The automotive world is rapidly changing, with new developments and innovations coming thick and fast. As we’ve seen in other industries in the past, now is the time to innovate or risk falling behind as the industry progresses. Whether that innovation is focused on electric vehicles, connected car technology, ADAS, cyber security, autonomous vehicles or another area of change, it’s important to make sure you partner with a supplier or manufacturer who can help you to achieve your goals as efficiently and effectively as possible.
As technology develops and is put to use in new ways across more industries, industry boundaries are beginning to blur. It’s no longer necessarily important to partner with a specific automotive manufacturer, but rather investigate which partners can best produce what you’re looking for. This may require partnering with manufacturers who have predominantly worked in other spaces, if the technology used is relevant to what you’re looking to do today. So with the door open to more manufacturers and suppliers, how do you make sure you’re choosing the right company to work with?
What to look for in an automotive manufacturer:
- Look for suppliers who have expertise and experience across a range of industries and project types. The wider their technological knowledge, the more they can draw on experiences from other industries and take key learnings to help come up with innovative and creative solutions. As reliance on technology develops, technology is blurring the lines between industries – although individual requirements may differ still across varying industries, these requirements may share core technology needs, which are best addressed by technology experts rather than industry experts.
- Look for contract manufacturers who have experience working with the automotive industry. Although experience across a range of industries is beneficial, and can help take learnings from non-automotive industries to your own project, it is of course helpful if your contract manufacturer has experience and understandings of the automotive industry.
- Look for partners who follow a design thinking approach. Design thinking prioritises customers’ and end users’ needs. By partnering with manufacturers who follow a design thinking approach, you can ensure your end product is designed with your consumers in mind, helping to maximise return on investment by designing to satisfy from the outset. Design thinking also focuses on simplifying complex processes, reducing or removing unnecessary costs and delivery exceptional product quality.
- Look for contract manufacturers who place a focus on collaboration. Collaboration provides visibility for you throughout the entire process, and allows you to share your own expertise and inputs to help ensure the project meets your needs. Rather than entirely outsourcing manufacturing which may result in a lack of control and lack of insight, establishing a collaborative partnership can deliver significantly better results by sharing expertise and knowledge – while allowing you to maintain a level of control and visibility.
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