Connecting Profitability and Personalization for Growth

Products, processes and profits are inextricably linked. “Margin times market share times market size” is the new metric for competitiveness.  Mass production and mass markets are giving way to low-volume/high-mix production and fragmenting market segments.  These changes require innovative product development processes and business case approaches to help automotive companies capitalize on emerging trends and revenue streams. Leading companies are searching for ways to build speed, flexibility, digital modeling and set-based design practices into their development processes–allowing them to evaluate multiple designs in parallel and conduct virtual trade studies when the development costs in time, money and manpower are relatively low. Product development performance is still the single most important determinant of superior financial returns and stock performance in the auto industry.

Combining customization with flexible manufacturing and personalized marketing will be the winning combination for products that break through the clutter of mass indifference.   The objective is to accelerate development and launch processes for more variants with personalized features by reusing interchangeable parts and modular systems. Increasing complexity and constant pressure to reduce costs and development lead times are industry challenges that must be addressed; technology continues to be a key enabler for achieving strategic and financial objectives.  To achieve these objectives, companies must find the right balance of internal lean product-process development practices and integration of suppliers in a lean value chain.  This session will focus on how leading companies are applying world class technologies and lean product creation practices to meet the increasing demand for high-volume profitability, as well as quick, cost-effective low-volume production and model differentiation.

Return to top >>