Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2022 - 16

Digital Transformation
field service. Of course, automakers have
long sought ways of reducing or eliminating
waste and interruptions in their
product development processes. At Siemens,
we have found that the solution to
this challenge is to rethink the product
development process, embracing digitalization
to enable faster and more innovative
vehicle design.
As vehicle complexity increases, many teams are struggling to track and manage the myriad requirements
involved in modern vehicle development.
Requirements for an EV may come
from technical specifications, such as a
minimum target drive range per charge;
market research, specifying the target
price range or highly desirable features;
manufacturing, identifying materials to
be used and appropriate production
processes; or from the strategic or legal
perspective, ensuring that the vehicle
meets the regulatory standards of key
markets around the world.
Each of these requirements must be
captured and cascaded throughout the vehicle
development lifecycle and to all relevant
teams. Then, companies must find a
way to track these requirements, ensuring
that a new vehicle design meets these specifications.
As the number and complexity
of vehicle requirements grows, automakers
are attempting to develop processes
and products that support the numerous
and interdependent requirements of a
modern vehicle program. Failure to
achieve this in an efficient and systematic
manner can put a company on the back
foot, slowing down the entire development
process and consuming resources.
Automotive companies are seeking
ways to elevate the efficiency of their
processes to address these mounting
challenges. The most critical area of improvement
is in the reduction or elimination
of waste - of material, time, and
money - throughout the vehicle development
lifecycle. Vehicle design, testing,
and manufacturing processes should become
frictionless, from the initial concept
definition to production and inInsights
from performance
Digitalization, or digital transformation,
offers key benefits to automotive
OEMs developing the vehicles of tomorrow.
First, it establishes connections between
previously siloed teams or departments
and the entire automotive supply
chain, eliminating data flow problems
and reducing mistakes or miscommunications.
New connections and increased
collaboration also ensure that mistakes,
inconsistencies, and other issues are identified
and resolved more quickly when
they do occur. Digitalization also opens
the possibilities of virtual design verification
and validation early in the development
lifecycle to drive optimizations and
ensure the satisfaction of requirements. It
can also integrate artificial intelligence
(AI) into product development to help
engineers generate cutting-edge designs
and concepts faster than ever.
A Digitalized Approach
So, what does this entail? There are
three key elements to accelerating product
development through digitalization.
First, companies should focus on integrating
the next generation of design, simulation,
and lifecycle management technologies
into their product development
processes. Traditional processes
and
methods are ill-equipped to deal with the
challenges and complexities of modern
vehicles. Development processes must
grow and adapt along with
the rapid advancement of vehicle
technology.
One of these advanced deProduct
design
Production
planning
Production
Product
Continuous
improvement
Digitalization enables automakers to create a closed-loop process, from product design through the actual product
in the field.
16
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sign technologies is known
as generative design. Generative
design uses AI and machine
learning to develop
new design concepts in a
time-efficient manner, while
satisfying the requirements
for a given part. Generative
engines can quickly produce
multiple design alternatives
that all meet requirements,
while optimizing for certain
parameters. Engineers can
then select the best option
for the application.
Tech Briefs, April 2022
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Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2022

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