EuroWire September 2019

Corporate News

Howmanufacturers of wire harnesses can be the big winners in CASE trends

They will only be able to meet these requirements through an increasing focus on digitisation. Only then will the manufacturers be able to supply the OEMs with the necessary data and be able to continually monitor and optimise the quality of their products by capturing and evaluating the production data. However, the further automation of the manufacturing processes is essential for this digitisation. Without it, reliable data collection and processing would not be possible. In turn, design for manufacturing forms the fundamental basis for automation. In the long term, the wire harnesses must be designed so that they can be manufactured using automation in the first place. “Digitisation, automation and design for manufacturing are the core competencies of the future for manufacturers of wire harnesses,” added Mr Jost. DiIT – Germany Website : www.diit.de

“Wire harnesses are turning from a purely price-driven commodity product into a safety-critical, quality-driven strategic purchased part,” said Bernd Jost, managing director of DiIT GmbH – a specialist for integrated software systems used in wiring harness production. For the manufacturers of wire harnesses, this means a paradigm shift with enormous potential. They now have a chance to benefit from these global developments through new business opportunities. However, these opportunities will not simply present themselves. “With the current, largely manual manufacturing processes and the many inconsistencies between the systems seen in production control, manufacturers of wire harnesses will no longer be able to cope with future challenges,” said Mr Jost. “Due to the strategic importance of the wire harnesses the manufacturers will be faced with very different requirements from OEMs in terms of traceability and quality.”

REVOLUTIONARY the automotive branch are threatening the livelihood of many in the supply segment. However, according to DiIT, manufacturers of wire harnesses can be the big winners – provided they do their homework. Shared and Services, Electrified – or CASE, for short: these four trends are disrupting in the automotive branch and could fundamentally change it forever. As a result, many traditional players in the supply industry are now in difficulty. The long-term existence of manufacturers of mechanical parts such as components for petrol motors or assemblies is even under threat. This is not the case for manufacturers of wire harnesses. Their products will play a key role in electrified, driverless, networked cars that support comprehensive mobility services through digital services. They are used for running all energy, signal and communication flows that make the new functions possible in the first place. changes in Connected, Autonomous,

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September 2019