For over 100 years, Eaton, a power management company, has been supplying world-class engineered products that help increase fuel economy as well as improve the performance, control and overall efficiency of vehicles to automotive and truck customers across the globe. The company has been growing steadily in the Indian market over the last seven years and is rapidly expanding its customer base in the country, aided by the introduction of new products and technology.
In an exclusive interview to MOTORINDIA, Mr. Nitin Chalke, Managing Director, Eaton India, speaks about the company’s new product range, focus on enhancing performance and comfort and more.
As a globally renowned Tier-I supplier, Eaton makes automatic and manual transmissions and also offers Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). The company also has automotive valves, super chargers and torque control products in its versatile product portfolio, all of which are capable of catering to the requirements of the Indian market at present.
Says Mr. Chalke: “We have a range of products which we can launch in India, including valve actuators and fuel control valves, all satisfying the Euro VI emission norms. We are rapidly strengthening our customer footprint in the country by offering 6- and 9-speed transmissions designed for local operating conditions, and today there are around 40,000 Eaton transmissions operating successfully on Indian roads, well supported by a strong service network working in close co-operation with various OEM networks. Our transmissions are recognized for their superior product quality, reliability, performance and durability worldwide and the same has been the case in India too.”
Advantage AMT
In recent times, there has been a lot of discussion on AMTs making inroads into developing economies including the Indian market. Though the Indian market is currently dominated by manual transmission, automatics and AMT are slowly but surely catching up. Expressing his views on the issue, he says: “We feel there is going to be a shift towards AMT because customers are aware of its benefits and also its uniqueness. AMT has seen great success in the US market, and with developing markets such as India moving towards new technology and new norms to be enforced, we will start seeing the benefits of AMT. Major automobile manufacturers across the globe are shifting towards this new technology due to its advantages, the most important being the driver comfort. We also expect the Indian market to move to AMT gradually.”
Eaton has been supplying transmissions to major OEMs including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, AMW and Mahindra Trucks and Buses.
Unique product line-up
Eaton’s supercharger is a very interesting product from the Indian customer point of view. The superchargers aid downsizing the engine and downspeeding, while significantly minimizing the response lag and improving fuel efficiency in passenger cars. In India, Eaton is working with leading OEMs to demonstrate its supercharger technology capabilities and their benefits.
Eaton’s complete portfolio of torque control products for various on-road and off-highway applications helps improve product performance and vehicle uptime. The company’s mechanical locking differential, ‘MLocker’, for pick-up trucks, provides traction without the need for push-buttons. Automatic locking takes place within a fraction of a second, providing the driver with increased safety and confidence while driving on wet, slippery or muddy roads. In India, Eaton is already supplying MLocker to leading OEMs for their export vehicles. It is also introducing this product in the aftermarket segment as a retrofit.
Another unique offering from Eaton is ‘NoSpin’, a patented differential for off-highway commercial vehicles. It maximizes the traction by delivering 100 per cent torque and power to both drive wheels, thus continuing to drive the vehicle even if one of the wheels is suspended in the air. The NoSpin technology has had exciting initial response from customers and is currently being tested by leading commercial vehicle makers in the country.
Asian strategy
As has been the case with many other leading Tier-I suppliers from the global map, Eaton is stepping on the gas in the two most populous economies in the world – China and India. Both markets are set for massive growth in the coming decade and beyond, and it is but natural that Eaton is keen on being part of the Asian growth story.
“In the Indian market, we are currently working on improving our customer base and have many projects in the pipeline with leading vehicle OEMs for different product lines. In Asia, both China and India are critical markets for us and though each has its own challenges, we are committed to both markets for the long term”, affirms Mr. Chalke.
Eaton’s products manufactured at its Indian facilities are well accepted in the global market. Leveraging the cost advantage arising out of manufacturing in India, Eaton caters to the requirements of its customers all over the world.