Benchmarking
Benchmarking in the automobile industry :
Benchmarking has been unanimously accepted as an effective performance and productivity improvement tool by Indian auto companies. However, Indian automobile manufacturers still see benchmarking as a tool to compare product attributes, quality attributes, operations, and processes.
Benchmarking involves a structured comparison between similar products, services or processes on some dimensions of performance. For example it can be used to compare the availability and delivery of features in a product and in this form often provides the basis of consumer tests and reviews. These look atproducts and services and provide recommendations based on which is best or some form of ranking amongst competitors.
It is particularly useful when comparing not only performance but also practice in other words what do the different organizations do to enable that
performance to be delivered? And applied in this way it is a powerful tool in process innovation sin e studying how the ‘best’ achieve their performance can provide powerful clues for changing the way processes operate.
Process benchmarking of this kind can operate at several levels:
• Between similar processes in the same factory or service branch
• Between different factories or service branches
• Between different competing organizations
• Between different sectors using the same process
As per the requirement of Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii wherein he requires the vehicle to commute to his office daily on weekdays in Bangalore City and also once a month he makes a trip to his hometown Madurai which is 500 km away from Bangalore, so he will be requiring a vehicle that is fuel efficient while driving in city as well on highways . Also they are a family of 5 , so the vehicle should spacious and should be 5 seater atleast. The budget for the vehicle lies between 8 -10 lakhs . Considering every requirement we are going to bench mark the vehicles based on mileage , comfort ( head room, leg room and etc) , additional features provided and finally it should lie within the budget.
We were able to shortlist the following 4 vehicles based on the need of Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii :
1. Hyundai i20
The all-new i20 has been inspired from Hyundai’s design DNA of “sensuous sportiness” with a dynamic look on the outside & luxurious feeling on the inside.Loaded with most advanced safety features, the all-new i20 offers the most comprehensive safety package in its class-the 6 airbags are built to provide maximum protection, while electronic stability control (ESC) with vehicle stability management (VSM) and emergency stop signal (ESS) provide peace of mind.
It has NCAP crash test rating of 3.
2. Tata Nexon
The Tata Nexon has 1 Diesel Engine and 1 Petrol Engine on offer. The Diesel engine is 1497 cc while the Petrol engine is 1199 cc . It is available with Automatic & Manual transmission.Depending upon the variant and fuel type the Nexon has a mileage of & Ground clearance of Nexon is 209. The Nexon is a 5 seater 4 cylinder car and has length of 3993, width of 1811 and a wheelbase of 2498.
The Tata Nexon achieved a full 5-star rating for adult occupant protection and a 3-star rating for child occupant protection in the Global NCAP crash test.
3. Tata Altroz
The Tata Altroz has 1 Diesel Engine and 1 Petrol Engine on offer. The Diesel engine is 1497 cc while the Petrol engine is 1199 cc . It is available with Automatic & Manual transmission.Depending upon the variant and fuel type the Altroz has a mileage of 18.13 to 25.11 kmpl & Ground clearance of Altroz is 165. The Altroz is a 5 seater 4 cylinder car and has length of 3990, width of 1755 and a wheelbase of 2501.
The Altroz got a 5-star rating for adult occupant protection with a total score of 16.13 points out of a total of 17 points and a 3-star rating for child occupant protection in the Global NCAP crash test with a total score of 29.00 points out of a total of 49 points.
4. Honda Amaze
Honda Amaze is a 5 seater Sedan with a mileage of 18.6 KMPL depending upon it's transmission and fuel type. Amaze's 4 cylinder, 1199 cc, 1.2 Litres i-VTEC petrol engine. can generate 90 PS @ 6000 rpm power and 110 Nm @ 4800 rpm torque. It has a fuel tank capacity of 35 Litres L. This Sedan car comes loaded with ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), Auto-Dimming Rear-View Mirror, EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), ISOFIX (Child-Seat Mount), 2 Number of Airbags from safety point of view.
The sedan has received a 4-star safety rating in NCAP tests. Honda Amaze has received a 4-star safety rating in the Indian NCAP crash tests. That makes it one of the safest sedans in the country.
Conclusion:-
The benchmarking we will be using are vehicle's seating capacity, mileage , safety rating .On comparing the specification of all the cars and per the requirement of Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii, we can suggest him to go for the petrol variant of Tata Altroz as it has a NCAP safety rating of 5 and is a large and comfortable 5 seater car. The mileage provided is good and will be best for his daily commute needs and it has enough fuel capacity to travel from Bangalore to his Hometown in Madurai without any need to stop for refuelling.
Finally, we can conclude that this Tata Altroz will be the best vehicle for Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii and hi s family in this segment.