Text: Anirudh Raheja
Having an extensive portfolio of short range, cellular and positioning products across various domains, Italy based global machine to machine movement enabler Telit Wireless Solutions is upbeat about making a mark in the Indian automotive industry. With an unprecedented demand for safety, comfort and performance coupled with entertainment, the demand for automotive electronics like telematics and PoS systems is on the rise from both commercial vehicles and passenger cars. And the auto component industry is not leaving any table left unturned to introduce newer technologies like semiconductor electronics aiming to drive up power management and conversion systems, which eventually lead to enhanced emission performance and improved fuel economy. As the availability of car infotainment systems gradually skewing towards mid size sedans like Tata Zest, rapid transformation of automotive industry is not a distant dream anymore.
Ashish Gulati, Country Manager, Telit Wireless solutions
With products like Automotive Telematics On-Board Platform and DTG (Digital Tacho Graph), Telit is aiming to simplify complex electronic systems yet offer cost competitive solutions. “ATOP is a system on chip which has a GSM engine and involves Java based programming capability. It can work out multiple applications which require no external micro controllers, no GPS, minimal peripheral components to aid simple vehicle tracking and also toll collection while using the same module through security module controller to make payments,” shares Ashish Gulati, Country Manager, Telit Wireless solutions. Among the late additions, Telit has been working on Digital Tacho Graph solutions for monitoring tyre pressure and speed to check over speeding in both CV and passenger cars. “By mid 2016, we will launch a dedicated automotive 3G based pin to pin LTE module in LE 920 family which will be based on Linux platform to simplify automotive solutions,” he added.
Growing at over 20% yoy,from $177 million revenues in 2011, Telit has risen to touch $294 million last year.It has supplied over 5 lakh automotive grade modules to Audi and Hyundai motors which find application in car infotainment. “Growth of Internet of Things (IoT) has been 100% as when it comes to OE fitments, they themselves are not well versed with wireless technology and depend on the Tier 1 supplier for that. ATOP will minimize their design effort, complexity and validation,” said Gulati. Telit acquired ATOP business from Netherlands based semiconductor manufacturer NXP in the year 2013. So far, Telit has completed seven acquisitions across software and hardware verticals to expand its base. “Quality is important for automotive segment as the product life is minimum 10 years. And it has to face many things like extremely high and low temperatures, excessive vibrations,”averred Gulati. Out of 4 manufacturing locations sourced out of Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS), companies like BYD in China, Hi-Mix in Brazil, Simcom in Thailand and SPIL in Taiwan, the latter 2 serve the automotive industry with components that find application in telematics and PoS. With 8 R&D centres spread across Europe and Asia, Telit spends over 20% on research and development to put out 10 new products every year. Nearly 80 engineers working at its R&D centres in Caen in France and Tel Aviv in Israel serve the automotive industry.
Indian outlook
Experts of the industry suggest the entire gamut of new cars by 2025 will be internet enabled. And with demand for seamless connectivity through mobile devices not being limited to high end cars, Indian market has been on the radar of global auto companies for explosive growth. Telit debuted in India back in the year 2011 and shipped 35000 modules in the very first year which has risen 10 fold to reach 378,000 modules in 2014 taking the total above 1 million units since its debut. Having over 60 active buying customers, Gulati aims to take the sales past 450,000 units in 2016 coming largely from PoS terminals (handles), telematics, and AMR (Automated Metre Reading). He added, “In India the accident rate is very high. So the claim rate is very high. Any kind of monitoring like On-Board Diagnostics related to Usage Based Insurance (UBI) and telematics will essentially require such devices and demand for them is growing rapidly in the Indian automotive industry.” Though Telit has been pushing hard to work with OEMs to minimize design effort and complexity of the system, in the aftermarket, it has already joined hands with Magneti Marelli and Harmann for vehicle tracking devices in the commercial vehicle segment. For this, distribution is aided by 3 partners, Arrow electronics, Rabyte India electronics and Nexcom Asia. But Gulati feels there are still challenges that need to be addressed. “As the margins are becoming tight, a regulatory framework is required in India for such devices. OBD is coming up in a big way as OEMs are showing interest now but it is still relatively slow for market like India,” signed off Gulati.
