Spark Minda, Ashok Minda Group recently inaugurated the Spark Minda Technical Centre (SMIT) – the group R&D centre – at Chakan, Pune. We spoke to the company to learn about the various initiatives that will be undertaken at this facility. Suresh D, Group CTO and CEO, Spark Minda Technical Centre provided us with insights about its future course of action.
OVERVIEW
SMIT intends to provide technological assistance to its existing group businesses and serve as a catalyst for their electronification initiatives. The centre will initially focus on strengthening and expanding the group’s presence in the automotive systems domain as a complete system solution provider. Suresh said that the centre will harness innovations to create breakthrough solutions tailored to address the market requirements.
The centre has been designed and conceptualised to pursue opportunities in the areas of new generation technologies like connected, autonomous, electrified mobility solutions, body control and multi-function controllers, smart security and vehicle access solutions. It would also explore incubation of future technologies like deep learning, artificial intelligence, internet of things, smart vehicles technologies, prognosis and diagnosis. The centre has already started working on electric scooters, electric three-wheelers and electric cars.
The purpose of setting up SMIT was to enable and increase advanced engineering technologies in existing and future business ventures, as well as support the growing need for future mobility requirements, said Suresh. The centre will also establish EMC as well as HIL testing, proto shop along with reliability engineering to increase the quality and efficiency of R&D.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The R&D centre is equipped with latest test & measurement equipment, development tool chains & environment and a fully operational laboratory for supporting the development of embedded software and hardware. The engineering and design office covers an office space of around 40,000 sq ft, which is designed to accommodate up to 400 employees. The centre has 75 engineers from Europe, North America and Japan.
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