One of the fundamental differences with EVs, compared with ICE vehicles, is the complex hybrid braking system. The integration of the traditional mechanical brake and the electric regenerative system is incredibly challenging. Ensuring the brake system feels consistent to what consumers have already become accustomed to could become a key purchasing decision. Traditionally, ‘brake feel’ has only been evaluated using subjective opinions but AB Dynamics has developed a means to add crucial obj...

Gestamp has been present in the Indian market for over 15 years, operating three manufacturing facilities and a technical center. The Spain-based company showcased several innovative solutions at the Auto Expo 2023. In a conversation with S&P Global’s Om Sharma on the sidelines of the auto show Glyn Jones, country manager and president of Gestamp India, shared his views on the demand scenario for its solutions in the India automotive market. Edited excerpts: Gestamp presence in India ...

NOVELIC is a leading self-sustaining provider of mm Wave radar sensors, perception solutions, and full stack embedded systems. It has a large portfolio of mm Wave radar sensors and IPs and develops custom products for automotive, autonomous driving, robotics, Industry 4.0, and Internet of Things (IoT) systems. At the Auto Expo, S&P Global’s Sr Analyst Rohan Hazarika spoke with Jure Galic, Business Development and Marketing Executive at NOVELIC, about the partnership with Sona Comstar. Edit...

The CASE megatrends – connected, autonomous, shared and electric – in case you’ve not been paying attention, have been the hot topics of the automotive industry in the past decade. They’ve even given rise to talk of the industry in the whole as the mobility industry rather than the more prosaic automotive industry. But is the CASE narrative running into trouble? Hot on the heels of the news that Ford and VW were exiting their Argo AI autonomous driving technology venture came news out...

Mainland Chinese state-owned vehicle manufacturer GAC Group plans to set up a new company to develop and industrialize electric drive systems and hybrid electric coupling systems, a news report published by PANDAILY said on 12 August. GAC Group aims to invest CNY2.16 billion (USD320.7 million) in setting up the said company, which will be tentatively named Electric Drive Technology Company, it said, citing a company announcement on 11 August. The report further stated that the new compan...

Woodbridge is a global manufacturer that provides specialized fully integrated foam solutions for various markets including automotive, commercial, recreational, packaging, healthcare, and building products. IHS Markit (Now a part of S&P Global) recently interviewed Dr. Andrew Kee, Director of Sustainability & Corporate Scientist, Woodbridge, about the company’s offering on TrimVisible BIO polyurethane foam solutions for automotive seats. The following excerpts have been edited. Wha...

Texas Instruments (TI) is a major manufacturer of analog and embedded semiconductors for various markets including automotive, personal electronics, communications equipment, and enterprise systems. TI offers a portfolio of LED drivers and DLP® automotive products. IHS Markit recently interviewed Tobias Nass, general manager of the Automotive Product Line, Texas Instruments DLP® Products, about the company’s offerings for the automotive projection lighting and its DLP technolo...

Founded in 2012 in Switzerland, Light Efficient Systems (L.E.S.S. ) offers versatile lighting solutions using its novel nano-active fiber technology, which the company claims to be a disrupting alternative to the LED technology setting a new standard of lighting quality. It generates high quality light that exhibits both ultra-uniformity and brightness characteristics. The thinness, flexibility, and 3D lighting nature of L.E.S.S.'s laser wire technology allows for the creation of low weight...

In a press release on 5 August, Mercedes-Benz announced that it is expanding its collaboration with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) for electric vehicle (EV) battery technology development. Through its strategic partnership with CATL, Mercedes-Benz will advance its development of current and future lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. The two partners have already started working on future battery generations to be introduced in a number of vehicles within the next few years. The goal of the p...

Founded in 2016 in Silicon Valley, California, United States, by Professor Jianxiong Xiao, AutoX has made significant progress in developing a Level 4 autonomous driving system. The company started testing its autonomous vehicle fleet, equipped with its Level 4 system called AutoX Driver, on public roads in California in 2017. In 2018, AutoX launched its first RoboDelivery pilot service in California. In 2019, the company secured a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPU...

OSRAM Continental is a major lighting solutions supplier that combines light with advanced electronics and software expertise. In an interview with IHS Markit, Dr. Dirk Linzmeier, CEO of OSRAM Continental, talked about his company’s effort toward integration of advanced electronics and software for developing intelligent lighting solutions for vehicle interior and exterior, the rising trend of “LEDification” and OEMs’ rising interest in intelligent lighting systems. Edited excerpts: Q...

Varroc is a global tier-1 automotive component group offering a range of exterior lighting systems, plastic and polymer components, electrical-electronics components, and precision metallic components for passenger cars. In an interview with IHS Markit, Arjun Jain, president, Electrical-Electronics business and whole-time director at Varroc, talks about the trends in the automotive lighting industry, especially in India, and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the company’s operations. Edited e...

Multiple technological developments are shaping the automotive lighting industry. To compete with changes in the industry, manufacturers are focusing on incorporating new lighting features within a vehicle that not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also help create different moods for vehicle passengers. Automotive interior surface lighting has started garnering traction in recent years. In this area, designLED is an innovative Scottish LED lighting technology company with specific exp...

GM has announced plans to invest USD40 million in its Spring Hill global propulsion system (GPS) plant in Tennessee, United States, to ramp up 5.3 L, V8 engine production capacity, the automaker said in a press release on 16 January. The company equips its select full-size SUVs and trucks including the Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe and Suburban as well as GMC Sierra, with the 5.3 L, V8 engines. “This investment further solidifies GM’s commitment to our team and jobs for our community,” sai...

Volkswagen Group (VW), along with its Chinese partners, will invest EUR4 billion (USD4.4 billion) in China next year, the Germany-based automotive group said in a press release on 21 November. About 40% of this investment is earmarked for electromobility as part of the VW group’s electrification strategy. Over the next few years, VW plans to spend more on new energy vehicles (NEV), which included all-electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric cars, in China than on fuel cars.    In...

Automotive-focused software will be the driving force for future profits of Swedish supplier Veoneer, the company's chief technology officer (CTO) Nishant Batra said, as reported by Automotive News Europe on 4 November. “An industry that was traditionally building engines and chassis is now spending more and more money on software,” Batra said. "This is one of the biggest investments that we expect in the coming decade.” Batra also added that driver-assistance systems will dominate t...

Vehicle headlights are shifting from conventional bulb headlamps to high-resolution matrix headlights that focus on enhancing safety through various sensors. Most of the safety concerns, such as blind-spot and forward-collision warnings and avoidance, have diminished with the use of cameras and advancements in machine vision technologies. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are becoming common in high-end cars owing to less cost constraints, however, these features are still finding their ...

One of the simplest ways to define the ongoing automotive shift could be—“the automotive world is going electric”. There are no two ways about it, and almost every OEM who has a desire to successfully sell vehicles from here on, has some plan in place to either electrify their existing product lineup or develop complete new electric vehicles from the ground up. The clock is ticking at a rapid pace for traditional gas guzzlers, and it will not be long before fossil fuels are buried away by ...

Germany-based lighting solutions supplier Osram is currently focusing on developing intelligent and dynamic lighting technology for in-car applications. According to the supplier, personalized lighting will become an integral part of the passenger cell in the era of autonomous driving and light sources will perform a number of additional functions besides ambient lighting. At electronica 2018 trade fair in November last year, OSRAM presented a prototype of the RGB-LED ‘Osire E4633i’, wh...

Automakers are increasingly focusing on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology, which connects a vehicle with other vehicles, roadside infrastructure and other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, to enhance safety for vehicle occupants and road users. The technology has significant potential to reduce road accidents and help manage traffic flow better in urban areas, which in turn could contribute to better fuel economy and lower vehicular emissions. V2X is also seen as ke...

The global automotive market is witnessing a change towards autonomous and electrified vehicles, the impact of which is visible in the fundamental components of a vehicle. Everything from the powertrain to the chassis is moving towards advanced technologies. Braking systems are not an exception to this change. Rather there have been several significant changes in braking systems in the past decade, where they are not just mechanical components anymore, but married to electronic components to ...

BMW has signed an agreement with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor to form a joint venture (JV) to produce electric vehicles (EVs) under its MINI brand in China, the German automaker said in a press release on 10 July. The 50:50 JV, Spotlight Automotive, will be based in Jiangsu Province, where the two partners plan to set up a production facility. Apart from producing MINI EVs, the JV will produce EVs for Great Wall Motor. The establishment of the new JV is subject to approval from the relevan...

Moovel is simplifying urban mobility. The wholly owned subsidiary of the Daimler Group is looking beyond cars and is specializing in multi-modal transportation. Moovel is focusing on seamlessly connecting different modes of transportation such as trains, bicycles and autonomous buses to make daily commuting easier, more comfortable and enjoyable. In doing so, the company is partnering with cities, transit authorities and its customers to help them transform cities by providing convenient and sus...

Early last month, Continental and Osram agreed to form a joint venture (JV) to collaborate on development of innovative and intelligent lighting solutions by leveraging their respective expertise in lighting, software, and electronics. In an interview with IHS Markit, Andreas Wolf, head of the Body & Security Business Unit at Continental, shared some more information on the JV. Edited excerpts: Andreas Wolf, head of Body & Security Business Unit, Continental Q. What kind o...

Parking brakes are not the most “intriguing” component for creative innovations. However, automakers and suppliers have been relatively active throughout the years trying to push for new solutions in this field, according to Paolo Martino, chassis principal analyst at IHS Markit. Parking brakes have evolved from the simple cable-puller type manual brake with a hand lever or a foot pedal, to electric cable puller type that uses an electric switch along with a cable puller unit and a ball-in-r...

Lumax Industries Limited, a flagship company of DK Jain Group, is one of the leading lighting system suppliers to the Indian automotive industry. The company has nine manufacturing plants in India, including a new plant in Sanand city, which currently has capacity for 300,000 car sets annually. Lumax supplies its products to OEMs such as Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, and Honda Cars and claims a market share of around 60% in the Indian passenger car segment. Besides, the co...

A123 Systems is one of the leading battery manufacturers, especially for the low-voltage segment. However, the company is now looking at developing products for the plug-in vehicle segment that require high capacity battery. This strategy, A123 Systems thinks, will help the company have world-class manufacturing scale and drive growth in future. Jeff Kessen, vice president of corporate strategy at A123 Systems, spoke to Srikant Jayanthan of IHS Markit’s Supplier Insight about what the company ...

Around 16 South Korean companies signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of Andhra Pradesh state in India on Monday (19 March) to establish production facilities to support Kia Motors' upcoming vehicle manufacturing plant in the state, reports Press Trust of India (PTI). These companies, together, will invest USD737 million in new auto parts manufacturing facilities. The planned investment is expected to create 6,583 jobs, according to an official release by the Andhra Prade...

Continental will build a new manufacturing plant in Debrecen, Hungary to produce automotive electronics products, the German auto parts supplier announced in a press release yesterday (22 February). The groundbreaking ceremony for the new plant is scheduled for the third quarter of 2018, with production expected to start in the third quarter of 2020. The new 7,000-square meter plant will produce sensors and transmission control units for the European market. The company will invest EUR100 m...

This year’s Auto Expo in India had a completely different feel to it compared with the previous editions of the show for the sheer number of electric vehicles (EV) displayed. In all, over 50 EVs were showcased, which was unprecedented for the auto show. However, though automakers and suppliers look ready with their electrification technologies for the Indian market, they await concrete and supportive policies, including financial and other incentives, from the Indian government. French automak...

The 2017 IAA was paramount for the automobile industry which has been besieged by increasing regulatory pressure to prove their commitment towards reducing vehicular emissions and environmental footprint. The showcased products at the show catered to IC engines, e-mobility and alternative fuel cell technology. Most industry leaders, while agreeing about electrification being the future, believed that the internal combustion engine still had a very important role to play until the transition was ...

India-based Apollo Tyres’ revenues from its international operations have grown significantly over the past decade and the company is committed to increasing it further in the coming years. In the fiscal year 2016/17, the company’s revenues from APMEA (Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) were up 1.9% y/y to INR101 billion (USD1.55 billion), while revenues from EA (Europe and America) rose 35.6% y/y to INR43 billion (USD662.5 million). Total revenue increased 10.2% y/y to INR141.7 billion (...

Chargemaster will supply its home-charging equipment for London Taxi Company’s (LTC) new range-extended electric taxis, the company announced in a press release last week. Chargemaster said that using a new website, LTC customers will be offered a seamless end-to-end service, from initial enquiry, to charging point installation, to customer handover and training. “The new taxi is currently undergoing the most comprehensive product quality testing programme in our 98 year history, and we’re...

France-based auto component maker Faurecia expects a significant shift in business dynamics in its emission control technologies division in India. From being a fringe contributor to the overall Faurecia’s revenues in the country, the commercial vehicle (CV) segment could bring home a quarter of the total revenues for the company in the next two years.   “CV business is going to boom for us as Bharat Standard-IV (BS-IV) emission norms comes into effect from April 2017. This is g...

Iran Khodro (IKCO) plans to further expand its assembly presence in Azerbaijan, reports Trend News Agency. The Iranian automaker is planning to open four more car plants in the country, according to the report, which cited Azerbaijani economy minister Shahin Mustafayev. The minister was speaking at the Azerbaijan-Iran business forum in Urmia, Iran. Mustafayev is leading a delegation from Azerbaijan to Iran to discuss greater bilateral co-operation in various areas. Significance: The two count...

The interview took place in January 2017.   Julian Buckley: Can we start by talking about how Infor works with automotive suppliers? Jeff Nedwick: That’s our sweet-spot, that’s our target market. We work with some OEMs, Ferrari for example, but [companies like that] are not our core. Most of our customers are tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers. What do you do for those customers? Our latest product is called CloudSuite Automotive. It’s an integrated suite of products specificall...

The interview took place in January 2017. Julian Buckley: What is your history with Toyota and at TMMK? Wil James: I joined Toyota in 1987, so I’m just going into my 30th year. My background is in mechanical engineering and so I started on the engineering side, but I was able to convince the company to give me a chance as a first-line supervisor. I went on to get supervisory experience in the environmental area, then production control. I moved into manufacturing in 2000, took on the rol...

This interview took place in January 2017.   Julian Buckley: Can we start by getting an outline of your responsibilities? Jim Bovenzi: This is a group we put together about two years ago, we call it Demand and Supply. It's the bridge between the sales and marketing organization and the supply community. I report to Steve Kiefer, senior VP of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain and to Alan Batey, president of GM North America.  Jim Bovenzi, GM (Source: General Motors) Th...

The interview took place in January 2017.   Julian Buckley: What are the sourcing differences between volume production and the new GT? Hau Thai-Tang: The GT is actually a unique business model. We've partnered with Multimatic [Motorsports] and they're building the vehicles on our behalf. They've put in all the investment to build a low-volume assembly plant and they took the lead on a lot of the sourcing. We've worked in conjunction with them, but many of the contracts are between M...

What changes were needed to accommodate the new C-HR at the Sakarya plant? HK: There were a huge amount of changes. As you may know, C-HR is based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), however we had to combine the current-platform Corolla with C-HR production. We cannot have a dedicated line to support assembly of the new car, so we had to set up mixed production. We have optimized the equipment, the data control, while also modernizing chassis, final and inspection areas. Hir...

BorgWarner CEO James Verrier told media at an event on 11 November that automakers are unlikely to pull back from alternative powertrain development over the next three to five years. "I don't think the automakers will back off. I don't think we'll see a regression," he is quoted as saying about automakers' investments into developing electric vehicles (EVs), upgraded powertrains, and reducing weight to address CAFE standards. But he acknowledged the political situation may have a longer-term im...

Can you give a brief explanation of the relationship between Plasticos Mueller and Tecnoplast? In June 2015, the owner of Plasticos Mueller, Ricardo Jacob, bought a second plastics company, Tecnoplast. It was a difficult decision, as Brazil was still in the middle of the biggest economic crisis in its history. I was brought in as CEO to help consolidate operations and improve overall performance, using my previous manufacturing expertise. Looking at automotive products, how many OEMs are y...

LED is the next key technology for automotive lighting and it is therefore perhaps no surprise that more and more suppliers begin to offer solutions. China-based LED lighting manufacturer, MLS Co Ltd, recently launched its premium LED package in India. In an interview with IHS Automotive, the company’s chief marketing officer, Ivan Hu, spoke about the changing trends and future prospects of LED market globally. LED has been the fastest growing segment in automotive lighting. How do you s...

In a roundtable interview, Julian Buckley and other journalists spoke with Renault Nissan’s Alan Raposo, Alliance Global VP, Powertrain and EV Engineering, and Nissan’s Shinichi Kiga, Chief Powertrain Engineer, Gasoline engine project group, about development of the VC-T technology and real-world performance. It has been reported that the VC-T technology has been in development for about 20 years. What is it about the tech that has taken so long to bring it to this point? Alan Raposo...

Unlike a lot of electric vehicles, the Ampera-e looks like a standard car. Was the design intended to broaden the appeal of the car? We talked to our customers and did a lot of research. That didn’t start with this car, it goes back to the first-generation Volt.  Our customers were saying they like the way that car looks and that was voiced even more strongly as we went into the second-generation Volt. Customers said they wanted a great car and a great-looking car, so we delivered a se...

This is the LIV-2, a concept vehicle. Does this represent an all-new model for Ssangyong? PW: Yes, it is. From the ground up, it’s a new model. It’s a concept, but it’s very, very close to the next Y400 Rexton SUV. Let’s start with the platform. Is it modular, in that you can take the various sections and resize them for vehicles of different sizes, segments? It is a new platform, but it has been derived from the current Rexton. That means it’s a body-on-chassis format, quite ...

Is it accurate to say that 40% of output from HUM (Honda UK Manufacturing, Swindon) is now going to North America? Phil Hadon (PH): It will be. When it reaches maximum volume it will be 40%. How has homologation been managed by the suppliers for the new market, looking at such elements as glass, bumpers, lighting? There are some differences from the US-spec to Euro-spec. From the B-pillar forward it’s pretty much common. There are some differences within that, such as the side-turn in...

“EV buyers are looking for the latest technology,” David Hsu, Director Product Management at Levant Power Corporation told IHS SupplierInsight explaining the increasing role of software/controls in improving the driver experience in electrified vehicles (EVs) and the company’s efforts in developing products that meet those demands. The US-based company has developed GenShock, a “smart” suspension energy recovery technology, for semi-active control and on-board electrical genera...

With targets for CO2 reduction becoming ubiquitous in inboxes of OEM product managers around the globe, engine downsizing and a resultant requirement for induction boosting using turbochargers is on the rise. Turbocharged engines, however, offer transient gains, and are saddled with complications arising out of factors such as cost, complexity, thermal management and catalyst performance. Electric charge devices have demonstrated they can iron out a number of these issues by providing trans...

GKN Driveline has more than doubled its all-wheel drive (AWD) systems production capacity in China to meet growing demand from both foreign and local automakers, the company said in a press release on Wednesday (27 July). The company’s joint-venture in China, Shanghai GKN Huayu Driveline Systems (SDS), has added five new AWD production lines across its two facilities in Shanghai to produce power transfer units (PTU) and rear drive modules (RDM).   “As the only AWD supplier that has de...

Mazda is at about the mid-point of a plan to rethink its business philosophy and reinvigorate its product line-up in North America, and is going into the next phases of this with a new chief. In January, Masahiro Moro added president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations to his responsibilities, which also include serving as chief marketing officer of Mazda Motor Corporation. Moro is responsible for the company's global brand strategy, as well as Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) and t...

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has announced a total investment of USD1.05 billion in US production facilities through 2017. The changes affect the Belvidere, Indiana, and the Toledo Assembly Complex, Toledo, Ohio, plants. The Indiana plant will receive USD350 million of the investment, while the Ohio facility will receive USD700 million. These moves had been signalled previously, with the announcement confirming some time and jobs implications. The Toledo Assembly Complex will receive the...

Germany-based vehicle engineering service provider FEV has inaugurated a new development centre in Beijing, China, the company said in a press release last week. The centre, FEV Beijing Vehicle and Powertrain Development Center, has office space of 10,000 square feet and is equipped with eight advanced test benches for conventional and electric drives. The test centre will also have a vehicle application facility. “With our competent engineers, software specialists and advanced test facilities...

Nissan Europe has enjoyed considerable success over recent years. Most recently, demand for the Qashqai crossover has prompted the OEM to spend GBP22 million to expand production across both assembly lines at the Sunderland, UK plant. This will see the SUV manufactured alongside the new Infiniti Q30 hatchback, launched into production in 2015 after a total GBP250 million investment. Looking forward, GBP100 million is supporting development and preparations for production of the second-generation...

Can you talk about Visteon’s focus areas today? We want to be known as the cockpit electronics user-experience company – delivering a rich, connected cockpit experience. We focus on six product lines: Instrument clusters, head-up displays (HUD), information displays, infotainment, telematics and audio. Today, automakers are still offering these separately; eventually we intend to integrate the functions of these products on a single integrated device, thus offering seamless integrati...

ZF has started production of the new 8-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) at its Brandenburg plant in Germany, the company said in a press release on 16 June. The German transmission specialist collaborated with engineers from Porsche to develop a hybrid transmission modular kit based on the all-new 8-speed DCT for standard and all-wheel drive (AWD). “The new 8-speed dual clutch transmission allows us to offer maximum flexibility for sporty applications – from the all-wheel drive to the pl...

German supplier ZF has set up a global sourcing office in Chakan, Pune, in the state of Maharashtra (India) in a bid to gain from the country’s cost competitiveness, reports The Economic Times. The company will source forging, casting and stamping parts from the country and has already shortlisted 75 to 100 suppliers for the same. ZF aims to increase sourcing from India to EUR 100 million over the next 18 months. “Having been in India for the last 30 years, we have seen that the market ...

Lately, there has been spate of consolidations (divestments, mergers and acquisitions) in the automotive interior space. What are the key reasons why suppliers are divesting their interior assets?   The interiors segment historically has the lowest profit margins compared to the other vehicle segments (powertrain, chassis, electronics, etc.).  Companies who traditionally carried interiors divisions (Lear, JCI, Magna) no longer saw a strategic reason to continue holding on to ...

Can we start by talking about the involvement of Denso in the North American market, what parts are being delivered and current customers? That’s still fairly limited, our predominance has been in the Japanese market, we’ve been involved with Toyota since the original Prius. But that’s expanding, we have production business with Nissan and we have a couple of programs with North American OEMs that we will launch in the future. Is that delivering systems developed from the ground up...

Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), the venture capital unit of the Bosch Group, has established a third fund with EUR150 million (USD171 million), the company said in a press release. With this, RBVC has EUR420 million (USD479 million) under management to invest in innovative start-ups in Europe, China, Israel and the United States. “The new fund will continue focusing on disruptive start-ups in the areas of automation and electrification, energy efficiency, enabling technologies, and health...

Can you give some background on LG Chem? As you may know, LG Chem is based in Seoul, South Korea. The company has very strong ties with GM, Ford and Chrysler through the USBC – the United States Battery Consortium. The big business propositions are battery cells and related technologies. We have been focused on battery technology for over a decade, since the mid-2000s, when we started doing R&D on that and related cell technologies. I only started with LG Chem Power in September 20...

Can we start by getting some background history on Nexteer? What is now Nexteer first introduced electric power steering (EPS) in 1999. That was the first product. At that time we were part of Delphi. In 2010 we were bought by Pacific Century Motors (PCM), based in E-Town, Beijing. Since 2013 we have been publically listed on the Hong Kong Stock Index, 33% public and the remainder owned by PCM. It’s been a bumpy ride. Yes, it has. Like most companies the downturn affected us badly,...

London Taxi Company (LTC) is poised for a new era of growth with a new plant in Ansty, Coventry, United Kingdom, which will produce the next-generation London taxi from 2017. The new-generation taxi − the TX5 − has had more than GBP300 million (USD430 million) invested to bring the car to market. IHS Automotive caught up with London Taxi Corp CEO Peter Johansen to hear the latest on the company's plans. IHS: With the authorities in London cracking down on pollution and forcing taxi fleet...

SupplierBusiness spoke with, Marcus Nyman, Senior Vice President Commercial for IAC in Europe who is responsible for IAC’s business with Volvo Cars: Nyman oversees the activities of the global CBUs (Customer Business Units) for IAC’s European vehicle company customers, covering Business Development & Management, as well as Programme Management. He also works in close partnership with the other regional IAC commercial leaders to ensure the delivery of seamless services and solutions to IA...

Can you outline the purchasing strategy at Mercedes-Benz? Customers buy a Mercedes-Benz because of the superior innovation and quality experience. This is why our first priorities are to deliver those innovations together with our colleagues from Research & Development, and to ensure top quality across our supplier network. We are also looking at efficiency in the value chain and this comes together with a partnership approach with our suppliers. We routinely ask suppliers for suggestion...

Alpina is only importing about 40 units of the new XD3 SUV into the UK (based on the BMW X3). Why so few, for a market that likes diesels, premium badges and SUVs? The X3 is produced in the United States, in Spartanburg, and the plant is not as flexible as the BMW plants here in Bavaria. It’s not so easy to set up production cooperation with the Americans. [In Germany] the plants have flexible production processes that allow the incorporation of different vehicle types, but it’s not the ...

Can you outline the Boysen product range? We are an exhaust systems specialist, this means we develop and produce complete exhaust systems which we then deliver to our customers in the automotive industry via just-in-sequence production and logistics. Therefore our product range includes the complete spectrum of exhaust system components like catalytic converters and all other integral exhaust components, such as diesel particulate filters (DPFs), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) componen...

How has JLR and its purchasing policy and organisation changed in the last couple of years? David Allen (DA): I think we have to see everything in terms of the changes which our product launches since then have brought about, as well as the major investments in our facilities. In 2013, we were still in the process of finalising several new products, some of which have since been launched. At that time, supply contracts were still in the negotiation phase, especially in terms of volumes and t...

How does Purchasing at SEAT tie in with operations at Wolfsburg and the VW Group? We are part of the metrics organization between the brands and the Group. There are a lot of localized and decentralized decisions made in the regions by the brands. This is balanced by centralized activities in Wolfsburg. In this market we make sure that between the single commodities, the parts business, between the Group and brands, there is a very good network. I think it’s a very transparent process....

Julian Buckley, Senior Editor, Global Component Forecasting, IHS SupplierBusiness Automotive The internationalization and globalization of automotive suppliers remain fundamental to the survival and future success of these companies, according to Rafael Martinez Tomas, head of communications and government affairs at Grupo Antolin. Speaking at the 16th European Automotive Congress (EAC), in Madrid, Spain, Tomas noted that tier companies with a global reach could offer more of what OEM (ori...

German transmission specialist ZF wants to increase sourcing from India through global purchase organisation. “Our endeavour  would be to align with the  (Indian) government’s vision of promoting green mobility solutions in India and make our operation in India as a sourcing hub for our global portfolio”, Suresh KV, who was recently appointed Country Head of ZF India told Autocar Professional in an interview. Suresh disclosed that his company “will work on introducing and promo...

Suzuki has inaugurated its new vehicle assembly plant in Indonesia. In a statement, the Japanese automaker said the Cikarang plant in Bekasi, West Java, had started production of the Ertiga multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). The 110,000-square metre plant is owned and operated by Suzuki's subsidiary PT Suzuki Indomobil Motor. Significance: The plant started assembly of engines and transmissions in February 2014. Currently, the plant conducts casting and forging to machining, heat treatment, and as...

Stephan Presser, vehicle engineering manager for the new Focus You mentioned that three areas of the car have undergone significant redevelopment, the steering, the stability control system and the NVH characteristics. Were these developed in-house or by suppliers? Suppliers play a major role in developing products for us, to the extent that we have permanent people on site. They could be an interiors supplier, or the supplier that develops the mirrors for us, but it’s only by coincide...

Constellium has announced plans to set up a Body-in-White (BIW) finishing line in the United States to meet growing demand from automotive industry, the Netherlands-based aluminum supplier said in a press release. The company expects investment in the proposed facility, its second in the United States, to reach USD160 million. The new facility will have annual production capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes. It is expected to start production in early 2018, though the Dutch aluminium supplier is ye...

Have the suppliers delivering to GM had any problems delivering parts for the recalled models? Our suppliers have done an outstanding job in expeditiously supplying the dealers in support of the recalls with continued support in meeting our current production requirements. We’ve worked very closely with our Customer Care and Aftersales organization (CCA), and with our suppliers to satisfy all recall requirements. I have two dedicated people that liaise with my team to identify risk and pot...

How has Schaeffler managed the rapid increase in output volumes needed to support market growth in North America following the downturn? When the downturn happened in 2009 we had to make some adjustments in manufacturing, but we didn’t reduce any investment in R&D. That allowed us to develop products for the market, knowing that CAFE standards were just around the corner and eventually the industry would recover. As a result, we’ve not only achieved improvements in volume, but from 2...

Continental in India is set on the path of expansion for its tire business by leveraging the acquisition of Modi Tyres Company Limited that was completed in 2011. The company’s intentions are evident from its recent initiatives in the Indian market for passenger car and commercial vehicle (CV) tires. Continental began manufacturing radial tires for CVs in the country in early 2014 and entered the Indian passenger car tire market in November 2014, with the launch of two new locally-manufactured...

General Motors president Dan Amman was on hand for the company’s inauguration of a new engine plant and aluminium smelter at its industrial complex in Toluca, Mexico, this week. The additional investment includes capacity for GM’s small gas engines (SGE), and is a result of a USD751 million, three-year investment. The investment is part of previously announced plans for USD5 billion investment in Mexico from 2013 to 2018, Mexican media reports. The Toluca complex houses 30% of GM’s Mexican...

Do you use the tendering system to set part prices at Ford, or do you have an internal modelling system that’s used to set prices? For the majority of parts we buy, we have our own cost estimating process within the organization. We generally have an expectation of what the part should cost, with some degree of specificity. So we’ll often do market tests and get quotes from multiple suppliers to confirm our internal expectations. Does Ford dictate pricing to those companies within th...

Mercedes-Benz plans to transfer its car-assembling investments from Egypt to Algeria by March 2015, according to a report in local newspaper, the Egypt Independent. The automaker plans to establish a new factory in Algeria to take advantage of the privileges and facilities offered by the country’s government to the automotive industry, says the report. Hamdy Abdel Aziz, chairman of the Chamber of Engineering Industries said, "Mercedes' sudden decision has been made amid continuing automotive t...

January – Future demand for manual transmissions IHS Automotive took an in depth look at the manual transmission market and where it is heading. Though the technology is at a high state of development, there are still new elements being added. Six is expected to be the ideal number of speeds for manual transmission going forward. February – Continental retunes its powertrain strategy Continental splits its Strategy and Technology department two separate entities, in a bid to foc...

Could new suppliers shake up the seating systems market? Interview: Andreas Maashoff, Johnson Controls Automotive Seating Suppliers to the VW Passat and Renault Twingo cutaway Mexico’s resurgence continues           Click the link above to download this month's issue  

When we last spoke some 18 months ago Johnson Controls had introduced the Synergy Seat Gen 3 which demonstrated your thinking with regard to reducing the weight and complexity of seating systems while maintaining their comfort and safety characteristics. What have been the major developments in this seat technology since we last spoke? We have continued to work on this seating technology and refining our innovations in the area of weight saving, comfort, safety and design. We are working to ...

Delphi has a long history in the clusters and displays business. Could you describe Delphi’s current involvement in automotive clusters and displays? We have been involved in displays and clusters since 1928 when AC (one of the companies that eventually came together to form Delphi) invented the first electrical speedometer. We have always been a technology leader, for example introducing the first liquid crystal display in 1984 for the Chevrolet Corvette, and the first Head-Up Display (HU...

Can you offer some background covering the relationship between Aha and Honda? Honda was our first OEM customer. I think they came on board in 2009 or ’10 and I started working on this in 2011. I think we’ve 10 OEM customers now. Honda was the first to agree to use the system at a time when we were a start-up, so before we became part of HARMAN. Can you explain what comprises the Aha system? HARMAN has a cloud services group and we call the whole thing Aha, but within that there ...

What role does Chang An play in purchasing for the CAPSA joint-venture? The Purchasing entity in the JV has two major roles, sourcing and investment decisions. For these areas, all employees involved in direct sourcing are employed by Chang An. As far as processes, Chang An has some strategies related to commodities and preferred suppliers, but over the three years of operations, the OEM has largely been involved with the purchase of production and assembly equipment, stamping machinery or ...

How would you describe HARMAN’s position in the global automotive marketplace? HARMAN is the market share leader in infotainment. We are 100 percent focused on the OEM business with three product lines: infotainment Head Units (including rear seat infotainment in high end), connectivity devices including TCU (Telematics Control Units), and cloud computing software for automotive. In this industry, 15 OEMs comprise 80 percent of the market with Toyota and VW as the leaders. Nine out of 15 a...

Volvo was formerly part of Ford: how has the purchasing function at Volvo changed since Volvo separated from the Ford organisation? We were fully integrated into Ford and we shared many common functions and systems. We are now entirely separate and have to stand on our own. When we first separated, one of our biggest problems was that we had a shortage of experienced people. We lacked full capability in purchasing as a lot of functions had been carried out by Ford. Rebuilding this structure ...

Can you give me some background on Autoliv and how the company was formed? The company was started in 1953 in Sweden. First we supplied seatbelts as aftermarket parts in the late ‘50s. Then we moved to installing seatbelts in imported cars and we concentrated on seatbelts for this and delivering to the local market until the mid-‘80s when the airbag was introduced. In 1997, Autoliv AB in Sweden merged with an American company, Morton ASP. They were working with explosives and from th...

JB: Can you outline the footprint of Calsonic Kansei (CK) in and around the Nissan Sunderland (NMUK) plant? JW: We have three locations in the north-east [UK] that supply into Nissan. There’s Bentall Business Park, the exhaust manufacturing plant, that’s about one mile away from the Nissan plant. About three miles away from there is Pennywell, which supplies injection moulded parts for the instrument panel (IP) and HVAC systems and at Nissan Motor (NMUK) we have three activities, cockpit...

Can you offer a breakdown of how the Renault-Nissan Purchasing Organization (RNPO) is set up? The RNPO works on a matrix. The way we deal with sourcing decisions is defined by the leadership panel (or board), then we assess performance dependent on the size of the supplier, whether they have worldwide coverage or not. Then it is up to the internal [RNPO] groups, commodities and regions to make a final agreement. Does that involve Renault BV? Well, Renault BV is the main shareholder a...

US-based aluminium products supplier Alcoa is investing USD13 million to expand its wheel manufacturing plant in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. According to a company statement, the expansion is aimed at meeting the growing demand for Alcoa’s lightweight, durable, and low-maintenance aluminium truck wheels in Europe. Tim Myers, president of Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products, said, “Demand for Alcoa’s forged aluminum wheels continues to grow in Europe, as emissions regulations drive up t...

Please give an overview of the STEM project and why that is important to you and Robert Bosch? I’m very interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and it’s something we spend a lot of time on at Bosch. I recently spoke at the Tri-County Technical College in South Carolina about why we need to get kids involved with this area of education. Our concern in the United States is the lack of students that are getting involved with the STEM subjects. We see it ...

Your 2012 Sustainability report outlined a goal of putting in a common IT function across the group, and I wanted to know if that was still in place and if it would bring together both company Purchasing pipelines? This question comes up a lot and I think it’s best to start by outlining how Fiat and Chrysler are working together. First, we are separate legal entities. Final contracts are written by the individual company. Regardless of what we have tried to do with common parts, leverage a...

Can you outline how purchasing works across BMW? It’s important to look at four major topics when it comes to making purchasing decisions at the BMW Group. These are cost, quality, flexibility and innovation. Honestly, I don’t think we have a cost issue. This is because we have very good internal cost calculations. This means we can calculate part prices and the production costs of any component we are purchasing. We can define this quite accurately. If we don’t get the price we were l...