SectorQube's IoT smart lock brand, Ikin Global, has raised USD 1 million in a pre-series A investment headed by Callapina Capital and Unicorn India Ventures.

The fund will be utilised to expand the present product line with new releases that will provide industry-specific solutions, sophisticated sensor technology and analytics driven by artificial intelligence (AI). To strengthen its sales, marketing, operations and support teams, Ikin will also be increasing the number of its employees in strategic regions such as US, Europe and India. In order to meet the increasing demand from the logistics industry, the firm also intends to expand its manufacturing capacity.

Over the past 12 months, Ikin Global has expanded its business into foreign markets. The company’s smart products are being used in 1,500 facilities, including sizable warehouses, vaults and retail stores, as well as 2,500 trucks. With a goal income of INR 300 million from the smart lock business in the logistics industry, the company has 20,000 smart locks in its order book. Ikin has also introduced new smart goods, such as the Smart GPS Truck Lock with sophisticated sensors for intruder detection and the Portable iSeals, which replace single-use plastic container seals and have a one-year battery life.

Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, said, “SectorQube is addressing a major supply chain and warehousing challenge. As our world increasingly moves online, there is a huge demand from e-commerce and logistics companies to secure shipments whether on the move or stored in third party warehouses. Integrating IoT and AI is a strategic move towards deep tech applications, which will further broaden Ikin’s horizon as they look to enter large international markets. As a fund, with nearly 10 years of investing track record in India, we have a clear thesis on AI and IoT applications-led businesses and we believe SectorQube’s growth trajectory will be accelerated as they enter new markets and strengthen their leadership positioning in the Indian market.”

Vinod Jose, Managing Partner, Callipina Capital, added, “The logistics sector, fuelled by rapid growth in e-commerce, urbanisation and supply chain digitisation, is on track to reach USD 380 billion in India by 2025. However, this expansion has also amplified challenges around asset security, real-time tracking and operational control, with rising incidents of theft, tampering and logistical inefficiencies. SectorQube’s Ikin Smart Locks are purpose-built to meet these demands, offering real-time tracking, tamper alerts and remote access control – all critical for secure, efficient operations in warehousing, transportation and last-mile delivery. The investment is further strengthened by the team’s unique capabilities: a proven track record in product design and a decade-long partnership during which they developed multiple original products. SectorQube embodies the spirit of ‘Make in India’ with a world-class solution ready for a global stage, and we’re confident they are positioned to redefine security standards in the logistics industry.”

Nibu Alias, Co-founder and CEO, SectorQube, said, “At Ikin Global, our goal is to become the leading provider of smart lock solutions for the logistics and warehousing industry. This sector faces major challenges with security, and technology-driven solutions are essential to protect valuable assets and reduce losses during transit and storage. Our talented tech team has developed smart locks with advanced sensors that secure not just truck doors and shutters but the entire cargo or facility. We're excited to expand our reach to the US, Europe and Middle Eastern markets, bringing our solutions to more companies worldwide.”

ZF Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) India, a leading provider of advanced automotive safety systems, has inaugurated its new Electronic Stability Control (ESC) test track in Chennai. The new facility will complement ZF’s existing ABS test track.

The new ESC test track the company said provides a controlled environment for rigorous testing of vehicle stability, agility, and handling performance.

ZF CVS says the ESC track certified by TUV Rheinland and ARAI, is equipped to test a wide range of vehicles, from two-wheelers to heavy commercial vehicles. The track will also be available for customers and third parties to conduct their own testing at the facility.  

The ESC track has a 200-metre diameter dynamic pad with a 0.9 µ surface friction providing a relatively high degree of grip, which allows for precise measurement of a vehicle's performance, such as acceleration, braking and cornering, helping engineers understand the vehicle’s limits. It can also test components under maximum stress, revealing areas for further potential development.

The 600-metre approach roads enable the simulation of real-world driving conditions, including challenging scenarios like slippery roads, sharp turns and sudden braking.

P Kaniappan, MD, ZF Commercial Vehicles Solutions, said, "The inauguration of this world-class ESC test track is a significant achievement for ZF CVS India. This state-of-the-art facility will enable us to accelerate the development and testing of advanced safety systems, pushing the boundaries of vehicle safety while delivering innovative solutions that save lives. By investing in cutting-edge technology and infrastructure, we continue to stay committed to shaping the future of automotive safety. The ESC test track is a testament to our dedication to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction. By collaborating with leading industry experts and deploying the latest testing methodologies, we are driving the development of advanced safety systems that enhance vehicle performance and protect lives.”

Dr Christian Brenneke, Executive Vice-President, Division Electronics and ADAS, And Member of the Supervisory Board in India, said, "This new facility is a fantastic achievement by the entire team. After years of planning, it is impressive to see the ESC track coming to fruition. Having this world-class facility in India not only benefits our customers but also strengthens our vision for road safety and innovation as a Group. The hard work that has gone in to creating this facility enables us to focus more effectively on customer needs and I’m excited to see us build further on this.”

LG Innotek, a LG Group company focussing on automotive radar and lighting solutions among others, has been awarded the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Award, for its vehicle lighting technology.

On 21 November 2024, LG Innotek announced that its 'Nexlide A+ automotive lighting module' received the CES 2025 Innovation Award from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in the United States.

The CTA recognises products and services of exhibitors that stand out for their technology, aesthetics, and innovation.

The 'Nexlide A+' is a product in LG Innotek's Nexlide series, a brand focussing on automotive lighting solutions. It is said to be the first lighting module in the industry to apply a surface light source to the front lighting module of a vehicle.

LG Innotek said that unlike typical point light sources, a surface light source emits light evenly across the entire surface. It has secured more than 700 patents related to the technology.

For a vehicle lighting module using a conventional point light source to achieve a similar effect to a surface light source, a separate component is required to spread the light from the point light source evenly, such as a light guide. In addition, the air gap, which is a layer of air required for light diffusion, needs to be thicker.

The front lighting module, due to being located at the front of the vehicle, is exposed to high temperatures and needs to be equipped with a heat dissipation structure to remove heat. This makes existing point light source products bulky, which limits design flexibility.

In comparison, the 'Nexlide A+' uses LG Innotek's unique surface light source technology to produce uniform brightness without such additional components, which also makes the module 40 percent slimmer than the existing product. This allows for efficient space utilisation and greater flexibility in vehicle design.

In addition, the company has further improved heat dissipation performance by applying high heat-resistant resin coating and film technology. The brightness has also been increased fivefold compared to conventional rear-facing lighting products, meeting the global legal standard of 500cd (candela, a unit representing the brightness of a light source) for daytime running lights (DRLs).

Till date, the company has completed more than 140 projects with domestic and foreign automotive brands and accumulated more than 150 orders. Over the past 10 years, it has recorded an average annual sales growth rate of 47 percent.

Looking ahead, LG Innotek plans to expand its lineup of rear-lighting modules to include front-lighting models. By 2025, the company also aims to develop ‘pixel lighting’ technology, which features small, three-dimensional lights arranged in a grid-like pattern. This advancement it expects to facilitate communication between vehicles(V2V) and pedestrians(V2P) enhancing safety and interaction.

Moon Hyuksoo, CEO, LG Innotek, said, "LG Innotek is solidifying its position in the global market as a total solution provider of future mobility components. With innovative products, we will grow the automotive lighting module business into a trillion-dollar industry by 2030, delivering unique value to our customers."

In January, LG Innotek will present a range of differentiated products at CES 2025, including the 'Nexlide A+' and other vehicle lighting modules as well as LiDAR (Light Detection Ranging) and sensing components for autonomous driving applications.

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.”