BorgWarner has released its 2022 Sustainability Report, “Charging Forward Together,” highlighting the significant steps taken toward meeting its environmental stewardship, social responsibility and governance (ESG) objectives and outlining additional goals the company has set for this year and beyond. 

The company said in a statement that the Sustainability Report underscores BorgWarner’s commitment to accelerating the world’s transition to Mobility to help build a cleaner, healthier, safer future for all. 

Frédéric Lissalde, President and CEO, BorgWarner, said, “Our beliefs of inclusion, integrity, excellence, responsibility and collaboration are found in every aspect of our operations and guide us as we work toward our vision of a clean, energy-efficient world. We are proud of the significant progress we have made in recent years toward embracing sustainability in our culture and advancing electrification efforts in everything we do. We look forward to taking additional concrete steps in changing the world of mobility, alongside our partners, customers, suppliers and communities toward a brighter, cleaner and more inclusive future.” 

The annual Sustainability Report gives a holistic view of BorgWarner’s commitment to being a sector leader in sustainability, addressing its refreshed sustainability strategy, investments and acquisitions of companies to enhance its electrification capabilities, diversity initiatives and more. 

BorgWarner’s business strategy, Charging Forward, is central to the report, showcasing the company’s alignment with and contributions to a net-zero carbon emissions future and its target of a 45 per cent electric revenue mix by 2030, the release said. Currently, the company is on track to generate more than 25 per cent of its revenue from electrified vehicle parts by 2025. Additionally, the company expects about 50 per cent of its R&D budget will be spent on eProducts in 2022 and to exceed 50 per cent by 2025. 

While looking to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2035, BorgWarner set a new interim goal to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 85 per cent, compared to its 2021 emissions, by 2030. BorgWarner is also developing a Science-Based Target Initiative GHG emissions reduction goal, and, as part of that process, will be estimating its Scope 3 emissions and determining its most crucial actions for GHG emission reduction. 

To promote further advocacy and dedication to ESG at the highest levels of the organisation, BorgWarner has linked 50 per cent of the performance component of its executive long-term incentive plan compensation with its Charging Forward goals by incorporating an eProducts revenue mix metric. 

The company has also announced formal DEI goals in this year’s report. By 2026, BorgWarner plans to have women account for 35 per cent of its global workforce and racially/ethnically diverse employees account for 30 per cent of its US workforce. By that same year, the company plans to achieve and maintain pay parity across all genders and races. On average, women working at BorgWarner globally are currently receiving 98.9 per cent compensation of that received by men, with racial/ethnic minorities in the US receiving compensation of 99 per cent or more compared to compensation received by non-minorities. An annual salary review process is in place to evaluate and address discrepancies in pay, if identified. Finally, BorgWarner has set a goal to achieve a score of 80 per cent or above on a BorgWarner Beliefs index from its employee engagement survey by 2026. 

Developing and retaining talent continues to be an area of focus for BorgWarner, as demonstrated by the more than 84,000 hours of training received by salaried employees in 2021, it said. The company also launched Power to Evolve, a skills agility programme for employees that was created in partnership with leading universities in the US and Europe and provides a fast track to transfer mechanical engineers to working on electric drive systems, including batteries, inverters, motors and more. 

The company’s employees not only met but exceeded its giving goals with efforts that supported over 400 charitable activities, including STEM education, children in need and humanitarian efforts, the release pointed out. 

Among its various governance activities, BorgWarner continued to focus on promoting sustainability across its supply chain: the company saw an approximate 35 per cent increase in suppliers participating in the Sustainability Self-Assessment Questionnaire, which asks suppliers about key sustainability issues including human rights, health and safety, environment, working conditions and business ethics. 

To further accelerate progress related to supply base goals and engagement, BorgWarner also developed a Sustainable Supply Chain strategy outlining priority ESG topics along with a roadmap for implementation. In 2022, the strategy will be expanded to include a focus on evaluating existing and developing new supplier expectations on material topics and incorporating them into the company’s sourcing process. 

The complete report can be accessed here: www.borgwarner.com/company/sustainability. (MT)

Japanese mobility company Suzuki Motor Corporation and Tata Elxsi, a leading design and technology services company have inaugurated the ‘Suzuki-Tata Elxsi Offshore Development Center’ in Pune, India.

The facility will focus on driving innovations in advanced engineering for Suzuki Motor Corporation’s future offerings. Tata Elxsi says it will support Suzuki in its green mobility vision by aligning with the OEM’s global focus on sustainable innovation in lightweight design, safety, styling and engineering, eco-friendly materials, and advanced simulations to improve time-to-market.

Furthermore, the partners will also focus on developing next-generation powertrains (across electric, hybrid and alternate fuels) and software-defined vehicles (SDV).

Katsuhiro Kato, Chief Technology Officer, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “As the industry progresses in Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric technologies, Suzuki must accelerate electronic and virtual development to meet evolving demands. Tata Elxsi’s expertise in advanced computing, simulation, and design digital makes them an ideal partner in bringing forward-thinking solutions to market. This strategic and long-term partnership incorporates Suzuki’s endeavor of minimising energy and enables India’s talent to actively contribute to our development efforts globally.” 

Manoj Raghavan, MD & CEO, Tata Elxsi, said, “The inauguration of Suzuki-Tata Elxsi Offshore Development Center marks a significant milestone in our partnership with Suzuki and our shared vision for the future of mobility. Tata Elxsi’s design-led, digital-first approach is uniquely positioned to support Suzuki’s energy minimisation and sustainability goals, advancing the future of automotive engineering with precision and responsibility. We are delighted to support Suzuki in this journey towards transformative automotive engineering.”

MathWorks, a leading developer of mathematical computing software, and NXP Semiconductors, a leading provider of automotive processing technology have joined forces to introduce Model-Based Design Toolbox (MBDT) for Battery Management Systems (BMS).

With this, engineers will be able to not only develop models but also validate BMS applications on MATLAB and Simulink. They will also be bale to automate C code generation from MATLAB for NXP Battery Cell controllers, and also support NXP’s software solution, the BMS SDK components. 

For the unversed, BMS is one of the crucial technology for electric vehicles that ensures optimal performance, durability and safety for the battery packs. The BMS design process the partners state increasingly relies on modelling and simulation to fine-tune algorithms tailored to EVs' specific battery cell types and battery pack configuration. 

The Model-Based Design provides efficient design of the BMS algorithms, which allows it to be tested in simulation for different scenarios, such as driving habits, environmental conditions, and fault occurrences. 

Lars Reger, CTO, NXP Semiconductors, said, "We’re excited to collaborate with MathWorks to support automotive engineers in developing the next generation of BMS solutions. Simplifying direct testing with MBDT on NXP processors offers a broad range of benefits, including faster design iterations that allow engineers to identify and fix issues upfront in the design process and reduce time to market.” 

The MDBT acts as a bridge between theoretical design and practical application.

Jim Tung, MathWorks Fellow, said, "By enabling engineers to go directly from creating BMS algorithms in Simulink to running them on an NXP processor, we're simplifying and accelerating the development process. The growth of the EV market demands more efficient, reliable, and safer battery systems, and tools like MBDT that streamline and enhance the engineering process will be critical. Reducing development times, facilitating easier testing, and accelerating market entry will be differentiators in this competitive market.”

Mushin Innovation Labs, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) start-up providing digital solution for the automotive manufacturing industry, has raised USD 250,000 in Seed Series Round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The startup through its Mushin Aqua platform supports Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers to optimise their compliance and improve quality management. This it claims helps to reduce upto 85 percent cost reduction.

The new funds it intends to deploy towards improving sales and marketing operations, accelerate its R&D efforts, and further innovate its product suite. It also aims to expand its market presence, enhance product offerings, and develop new solutions to meet the ever-evolving needs of the automotive manufacturing sector.

Interestingly, Mushin Innovation Labs claims it already secured partnership with 15 leading automotive brands and has onboarded 70 factories within two years. It has successfully passed the Maruti Vendor System Audit (VSA) and obtained Letters of Intent (LOIs) from 15 factories. It currently has 14 active deployments and a pipeline of 52 factories. The start-up claims it has received interest from global OEMs such as Volkswagen, Skoda, Volvo, JCB, and Aston Martin. The start-up was founded by Rachit Srivastava (CEO) and Amman Batra (COO).

The company estimates that the total addressable market (TAM) for Mushin Aqua, is estimated at INR 7,000 billion annually. The serviceable available market (SAM), specifically targeting Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers in India, is valued at INR 450 billion. Based on the company's current capabilities and market focus, the serviceable obtainable market (SOM) stands at INR 45 billion annually.

Vikram Ramasubramaniam, Partner and CIO, Inflection Point Ventures, said, “The automotive manufacturing industry has stringent compliance standards to follow while minimising costs and maintaining top-notch quality. Many Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers struggle to meet these demands efficiently due to fragmented processes and outdated systems. Mushin Innovation Labs addresses this challenge and streamlines compliance and enhances quality management in an accessible price range, making lives easier for tier 1 and 2 manufacturers. IPV believes Mushin is well-positioned for sustainable growth, making it a right investment choice.”

Schaeffler India, a leading motion technology company, in partnership with Buddy4Study Foundation, has announced the winners of its 2024 edition of the Schaeffler India Social Innovator Fellowship Program.

The initiative under Schaeffler India’s CSR initiative HOPE (Healthcare, Occupational skill development, Preservation of Heritage & Environment and Empowerment of Society) in its third edition recognises and rewards social entrepreneurs for their unique sustainable solutions that has positive impact to the society.

The programme is open to applicants between the ages of 18 – 35 across different institutions including IITs, IIMs, NITs, non-profit organisations, and early-stage startups, to pitch their ideas and prototype solution across six key categories. These include environmental sustainability, renewable energy, carbon neutrality, circular economy, natural resource management, and application of technology in the social sector.

The participants undergo rigorous screening, of which 10 projects are shortlisted and receive a grant of INR 150,000 each. The winners were awarded 24-week hybrid mentorship at IIMA Ventures formerly (IIMA-CIIE), a startup incubator founded by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. They also get an opportunity to connect with Schaeffler India's network of industry partners, and fellow innovators in the program.

The initiative which started in July 2024, has received over 276 registrations from over 25 states, including the Northeast, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, and more, with 78 shortlisted applicants for assessment.

Harsha Kadam, MD and CEO, Schaeffler India, said, “At Schaeffler India, we are dedicated to advancing motion to foster a sustainable, efficient, and resilient world. The remarkable response to this year’s Social Innovator Fellowship Program highlights the potential of India’s youth to be agents of transformative change. Sustainability and innovation are inherently linked, and through this initiative, we are committed to nurturing young innovators who will help shape the future of India, where both people and the planet can thrive.”

The award ceremony saw attended by Munish Bhatia, Co-Founder, India Accelerator & CEO, Bharat Ventures, and Praveen Bhadada, CXO Advisor and Mentor, along with the Leadership Team of Schaeffler India.