Interaction

Bosch Automotive Aftermarket / Diagnosis Key to Servicing New Technology

The organised part of the automotive aftermarket in India is small but has been growing steadily in the last few years. Beyond the legislative and industry push, the advancement of technology too has been instrumental in framing this growth as customers prefer authorised outlets due to complex electronics. Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket division too has been rolling out some interesting products and to know more about the division’s roadmap, we caught up with Guenter Weber, Regional President, Automotive Aftermarkets Division, Bosch Limited.

New Products

Talking of new and upcoming products, Weber said new products based on market requirements will continue to be added to all the existing product areas. This is in line with the company’s target of covering 95 % or more of vehicles in the market.

There has been significant development in diagnostics technology, Weber said, and the future is good as well since modern vehicles have higher electronic content. While the expected combination of hardware and software is used here, it’s the latter that is crucial to the effectiveness of the system. In order to achieve its 95 % vehicle coverage target, Bosch is now working on adapting its software to vehicles on Indian roads.

Bosch products in the aftermarket cover all key vehicle areas and most o fthe vehicles on road as well

The next step in making diagnostics better is guided troubleshooting, which allows a technician to spot the fault and also resolve it in the proper manner. The software provides detailed instructions on removal of parts, the repair process and the way to replace parts. There’s also an application available from Bosch by the name of ‘Fun To Drive’, which allows the end-user to carry out some bit of diagnosis on the car themselves. One can also view his/ her driving behaviour, enabling for one to make out required changes to improve efficiency.

When asked about the chances of offering customised engine maps to address this emerging demand from consumers, Weber said he doesn’t see it happening. Since the company doesn’t believe in offering products that manipulate the OEM’s system, customised maps is not an area they’re looking at right now.

Augmented Reality

Within the area of diagnostics, a major development for the company is Augmented Reality, which allows a technician to point a tablet over a vehicular area and gain visual access to the wiring structure and internals. This technology will gain importance, especially due to the onslaught of connected vehicles. Since such vehicles have a high number of ECUs, an effective diagnostic system will be of paramount importance.

Using this technology, a technician can point the tab at the dashboard in case of an air-conditioning problem. The entire wiring of the vehicle will be displayed live on the screen, making it easy for the problem area to be spotted. Once the problem is identified, the system also guides the person to carry out the repair in the right way. This system makes the repairing process quicker as there is no longer a need to open up the entire system to search for the problem. The customer too can benefit from lower cost in some cases as manual work reduces.

Another key role is of right qualification and training of the technicians, said Weber. He said there’s presently a gap between the demand and supply of such professionals but with a growing market, companies have to find ways to meet demands. There is also need to change the perception of a mechanic’s job not requiring any significant skill. With the kind of new vehicles that traverse the roads today, a mechanic’s job is truly high-tech. Changing this perception to a more positive one would make it encouraging for people to take on this job, thereby solving the problem of the industry.

Augmented Reality can also play an important role in solving this problem as it makes easier for technicians to service multiple vehicles more efficiently. With the complexities of new vehicles, it’s not realistic to expect the technicians to remember everything inside. Augmented Reality makes it possible for anyone with a good understanding of a particular domain to work on different vehicles across generations and architectures.

An illustration of how the Augmented Reality diagnosis works and the benefit it offers

Market Approach

Weber told us that Bosch is presently focusing on parts and parts & services, the latter being worked upon more for the future. The company is looking at offering service for all types of vehicles in order to widen its reach and business. This requires an advanced and capable diagnosis system, which needs to be backed up by the right products for replacement, added Weber.

Diagnostics is increasingly becoming important for India, according to Weber, but its growth is not free of challenges. One of the key challenges is the existence of multiple generations of vehicles in the market. In order to combat this issue, Bosch is presently offering diagnosis technology for all generation of vehicles and will continue to focus on this aspect. Towards the same, the company is also looking at imparting adequate training and information to technicians so that it becomes easier to handle different generations of technologies, said Weber.

In order to enhance the effectiveness of the system, the company is focusing on constantly expanding its product portfolio. There are already ten core business areas the company is catering to including filtration, braking, spark plugs, diesel systems and more. Right now, the product range caters to multiple segments such as tractors, commercial vehicles, cars, two-wheelers and off-highway applications. Weber said that the company’s philosophy is to have the right products wherever there is an engine, one of the key reasons for a wide product portfolio.

Genuine Components = Safety

With about 30 % of the accidents in India being attributed to spurious parts, genuine components can go a long way in bringing down accident and fatality rates. Weber said that there’s a strong inclination on improving safety in the Indian aftermarket and while there are no add-ons for the same, buying genuine components will play an important role in improving safety. Bosch is working actively with ACMA on addressing this issue and expects a considerable improvement in the coming years.

Market Trends

Talking about business, Weber said that market trends are driven by the technologies introduced by vehicle makers. The positive thing Weber sees in the Indian market is that it’s not just German or Japanese OEMs defining the trends but Indian OEMs too are playing an important role here. As an aftermarket provider, the division needs to ensure that new technologies are serviceable and once again it’s diagnosis that becomes critical here. Direct injection is one technology, which is finding increased usage and keeping the same in mind, Bosch’s aftermarket division already has included it in their product portfolio.

The company’s present service network in total is pegged at more than 3,000 and Weber said there are plans to increase this number further. On the business end, Weber said there are some positive signs visible now in the market, which have been helped by the result of the elections. He declined to share specific numbers but did inform that the division is targeting double-digit growth for 2015.