I’d like to add a clarification here, as some of the information above appears dated.
As of today, the Brake Interface Unit (BIU) for Kavach is not manufactured only by Faiveley. HBL and Medha also manufacture BIUs. Even Concord Control Systems have the capability to manufacture BIUs and they’ve mentioned the same several times in their concalls.
In fact, since 2022, both HBL and Medha have been approved by RDSO as Developmental Vendors for BIU.
BIU approved sources information is publicly available on IREPS website:
Capacity constraints do exist, but the capability is there.
HBL, in particular, has reasonable in-house BIU capability and capacity, which allows it to internalise this critical subsystem of the Kavach stack. This also explains (partly though) why HBL’s electronic segment margins tend to be structurally higher compared to players like Kernex.
So while BIU availability has been a bottleneck at times, the supplier landscape today is broader and more diversified than it was a few years ago.