2013 Automotive Electronics Special - DynaFusion Tech eyes auto R&D spend

Bangalore-based DynaFusion Technologies, which is the sole authorised supplier of German R&D equipment, hardware and software provider dSPACE GmbH in India, is eyeing the increased R&D spend by automotive OEMs in the country.

Speaking to Autocar Professional, Ravi Singh, co-founder and director, marketing, DynaFusion Technologies, says that this 16-year-old company provides embedded control systems, mathematical modelling and simulation products and services to the automotive, commercial vehicle, aerospace, defence, energy and power, industrial automation, electric drives, medical engineering, robotics, and manufacturing sectors.

“DynaFusion’s forte lies in working with technologies such as rapid control prototyping, ECU autocoding, HIL testing, modeling and test automation using dSPACE tools. dSPACE’s pioneering products such as the MicroAutoBox rapid prototyping systems, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulators, and the automatic production code generator TargetLink have become de-facto standards for developing electronics in automotive applications,” he explains.

HIL simulators drive maximum business for DynaFusion while TargetLink is one of the bestselling softwares used in generating the production codes in the auto R&D space.

Expansion plans

The firm plans to increase its portfolio of services, strengthen its in-house capabilities and the team size in near future. Singh reveals that “in the near term, we will increase our value-added services to our clients in the form of product trainings, manufacture of simple hardware accessories and resident engineering.

"In the mid-term, DynaFusion will increase its team size and in-house capabilities to offer turn-key engineering services in the areas of mathematical modeling and mechatronic software development.” DynaFusion is currently supporting its clients in the areas of engine control, powertrain control (which includes the hybrid and electric drive technologies), vehicle dynamics such as electronic stability control (ESP), driver assistance systems (which includes adaptive cruise control, parking assistance, lane change assistance and other functionalities), comfort electronics, interior systems, in-car infotainment, noise cancellation, complete-car diagnosis and many other crucial areas. Without disclosing the names of his clients, Singh says, “DynaFusion maintains very close relations with major OEMs and Tier 1 components and service suppliers in the automotive segment. We are working with German, American and Japanese carmakers present in India. We are also working with the top four Indian car manufacturers as well.”

Call for Indian OEMs to be pro-active

Despite increasing complexities in the area of electronics in Indian vehicles, Singh believes that Indian OEMs are followers in automotive electronics innovation. He says that “we need to accept the fact that Indian OEMs are followers in automotive electronics innovation. The current global trends indicate that anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESP), advanced infotainment are already offered as standard features in all cost-effective passenger cars and their variants. While India has jumped on to the automotive electronics bandwagon at the right time as we have the engineering talent and tools to compete globally, we still need to improve on the mechanical aspects in areas like engine- powertrain mating where global OEMs have an edge.”

While DynaFusion has been witnessing a year-on-year growth of over 30 percent during the last three financial years, the ongoing slowdown and tight approach towards investments by OEMs in India have impacted the company's business for FY2013-14.

“On the business front, FY2013-14 will be a slow year for us. Low economic growth, increased fuel prices and the depreciation of Indian rupee have made the scenario worrisome. However, on the technical innovation front, our clients continue to pursue many futuristic projects. We anticipate that DynaFusion will see a growth of approximately 10 percent as against 30 plus percent during the last three financial years,” concludes Singh.