The environment facing automotive-related manufacturers is fierce. Changing regulations, competitor landscape, technology and customer preferences, along with a fluid global economy, create challenging conditions for automakers and their suppliers. The Austin Company understands this landscape. This is an excerpt from an interview Generis Group did with Brandon Davis, Vice President of Operations and General Manager at The Austin Company prior to the American Automotive Summit 2018. “How can automotive manufacturing facilities decrease project capital costs through engineering and re-design concepts? There are a few ways to look at reducing costs today, compared to how traditional automotive plants used to be designed and built. Throughout most of my career in the industry, we would build plants with what I would call ‘oversized’ structural steel. By doing this, we built in maximum flexibility for the plant, so equipment could easily move around and the plant could be easily adapted in the future, as much of the production processes were “hung loads” from the structure. As the industry has evolved, equipment has become lighter, many production processes can now be floor-mounted, and – in general – equipment has become more flexible and able to support different product types. In this setting, we are working hard in the production layout efforts to see what really needs to be supported from the structure and to design structures specifically for what is needed. That reduces the cost of the facility construction and saves the use of …
Read More →Security-First Mindset Drives Both Performance and Profits
Designing with security in mind is proving to be essential for OEMs in the embedded space. But exactly what that means remains a moving target: What’s secure today is not necessarily secure tomorrow. In volatile industry environments where threats are non-stop, OEMs want to secure their devices and systems, but don’t necessarily understand how to maintain protection for the long term. A smart approach features design strategies and standards, but as importantly, is grounded in a security-driven mindset that embraces security implementations and deals proactively with different risks. This kind of vigilance can prevail in many ways: protecting systems, distinguishing OEMs, and driving new opportunities to create long-term profit centers from security services.
Read More →Major Test Challenges for RF Products
Automotive consumers are demanding, and are placing OEMs under increased pressure to provide enhanced value through the use of RF technologies. Remote keyless entry, CAN/VAN networking and self monitoring operations are all considered standard in automobiles newly entering the market. For OEMs this means an increase in the composite parts and that need to be integrated into their designs as well as months of development, integration, prototyping and testing. Ensuring the successful installation of an RF system can enhance safety, avoid recalls and ensure consumer satisfaction. Averna specializes in test engineering and is all too familiar with the challenges that OEMs face when it comes to the effective testing of RF products. The ebook below was created by Averna to discuss some of the major challenges in RF Product testing and highlight key strategies to overcome them. Check it out! Download the eBook Here!
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