A global major in the area of thermal management with an experience of about 100 years, Behr entered India in

1997 through a joint venture (JV) with the Anand Group. Since then, Behr has grown at a rapid pace in the Indi-

an market and presently operates three plants that manufacture air conditioning systems, engine cooling com-

ponents and heat exchangers for Indian OEMs. The Sanand plant in Gujarat manufactures HVAC units for the

Tata Nano, while the Chennai plant caters to Renault-Nissan’s demands for its models. The main plant in Cha-

kan, Pune, caters to the Indian and international customers and accounts for a majority of the total production.

We recently visited the Chakan plant and met with some company officials to better understand the production

methods and the product technology for this month’s ‘Shopfloor’.

Behr IndIa – BUILDING ON TECHNOLOGY

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SHOPFLOOR BEHR INdIA

Technology Background

Being one of the leading thermal manage-ment companies in India, Behr India was given the responsibility of developing the air-conditioning system for the Tata Nano. This project, however, wasn’t just another order in the books.

Narrating the tale behind the Nano’s AC development, Anand Sontakke, Gen-eral Manager – Commercial at Behr India said that when the RFQ for the Nano was received by the company, they weren’t too sure of finding profits from the order. The problem arose from the fact that Behr is globally known for advanced and durable solutions, but not for products built to a cost. In the case of Nano, they had to develop the AC to a tight cost, something the company wasn’t versed with.

At that time, Behr India was already supplying to other vehicles by Indian OEMs, including the Tata Indica and the Mahindra Scorpio. In both vehicles, Behr India didn’t have any major cost-pres-sures as they were positioned in the upper spectrum of their respective segments. Moreover, their system was designed keeping performance in mind, and not cost.

Things didn’t look too encouraging when the entire project was analysed, keeping the target and cost in mind. Apart

from designing, there was the challenge of having vendors, who were willing to work to a tight cost, yet deliver the desired quality. The team at Behr India, however, took this project as a challenge in order to develop an AC to a certain cost without sacrificing performance. This then was Behr India’s first large-scale attempt at frugal engineering.

Sontakke said customers mostly pro-

vide the desired specifications for air flow, noise levels, and packaging, etc. However, at times, the overall comfort level in the cabin can be met without actually meet-ing the mentioned targets. In simple words, Behr India had to avoid over-engi-neering the system, as there was a signifi-cant cost pressure.

One of the key initiatives was to design a compact and lightweight system, which

Behr's Chakan plant is spread across on area of 9-5 acres

Tube-Mill folds and cuts aluminium into small sizes for radiator and condenser assemblies

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would not only be cost effective but per-form adequately as well. The system was also supposed to be very efficient as the Nano’s engine displaced only 600 cc and even a small amount of load from the compressor could hamper vehicle perfor-mance. Keeping these and many other factors in mind, Behr India engineers started working on the system. The out-come of that engineering effort is the sys-tem we find on the Nano presently and with it Behr India not only met the cost targets, but it claims the Nano’s system is best-in-class too.

ProducTion Technology

The Chakan plant is spread across an area of 9.5 acre. It presently makes HVAC sys-tems with control panel (fully automatic and manual), pipe hoses, compressors, engine cooling modules consisting of radi-ator, condenser, fan motor shroud, visco clutches, fan drives, and exhaust gas recir-culation (EGR) coolers for passenger cars and trucks.

The Chakan plant operates on the Jap-anese production system of Heijunka, also known as production levelling. In this process, production is done at a constant and pre-defined rate in order to fill-up only the void created by the consumed production. In simpler terms, the concept is similar to that of a supermarket, where supply replenishes to a certain level for

the product that has been consumed or sold. Annual production capacity at the plant for condensers is 600,000 units, while those for radiators, charger coolers, HVAC systems and visco clutches are 600,000; 300,000; 500,000 and 200,000 units respectively.

At the facility, there is a product-based line for each manufacturer/ model includ-ing Volkswagen, GM, MAN L2000, M&M Scorpio & Verito and Tata Indica Vista. Once the final unit is assembled, it is sent to an End of the Line (EOL) testing bench. Here, the system is checked for any irreg-ularities or defects. If approved, a unique barcode is generated for the system, which provides Behr India with all details in case of a warranty claim at any point of time.

One of the key components produced at the facility is the radiator and con-denser, which includes a fin-like structure we’re all familiar with. First, a tube-mill rolls out folded and flat tubes from an alu-minium roll, while a fin-mill manufac-tures the fragile coiled structure. These two structures are then arranged together and pressed by a machine with brackets on either ends, giving rise to the final structure. The facility makes use of a NOCOLOK brazing furnace for the braz-ing of aluminium heat exchangers.

Another interesting product we saw being manufactured at the facility was the visco clutch assembly, used in fans for engine cooling in commercial vehicles.

Visco enables the usage of the fan only when needed, thereby reducing energy consumption. The clutch herein is respon-sible for making the contact of the shaft with the fan wheel, based on the temper-ature. This contact is triggered by a bi-metal strip, which expands with heat. This strip in turn pushes a pressure pin, thereby releasing oil into the chamber and increases the fan’s speed as the tempera-ture increases.

eXPanSionS For groWTh

Behr India, in line with Behr Germany’s philosophy of focusing on research &

Part of Nissan Micra's thermal system

Behr India aims to have 30 % women employees compared with the 14 % at the present

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SHOPFLOOR BEHR INdIA

development, continues to expand further. The company has a team of 100 engi-neers, which is catering to the develop-mental needs of the Indian customers. In addition, there’s a 200-member team pro-viding engineering services to Behr in the USA and Europe. In order to improve the skills of the engineers, the company sends them to Germany and USA on a regular basis so that they are versed with new global technologies. A testimony to Behr India’s indigenous R&D skills is the Nano’s AC, which was developed com-pletely in-house.

The company’s R&D capabilities are further bolstered by the presence of test-ing and validation equipments in India. These include environmental chamber, pressure cycle test bench, HVAC system test bench, acoustic analyser and ther-mography. The company plans to con-tinue investing in further development of R&D infrastructure. The only major equip-ment that Behr India doesn’t possess is a wind-tunnel. Presently, the company uses Behr’s wind-tunnels in Germany and the USA and plans to continue that way. The investment in a similarly-equipped wind-tunnel is huge and Behr India doesn’t see the need for it right now.

We were told that presently, Behr India is capable of carrying out almost all the development work required for a new product indigenously. This gives the com-pany the ability to better serve its custom-ers through quicker development times and better cost-effectiveness.

FuTure ProducTS & Technology

Going forward, Behr’s focus will be on developing environment-friendly technol-ogies, Sontakke informed. From the pre-sent product portfolio, Behr will continue developing the EGR further in order to reduce emissions. The company is already talking with various companies for pro-viding solutions to their requirements in terms of emission compliance.

On the new products front, the com-pany is presently working on a battery cooling system for hybrid and electric vehicles. The system is already being sup-plied to BMW in Europe for its electric vehicles. In India, Behr is in initial stages of talks with Tata Motors and Mahindra Reva for their electric vehicles. However,

any concrete arrangement is yet to be arrived upon and any substantial develop-ment is expected only in the next three to four years.

There are a few other technologies that Behr India has already developed or is working on, which will help its customers meet future emission norms of BS V and BS VI. Presently, Behr India offers a direct intercooler for cooling requirements, which helps in meeting BS IV emission norms. Using an indirect intercooler can help in meeting the BS V norm. Further, for meeting BS VI norms, Behr India can offer an indirect integrated charger cooler, which is integrated in the air intake manifold.

While these systems might not help meet the respective norms standalone, their implementation will surely make a significant difference. Apart from this, there are a few technologies, which have already been developed by Behr Germany but aren’t required in India right now. Once there is demand for such technolo-gies, Behr India can work on tweaking the systems to meet Indian requirements and start supplying.

ouTlook

Behr India presently enjoys a strong posi-tion in the Indian automotive market, largely due to its focus on research and engineering. In addition, the association with Anand Group has allowed it to adapt and expand quicker in a complex market.

The present product portfolio of Behr India is well-equipped to provide its cus-tomers with effective solutions in the medium-term. What places it strongly for long-term growth, is its strong focus on self-reliance for product development.

A visit to the facility revealed that unlike many Indian companies, Behr India isn’t investing in R&D just because it’s an exercise that needs to be under-taken. The level of expertise there has already reached a level, where develop-ment for the USA and Europe is being off-loaded to India. The company is actively working on improving its present prod-ucts and developing new solutions.

A step ahead, the company is already thinking of or has started working on future technologies. Although these tech-nologies aren’t the need of the hour for India, Behr India is gearing up to take advantage as a first-mover in order to improve its position in the Indian market. With this strategy continuing and further expanding, Behr India seems to be set for strengthening its present technical strong-hold in the Indian market.

TeXT: Arpit Mahendra

PhoTo: Arpit Mahendra

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Behr India also makes the radiator assemblies for the Tata Aria

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