Automotive Engineering - March 2020 - 24

Multimatic's new

SimCenter

A rendering of Multimatic's
SimCenter that's expected to open
in Novi, Michigan, in the second
quarter of 2020.

The Novi facility will feature the most advanced VI-grade driving simulator
in the U.S., enhancing development of everything from chassis dynamics to
autonomous systems.

New development cornerstone
The Multimatic SimCenter will serve as a showcase for VI-grade's technology. The DiM250, with its wide performance envelope, can create
low- and high-frequency inputs, which permit both ride and vehicle dynamics to be modeled in the same system. The SimCenter will also feature a second, smaller VI-grade Compact Static Simulator to better assist
24 March 2020

in model generation and throughput for the facility.
The new structure will consolidate Multimatic's engineering resources and double its footprint in southeast Michigan, with space for more than 100 employees. Multimatic will use the new facility and simulator
to expand on its core MISA (Multimatic Integrated
Systems Analysis) development process to offer innovative solutions for its OEM and other customers.
Unlike "build-to-print" suppliers, the firm uses its engineering teams, tools, experience and processes to create new solutions that increase value.
"We're an engineering-based manufacturing organization, and we define value as an equation that represents the relationship between product function and
cost," Guttilla said. "You can't have a useful conversation about whether something is cost effective without
understanding the functional requirements, and vice
versa. We look at the current state of the art, and map
out a value target zone that's identified by increased
functional attributes, and/or reduced cost relative to
those known products."
He cited a recent example that occured during a midcycle OEM vehicle refresh. Multimatic engineered and
produced new front and rear suspension components
from high-strength stamped steel. The highly engineered steel components replaced an aluminum/castiron setup, meeting cost-reduction targets while reducing weight by more than 16 kg (35 lb). Due to the short
timetable, the new components needed to meet the
OEM's handling requirements from the first set of component prototypes.
This could only have been accomplished by accurately predicting the final subjective performance in the
virtual world, long before physical parts were available.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

MULTIMATIC

ultimatic, the Toronto-based supplier well known as the
manufacturer of the Ford GT, will open a new virtual vehicle-dynamics development center in Novi, Michigan, in
second quarter 2020. Partnering with simulation specialist
VI-grade, the new "SimCenter" will be the first U.S. installation of VIgrade's largest 9-degrees-of-freedom automotive simulator.
Available to industry clients, the simulator will provide a powerful
virtual-development tool for everything from OEM suspension projects to start-up autonomous driving algorithms.
According to the Michigan Economic Development Corp., $7.8 million
is being invested in the greenfield 25,000 ft2 SimCenter, which will house
the DiM250 simulator. This advanced driver-in-the-loop engineering tool
is one of the few in use outside of an OEM. It permits validation of a host
of automotive systems and subsystems long before physical prototypes
are constructed.
In addition to turn-key race cars and full-vehicle projects such as the
Ford GT, Multimatic is a leading supplier of OEM suspension, structural
and mechanism products.
"The partnership we have with VI-grade and this state-of-the-art
simulator will continue to enhance our overall vehicle dynamics capability. It adds, through the virtual environment, another layer of differentiation that complements the Multimatic innovation process,"
explained Michael Guttilla, executive VP of engineering at Multimatic.
"This is an enabler for bringing advanced technologies like electrification, adaptive suspension systems, autonomous driving and other
active-safety features to market quickly."

by Paul Seredynski

Automotive Engineering - March 2020

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