The Future Car – Smart manufacturing and the automotive industry of tomorrow
The automotive industry is being reshaped faster than ever before. Technology advancements are transforming our means of transportation from into ever-more complex machines comprised of advanced software, electronics, and mechanical systems. As our vehicles continue to transform, they also become more sustainable, entertaining, and connected to best fit the needs of customers in the future.
To stay relevant in this fast-changing market, automakers must revisit how they approach all aspects of product design, development, and manufacturing. Electrification, autonomy, and connectivity are driving requirements for more computing power, more electronic control units, and clever packaging of these many devices into the vehicle. Meanwhile, sustainability and efficiency efforts require optimizations in energy usage and the efficiency of the overall vehicle design. With complexity increasing, companies must determine how to continue to advance vehicle design, features, and technologies to realize the potential of the future of mobility, despite the challenge of growing complexity.
Simultaneously, the world of automotive manufacturing is also being disrupted. The changing nature of vehicles and automotive business models are also driving change in the world of automotive manufacturing. Production processes must become more flexible, adaptable, and efficient to support greater vehicle customizability and promote sustainability initiatives.
As investment in the research and development of new technologies like vehicle electrification and autonomous driving continues; however, some automotive manufacturers have tried to carry on with traditional manufacturing processes and outmoded equipment. By continuing to do so, they jeopardize their market position by risking production line disruptions, failed launches, and penalties for noncompliance to increasingly strict regulations.
In a new episode of the Future Car podcast, I chatted with Nand Kochhar, VP of Automotive and Transportation Industries at Siemens Digital Industries Software, to discuss the future of automotive manufacturing. We dive into the challenges being created by the changing landscape in the automotive industry and the effect this is having on manufacturing processes and facilities at the OEM and tier 1-supplier level. We also discuss how companies can deal with these challenges by adopting a digitalization strategy and a powerful platform like Xcelerator.
You can listen to the episode through the player below!
