Philips targets business from new Maruti models

May 2: The company is targeting the recently launched Ertiga MPV, which promises to be a volume model for the carmaker.

Philips Electronics India is targeting new orders as a Tier-2 supplier from its biggest customer, Maruti Suzuki, for its new models like the Ertiga MPV, launched in early April, as well as refreshed models besides the new Swift which has been doing over 20,000 units per month for the last two months. The company is in talks with passenger car manufacturers for its new product line, one of which is the Philips D5S.

According to Sameer Sodhi, senior director, Automotive Lighting, Southwest Asia, the '12 volt in-Xenon light out’ solution enables carmakers to leverage a Xenon option based on the existing halogen system architecture without any additional effort. This means that a D5S module can be fitted into most of the halogen headlamps. So far, safety and style features offered by Xenon lighting have been limited to high-end cars on account of their costs.

This product facilitates a step forward from halogen to Xenon without increasing the overall system complexity besides offering Xenon options in high-volume car segments. Its main benefit is its cost and energy efficiency for the B- and C-segment cars as it does not necessitate cleaning or automatic levelling. Moreover, an improved beam pattern performance compared to halogen, shores up safety on the roads and offers five to seven times more life than halogen lamps.

Another product that has been developed by Philips is the SnapLED for design-oriented rear combinations especially for facilitating 3D shapes in signalling applications. These are vibration resistant up to 40G and enable better thermal management and low system cost. Philips is already supplying the H4 halogen lamp in headlamps and in signalling lamps for the Maruti Ertiga MPV and the new Swift Dzire saloon.

Besides, its H17 two-wheeler headlamp is a new low beam and high beam lamp for light motorcycles and scooters. More compact than the current lamp, it gives more light at the same power, precise filament positions, and 30 percent tighter tolerance. It has the same connector like the HS1 version but H17 halogen lamps give OEMs more design freedom in headlamps as they are able to save on space. HS1s are being used in Honda scooters like the Activa but the base for the new lamp is the same.

Philips has also launched a slew of workshop lamps for garage owners and service stations spanning high-power LED lamps with enhanced light, water and dirt proof and with shock resistance and rechargeable features. The company’s automotive aftermarket contribution has risen from Rs 5 crore to Rs 50 crore over the past decade.

At present, the auto lighting major imports its lighting requirements as all its manufacturing facilities are located in Poland, China and Germany and R&D facilities and management are based in Germany catering to both the OEs and aftermarkets. Sodhi says that the lighting business has been on a growth trajectory for the past couple of years and expects the same trend to continue in the future as well growing at a CAGR of 15 percent.

Potential of LEDs

The next growth area in lighting for Philips is perceived to be LEDs as a one-term solution with a growth of 15 to 20 percent per annum. At present, the LED industry is still in a nascent stage due to the advanced technology that such products involve.

Sodhi visualises that the number of cars equipped with LED headlights will rise sharply after 2015. More recently, there has been a significant penetration of LEDs in rear lighting and DRL (Daytime Running Lights) from high-end to mid-end cars as well as in signalling lamps and rear brake lights.

But at present, LEDs are not available in headlamps except in the Audi A8 which comes in the CKD version (and therefore in fewer numbers) or in the Mercedes-Benz S-class for India, where Philips is a partner to the OEs. Nissan uses Philips LEDs globally in indicator lights, while Maruti Suzuki uses 45 to 50 percent of Philips lamps in headlamps, signalling as well as in indicator lights. Other customers include Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra as also Toyota and Honda for headlamps and signalling lamps. In future, Sodhi feels technology will move to a single-LED source from the current multiple LED sources with high efficacy (lumen per watt). These are being provided by Philips globally.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are also expected to be the next change in LED technology with its advantages being low cost, light weight, wider viewing angle and better power efficiency. Worldwide, these technologies are undergoing testing by Philips with small applications by industry being limited to TV and mobile phones.

Being more a general lighting solutions company with automotive lighting constituting a small share, Philips has chalked an India topline of Rs 4,000 crore last fiscal with general lighting contributing 60 percent with CFL in home lighting being the biggest revenue churner. Other revenue generators are healthcare and consumer lifestyle.

The light major kicked off a new lifestyle category Philips GoPure, an auto air cleaning system for cars in May 2011 for the service and aftermarket segments. This is an advanced filtering technology to improve the quality of air in the car with a 12-volt plug in facility in the cigarette light holder.

Further, the Philips DayLight LED lamps to meet the stringent standards in Europe have been brought for the Indian aftermarket and are fixed on the vehicle bumper in addition to the X-tremeVision H4 lamps for enhancing light quality in headlamps. These also increase the safety of customers while on the move. Recently, Philips also rolled out workshop series inspection lamps that are LEDs and can be held like a pen and used where light conditions are poor while repairing the car.

In Europe, Philips holds a 50 percent OE share with most of the leading carmakers like Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen using Philips lamps. The company works closely with its partners (OEMs and set makers) to develop light sources that reduce carbon dioxide emissions like high-performance-halogen, LEDs and advanced high intensity discharge systems. Usually it takes one to three years to develop new lighting solutions for OEMs while work on existing platforms with new designs tends to be less time consuming ranging from six months to a year.

The company’s lighting solutions range from headlamps to signalising (stop and interior lamps) besides incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, xenon lamps and LEDs for two-wheelers, cars, trucks for both OEMs and the aftermarket.

SHOBHA MATHUR