Benchmarking

REPORT ON BENCHMARKING

OBJECTIVE:

• Benchmark with present available cars in the market for the following CASE.
• D. S. Pughazhyendhii is a married man who lives in Bangalore which is a highly crowded city. His family comprises of 5 members including his wife, 5 year boy, father and his mother. He once in a month visits his native place Madurai which is almost 500 kms away from Bangalore. Also he will be using his car to commute to his office. His budget falls between 8 lakh to 10 lakh on road. Please suggest him with options so that he will buy a good car for his family. NOTE: PUGHAZHYENDHII is fond of BIG CARS.

DEFINITION:

• Benchmarking is defined as the process of measuring products, services, and processes against those of organizations known to be leaders in one or more aspects of their operations.
• Benchmarking in the automobile industry involves a structured comparison between similar products, services or processes on some dimensions of performance.
• Example: Compare availability and working of features in a Car and in this form, it often provides the basis of consumer tests and reviews. These consumer tests and reviews provide recommendations based on the best thing or some form of ranking amongst competitors.
• It is particularly useful when comparing performance as well as in practice.

TYPES OF BENCHMARKING:

1. Process benchmarking - For business processes, it required to identify goal and observe the best practices from one or more benchmark firms.
2. Financial benchmarking - To perform a financial analysis and comparing the results to assess overall competitiveness and productivity.
3. Benchmarking from an investor perspective- For an investor, it is used for comparing peer companies for alternative investment opportunities.
4. Benchmarking in the public sector - It is used as a tool to improve and innovate in public administration for the services they provide.
5. Performance benchmarking - To compare products and services with target firms to assess firm’s own competitive position.
6. Product benchmarking - It is the process of designing new products or innovate the current products. It sometimes include reverse engineering to take apart competitors’ products to find pros and cons.
7. Strategic benchmarking - To observing how other industries compete.
8. Functional benchmarking - To become specialist on a single function.
9. Best-in-class benchmarking - It involves studying the leading competitor or the company that best carries out a specific function.
10. Operational benchmarking - To embrace everything from staffing and productivity to office flow and analysis of procedures performed.
11. Energy benchmarking - It is a process of collecting, analysing and relating energy performance data of comparable activities with the purpose of evaluating and comparing performance between or within entities.

STEPS IN BENCHMARKING:

SUGGESTIONS OF DIFFERENT MODELS:

Ford EcoSport

Key Specifications

Price	₹ 8.19 - 11.70 Lakh
Fuel Type	Petrol, Diesel
Mileage	14.7 - 21.7 km/l
Seating Capacity	5 People
Safety Rating	Not Tested
Warranty	3 Years or 100000 km
Engine Size	1496 cc, 1498 cc
Transmission	Manual, Automatic (Torque Converter)
Size	3998 mm L X 1765 mm W X 1647 mm H
Fuel Tank	52 litre
Ground Clearance (mm)	200 mm

PROS

• Good design
• Spacious and well built
• petrol and diesel engine options.
• Includes keyless entry and start, sunroof, auto headlamps with HID projectors and DRLs, cruise control, auto AC, auto-dimming mirrors, sunglass holder, auto wipers, ambient lighting, 16-inch silver finished alloy wheels, and an eight-inch touchscreen with Ford's SYNC3 interface.

CONS

• Needs major update
• Loses character with the spare wheel at tailgate.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza

Key Specifications

Price	₹ 7.68 - 11.33 Lakh
Fuel Type	Petrol
Mileage	17.03 - 18.76 km/l
Seating Capacity	5 People
Safety Rating	4 Star (Global NCAP)
Warranty	2 Years or 40000 km
Engine Size	1462 cc
Transmission	Manual, Automatic (Torque Converter)
Size	3995 mm L X 1790 mm W X 1640 mm H
Fuel Tank	48 litre
Ground Clearance (mm)	198 mm

PROS

• The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza has a conventional SUV design giving it a bold stance as well as a great road presence.
• Key features are SmartPlay Studio 2.0 touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and navigation, automatic climate control, push start-stop button, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamps, and cruise control.
• The Vitara Brezza comes equipped with dual front airbags, Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Brake Assist, parking sensors and seatbelt reminder making it one of the safest SUVs in its segment. In fact, it has already received a four-star rating in the Global NCAP crash test.
• The automatic variant of the Vitara Brezza is the most fuel-efficient offering in its class returning fuel efficiency of 18.75 kmpl while the manual version delivers a frugal 17.03 kmpl.

CONS

• Vitara Brezza has no sunroof to offer.
• It also misses out on connected car tech.
• No diesel engine on offer.
• The 4-speed torque converter on the Vitara Brezza is outdated now and feels a bit sluggish.
• It is quite expensive than most of its competition.

Honda Jazz

Key Specifications

Price	₹ 7.81 - 10.05 Lakh
Fuel Type	Petrol
Mileage	16.6 - 17.1 km/l
Seating Capacity	5 People
Safety Rating	4 Star (ASEAN NCAP)
Warranty	3 Years (Unlimited KMs)
Engine Size	1199 cc
Transmission	Manual, Automatic (CVT)
Size	3989 mm L X 1694 mm W X 1544 mm H
Fuel Tank	40 litre

PROS

• 7-inch Digipad infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto among others.
• Standard safety features include dual front airbags, anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD), rear parking sensors, impact mitigation front headrests, pedestrian injury mitigation and anti-theft immobiliser system.
• The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission while the seven-step CVT automatic gearbox is also offered on all variants.

CONS

• The Honda Jazz looks a bit dated for design.
• The low-speed ride quality of the Honda Jazz feels a bit too stiff on broken roads or rough surfaces.
• The material quality and fit & finish of the interiors could have been improved.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

Key Specifications

Price	₹ 8.67 - 11.66 Lakh
Fuel Type	Petrol
Mileage	20.04 - 20.65 km/l
Seating Capacity	5 People
Safety Rating	4 Star (ASEAN NCAP)
Warranty	2 Years or 40000 km
Engine Size	1462 cc
Transmission	Manual, Automatic (Torque Converter)
Size	4490 mm L X 1730 mm W X 1485 mm H
Fuel Tank	43 litre
Ground Clearance (mm)	170 mm

PROS

• It is the most spacious sedan in its class, especially for the rear passengers.
• There’s enough and more knee and legroom, there’s good shoulder room to seat three, and the headroom isn’t half bad either.
• Add the light clutch effort, the precise and easy to slot in gear shifts, and the light steering to this visibility, and the Ciaz makes for a fantastically easy car to drive, particularly in the city.
• It doesn’t feel slow or lethargic, and it is completely up to the task of dealing with stop and go traffic as well as slow city commuting.

CONS

• It is noisy and unsettled.

Renault Duster

Key Specifications

Price	₹ 9.85 - 14.25 Lakh
Fuel Type	Petrol
Mileage	14.19 - 16.5 km/l
Seating Capacity	5 People
Safety Rating	3 Star (Euro NCAP)
Warranty	2 Years or 50000 km
Engine Size	1498 cc, 1330 cc
Transmission	Manual, Automatic (CVT)
Size	4360 mm L X 1822 mm W X 1695 mm H
Fuel Tank	50 litre
Ground Clearance (mm)	205 mm

PROS

• Powerful and silent engine
• Great drivability
• Big and fast
• Excellent ride quality
• Great pricing

CONS

• Lacks latest features

COMPARISON

Car Name	Ford Eco Sport	Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza	Honda Jazz	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz	Renault Duster
Price	₹ 8.19 - 11.70 Lakh	₹ 7.68 - 11.33 Lakh	₹ 7.81 - 10.05 Lakh	₹ 8.67 - 11.66 Lakh	₹ 9.85 - 14.25 Lakh
Fuel Type	Petrol, Diesel	Petrol	Petrol	Petrol	Petrol
Mileage	14.7 - 21.7 km/l	17.03 - 18.76 km/l	16.6 - 17.1 km/l	20.04 - 20.65 km/l	14.19 - 16.5 km/l
Seating Capacity	5 People	5 People	5 People	5 People	5 People
Safety Rating	Not Tested	4 Star (Global NCAP)	4 Star (ASEAN NCAP)	4 Star (ASEAN NCAP)	3 Star (Euro NCAP)
Warranty	3 Years or 100000 km	2 Years or 40000 km	3 Years (Unlimited KMs)	2 Years or 40000 km	2 Years or 50000 km
Engine Size	1496 cc, 1498 cc	1462 cc	1199 cc	1462 cc	1498 cc, 1330 cc
Transmission	Manual, Automatic (Torque Converter)	Manual, Automatic (Torque Converter)	Manual, Automatic (CVT)	Manual, Automatic (Torque Converter)	Manual, Automatic (CVT)
Size	3998 mm L X 1765 mm W X 1647 mm H	3995 mm L X 1790 mm W X 1640 mm H	3989 mm L X 1694 mm W X 1544 mm H	4490 mm L X 1730 mm W X 1485 mm H	4360 mm L X 1822 mm W X 1695 mm H
Fuel Tank	52 litre	48 litre	40 litre	43 litre	50 litre
Ground Clearance (mm)	200 mm	198 mm	-	170 mm	205 mm

CONCLUSION

From above table of comparison, I suggest Maruti Suzuki Ciaz for Mr. Pughazhyendhii because:

• It has good mileage, 4 Star (ASEAN NCAP) safety rating and 43 litre fuel tank capacity.
• It also gives Manual as well as Automatic transmission option.
• It has 5 person seating capacity.
• Easy to handle drive in city area also.
• Good look and price in between ₹ 8 - 10 lakh budget.

Under Body Coating and its purposes

• While you are sitting on the driving seat enjoying the smooth ride, the underbody of your car is always exposed to muddy water, stones, rugged roads, and potholes. This makes it prone to wear and tear, which is often not in plain sight but could lead to serious issues if not taken care of.
• Maintaining car underbody coating can be a lifesaver for the driver. Conventional underbody treatments such as road salt or mag chloride are still used for rust or corrosion-related issues. However, the real concern is the need for these products for our car today.

Car Underbody Coating:

• The coating is the formulation of spray that is applied to the chassis protecting it from rusting.
• Applying to undercoat, as soon as you get your new car, is the best way to keep the chassis intact. This covers the under-surface saving it from road grime and other stuff.
• The undercoating is applied to stop a few contributing factors leading to rusting and corrosion.
• Benefits of Undercoating a Car:

1. It extends the lifespan of your car
2. No more loud road noise