The automotive industry now seems to be getting back on track. However, many challenges remain due to various factors including but not limited to growing competition, dynamic customer demands, rising raw material costs and labour issues. These factors have had a direct impact on the auto component sector as well. Srikanth Bhadravathi, Plant Manager, Faurecia Emissions Control Technology, Bangalore, and his team are addressing the situation by focusing on efficiencies and innovation.

"We are working on many VA/VE activities along with our customer and suppliers, localisation of imported materials etc. To overcome the issues, we are focusing on lot on cost reduction initiatives like eliminating wastes, reducing consumptions, promoting recycle/reuse concepts to keep our manufacturing costs down. We are also working on improvements in efficiencies of equipments, labour and adapting to the reduced demand by changing our working shifts pattern," Bhadravathi says.

Faurecia has also been a pioneer in introducing some key processes technologies in the manufacturing of emissions control systems in India. "Technology innovation lies at the heart of the worldwide automotive market, which is undergoing significant transformations. Innovation drives each of Faurecia's core businesses, supported by 5,500 R&D engineers and technicians in 30 R&D centres across the world. Passenger vehicles are experiencing fundamental transformations across all segments as they, tomorrow, become cleaner, lighter, and more comfortable and premium. To achieve this revolution, automakers need global partners - such as Faurecia - able to combine their technology leadership and engineering know-how with an organisation shaped for the steady development of global automotive markets."

Globally, Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies is a leading ‘Emissions Solution Provider' for the automotive and off-road vehicle segments and is already supplying Euro V emissions norm compliant cars, while it is also ready with solutions for Euro VI norms. "As far as the Indian market is concerned, it has emerged as a critical market for us and we are expecting the introduction of Euro V norms by 2016 beginning with the Tier 1 markets. We are in the process of introducing our latest emissions control technologies to the Indian market, owing to the increasing demand, to capture the first mover's advantage and in an effort to adapt our products to the evolving Indian emissions norms (Bharat - VI and Bharat V) over a longer period of time."