continental, we have consistently brought relevant technologies to the market for our customers, helping make vehicles and thereby our roads safer. Our expertise in active and passive safety systems is a key driver in reducing the number of traffic-related fatalities, injuries, and road accidents”.

“Localisation is at the core of company’s strategy in India. Supported by legislations which have played a huge role in ensuring vehicular safety, we have been able to localise both production and R&D, ensuring greater value to our customers in the market. Customers in India are proactive in their adoption approach towards safety technologies”, he added.

Continental’s ‘Vision Zero’ is focussing on ensuring zero road fatalities, injuries and crashes, through technologies, components and systems and ongoing innovations.

The tier 1 supplier is also one of the largest manufacturers of WSS in India. Apart from catering to leading OEMs in India, these components are also exported to other Asian and European regions.

Anudeep Garg, Head of the Gurgaon plant, Continental Automotive India said, “We are proud to achieve this milestone and continue to focus on localisation. As a Tier 1 supplier, we follow global manufacturing standards and have adopted several advanced technologies to create a digital shopfloor. Additionally, industry 4.0 technologies enable us to not only maintain product quality and enhance efficiency but also to effectively streamline our supply chain. We aim to increase the manufacturing capacity of EBS and WSS in double-digit percentages in the next three years for both passenger vehicles as well two-wheelers.” 

Continental’s ‘in the market, for the market’ approach has seen its entire value chain from R&D to design and production being localised. This way Continental is focusing on enabling easy access to safety products by adapting globally proven technologies to suit the local market. Wide-scale production offers economy of scale and ensures cost advantage, thereby contributing to increased democratization of safety features in vehicles across segments in India.

It was in 2016, when Continental set up assembly lines in Gurugram for Antilock Brake Systems (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems for two-wheelers and passenger cars. In 2018, it commenced production for ABS and ESC Electronic Control Units (ECU) at its Bengaluru plant. In the subsequent year, the company achieved the production milestone of one million ABS and ESC ECUs at its Bengaluru plant, and in 2020, reached a milestone of 50 Million Wheel Speed Sensors (WSS) at its Manesar plant. Additionally, Continental entered into a joint venture with Japanese firm Nisshinbo Holdings in 2022, to localise machining for valve blocks for Electronic Brake Systems (EBS) in India. 

Freudenberg Gala Household Products (FGHP) has expanded its production and office facilities in Adas, Gujarat. The expansion represents a significant step towards increasing the site's capability to suit the rising demand for innovative home product solutions in India and throughout the world.

The new production space, which is more than 3,086 square metres in size, is dedicated to making foot pedals and floor cleaning supplies for spin mop machines. Twenty-one moulding machines, two spin mop assembly lines and five state-of-the-art pedal production lines will all be housed at the building. The spin mops will be offered for sale under the Gala brand, which is India's top cleaning brand. The foot pedals are meant to be included into cleaning products that are marketed in the US. The expansion increases the current capacity of 20 million brooms and brushes to over a million spin mops and five million footpedals.

Jatin Gala, General Manager India, FGHP, said “By expanding our premises, we significantly boost production capacities and efficiency while optimising workflows. This enables us to meet increasing domestic demand for spin mops. Also, we reinforce the site’s status as a hub for innovation and productivity within FHCS by supplying pedals for our O-Cedar products in the US.

Karin Overbeck, CEO, Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions (FHCS), said “Our joint venture with FGHP has been very fruitful. In just over a decade, we have increased net sales tenfold, and we see great potential for further growth. By investing in the site’s expansion, we bolster our strategic position in India and underpin the market leadership of Gala.”

TVS Motor Company, one of the leading two- and three-wheeler manufacturers in the country, has announced its ambitious investment plans for Karnataka.

The company recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Karnataka government to invest INR 20 billion in the state over the next five years.

The investment will be deployed towards not only expanding its production and engineering capabilities, but also set-up new company office, test track and a global capability centre.

The announcement was made by Sudarshan Venu, Managing Director, TVS Motor Company, at the inaugural event of the Global Investors Meet (GIM), Invest Karnataka 2025.

“We envision a capability centre that will draw top talent and great ideas, and have research capability to be the birthplace of next-gen bikes. The office and allied infrastructure will bring together engineers, designers, innovators, AI and ML experts, who will define what is next! Karnataka is a place where great ideas take off and we are excited to expand our footprint in the state.” 

“TVS Motor has emerged as the world’s fourth largest two-wheeler company, with 58 million users globally – an achievement that would not be possible without the guidance of stakeholders in the government. As we make progress towards our 2030 goals, the plan that we have outlined today will help deliver impactful solutions in personal and commercial mobility, setting new benchmarks,” said Venu.

At present, TVS Motor Co operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Mysuru that employs more than 3,500 people and has a annual production capacity of 1.5 million vehicles. The present production facility contributes around INR 12 billion of export revenue of the INR 76 billion revenue generated. With the new investments, the company aims to double its export and overall revenues from Mysuru operations.

Automotive Test Systems has inaugurated the MdynamiX Test Centre in Pune recently with a focus on development and testing in the fields of Vehicle Dynamics and ADAS. The centre – with SIL, HIL test benches that enable braking HIL, steering HIL etc. and systems such as ECU HIL and static simulator, will also incorporate a six degree of freedom, DIL simulator at a later stage. The simulation and system development will be augmented by various test systems for track testing and calibration on the test track with software including MXeval and MXoptiCal (with targets). 
To undertake testing and validation projects for customers in India and overseas, involving MdynamiX facilities in Germany as well, the new centre, according to Ramanathan Srinivasan, Managing Director, ATS, “Will facilitate faster development times and provide the necessary tools in India that were until now hard to reach.”
Professor Dr Peter Pfeffer, CEO, MdynamiX, informed: “Our partnership with ATS and the opening of the MdynamiX India Centre marks a significant step forward in our mission to deliver innovative and reliable automotive testing solutions to our customers. We are excited to bring our advanced technologies to the Indian market and look forward to fostering deeper collaborations with local industry leaders.” 
Set to become a cornerstone of MDynamiX’ global operations in association with Automotive Test Systems, the centre is poised to drive advancements in automotive testing and development. It is committed to support the industry by introducing more test benches and driving simulators in the coming years.
Interesting systems such as stationary targets, dynamic targets, driving robots, INS systems, data loggers etc. will also be a part of the centre. 

Pune-based SME – Nuovotech Engineers – has bagged a critical machined part order from Sidhakala Engineers, a supplier to Bajaj Auto Limited for its two-wheelers and three-wheelers since 1997. Manufacturing two-wheeler sub-assemblies such as swing arm assembly, central stand, side stand, frame parts, fuel pump spring holder, rear brake drive lever and chain protection guard, Sidhakala Engineers has a strong focus on customer satisfaction. Besides press steel parts for automobiles, farm machinery, furniture and home appliances, the company has been recognised for its quality and dedication by key automotive suppliers like Uno Minda and automotive OEMs like Piaggio India.

Nuovotech Engineers, on the other hand, has been a micro unit catering to the needs of Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers. It is also catering to pump manufacturers such as Kishore Pumps and Kirloskar. The company also operates a sister concern called as Sachin Engineers, which specialises in the machining of shafts, flanges and various other critical machined parts as well.

The order for a critical machined part includes a groove made to fine tolerances to fit an oil seal inside it. The groove diameter is itself small and subject to highly accurate programming and machine, making it a very critical operation that not every industry is able to perform. The 'production' job also demands high quality tools, a top quality CNC machine and a smart operator to produce in large quantities at extremely competitive costs. 

Nuovotech Engineers has shown the ability to develop as well as manufacture such a critical fine machined part to bag the order. "Much investment and time was put in the development of this critical machined part as it was also essential to understand the metallurgy in terms of the tools used, the material used and the time cycle taken to successfully make it," said Sachin Sawant, Partner, Nuovotech Engineers. 

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