|
 Trucks broken down on the highways are no longer a usual phenomenon. Neither are the slow moving ones, which manage to hold up traffic. A technological revolution supported by strict directives to refrain from overloading may be the reason behind the change. Progressively, underpowered and outdated trucks are going off the road and giving way to newer more powerful ones, enabling faster turnaround time and reliable operations. The best outcome is probably a definite hike in drive-ability. Seated in his office and away from the roar of the trucks passing on the Pune-Ahmednagar highway at Ranjangaon MIDC, S Krishnakumar, managing director of Truck Group India, a division of Eaton Industrial Systems, explains, “Overall infrastructure is changing and we envisage a good potential for 10- and 13-speed transmissions.” It’s a technology used widely globally. Adds Krishnakumar, “Customers and operators are seeking higher efficiency, better tonnage and speed. We, on a global level make 18-speed transmission. In India we are looking at progressing as per the requirement”.
 In India, US-based Eaton Corporation currently builds 6-speed and 9-speed commercial vehicle transmissions. The manufacturing facility is built on a piece of industrial land the company acquired at Ranjangaon in the second half of 2006. Building of the plant with 1,40,000 sq.ft-manufacturing area was completed in November 2007.  The first transmission, as part of Phase 1, rolled out in May 2008. The second phase, work on which will be completed by early 2010, would involve further developments in an effort to incorporate new product lines along with a hike in capacity. Spread over 2,80,000 sq.ft, the move to Phase 2 involved some tough calls. Reflecting on the manufacturing setup, which consists of a U-shaped layout, Rogerio Branco, the plant manager states, “Environmental health and safety is very important to us. We are here for a long run, and quality is our priority number one.” Branco adds that stress is to give the best product to the customer. Announcing that the facility was recently awarded TS certification, Branco remarks, “We are focused on operating excellence. We have our own quality system and a business system called Eaton Business System.”
 With stress on local procurement and aggressive supplier development, Eaton, according to Krishnakumar, is making huge commitments for India. Stating that they are lean on everything they do, Krishnakumar adds that they have had 195 Kaizan events this year with good involvement from the operator level. With the move to Phase 2 asking for tough calls to relocate manufacturing cells to ensure a streamlined and lean setup that freed nearly 40 per cent of space, according to Branco, the production process at the plant starts with soft machining. The soft-machined parts, which consist of shafts and gear wheels, are sent for pre-heat treatment. From there, the parts go in for finish heat treatment. Pointing at the large heat treatment setup, Krishnakumar explains, “The heat treatment technology that we employ involves the use of propane gas heating and is referred to as case carburising.” Heat-treated parts are transported to the finishing line and the assembly. The assembly is made up of a 6-speed line and a 9-speed line. Nearly 12-sub assembly stations lead up to the final assembly. According to Branco, both the 6-speed and 9-speed lines are flexible. He adds that the space freed by the implementation of Phase 2 will be utilised to build the 10-speed and 13-speed lines. Flexibility of the 6-speed and 9-speed lines thus translates into them doubling up as the assembly for automated manual transmission (AMT) about which Eaton appears particularly bullish. Refusing to reveal the capacity or the rate of production at present, Krishnakumar and Branco choose to say that they have been meeting the delivery schedules for the last fourteen months. Adds Krishnakumar: “We have enough capacity to meet the needs of our customers.”
 Delving into the market characteristics, Krishnakumar states that the production of 10- and 13-speed transmission depends upon the customer programs. Envisaging a good potential for 10- and 13-speed transmission, he explains that they are talking to three to four OEs, and trials are on. Turning to 6- and 9-speed transmissions, Krishnakumar avers that there is a huge demand in India. “Evolving infrastructure will trigger bigger trucks, and this will drive 10- and 13-speed heavy duty transmissions. We are a leader in this group and have one of the best designs.” Answering a query, Sandeep Agarwal, Head-Sales and Marketing, adds, “Haulage, cargo and mining are our target audience for the 10- and 13-speed transmission.” The 10-speed transmission is more for tipper application whereas the 13-speed transmission is more for highway applications. Even the 9-speed transmission is going into mining. It finds application with a torque delivery of up to 1500 Nm. The 10-speed transmission, at the other end is capable of operating at torque level of 2300 Nm.  The 13-speed transmission operates at torque levels of up to 3000 Nm. With a sourcing model that is based on costs and quality, the 6-speed transmission, according to Krishnakumar is near complete localised whereas the 9-speed transmission has been localised to between 60 and 75 per cent. Exports account to some part of Eaton's business in India, as according to Krishnakumar, some green (pre-heat treated) and hard parts are supplied to other Eaton locations. Interestingly, Eaton also supports the aftermarket.
 Away from the 10- and 13-speed heavy duty transmission and Branco once again touches upon AMT. Explaining that AMT is a manual transmission with the 'X' and 'Y' shifters operated by a mechanism linked to the ECU of the engine through a common Bus, Rogerio Branco adds that the AMT relives the driver the trouble of shifting gears and operating the clutch. “This increases safety as driver fatigue is brought down by a large extent.” “We see a good potential for AMTs,” quips Krishnakumar, and applications would typically include buses; city buses.” Commenting on AMTs, Sandeep says, “We see an excellent domestic market.” Hinting at AMTs being seen on city buses just after the 10th Auto Expo, Krishnakumar draws attention towards the manufacture of clutches. “We make ceramic clutches,” he adds. “These are extremely ideal for applications like mining and we have testimonies where the operators have given a feedback of a life increase of up to 60 per cent.” Eaton has been supplying the clutches for a year to the market. Ask about hybrids, and Krishnakumar is quick to answer: “We are looking at some exciting time with AMTs and Hybrids.”
|
