OUTLOOK Future of Driveline Business Hiroshi ITO* In recent years, the automotive industry has witnessed a increasingly are manufacturing these units in-house, rush of large-scale mergers and new partnerships, perhaps they increasingly are outsourcing such conventional most notable of which are the alliance between Daimler automotive components such as, in the case of driveline Benz and Chrysler and that between Nissan and Renault, components, automatic and manual transmissions and as companies seek to strengthen their positions and driveline units. achieve further growth amidst intensifying competition. Given such situation, it is not surprising that the same Toyota and other Japanese automakers have achieved type of large-scale mergers and alliance formations have rapid market growth by successfully meeting market been occurring in the autoparts industry as well. Also, requirements in such areas as environmental friendliness, the fact that in the last year certain large U.S. autoparts fuel effi ciency, safety and reliability; however, emerging makers have been forced to declare bankruptcy makes it automakers in Korea and other countries have also grown abundantly clear that competition is intensifying in this rapidly, and it appears competition will only intensify in industry. Regarding the automotive driveline business the future. of JTEKT, in line with the above trend we strengthened Regarding technology development, rapid advances operations through such measures as the establishment are being made in technology to improve environmental with GKN of joint venture GKN JTEKT Ltd. (formerly friendliness−particularly in the form of hybrid vehicles GKN Toyoda Driveshafts Ltd.) and acquisition of Bosch and futuristic fuel cell vehicles−and raise levels of Corporation's torsen business. performance and function. The development of strategic It was against such a backdrop that JTEKT was system units has also proceeded rapidly, and as automakers created. Our driveline components business is built on the Control computer Electronically controlled front/rear wheel drive force distribution system Propeller shaft ITCC RBC E-RBC Left/right wheel drive force distribution system Driveline system Type A Type B TORSEN Front/rear wheel drive force distribution system AT/CVT magnet valve Type C Driveshaft TORSEN AT/CVT oil pump DOJ-BJ type GI-BJ type VL-VL type JTEKT driveline system and parts * Executive Director, Research & Development Center JTEKT Engineering Journal English Edition No. 1001E (2006) 7 −Future of Driveline Business− wide array of technology and products of former Toyoda Machine Works and such driveline products of former 2. 4WD Units Koyo Seiko as commercial vehicle propeller shafts and The 4WD market has continued to expand in recent automatic transmission parts. In addition, this business years as a result of the popularity of SUVs and RVs unit is benefi ting greatly through synergy with JTEKT's as well as the application of 4WD to sedans and other other product divisions, such as through application of vehicle types to improve driving stability, etc. This element technology and fundamental technology from our has benefited us greatly because our unique 4WD bearing division and improving manufacturing processes electronically controlled couplings (ITCC) and Torsens, through application of machine tool technology. which excel in control and response characteristics, enjoy Our intention is to make full use of the various high shares of the 4WD market. advantages brought about by this merger, including In general, 4WD units have the advantages of increased size and strengthened technical capability, improving safety and driving performance but also such as we seek to develop technology to enhance the disadvantages as increasing fuel consumption by adding attractiveness of our main products and enhance to vehicle weight and having poor control compatibility environmental friendliness by making products more with safety-improving antilock brakes (ABS). However, compact, lightweight, and effi cient. In addition, we will for example in the case of ITCC, we have expanded the aim to supply not only individual driveline products market rapidly by developing a new logic that enables but also, based on close cooperation with automakers, control compatibility with ABS, greatly reducing fuel optimal system technology that will contribute to vehicle consumption compared to conventional 4WD vehicles safety and reduce vehicle weight. through optimal torque distribution based on operating JTEKT's diversified lineup of driveline products conditions, and reducing the overall 4WD system size and includes CVJs, 4WD units, propeller shafts, AT/CVT oil weight by improvements to such parts as the propeller pumps, and MTs, but in this article I would like to present shaft, driveshaft and differential. It is predicted that the the business outlook for our main products CVJs, 4WD 4WD market will expand several-fold in the next few units, and propeller shafts. years, and we will continue efforts to develop innovative technology in order to secure our worldwide no.1 position. 1. CVJs Regarding CVJs, we strengthened the competitiveness of our product lineup considerably through the 3. Propeller Shafts establishment of GKN JTEKT in 1999 and have steadily The former Toyoda Machine Works began the increased sales through implementation of a global production of propeller shafts in 2002. Since then, through sales strategy and other measures. Currently the JTKET beginning the production of special high-speed CVJs in group has the no.2 share of Japan's market. We also have 2005 and other measures, we have steadily improved our strengthened our overseas manufacturing network, in position as a specialized maker of propeller shafts. The particular through establishment of new bases in China former Koyo Seiko also produced propeller shafts as part and Thailand. However, there are two other companies of its bearing business and supplied cross joints to almost possessing overwhelming shares of the global market, and all domestic propeller shaft makers. Through utilizing the we will have to raise our level of effort in order to catch combined special technology of both former companies, these competitors. we intend to pursue the development of propeller shafts CVJs have a strong connection to bearing-related that are even more compact and lightweight. technology, and therefore we plan to take advantage Regarding overseas production, currently we are of the merger by utilizing new technology particularly manufacturing propeller shaft parts in Thailand, but from JTEKT's bearing division related to rolling through utilization of bases of JTEKT's other product element configuration optimization, materials, surface divisions, we hope to expand overseas production. modification, etc. to create products featuring compact The above has been a brief outline of the future of size, low forcing force (low vibration) and wide angle. JTEKT's driveline business. While continuing efforts to JTEKT also manufactures numerous peripheral parts, and develop products with enhanced attractiveness and value, we therefore wish to contribute greatly to automakers we will strive to create technology that will enable us to through looking at the bigger picture and developing provide optimal driveline systems, as touched on above. CVJ-based modules that have fewer parts and are more compact and lightweight. 8 JTEKT Engineering Journal English Edition No. 1001E (2006).