Continental India, the auto component and technology company has produced 50 million wheel speed sensors at its Manesar facility in Haryana since the manufacturing commenced in 2010.
As the company claims, it is consistently increasing wheel speed sensor production capacity, driven by the safety regulation and local demand in India. Back in August 2019, Continental India reached the milestone of producing one million speed sensors every month.
It claims the localised production of the safety component and technology manufacturing has benefitted from the safety regulations introduced in April 2019. The safety norms regulated ABS as mandatory for all the passenger vehicles and two-wheelers that come with engine capacity of 125cc and upwards.
The wheel speed sensors enhance the safety of a vehicle by providing the vehicle speed signals to Anti-lock Braking System or ABS and Electronic Stability Control or ESC. These signal inputs help in preventing the wheels from locking or spinning, resulting in appropriate control action to maintain the vehicle’s stability at any steering angles.
Commenting on this, Sukhdeep Sandhu, head of the Passive Safety and Sensorics (PSS) business unit, Continental India, said, “At Continental, we have a rich history associated with vehicle safety. Over the years, we have introduced several safety-critical products that have positioned us as pioneers of vehicle safety technologies. The road fatalities in India are record high. We have a critical role in bringing innovative integrated safety technologies to curtail on-road fatalities to a drastic extent.”
Speaking on the localization strategy, Sandhu said that with Continental India’s standardized processes and systems, OEMs are greatly benefiting from its localization initiative. “We deliver quality products at an affordable cost with the support of our local development and manufacturing ecosystem. From design, prototyping, validation, and production, the business unit demonstrates product competence and contributes to the road safety value chain,” added Sandhu.
Ronan Le Roy, Head of the global Segment Sensors and Subsystems within the BU PSS, said, “The Passive Safety and Sensorics business unit in India is a perfect example for “in the market, for the market,” a systematic strategy that we follow. Supplying to the local market aside, we are also exporting our products to Japan, ASEAN, and European markets.”
Meanwhile, Continental India is increasing its manufacturing competence on a vast scale. Continental India aims to reduce environmental impact by opting for renewable energy sources, a higher proportion of recycled waste, achieving carbon-neutrality by 2040, and by 2050 eliminate CO2 emissions across all the stages of its value chain. The Manesar plant is also claimed to be increasing the representation of the women workforce on the shop floor.
As Ashish Srivastava, Plant Manager, Manesar, Continental India, said, “We have been recording steady growth in our production capabilities. We are expanding our capacity rapidly, and our output likewise is scaling new milestones.” He also added, “We are on target to utilize 100% of energy from renewable sources by the end of 2020. We tend to extend our sustainability goals to our suppliers and third-party logistics as well. Our goal to increase the women workforce on the shop floor is commending our diversity initiative.”
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