Honeywell India adds to client roster but growth in single digits

Honeywell India’s control and sensor business was able to add a slew of clients to its existing roster despite some concerns about the likely impact of the slowdown on R&D budgets of its auto clients, its head of Asia-Pacific, T&M product, Vinod Bambarkar said.

He was speaking to Autocar Professional at the Automotive Testing Expo in Chennai last week. Among the new clients are Moog, Dynaspeed as well as more orders from Mahindra & Mahindra for its R&D facility situated on the outskirts of Chennai. Honeywell’s expertise lies in niche, hi-performance testing. Moreover, Bambarkar says the company was able to get some customers for the competition.

Honeywell India has had a long association with the Indian auto testing scene in India (Bambarkar himself is a 22-year veteran) and has in recent times strengthened its Indian footprint as a result of the R&D facility in Bangalore and an applications centre at Pune.

Bombarkar admits that though business has increased, it has not achieved the double digits that was expected. The reason for this are many, he feels, adding that as a result of the slowdown, those in R&D are focusing on the immediate needs while keeping those of the future deferred. The company’s products are made in the US and the impact of a weak rupee has added to costs, adding another dimension to the general impact of the slowdown.

According to Bambarkar, Honeywell’s strengths lies in its ability to provide its customers with customised best-in-fit products.

For Honeywell India, India and China remain key markets. While the overall market pie has increased, Bambarkar says the automotive part has remained the same. Bambarkar admits that the company has had to revise its targets for the current calendar.

Photograph: Vinod Bambarkar, head - Asia-Pacific, T&M product, Honeywell India.