The electrification of transportation affects many functions within a company. While the transportation sector was reaching a certain maturity, electrification is now disrupting it—both through the development of new technologies and the speed at which they evolve. Whether in product engineering, manufacturing operations, or procurement, companies must adapt to technologies and an industry that are constantly evolving. To navigate these many changes smoothly, it is essential to understand this evolution well and anticipate the effects on your company and your supply chain.
Evolution of electrified products
The development possibilities for electric vehicles are new and endless! In addition, the number of new systems to develop is considerable. Many of the systems commonly found on internal combustion engine vehicles, such as heating, air conditioning, and power steering, can no longer rely on the engine's power to operate. These systems must be reinvented, become autonomous, and rely on electrical power to perform their functions. This has a direct impact on engineering, assembly, and maintenance.
The addition of heavy batteries requires rethinking weight distribution and architecture, whether for a transit vehicle or a recreational vehicle. Vehicle light-weighting becomes even more important. These factors mean that the development of electric vehicles often requires new platforms, which takes a lot of time and investment.
The increase in digital technologies and connectivity is significant for electric vehicles, their manufacturing, and their maintenance. As a result the electrical, electronic, and software skills are more important at all levels of the company.
Impact on manufacturing strategies
New systems and technologies mean major changes in manufacturing operations, assembly sequence, and production equipment. The manufacturing strategy must be adapted to account for these challenges.
As this is a new booming market, companies must implement agile, modular, and scalable manufacturing operations that will adjust to market trends, new customer demands, and product evolution. This requires continuous training and new approaches to be able to be agile and evolve quickly. It is also necessary to establish new parameters regarding quality control in factories.
Procurement and supply chain
Since many new technologies are integrated into products, the company is not able to master them all quickly. It therefore must change its way of doing things and rely on its supplier network to find the best possible expertise. Many changes will follow in integrating a new configuration onto an assembly line.
Regarding subcontractors, they will have to innovate and develop new components compatible with electric propulsion. Now more than ever, subcontractors need to reinvent themselves and broaden their horizons! Ultimately, the electric and intelligent transportation sector (EIT) will necessarily need strong links to develop to its full potential. The need for skilled, versatile, and innovative labor is already being felt. New key competencies must be developed, particularly in the areas of systems integration including mechanics, mechatronics, embedded systems, and connectivity.
As you can see, many changes are taking place to adapt to the new reality of electric transportation. If you need support to implement an effective manufacturing strategy or to evolve your products, contact the experts at Merkur !
Join us on September 23 to attend our presentation on the impacts of transportation electrification on the manufacturing industry at the Impulsion MTL event.
About
MERKURis a consulting firm founded in 1994. It specializes in working with manufacturing companies in Quebec and elsewhere. The company stands out for the depth of its offerings and for its knowledge of small, medium, and large manufacturing businesses. We are proud to have contributed to Quebec's innovation and productivity for 25 years!
KHROME PRODUIT TRANSPORTis a manufacturing integrator located in Drummondville specialized in the design and manufacture of interior and exterior train cars. Its strength comes from its large engineering capacity and manufacturing agility. Among its client portfolio are major contractors such as Alstom, Bombardier Transport, and Kawasaki Rail Car.
SYNKRO is a middleware developed by Merkur and designed especially for high-performing manufacturers. It collects, classifies, and distributes the right data to the right recipients at the right time, in real time. Synkro gives you a real view of your operations. Synkro is the software solution that finally connects your shop floor and your offices!
