India makes big news at SAE World Congress 2006

The SAE World Congress 2006, the annual event perceived to be the largest learning event for automotive engineering professionals, managers and executives, was held from April 3-6 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, USA. It saw the largest-ever participation from India, with over 55 representatives of vehicle and component makers as part of the delegation led by SAE India.

There were over 200 technical sessions and more than 1,500 papers presented on various subjects including powertrain propulsion, safety, emissions and vehicle electronics. More than a third of all the papers were presented by OEM technical staff worldwide, the highest ever in the history of the SAE World Congress. Eighteen Indian companies including Kalyani Forge, Lucas-TVS, Rico Auto, Sundaram Industries and Wheels India also showcased their products in a concurrently-held exhibition.

The theme — ‘Driving Innovation through Partnership’ — mirrored the objective of the Indian delegation since the outcome of the Congress was promising. It is expected to boost exports of auto components, besides establishing tech partnerships. This year’s Congress also conferred its highest honour, the SAE International Fellowship on Dr V Sumantran, former executive director of Tata Motors, for his work in the aerodynamic development of high efficiency PNGV vehicles while at GM and his contribution to the next generation math-based vehicle development process, which reduced vehicle development process lead-time. He also led the design and development of the Tata Indica and Indigo.

Dr V Ganesan, professor of mechanical engineering in the Internal Combustion Engines Lab at IIT, Chennai, was recognized for his significant contribution toward the development of software and hardware that considerably reduces tailpipe emissions from two- and three-wheeled vehicles. And Dr M K G Babu, professor at IIT in Delhi, for his outstanding contributions in developing unique computer simulation models for combustion and gas exchange processes in both conventional and alternatively fueled petrol and diesel engines.

For India, the SAE Congress has always quite a draw, being one of the key destinations for the global auto industry in terms of sourcing components, design, engineering services and product development. What is of note is that although the Indian parts industry's turnover is only $8 billion versus the $700 billion of the global auto industry, every vehicle launched in the past couple of years has had at least one ‘Made in India’ component.

According to SAE India officials, the number of Indian engineers graduating every year is five times that in the US. Besides, intellectual property is respected in India compared to fast-growing China. Furthermore, Indian manufacturers are posting new quality highs as they have bagged the largest number of Deming Awards next only to Japan.