Auto components manufacturer Sona Koyo is using digital transformation to maintain a competitive edge and eliminate possibilities of errors in every process
O P SINGH
SONA KOYO STEERING SYSTEMS
As we are a manufacturing organisation and the pioneers in passenger car steering systems, our long-term goal is to automate and digitise the process so that any human error or quality issues can be avoided at the time of manufacturing. Hence, the entire end-to-end process will be run through a digital process where human intervention will be minimal.
The rapidly growing auto industry in India could not have been successful if not for the auto ancillary companies' behind-the-scenes innovative processes to improve quality and reduce costs, thus making cars safer and affordable at the same time.
The Sona Group, founded in 1987, manufactures components for the Indian automotive industry. Digital transformation has helped the company become a $800 million multinational firm, with over 16 plants across India, three in Germany and one in USA. “Being a manufacturing organisation, it is important to bring digitisation in the process of design and development where product innovation and quality meet customer expectations. The project handling is very important,” says OP Singh, Assistant Vice President, Group IT, Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd, adding, “Therefore, we decided to focus on our product development process and embark on digital transformation by retrofitting our PLM application as well as bringing new tools to the D&D portfolio.”
Being a B2B organisation, the major focus for the company was to improve efficiency in the organisation. By deploying this (PLM) digital platform for its design and development has helped Sona Koyo to crash the development time by 18 per cent.
Singh is also trying to bring real-time visibility in the outcome of every process so that timely correction can be taken. “Another form of digitalisation is bringing more visibility solutions which can give a feedback or update to the management team and SME's in real-time bases where they can improve or take proactive action to overcome any challenges,” he opines.
To achieve this, the company requires a culture of collaboration within the company which was brought in with the help of a digital tool. “We have deployed a digital platform called 'My Sona' which enables every employee to collaborate, share ideas and bring more cohesive work culture in the organisation,” Singh explains.
To take the digitisation journey forward, Sona Koyo is exploring working with various start-ups to take up some of its innovative projects where it has flexibility as well as scope of improvement to engage with. “We are evaluating some of the projects like introducing IoT in some of our products to improve their adoptability in the market and lead time reduction in product improvement cycle,” says Singh.
Starting out as a “manufacture to print” organisation, the Group today boasts of having created its own IPR, particularly in the areas of power steering for off-highway applications and precision forging. Sona Group has engineering capabilities in the areas of machining and assembly, precision forging, cold and hot forging and heat treatment. The Group's range of products primarily consists of steering and driveline components for the automotive OEM segment namely passenger cars, utility vehicles, commercial vehicles and specialty vehicles. The Group is committed to expansion of its products range and clientele by continuous investment in research and development.
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