Stay Curious, Stay Young

#Automobile #Engineering #Daimler #Teamwork

Team Daimler India

Pradeep Kumar Thimmaiyan - Vice President Product Engineering – Entire Vehicle India, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles

One of the key factors often listed for job satisfaction is a sense of accomplishment; people feel better about their work when they can see the results for themselves. If that’s true, surely there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a product you conceptualized making customers happy.

Pradeep Thimmaiyan, Vice President of Product Engineering for Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), knows that feeling well. BharatBenz’s new 5228TT model released just last month is the brainchild of Pradeep, who has worked in both product planning and product development since joining DICV in 2009.

“Our team’s quest is always to create something ground-breaking, a vehicle that would set new benchmarks and really change the game for our customers. Seeing the truck my amazing team and I developed now running on Indian roads is a dream come true,” said Pradeep.

While the new BharatBenz 52 tonner sets higher benchmarks for the tractor trailer segment in fuel efficiency, safety and connectivity, what makes it unique is the axle configuration. Despite being a 4x2 tractor, the vehicle’s hub reduction axle and sturdier frame allows it to bear up to 54 tons GCW; equivalent to that of a 6x4 tractor. This means it can carry loads far above competitors in the same grade, but with less fuel consumption. With fuel costs making up around 65% of the total cost of ownership for a commercial vehicle, the savings add up fast.

“With the pandemic and the financial crisis dragging on, it’s vital for our customers to save money every way they can. Making smart purchasing decisions now leads to success later down the road. It’s important to take the long view,” Pradeep mentions.

Given his role in developing products and technologies designed to take DICV into the future, it’s no surprise that Pradeep is always looking ahead.

“My team and I are constantly developing new, more competitive products. Part of that is keeping an eye on the long term by creating a roadmap for future mobility. Every day we make progress on the big trends revolutionizing our industry, such as connectivity, emissions reductions, assisted driving features and more.

But with all the importance placed on these topics in the industry, Pradeep’s main focus is on something much more traditional – people.

“My number one challenge today is building curiosity in individuals and teams. Curiosity drives innovation, creation, change. Without it, we will only maintain the status quo. I encourage everyone I work with to build that sense of curiosity in their work and their daily lives. That’s how we make breakthroughs; Stay curious, stay young.”