Global viewpoints: technology leads the way
Visteon aims to be fast to market
"If you look at this business, it's all about technology," said Visteon Vice President of Product Development John Kill. "And it's not technology for technology's sake, but technology that is required to meet the end consumer's expectations.
"People under 30 have grown up in a period of unprecedented change in terms of technological innovation, and they've come to expect that. Those are the consumers of the future, and I think that our ability to be able to support this expectation is really vital to the future."
 GENPAD is a 3-D solid-modeling computer tool used to explore the customization of many different automotive interiors. |
OEMs understand this, too, and communicate their understanding of the consumer to suppliers. But doing its own evaluations of consumer trends and then translating those trends into innovative products are becoming core to Visteon, if they aren't already. Visteon tries to be innovative for both its OEM customers and the end consumer.
"Our OE customer expects us as a systems supplier to come to them with market trends and consumer insight and help them shape the products of the future," Kill said. "That is being expected more and more by our OE customers, especially as they lean out some of their capabilities and put more responsibility on suppliers. So it becomes more and more critical that we understand the end consumer. We put significant focus on that." Ideally, Visteon and the OEM "combine their research for the best possible solution."
What the modern consumer also demands is a timely product. One of the main goals of Visteon's new global product development organization is bringing innovation to the market as quickly as possible. The new structure enables the company to respond to regional trends by dedicating the appropriate resources. Most of Visteon's work in telematics is concentrated in Europe, for example, "because that's the region that is pushing ahead at a more rapid pace," Kill said.
Bringing product to market faster is also being enabled by the maturation of CAE and other knowledge-based engineering tools, according to Kill. Minimizing the number of prototypes is a key benefit derived from use of such advanced tools. Development and use of in-house CAE tools, Kill added, has given Visteon a competitive advantage in systems engineering.
CAE is just one of many engineering tools the company is developing and refining. At the company's Visualization and Simulation laboratory in Troy, MI, CAE and virtual reality simulation are combined to take customers through an entire vehicle design and development process from concept to manufacturing—all in real time. Visteon partnered with Electronic Data Systems for its expertise in virtual reality. One of the virtual analytical tools employed at the lab is GENPAD (Generic Ergonomically Nimble Parametric Automated Design), a 3-D solid-modeling, knowledge-based computer tool developed by Visteon. GENPAD is used to evaluate the impact of human factors on its products. It takes into account vision/reflection, reach, steering wheel blockage of instrumentation, passenger comfort, and occupant safety factors.
 Like GENPAD, Visteon's VSTM software is used within the company's virtual simulation lab in Troy, MI. |
Other tools used at the Troy lab include VSTM (Vehicle Systems Thermal Management), a software package that combines a systems integration approach and industry-leading analytical tools for the design of climate control systems that maximize interior comfort while identifying opportunities for energy conservation throughout the vehicle. UPV (Unified Parametric Vehicle) software applications can create virtual models of engine thermal management and passenger comfort systems that accurately predict real-world performance in advance of prototype builds. UPV simulations are conducted to reduce weight, lower emissions, and improve fuel economy.
"I think the combination of tools across the system are starting to really give us an edge," Kill said.
In terms of technologies appearing on production vehicles, the 2001 Jaguar S-Type features Visteon voice technology for control of the HVAC system, radio, and cell phone. Coming soon is incorporation of DVD technology into rear-seat entertainment systems. The company was to introduce aftermarket MP3 players this spring under the company's MACH brand name.
By 2003, Visteon expects to use the Bluetooth protocol to integrate electronic devices such as a Palm, cell phone, and laptop into the vehicle, according to Kill. He said the company's strategic alliances with companies such as Microsoft and Lucent are important in enabling it to be innovative in telematics and other areas. The company is tracking legislation in Germany that will require heavy truck fleet operators to install GPS devices in their trucks for toll-paying purposes. Kill says that will open the door for innovation in traffic control and other areas.
It's Kill's job to help eliminate a number of nonvalue-added steps in Visteon's processes. The Visteon Product Development Process, which incorporates tools such as Six Sigma to eliminate nonvalue-added steps, is not new to the company. "Since the birth of Visteon, we have continually focused on improving the process by which we bring products to market," Kill said. "The global product development organization gives us further leverage in commonizing practices and instituting the disciplines that are necessary."
