Mahindra moves on to the next level with the Mahindra Research Valley

When you look at a car in detail, it’s easy to make out how well finished it is or how badly it’s been made. The panel gaps, the paint finish and quality of the plastic parts. Then there is the performance and how the car feels on the road. The NVH ( Noise Vibration & Harshness) levels, the gear shifting, whether its smooth or rubbery and so on. In the end, how good the product is boils down to how well it’s been made and as a result it is extremely important for car manufacturers to have a state of the art manufacturing and R&D facility to iron out these issues.

While the automobile is a commonly used product, it is an extremely complex and technologically sophisticated one. Manufacturing new cars requires state-of-the-art technological methods and processes. To improve product quality and efficiency in production, the automaker has to invest a large amount of time and money into developing and improving the manufacturing process, and rely heavily on research and technological innovation. Now Mahindra has been around for the longest time and looking at their vehicles today one can easily say that they have grown tremendously in almost areas. The ability to realize mistakes and learn from them is a route Mahindra has consistently followed and it shows. However the next big step was needed for Mahindra to really prove itself as a maker of top notch vehicles and show the world that they are also at the forefront of automotive technology today. And that next big step is the Mahindra Research Valley. With a massive investment of Rs. 650 crore, the MRV as it is called is spread over 125 acres at the Mahindra World City in Chennai and designed by Padma Vibhushan, Charles Correa.

So what makes the MRV so different? For starters, with all design and R&D facilities located in a single place, MRV not only encourages a collaborative approach permitting direct knowledge transfer between various teams but also saves a lot of time. The state of the art facilities will also enable research in alternative polymer technology for automotive applications, vehicle passenger safety and validation of aggregates and vehicles. The engine development centre will house groups addressing various issues involved in the development of engines. Equipped with state of the art software and hardware means development of competitive power plants will be expedited. Also the centre includes, prototype building and testing of engines.

The next most important place at the MRV was the NVH lab. The next time you compliment your Mahindra running like butter, this is the place to thank. The NH lab has been set up after extensive benchmarking with global manufacturers and boasts of some brilliant technologies like a semi anechoic chamber for chassis dyno, pto dyno, modal room, sound quality room as well as technology called acoustic holography.

MRV’s first outcome, the XUV 5oo is already a huge success and Mahindra just cant make enough of them which pretty much signals what we can expect from Mahindra in the future. The next product coming out will be a tractor which will be a successor to the mighty Arjun. The MRV is pretty much the only facility of its kind where Tractors and other automobiles are worked on together. The under 4 meter Verito, powertrain for electric vehicles and an all new engine which will be shared between SsangYong and Mahindra are already under development.

The MRV then is not just another R&D centre but what it is, is the embodiment of an idea, a place where dreamers dream and pretty much the cradle of M&M’s future growth. With the MRV, M&M has not just started another place, but pretty much gone onto another level. As they say, the only way to predict the future is to invent it and Mahindra has gone ahead done just that.