Continental India's Bangalore plant notches production milestone: a million ABS and ECS ECUs

Technology company Continental has achieved another milestone of producing one million Electronic Control Units (ECU) for passenger car Antilock Brake System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), at its Bangalore plant. 

Continental says it plans to ramp up its production capabilities in the next few years with a capacity of over two million units a year. As is known, the supplier has a global commitment towards vehicle safety, delivering technologies that aide Vision Zero: Zero Fatalities, Zero Injuries, Zero Crashes.

With demand stimulated by India’s recent safety legislation, Continental is on the fast track to support the OEMs with safety products such as ABS, ESC and speed sensors for both passenger cars and two-wheelers. Continental began localising ABS and ESC systems in 2016, with product assembly at its Gurgaon plant, which has completed over 2 million units already. The production for ECUs at its Bangalore plant was set up in January 2018.

According to Krishan Kohli, Head of Vehicle Dynamics business unit, Continental Automotive India, “Our commitment to road safety reflects in our achievements of the recent past. With our complete localisation value chain which includes R&D, sales and manufacturing, technologies become better suited and affordable for the market, for all segments of vehicles. Road safety is everyone’s right and Continental is committed to Vision Zero”.

He added, “We have continued with our strategy on localisation. In the last few years, we have been substantially increasing our production capacity at various plants in India, to meet the growing demand for vehicle safety technologies. This makes us an ideal partner for OEMs to deliver vehicle safety technologies in a quick turnaround”.

Phanindra Karody, Plant Head, Bangalore, said, “We have been consistent in our production and delivery of ABS and ESC units to OEMs in India and other markets. In India, there is a surge in adoption of the safety technologies because of the recent safety legislation and growing consumer awareness. With our wide portfolio of safety technologies and standardised production process, we are supporting OEMs with quality products, thus, contributing to road safety value chain”.

Banking on localisation for growth
Localising is at the core of the company’s strategy in India, creating a value chain starting from marketing, R&D to production and sales. On the R&D front, a dedicated engineering team at Technical Center India (TCI), designs, develops and validates products specific to the market and customer requirement. One such example is the development of one-channel ABS solution for two-wheelers which is serving both India and Asian markets. TCI today supports end-to-end product development from requirement engineering to product build-up and testing in specific areas encompassing software, electronics and mechanics.Low in its project application efforts, the scalable MK 100 ABS Entry is designed for A, B and C vehicle segments in emerging markets like India. The packaging is compact, extremely light and fits in the MK 100 ESC box dimensions. Furthermore, throughout the MK 100 product family, the hydraulic wheel connection and the electrical interfaces are compatible with each other. The MK 100 ABS Entry is produced locally in the markets of China, Brazil and India.

“With a state-of-the-art production facilities and highly skilled engineering team, we have created a system that is capable of delivering technologically advanced products, right from conceptualization to production, in India. It is expected that ESC will be mandated in India by 2022-23 timeframe, along with ABS, ESC will further enhance the vehicle safety and provide increased comfort to the driver”, says Krishan Kohli.

From ABS to ESC
A pioneer in ABS technology, the company recently celebrated 50 years of Continental ABS. The system was first presented at the IAA in 1969. Continental has a variety of products suiting different vehicle segments. For instance, the MK 100 ABS Entry has been designed for the vehicle segments A, B and C in emerging markets. The packaging is compact and extremely light, at less than 1,200 grams. Furthermore, throughout the MK 100 product family, the hydraulic and electrical interfaces are compatible with each other, which make the MK 100 easily applicable for platform concepts of car manufacturers wanting to benefit from a truly scalable product range.

Electronic brake systems for motorcycles have figured among Continental’s solutions since 2006. Up until now, the two-channel ABS MK 100 MAB or three-channel MK 3-2 MAB (Motorcycle Anti-lock Brake System) has been available as a mid-range feature, while the MK 100 Motorcycle Integral Brake System (MIB) has been available as the ultimate feature. Wheel speed sensors provide the necessary raw data, depending on the system. An affordable, high-performance entry-level system to improve the active safety of motorcycles, is the one-channel ABS, MiniMAB. With a box volume of significantly less than 300 cubic centimeters and weighing roughly 420 grams, the MiniMAB is light and can be easily applied to suit the widest range of 2-Wheelers.

ESC or Electronic Stability Control, presently the most important active safety systems, prevents critical vehicle states from developing. At the same time, ESC is a prerequisite for further safety technologies like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. The high-performance MK 100 system offers all functions, from basic ESC to a high-end system with the convenience and performance features of future brake-by-wire technology.

Also read: ABSolutely ready for a safer India: Continental

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Continental India’s ABS plant in Manesar

Continental India expands speed sensor capacity to meet ABS, BS VI-driven demand 

Continental marks 50 years of making ABS systems