Amara Raja Energy & Mobility (ARE&M), a leading provider of comprehensive battery solutions, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with IIT Tirupati to establish Dr RN Galla Visiting Chair Professorship in Advanced Energy Storage Technologies at IIT Tirupati. 

This it says has been made possible by the support of Amara Raja Energy and Mobility in honour of its Founding Chairman Dr Ramachandra Naidu Galla. The announcement was made at an event held at IIT Tirupati. Jayadev Galla Chairman and MD, ARE&M; Sajjan Jindal, Chairman BoG, IIT Tirupati and Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Group; Sri Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Axilor Ventures and Co-Founder, Infosys, and Dr Ramadevei Gourineni were also present at the event among others. 

Starting 2025, the Visiting Chair Professorship will span 10 years, and will recognise outstanding global faculty and scientists working in the energy storage area, acknowledge their professional achievements, and support their scholarly work and research. It will allow the awardee to spend up to eight weeks a year at IIT Tirupati, deliver lectures, conduct workshops, and foster research collaborations. 

This initiative aligns with Amara Raja Energy & Mobility's focus on advancing sustainable energy solutions and pioneering developments in the energy and mobility sectors. IIT Tirupati has identified Energy storage as one of its thrust areas and is positioning itself to be a key player in various national initiatives. This support will allow the Institute to strengthen its research impact in energy storage. 

Recently, ARE&M announced the development of one of India's largest Giga factories for li-ion cell and battery pack manufacturing, with an investment of INR 95 billion in Telangana. The first phase is expected to be operational this year. Additionally, ARE&M plans to establish 'ePositive Energy Labs,' an innovation and research center to advance R&D in the energy storage space. 

Jayadev Galla said, “We are honored that IIT Tirupati has agreed to establish the Dr R N Galla Visiting Chair Professorship in Advanced Energy Storage Technologies, it’s a true tribute to Amara Raja's Founder Dr R N Galla, who has not just transformed the industry, but also transformed lives and livelihoods over the past four decades. We are proud to facilitate this unique opportunity to expose young bright minds to the latest global developments in the field of new energy”. 

Prof. KN Satyanarayana, Director, IIT Tirupati said, “The Chair Professorship is the highest academic honour an institute can bestow upon a faculty member in recognition of their outstanding work in identified areas. We are deeply honored that Amara Raja has chosen IIT Tirupati to establish this Chair Professorship in honor of their founder Chairman. We are thankful for their generous support. IIT Tirupati is committed to playing a vital role in the development of sustainable technologies to meet the energy requirements of our country. Such initiatives will allow the Institute to build enduring academic partnerships and nurture young talent by hosting outstanding scientists and leading professionals on our campus.” 

Sajjan Jindal said, “I am very happy to know that the First Institute Chair Professorship is being supported by Amara Raja Energy and Mobility. I thank them for their support and congratulate the institute for working with the biggest industry in the region to bring world-class talent to the campus. Such Industry-Academia partnerships go a long way in motivating the next generation of scientists and engineers to excel in their profession and help realise our government's goal of transforming India engineers to excel in their profession and help realise our government's goal of transforming India into Viksit Bharat by 2047.”

Kris Gopalakrishnan congratulated both ARE&M and IIT Tirupati on the partnership. He encouraged the industry to be open and support and embrace R&D from Academia, as this will allow for innovation and excellence to be identified and fast-tracked.

The European Union voted in favour of imposing extra tariffs on China-made EVs by up to 45 percent on 4 October 2024. Threatening a broader trade conflict with a country that has already vowed to protect its companies and is considered as the factory of the world, the move has been criticised by the auto industry and various EU member states.

With growing demand for EU and China resolving their differences through dialogue, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade is known to express that it is opposed to be the move.

With the technical teams from China and the EU set to resume talks on 7 October 2024, the situation in EU as far as the auto OEMs like Volkswagen Group, Stellantis and BMW Group are concerned, there have been instances of profit warnings.  

Weak demand, rising costs, global competition, trade wars, geopolitical situations, subsidies and company-specific factors are among the reasons being underlined for the profit warnings by European automakers.

Receiving necessary support with 10 members backing the tariffs, 12 abstaining and five members – including Germany – voting against, the European Union, claim sources aware of the development, has been urged by the auto industry to negotiate with China for better terms and conditions rather than to reach the level were a trader war looks eminent.

Present in the China market for a decade or more, many European automakers seem to fear if the tariffs imposed on Chinese EVs will lead to negative consequences in that market for them.

Volkswagen is known to have said that the tariffs are ‘the wrong approach’. There is a need for the two sides to negotiate and find the middle way, mentioned an industry source in Germany in response to the tariffs by EU.

Image courtesy: EmDee (Wikipedia)

The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI), the apex body representing the forging industry in the country has announced its new officer bearers for 2024-26. 

The committee has elected Yash Munot as the new President of AIFI, while S.  Ravishankar was elected as the Vice-President.

Munot, who succeeds Vikas Bajaj, had previously served as Vice-President of AIFI from 2020 to 2024, is now also the youngest to be appointed as the President in the organisation's history. 

He currently serves as the CEO at Varsha Forgings and the Managing Director at KCTR Varsha Automotive. Munot begun his journey in the forging industry in 2005 joining his family business - Varsha Forgings. He was also instrumental in organising major industry events like IFC 2011, Forgetech  India 2016, Asia Forge 2019 and ForgeTech India 2023. He has served as the Western Region Chairman from 2018 to 2020. 

“The forging sector in India is at a pivotal juncture, with tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth. Our focus will be on fostering collaboration within the industry, driving technological advancements and promoting sustainable practices. I am committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure that our industry not only thrives domestically but also strengthens and enhances its global footprint. Together, we will build on the strong foundation laid by my predecessors and strive for excellence in every aspect of our work," said Munot.

S Ravishankar added, “I will strive for advancing our industry’s progress and tackling the challenges presented by a rapidly changing global landscape. Our priorities will include boosting competitiveness, driving innovation and equipping our members for future opportunities. I look forward to embracing the exciting prospects ahead and contributing to AIFI’s continued success during this transformative era”

He (Ravishankar) currently serves as the MD at Super Auto Forge and has over 25 years of experience in the auto component manufacturing industry. He is a Manufacturing Engineer with Bachelors degree from Annamalai University and Masters degree from The Ohio State University.

It was in 1997, after working in Detroit for two years, Ravishankar returned to India and joined his family business at Super Auto Forge. He has been instrumental in developing the international business of SAF and led the initiative to establish marketing offices in Detroit in 2001, followed by Belgium in 2011. He has been the Chairman of Indo American Chamber of Commerce for the period 2008 – 2009 – Tamil Nadu Branch and currently serves on the Southern Regional Committee of ACMA since 2021.

Automechanika Frankfurt has cemented its position as the leading international trade fair for the automotive industry with the successful conclusion of Automechanika Frankfurt 2024. 

The slogan of this year’s Automechanika was ‘Driving Transformation’, with topics such as electrification, vehicle connectivity, driver assistance systems and digitalisation taking the centre stage. The fair was held from 10 to 14 September 2024 and saw 4,200 companies from 80 countries displaying their products and solutions for retail, workshops and industry. Spread over an area of 320,000 square metres and 26 hall levels, the event witnessed a total of 108,000 visitors from 172 countries.

Visitors had the chance to see cars with alternative drive systems up close, such as electric, hydrogen, and hybrid models, and even take a ride in the Future Mobility Park and the related expert forum Innovation4Mobility. For even more highlights, there were brand-new event types available, such as an exhilarating rally. Ninety-four percent of attendees, 70 percent of whom were foreign visitors, expressed satisfaction with the event, not just with the trade fair's offerings but also with their aims being met.

An emphasis on sustainable technologies, products and solutions was highlighted at Automechanika this year. Several talks on remanufacturing and circular economy tactics were held on the stage in the new Sustainability Court in Hall 5.0. This year also saw the opening of ‘Ambition’, a dedicated Gen Z section in Hall 3.1 with live acts, panel discussions and succinct, fascinating presentations to pique the interest of young people in the automotive professions. This action was taken as a result of the well-known lack of qualified workers in the automobile sector.

Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, commented, “Even in the midst of the digital transformation, the industry once again demonstrated its wealth of innovation, providing countless highlights over the course of the five-day event. Together with our exhibitors, we were able to find the right players to present the most important topics – including alternative drive systems, sustainability and the use of AI and robotics in the automotive aftermarket – on the stages and in the exhibition halls. We are also delighted by growing demand from both German and international visitors.”

Michael Johannes, Vice President Mobility & Logistics, Messe Frankfurt, said “Never before has Automechanika in Frankfurt had a supporting programme and range of events like this. Our roster of presentations and practical workshops covered a wide range of topics, including bodywork and paintwork, electric vehicles, commercial vehicles, caravan repair, 3D printing, detailing and much else besides. These were very well received by the professionals, and students and pupils took advantage of the opportunities on offer to find out for themselves what some of the automotive trades and professions are like. One of this year’s new additions was a programme and area devoted especially to Generation Z. We wanted to draw their attention to the professional opportunities that are available in the fascinating world of the automotive industry – and we were very successful.”

Castrol India, a leading lubricant manufacturer, has announced that it has achieved a significant sustainability milestone by increasing recycled content in its high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles to 50 percent. 

With this, the company aims to achieve 2,600 metric tonnes of annual recycled plastic usage in its packaging portfolio by 2024.

The step builds upon its previous actions to help make its packaging more sustainable, including the commercialisation of 100 percent recycled bottles for POWER1 range in 2022 and the incorporation of 30 percent recycled content across its entire bottle packaging in 2023.

This latest change aligns seamlessly with Castrol’s global PATH360 strategy, which aims to reduce its plastic footprint by half by 2030.

Sandeep Sangwan, MD, Castrol India said, “We are proud to announce this milestone in our journey towards more sustainable packaging. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who have overcome challenges to develop packaging solutions that meet our high standards for quality and aesthetics.”

In addition to packaging, Castrol India aims to have more sustainable manufacturing practices. The company’s production facilities utilise energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources to seek to reduce its operational greenhouse gas emissions.