Ensa Vikas, the joint venture between the Vikas Group and Europe’s Dayco Group will commence commercial production of EGR (Exhaust Gas Re-circulation) coolers by December.
With Euro 4 norms due for implementation in 11 Indian cities by 2010, it would be mandatory for diesel run vehicles to have the EGR technology. Speaking to this publication, COO, Ensa Vikas EGR Systems, K Srinivas said, ‘With most of the passenger carmakers betting big on the diesel agenda, we anticipate that demand for EGRs is going to be huge.’ The company already has orders from Maruti Udyog, now Maruti Suzuki India, Fiat India, Tata Motors etc,. To cope with the demand from the passenger carmakers and CV manufacturers, Ensa envisages having capacity to produce one million EGRs by 2010 at its Faridabad facility, which will go on stream by the end of 2007, said Srinivas. An initial investment of Rs 20 crore has been made.
Small engines
‘Heavy-duty commercial vehicle manufacturers like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, and Mahindra ITEC have already initiated developmental work to meet the new emission norms and we are partnering most of these programmes,’ added Srinivas. While initially supplies will be confined to smaller diesel engines, by 2009-10, the company expects to develop capabilities to supply EGRs to the entire diesel engine range. Srinivas did not rule out the possibility of a buyback arrangement with Dayco once domestic requirements are met.
EGR has been chosen as a technology option to meet tighter emission norms by most global automotive majors. In Europe for instance, Behr has refined its cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology for heavy trucks in anticipation of the new Euro 5 emission standards in Europe and corresponding regulations in the US.
In the EGR cooling process, the exhaust gas is passed through a cooling system and then mixed with the fresh intake air to reduce the level of pollutants. This lowers the oxygen concentration in the cylinder charge and the combustion temperature drops, hence reducingNox in the exhaust gas.
Last September, the Vikas Group which manufactures host of automotive components ranging from catalytic converters, fuel line, casting and machining components, exhaust systems, heat exchangers, fuel and fluid products, etc through its various group companies forged a joint venture with Europe’s Dayco Group. Dayco is a leading manufacturer and supplier of fuel lines, fluid components carbon canisters, EGR systems, and transmission components, to name a few.
The group envisages clocking Rs 600 crore from its automotive business by 2007-08 against Rs 500 crore in 2006-07.
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