A platform for change
- July 5, 2016
- Posted by: Simon Wait
- Category: IBIS News
Panels, platforms, insurance and ADAS were all highlighted during Andrew Marsh’s session at IBIS Ireland 2016, ‘Fast metal and ADAS’.
Andrew, engineering director at Auto Industry Consulting, gave a whistlestop tour of numerous changes underway within the sector currently, highlighting how vehicle construction of ‘yesteryear’ predominantly based around mild steel and bespoke construction compared with today’s highly complex, multi-material, modular ‘plug and play’ platform cars.
‘There has been a total revolution in vehicle body construction,’ said Andrew, although he did suggest the trend towards aluminium construction is ‘more a fashion choice than anything else.’ He continued, ‘manufacturers are fighting with the rapid evolution of materials.’
Referring to the increasing adoption of modular platforms, Andrew continued, ‘This is lego,’ a benefit of which he suggested is that for repairers ‘the core structure is similar and we can potentially start to repair by type.’
Andrew then went on to explore connected vehicles and how he believes the road to fully autonomous vehicles will be led by professional transportation services using platooning as a learning platform.
IBIS Ireland 2016 was headline partnered by AkzoNobel and Audatex, along with partners Fastcare and Enterprise.
