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The automotive industry is very changeable. Factors as globalization, merges and acquisitions, competition between institutions and te0chnological innovation, had forced the company automotives to rethink its businesses. Several of these companies have used software of “Business Intelligence” (BI) for helping them to gain advantage competitive. This article more specifically shows the viability of the implementation of the tool of BI for support to the automobile industry in spare the logistic area of parts and new automobiles.

Automotive industry is looking for new design and product development practices to become more competitive. Challenges in current global market have often included sustainable development, environmental regulation and innovative solution to reach customer needs. Today, carmakers are striving to take competitive advantages over global marketplace. Model-Based-Design (MBD) seems to be a feasible answer to improve software development practices in automotive industry. Furthermore, it has been reported as a novel development approach to develop advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Among ADAS technologies often required to reduce driver fatigue is Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS). By using an auxiliary servomotor, it can reduce significantly driver effort in parking maneuvers. In this scenario, this paper aims to describe how MBD can be used to design EPAS control system.

A vehicle's performance depends greatly on the operating conditions, such as journey type, driving behavior etc. Driving patterns vary with geographical location and traffic conditions. In today's global economy where automobile industries are concerned with both local and international markets, it becomes necessary to investigate vehicle performance for driving cycles of different countries and develop vehicle designs which are appropriate to the consumer's market. This paper concentrates on the issues related to designing hybrid electric vehicles. A method of optimizing the size of the principal hardware components of hybrid vehicles such as, electric motors, internal combustion engines, transmissions and energy storage devices based on the demands of different drive cycles is discussed in the paper.

With crude oil resources becoming a scarce good, traded at premium prices, individual mobility – a cornerstone of global economy – may soon hang by a thread. While longterm strategies will include hybrid electrical and purely electrical drive systems, fast and efficient solutions are equally needed for the next vehicle generations and beyond as these will have to be based on state-of-the-art combustion engine technology. Powertrain electronics and mechatronics that have already paved the way for today's high level of fuel efficiency are now providing an even wider range of new and more advanced solutions, all addressing one point: Lowering fuel consumption and thus CO2 emsissions of vehicles which have a combustion engine as part of their drive system. This paper gives an overview of the contributions the latest and most advanced Continental powertrain-related electronics and mechatronics can make.

A side-effect of the continuing globalization is that manufacturing is more and more becoming a commodity. The manufacturing industry has to respond to rapidly changing markets more often and much faster than ever before while maintaining equivalent or better quality. The Automated Manufacturing System has been widely accepted as an enabling technology to respond quickly to the market changes and to improve the quality and operational efficiency of production. In this context, wireless sensors carry several advantages compared to traditional wired sensors in creating highly reliable shop floor control system, including self-organizing, self-healing, auto-routing, and self-controlling. This paper presents an agent-based simulation test bed to assist the system designer at each stage of development of wireless sensor based shop floor control systems. The proposed test bed exploits virtual factory approach in order to enhance the design and development process.

The interaction between drivers and driver information systems has to be as uncomplicated and fast as possible since the main task for the driver is to drive. It is therefore necessary to design human-machine interfaces that make easy and safe interactions possible. Additionally, the increasing globalization of product markets demands to take into account cultural differences when developing a human-machine interface. For this reason, cultural peculiarities and intercultural differences have to be identified, investigated and considered in the design process. In the present study we examined the existence of cultural differences between Japan, USA and Germany with regard to the evaluation of navigation-systems. The results show that American, Japanese and German citizens evaluate navigation-systems differently and that intercultural differences may heavily influence the success of information-systems.

Knock or preignition is an artifact of engine ignition timing and lower grade octane petroleum fuels common place in our society. These fuels are especially prevalent in countries that sophisticated refining techniques or practices have not come to age. Octanes in the mid to high eighties encompass 80-90 percent of the fuel used by the major portion of the United States. In other countries, the octane number plummets giving rise for better means to adapt or set the engine for “real-time” optimum performance. Adapting to this world is essential in the existing global economies that automotive manufacturers call their home. A close examination and then detection of the knock event that is flexible in both gain and frequency would improve the control of the engine to adjust to both a spontaneous event and predicable event. Studies have proven this subject more “a prediction” than an understood science. Now, with some sophisticated techniques, the event is quantified more analytically.

Toyota participated in Formula One1 (F1) Racing from 2002 to 2009. As a result of the downturn in the world economy, various engine developments within F1 were restricted in order to reduce the cost of competing in F1. The limit on the maximum number of engines allowed has decreased year by year. Toyota focused on the engine performance deterioration due to the combustion chamber deposits. In 2009, Toyota was successful in reducing around 40% of the deterioration by making combustion chamber cleaner in cooperation with ExxonMobil. This contributed to good result of 2009 F1 season for Toyota, including two second place finishes.

The business environment is ever changing, several innovations have allowed companies to transcend borderlines and become global entities. While the opportunities are numerous so are the challenges. In this fiercely competitive global marketplace, success requires companies to pay closer attention to supplier relations. The relationship between an automotive industry and its suppliers is an example of it, so the application of CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) superelement technique may improve, in terms of NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), the vehicle development efficiency, without compromising confidentiality directives. Most of NVH requirements must be tracked through Transfer Functions (TFs) analyses at response points located on the Trimmed-Body Finite Element Model (FEM), as for example: Point Mobility, Vibration Transfer Function (VTF) and Acoustic Transfer Function (ATF).

To be successful in a global environment requires planning and development of strategies for your company. In the rapidly changing customer-driven environment, many automotive suppliers act in today, it is easy for the change to get out of control if not properly monitored. This paper will help you understand the process Autoliv has been going through to become a successful global restraints supplier. In most cases for Autoliv, manufacturing is local using globally developed manufacturing equipment. Engineering, Research and Development (ER&D) must focus on developing core specifications, which can be used globally without interferring with local standards. This work is done in the Tech Centers supporting the entire Autoliv group and located in creative environments close to safety leading customers. It is this potential that Autoliv is now using globally in the way described in this paper.

This paper shall present the details of recently conducted studies that examine the criteria for success and the future of product development in the automotive industry. A majority of the forecasts predict increasing globalization, cost containment, dependence on suppliers and increase in electronics content. Correspondingly, OEM’s and suppliers are adopting and implementing CAD and PLM strategies that shall be explored together with the ideal PLM strategy for OEM’s and suppliers

The paper presents a brief summary of results from a Delphi forecast focused on North American Auto industry philosophies, practices, and tools for various phases of the product- development process, and their impact on cost, quality, and design lead time. The forecasting technique is a systematic, iterative method of forecasting based upon the judgement of a panel composed of knowledgeable experts. The study provides a snapshot of current expectations for the product development process, including the use of computer aided design tools, design methodologies, strategies, tools, and design education/training. The paper highlights issues pertaining to product cycle time, organizational barriers, supplier's role and globalization challenges.

This report gathers material concerning the main automotive regulations which worked as a reference for the origin and formation of Brazil automotive regulation, the CONTRAN - “Conselho Nacional de Trânsito”. The reference is objective on regulations such as FMVSS - “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard”, from USA and UNECE - “Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations” where the focus will be given to the work being developed by the WP.29 - “World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations”, belonging to UN.

Brazil is undergoing a positive phase. It is time to question ourselves about how have we come to this point and how is this going to evolve. Our country went, in little more than a decade, since the early Nineties, from a closed economy, with almost 50 years of experiments based on the import substitution model, for a wide open relation with the rest of the world, followed by internal adjustments (privatization of state owned companies, regulating agencies, some structural reforms) that led to the current configuration. Today a relatively mature relation with the rest of the World prevails, subject to the typical instabilities of the globalization, in which the Country, however, has been apt to participate of the international relations both as an exporter as an importer of goods and services, besides serving as a productive platform for many worldwide products.

With the opening up of the economy and globalization in India, provision of reliable infrastructure has become a priority area in order to facilitate faster economic growth. The backbone for the economic growth is transportation. In transportation, the commercial vehicle industry plays a lion's role and hence demands urgent attention. One of the neglected areas in the commercial vehicles is its cabin. Driving commercial vehicle in India, is hard and hazardous work lasting for long hours in distant and unknown places of varying environmental conditions. In India, most often, the driver of a commercial vehicle is an employee unlike in developed countries where he is a owner driver. Further, most of the commercial vehicles supplied in India today are drive-away chassis and with the engine in the driver's compartment unlike the built-in cabins abroad.

With growing globalization of the economy, to gain a competitive edge in world markets shortening the product development cycle is crucial. Virtual product development is, therefore, being actively pursued in the off-road vehicle industry. To implement this process successfully, the development of comprehensive and realistic computer-aided methods for performance and design evaluation of off-road vehicles is of vital importance. To be useful to the engineer in industry for the development and design of new products, the computer-aided methods should take into account all major vehicle design parameters and pertinent terrain characteristics. They should be based on the understanding of the physical nature and the mechanics of vehicle-terrain interaction. Their capabilities should be substantiated by test data.

The authors will present a self contained computerized program to reduce the cost of typical in plant maintenance and improve the first time quality of manufacturing. This program will be designed for the major manufacturer and the smaller sub-contractor to reduce waste and improve the overall cost reduction of manufacturing. This Presentation will present a hands on demonstration for the use of the Palm Held Computers and Clipboards for Preventative Maintenance. As we look into first run capability, we will focus on such aspects as: waste stream management, job descriptions, work orders and trend analysis. Goal setting must be a part of the Manufacturer/Contractor relationship and thus be quantifiable and realistic. Preventative Maintenance is often the most ignored aspect of Manufacturing in order to get the production numbers off the shipping dock. This Program will lead to a more harmonious relationship of shipping parts and producing them in a less costly Environment.

In the global economy, the companies' competitive advantage is directly connected with its capacity to develop new products. So, the professionals' formation, which is part of this development, needs to be one of the main concerns of the companies. This is necessary for the benefits of the techniques and tools of Concurrent Engineering, as well Concurrent Engineering itself, to be extracted. In this context, it was developed at the Integrated Model Factory), at USP/São Carlos, an Environment that uses new education methods to form professionals with knowledge to face these new challenges.

Factors such as increasing complexity, legal and regulatory requirements, and globalization of automotive design, sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution are converging to create significant diagnostic challenges in the automotive workshop. This will require the development of strategies which leverage technology and vehicle data in ways which provide fast, accurate diagnosis and complete repair the first time the vehicle is bought in for service.

The development of new vehicle is becoming increasingly complex: proliferation of on-board electronics, development of hybrid advanced powertrain technologies, globalization of design and production, to name a few. At the same time, companies are straining constantly to better meet consumer desires while reducing time to market and production costs. Definitely a tough challenge! The ever growing amount of data (both in variety and in number of sources) that the enterprise generates is central to this situation. Compiling and processing this data efficiently is easier said than done. And failure to do so can lead to critical business opportunities being lost! A solution exists. It comes from the web where an innovative approach was indeed mandatory to cope with the billions of documents to search. It is called “search technology” and is engrained in the DNA of EXALEAD.