The Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars (e.g. CAR MBS), held annually in Traverse City, MI, is one of the top automotive leadership events in the world. This year’s event, has an all-star lineup of speakers and topics spanning multiple disciplines that are top of mind in today’s automotive environment. A strong emphasis on strategies and technologies related to connected and automated vehicles, mobility business models, and electrification are on the agenda. Amid these complex topics lie the challenges and subsequent disruptions to the existing business models that must be understood and overcome.
Each year brings a wealth of information as well as posing questions that need to be worked through during the remainder of the year. This year’s theme is how the automotive industry is moving in bold new directions, especially in technology. With the integration of electronics, software, and internet connectivity, today’s (not to mention tomorrow’s) vehicles are increasingly complex. In addition to the ever-increasing complexity of the vehicles themselves, today’s automotive factories incorporate smart sensors and software to enable Industry 4.0 best practices for manufacturing.
Automotive leaders are looking for ways to develop their next generation vehicles and, as a result, have been increasingly adopting the use of a product innovation platform. The following table highlights several analogies between new vehicle development and new platform development that automotive companies require to develop their vehicles:
The automotive industry is investing heavily to achieve success in each of these vehicle development areas. OEM success for connected and automated vehicles and mobility platforms is based upon getting these capabilities developed and operating efficiently. Since many of these new capabilities have not previously existed, Aras is actively engaged with forward thinking companies in the industry to help them with their new processes for configuration, validation, and change management. As the Aras product innovation platform is highly customizable, without the need for complex programming and compiling, we are able to layer over existing enterprise systems to drive digital process transformation more quickly. This winning strategy results in faster / Agile deployment with minimal disruption to the overall Vehicle Development Process (VDP).
If you plan to attend CAR MBS this year and would like to touch base regarding recent advances in automotive product management, I would enjoy meeting with you and finding out about your digital process challenges. Connect with me on LinkedIN and I will be happy to meet for coffee or a beverage. I look forward to seeing you in Traverse City!