Brain Gain

R&D IS THE PILLAR ON WHICH MANUFACTURING STANDS. A COMPANY WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON R&D AND INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS WILL FACE A LOWER ATTRITION RATE.

- Jayashree Mendes

EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT MANUFACTURING innovations and novelty. Companies want new products to be introduced regularly in the market. They want flexibility in manufacturing and this is something that has never been as important as it is today. Moreover, with customers demanding new and advanced products, manufacturing companies are compelled to go back to the drawing board and come up with innovations. And innovations come from a strong research & development.

Ideally, a diligent company will invest about 3-5% of its turnover on R&D and design. Those who do so and come up with remarkable products will be at an advantage. The ability to design, develop, manufacture and support bespoke products puts companies in a different league altogether. It is always better that companies have their own R&D wing so that in the long run it gives a price competitive advantage. 

Raghav Gulur, MD, ZF India Technology Centre (ITC), says, “We have strong technical expertise and depth in developing and producing systems and components for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. R&D is fundamental to us. As one of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide, we invest about 6% of sales turnover in R&D, thus ensuring continued success through the design and engineering of innovative technologies. The ZF India Technology Centre (ITC) inaugurated last year focuses 80% on software and 20% on mechanical engineering activities and plays a pivotal role in the development of vehicle technology. ZF India’s R&D team will soon advance to a position where they will support the R&D teams across the globe to jointly develop futuristic technologies that will define the automotive landscape of tomorrow.”