Ind Mkt. Caselet 1

CASELET Tata Nano: ‘An excellent example of supply chain management’ During the first inauguration of Tata’s Nano Car, Ratan Tata famously spoke these words “I observed families riding two- wheelers- the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, allweather form of transport for such a family.” Hence, started the conceptualization of a car targeted at the low income segment of India who could not afford a car. It is a typical example of identifying a need, developing and marketing the product to the targeted segment and enjoying the success of a well-crafted marketing effort. It is no surprise then, that the little car also dubbed as the “people’s car” attracted much fanfare from the media across the world. The demand for the car could not be met initially, as the Sanand plant wasn’t working full capacity. The cars had to be booked in advance. After a rocky start at its West Bengal Singur plant, the production of Nano was shifted to Sanand, Gujarat. This delayed the launch and also put a tab on the production capacity. The car comes in standard, CX and LX versions. The price of the standard version falls in the Rs 1 lac bracket (excluding VAT and transportation cost). The car was conceptualized to cater to a segment who earlier could not afford a car due to its high price. Nano is in every sense a revolution in innovation aimed at serving the lower class market. The purchase price of this no frills auto was brought down by dispensing with most nonessential features, reducing the amount of steel used in its construction, and relying on low cost Indian labor Cost-cutting features The Nano's design implements many measures to reduce manufacturing costs. Comparison with the Maruti 800, the Tata Nano's closest competitor: Tata Nano

Maruti 800

* The Nano's trunk is only accessible from inside the * Maruti 800 initially had only an opening rearcar, as the rear hatch does not open. windscreen, but later got a full hatchback.

* One windscreen wiper instead of the usual pair (also * Two windscreen wipers. seen earlier on certain Citroen and Mercedes models)

* No power steering initially, unnecessary due to its * Power Steering only in higher variants. light weight.] Added in higher variants in later models.

* Three lug nuts on the wheels instead of the usual * Four lug nuts per wheel. four (also seen on Smart)

* Only one wing mirror on base models. Higher variants fitted with passenger side ORVM from 2012 * No option for both side ORVMs in any variant. onwards.

* Radio or CD player is optional (the idea picked on some basic car models in North America and all basic * Radio/CD Player is optional. cars in India)

* No airbags on any model

* No airbag in any variant.

* 624cc rear engine has 2 bigger cylinders (312cc * 800cc front engine has 3 smaller cylinders (266cc each) each).

* No air conditioning in base model (as on most basic * No air conditioning in base model car models in Europe and North America)

* Front passenger seat same as the driver seat, but * Front passenger seat same as the driver seat, and the headrests separate. Later models switched to headrests are integrated. integrated headrests.

* Thinner 135/70-R12 space saver spare tyre.

* Full size spare tyre.

* No external fuel filler cap. Fuel inlet is accessed by * External fuel filler cap. opening the front hood.

* Front door power windows only offered on highest * Front door power windows only offered on highest variant. PW switches placed on central console rather variant. than on door pads.

Technical Specification The Nano (2012) is a 38 PS (28 kW; 37 hp) car with a two-cylinder 624 cc rear engine.

The car complies with Bharat Stage 4 Indian Emissions Standards, which are roughly equivalent to Euro 4. The development of the Nano had led to 31 design and 37 technology patents being filed.

Engine:

2 cylinder petrol with Bosch multi-point fuel injection (single injector) all aluminium 38 metric horsepower (28 kW) 624 cc(38 cu in)

Value Motronic engine management platform from Robert Bosch GmbH

2 valves per cylinder overhead camshaft

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

bore × stroke: 73.5 mm (2.9 in) × 73.5 mm (2.9 in)

Power: 38 PS (28 kW; 37 hp) @ 5500 +/-500 rpm

Torque: 51 N·m (38 ft·lbf) @ 3000 +/-500rpm

Layout and Rear wheel drive Transmission 4-speed manual transmission

Steering

mechanical rack and pinion w/o servo

Turning radius: 4 metres

Performance

Acceleration: 0-60 km/h (37 mph): 30 seconds

Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph)

Fuel efficiency (overall): 25.35 kilometres per litre (4.24 litres per 100 kilometres (66.6 mpgimp; 55.5 mpg-US))

Body and Seat belt: 4 dimensions Trunk capacity: 150 L (5.3 cu ft)

Front brake: 180 mm drum Suspension, Tires & Brakes Rear brake: 180 mm drum

Front track: 1,325 mm (52.2 in)

Rear track: 1,315 mm (51.8 in)

Ground clearance: 180 mm (7.1 in)

Front suspension: MacPherson strut with lower A arm

Rear suspension: Independent coil spring

12-inch wheels

Tata motors being the countries largest automobile company (commercial and passenger vehicles combined), has been a pioneer in the automobile industry in more ways than one. It being the first company in the engineering sector listed at the New York Stock Exchange. Tata Indica was the country’s first indigenous passenger car built in 1998. Suppliers and Parts

Supplier

Part/system

Texspin

Clutch Bearings

Bosch

Oxygen sensor, Gasoline injection system (diesel will follow), starter, alternator, brake system

Continental AG

Gasoline fuel supply system, fuel level sensor

Caparo

Inner structural panels

HSI AUTO

Static sealing systems (Weather Strips)

Delphi

Instrument cluster

Rane Madras Limited

Steering Assembly

Denso

Windshield wiper system (single motor and arm)

FAG Kugelfischer

Rear-wheel bearing

Federal-Mogul

Pistons, Piston rings, Spark plugs, Gaskets, Systems protection

Ficosa

Rear-view mirrors, interior mirrors, manual and CVT shifters, washer system

Freudenberg

Engine sealing

GKN

Driveshafts

INA

Shifting elements

ITW Deltar

Outside and inside door handles

Johnson Controls

Seating

Mahle

Camshafts, spin-on oil filters, fuel filters and air cleaners

Saint-Gobain

Glass

TRW

Brake system

Ceekay Daikin/Valeo

Clutch sets

Vibracoustic

Engine mounts

Visteon

Air induction system

ZF Friedrichshafen AG

Chassis components, including tie rods

Behr

HVAC for the luxury version

Dürr

Lean Paint Shop

What is even more encouraging is that the car adheres to and in some cases exceeds the quality specifications of the Indian automobile industry. The car has ample ground clearance; space for it’s built and can seat 4 adults. The car has been designed keeping the target segment of a family of four, earlier using a two-wheeler in mind. Tata Motors was awarded the 2010 Edison and Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation award for their extraordinary achievement.

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