Product Development Process Optimization

Product Development

Process Optimization

The success or failure of technological innovations largely depends on the development processes behind them and how they are organizationally integrated and implemented. This is where the work of FEV Consulting begins; the consultants support their clients with experience gathered internally in the area of product development and on the basis of their direct and unique access to the capacities of the FEV Group. In so doing, they take into account specific client requirements as well as the three core elements of successful product development: quality, cost, and time.

COST-EFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT – THROUGH OUTSOURCING AND VIRTUALIZATION

How FEV Consulting can help OEMs achieve product maturity faster

The success or failure of technological innovations largely depends on the development processes behind them and how they are integrated into and implemented within a company‘s organization. That is where FEV Consulting comes in. We help clients by tapping into our collective internal experience in the field of product development and by leveraging our direct and unique access to the capacities of the FEV Group. At the same time, we take into account our clients‘ specific requirements, as well as the three core elements of successful product development: quality, cost, and time. 

In light of rising pressure on an OEM‘s product development efforts, FEV Consulting sees three areas where they can act: outsourcing, virtualization, and increasing efficiency. 

Strategic outsourcing of development work packages

Customers now expect ever more diversified products to be put on the market faster. That leaves OEMs with little time for development and bringing the products to maturity. At the same time, there is increasing cost pressure. So, it becomes more important to outsource key development work packages. To help its clients overcome these challenges, FEV Consulting offers a structured Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO) approach. Our experts analyze the client‘s R&D network, evaluating to what extent development packages can be farmed out, and then devising a corresponding plan for implementation.

Active outsourcing offers concrete benefits. First, external service providers can alleviate temporary shortages of capacity and skills. Second, companies are able to lower their fixed R&D costs and focus development activities on their core competencies.

The results are usually a leaner and shorter development process and quicker introduction to the market.

Optimization through virtual powertrain development

Whenever OEMs incorporate virtual methods heavily into the early phase of product development, they save themselves the trouble of expensive prototype testing and reach the desired product maturity faster and more economically.

FEV Consulting helps its clients assess their skills, working methods, and computer-aided engineering (CAE) infrastructure. Our experts examine the client‘s organization and processes, its data and knowledge management, or its human resources capacity and skills. Through the unique collaboration between FEV Consulting and the CAE experts from the FEV Group, clients receive total support at both the expert and management levels. This results in solutions for the sustainable implementation of tools, methods, and approaches to simulation.

Strategies for efficient powertrain testing

An integral part of powertrain development is verifying product functions and durability. The tests generally take time, tie up test bench resources, and require the use of prototype components. In addition, future legal requirements (e.g., Real Driving Emissions, RDE) will force testing facilities to acquire costly testing equipment. By concentrating more and more on virtual development and new testing strategies (e.g., from road to rig to desktop), companies are spending less time and effort on testing.

Before discussing measures for the improvement of existing testing facilities, the FEV experts come up with possible future scenarios. With the aid of a proprietary simulation tool, they assess the scope of work and necessary test bench capacity. Then FEV recommends test facility strategies with which clients can save money and be well-positioned for the future.