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India’s booming automotive industry is ranked the third largest market, fuelled by a growing middle class seeking affordable, high-quality products. Guruprasad Mudlapur, president, Bosch Group, India, and managing director, Bosch Ltd, said technological innovation and localization will be crucial for ensuring continued success. By embracing digitalization, promoting localization, and adopting sustainable practices, it seeks to build a strong auto component sector. Bosch is also working toward greater adoption of EVs in India, said Mudlapur, adding that it is also considering green hydrogen to reduce emissions. Edited excerpts:
How are you using AI and other tech innovations to boost revenue and improve customer experience?
At Bosch, we believe AI has and shall continue to have profound impact on manufacturing and mobility. By automattime ing tasks, optimizing process, and improving decision-making, AI is helping create a more efficient, productive, and sustainable future. At the Jaipur plant we use AI-enabled video analytics to optimize the work processes, improving product quality and productivity. AI controls parameters in heat treatment process resulting in energy saving and quality enhancements. At the Chakan plant, AI-based analytics analyse the wear pattern of grinding wheels, extending their life and ensuring stable quality in producing parts. At the Naganathapura plant, realanalysis of process cycle times detects anomalies and identifies areas to optimize.
What are your investments in cutting-edge research and development for automotive and other sectors?
Bosch is committed to making significant investments in R&D. We continue to innovate with more investments in emerging technologies. These investments will be strategically directed towards pushing boundaries of automotives and other sectors. Besides, our commitment extends beyond
R&D as we plan to complement the efforts with investments in manufacturing, aligning with the pace of localization, volume growth.
Tell us about Bosch’s plans in hydrogen technologies?
Green hydrogen will be key to achieving a climate-neutral world. At Bosch India, we are leading the development of hydrogen engine technology with our parent firm, investing in infrastructure for engineering and testing. Our focus is on developing parts and systems for hydrogen engines, as well as safety regulations and standards. We have already introduced a demonstrator vehicle powered by a hydrogen engine in Bengaluru. Our next milestone is the unveiling of a Bharat Stage 6 Phase II hydrogen engine truck in 2024. And, by 2030, we expect 10-15% of heavy commercial vehicles in India to run on hydrogen.
Our focus is on developing parts and systems for hydrogen engines, as well as safety regulations Guruprasad Mudlapur President, Bosch Group, India
What’s the size and capability of your engineering and R&D teams?
We have one of the largest pools of engineering talent in automotive space in India, and pioneered many developments locally. It is home to our largest software division outside Germany that grew immensely in the recent past, turning 25 in 2022. Globally, Bosch employs around 90,000 associates in R&D, In India it is over 38,700.