Long-term Business Agility
Ashok Leyland showcased its BSVI technology and highlighted its ability to respond to change with long-term business agility.
The only Original Equipment Manufacturer to perhaps get an in-line pump-fed diesel engine to meet BSIII emission norms, Ashok Leyland has once again highlighted its long-term business agility by showcasing its BSVI technology. The company showcased the new, mid-NOx technology. Introducing iEGR technology to meet BSIV emission norms when the competition moved to SCR-based technology, Ashok Leyland has also announced the development of a new, modular platform in the interest of responding quicker to market requirements; to streamline manufacturing and to achieve a more efficient cost structure. Showcasing its BSVI technology soon after it announced to have become the first Indian OEM to get BSVI certification from Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Ashok Leyland has once again highlighted its ability to work closely
with its suppliers to extend a superior ownership experience to its customers. Digitalising spares and service roughly two years ago, in the interest of tapping the cost of ownership that lay beyond the initial acquisition cost, Ashok Leyland, provided a rare insight into it’s ‘connected’ technology engineering. The company developed BSVI technology in a short span of three years. Stating that it is focused on developing (BSVI) technology that would suit the Indian operating conditions and Indian operator needs, Dr. N Saravanan, Chief Technology Officer, Ashok Leyland, mentioned that the notification for BSVI was issued in 2017. Starting work soon after the notification was issued in 2017, Ashok Leyland began work on meeting the compliance deadline by April 01, 2020. It set internal deadlines for the same and met them as work on the new technology progressed. Stating then that they chose to build the new technology on their proven iEGR engine platform, Dr Saravanan averred that it encompassed an entire range of medium and heavy commercial vehicles. Evaluating various options and possibilities, the OEM combined its iEGR technology with SCR technology to comply with the BSVI emission norms. It has taken the help of its sister concern, Albonair, to source the SCR system. A curious mix of existing, proven and wellengineered components that make the hardware as well as the software has the mid-NOx technology engineered to suit customers needs. Explained Dr Saravanan, that Ashok Leyland has worked to develop a robust solution that would account for the value an Indian operator would find advantageous. Opining that it would make sense for Indian customers, Dr Saravanan said that they are confident of their BSVI technology to provide a superior equation in terms of productivity and profitability.
Announcing that the company has consistently stayed ahead of the curve, Dheeraj G Hinduja, Chairman, Ashok Leyland, explained that the aim to develop mid-NOx technology and the new modular platform is to be among the top ten global OEMs. The second-largest CV maker in India, and the fourth largest manufacturer of buses in the world, the Ashok Leyland operates nine plants and is making engines for industrial and marine applications as well. The company has a legacy of technological innovations to its credit too. Apart from getting an inline pump-fed engine to comply with BSIII emission norms, and the BSIV engine to do without an SCR system with the deployment of iEGR technology, Ashok Leyland has to its credit innovations that have led to better performance, reliability, and the efficiency of its vast product portfolio. Building a range of LCV and ICV products over time to become a full-range player, the company has displayed a high level of customer-centricity time and again. In the case of the development of the BSVI technology, it is no different. Celebrating 70 years of its journey last year, Ashok Leyland, collaborated with diverse institutions like IIT-Madras to develop new, innovative technologies. With the announcement of BSVI technology and a modular platform, it points at how the rules of the game are changing, and what the OEM is doing to stay ahead of the curve. Said Hinduja, “We have consistently stayed ahead of the curve. In-line with our aspiration to be among the top ten global CV makers, we have yet again come up with an innovative technology to address the BSVI norms. We will introduce it with the new modular vehicle platform, which will provide customised solutions to address our customers’ specific needs.”
Modular in nature
Moving to one modular vehicle platform than to nurture three different platforms and get them to migrate, Ashok Leyland is looking at benefits in terms of supply chain management, manufacturing, costs and several other aspects. It is looking at meeting the needs of different customers with alacrity. Promising to bring new technology and innovation to the market, quickly and efficiently, the CV major, with the help of the new The modular platform, other than reducing the time taken at the manufacturing level is expected to help comply with BSVI emission norms without much an escalation
in costs and by achieving good economies of scale as well as standardisation. Engineered to deliver a range of medium and heavy CVs, the new modular platform, termed as the ‘Modular Vehicle Platform’, is also said to be capable of customisation. It is claimed to be capable of providing customers with a large number of options. Laced with mid-NOx technology, the new modular platform is being looked upon as a next-generation architecture that will use fewer parts and will be capable of supporting alternate fuel strategies as well.
Stating that the need to develop a modular vehicle platform was necessitated by the need to get three platforms to migrate to BSVI, Dr. Saravanan said, “The shared number of developments we would need to do to migrate (the three platforms to BSVI) would have been far more complex. He pointed out at a trend where a lot of global OEMs are deploying modular platforms. “We thought the time was right to bring it,” quipped Dr. Saravanan. Highlighting distinct benefits from an OEM perspective and from a consumers’ perspective, the new modular platform for medium and heavy CVs is expected to provide higher value and a better ability to customise, he added. Stressing on the new modular platform offering the possibility of five lakh combinations roughly, Dr. Saravanan said, “The ability to offer such combinations would mark a huge change.” What makes it very interesting is the effect of modularity on cabin comfort. The new modular platform promises to offer significantly higher comfort and noise reduction. It also offers the customer the option to choose the cabin he or she wants. They could also choose a higher variant with a suspended cabin and better NVH level.
BSVI compliant
Designed with precision and attention, the mid-NOx technology for BSVI compliance by Ashok Leyland promises efficient cost management and less consumption of AdBlue for the operator. Stating that he is proud of the new BSVI range, Anuj Kathuria, Chief Operating
Officer, Ashok Leyland, mentioned that they represent the best technology on offer. Stressing on the capabilities, Kathuria said that they are confident of the vehicles meeting the increasingly dynamic customer requirements. Subjected to much testing and validation, the BSVI CVs built on the new modular vehicle platform in the medium and heavy range will be available with different loading spans, cabins, suspensions, and drivetrains. These combinations, according to Kathuria, would be offered to the customers through a custom-built product configurator. Revealing iEGR in 2017 to comply with BSIV emission norms for an engine power rating of 130 hp to 400 hp, Ashok Leyland worked with Albonair for the SCR system, and with other suppliers to ensure that the changes to the engine were minimal.
Testing CVs for more than fivemillion kilometres under real operating conditions, Ashok Leyland has resorted to much research and development for BSVI. Hinting at the Euro6 truck based on the Captain range that Ashok Leyland displayed at Auto Expo 2016, a source close to the company mentioned that much work on fine-tuning the technology was carried out. Apart from rigorous testing at various elevations and in hot climates as well as cold climates, the development of BSVI technology, he said, involved much lab work as well. A part of the work also involved the real-world emission standards that are due to come at the same time as BSVI. Mentioned Dr Saravanan, “The upcoming emission norms will stay for a longer time than the existing BSIV norms.” Stating that the next level of emissions is a little bit away and even the European countries have not got into it, Dr Saravanan said, “The scrappage policy will help the new emission norms.”