Shao Qihui, Honorary Chairman of the China Society of Automotive Engineers made a keynote speech on "Rational thinking about the development of China's auto industry" at a recent automotive summit. When talking about optimizing the economic structure of the automotive industry and prioritizing the development of the parts and components industry, he said: "The mass customization of Hyundai Motors is based on the modularization of parts and components, and economies of scale have been achieved through mass production of modules; The diversification and individualization of automotive products are achieved through different combinations of modules.†At the same time, Shao Qihui emphasized that “emerging parts and components companies are increasingly involved in vehicle development and production processes, and are even developing ahead of schedule with the entire vehicle manufacturer. The development will provide a complete functional component or subsystem for the new vehicle launched by the automaker.†From the perspective of the development of the international spare parts industry, modular supply has gradually become mainstream, and domestic enterprises should seize the opportunity to enter more supporting facilities. system.
Sharing platform once brilliant
What is still fresh in the automotive industry is that a few years ago, Volkswagen, relying on its platform strategy, relied on just four shared platforms to include dozens of models including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and SEAT. Among them, the A-class platform is to have VW Golf, Bora, New Beetle, Audi A3, Audi TT, Skoda Ouya, SEAT Toledo, SEATIO and other public models “spent outâ€, creating the most common platform for sharing at that time. Successful example. If the development cost of each platform is US$1 billion, the average replacement period of the platform is 4 to 6 years. The annual output of the approximately 5 million vehicles of the Volkswagen Group is allocated to each vehicle compared to its original 16 platforms. In the above, only one development cost can save hundreds of dollars. If we subtract the reduction in the chassis platform and the savings in equipment, process equipment and production management, then the efficiency gains of the shared platform strategy should be quite obvious. This is precisely why the Volkswagen Group is more brilliant at the handover of the old and new century. one of the reasons.
There must be a degree to everything. If anything is overdeveloped, the result must be a certain distance away from what was initially envisaged. The development of automobiles today, like the decades-old Ford Model T and the Volkswagen Beetle, has long been popular as a “national car†and has kept replicating. Pursuing individualized demands, embodying different driving performances, and displaying different cultures and customs are already the common demands of consumers and have been recognized by most car manufacturers. At this time, if a consumer drives a high-end car that may have been purchased twice as much, the increase in vehicle weight due to its increased configuration may not be as good as a low-end car that belongs to the same platform. The mood of consumers is conceivable. Only in terms of its appearance, the essence is no different. This kind of "homogenization" in vehicle manufacturing, in a sense, obliterates the individual pursuit of users, weakens the marketing methods of dealers and restricts designers. Active thinking. From the final inspection stage --- the market, the decline in sales volume and market share may be a testimony. Many "platform masters" including the Volkswagen Group, part of the strategy of giving up sharing platforms are very illustrative.
The idea of ​​modularization has become widespread
As early as 1998 at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) annual meeting and exhibition in Detroit, United States, Lear Corporation displayed a concept car. The car interior parts of the car are all modularized. The inside of the car is simplified into six parts such as front seat, rear seat, instrument panel, workshop lining, door and trunk lining, etc., and it is the first to implement modularization on the body parts. These components and all electrical and mechanical equipment are pre-assembled and can be installed directly on the vehicle assembly line.
In 2000, Delphi Corporation launched a systematic integration module including cockpit modules, door modules, front-end modules, brake modules, and air/fuel synthesizer modules at the same exhibition to expand the modular field.
Immediately afterwards, major component companies in the United States and Europe launched their own modular projects. Such as Canada Magna's front light system, bumper, cooling three subsystems in one front-end system module, the United States Arvin Meritor's set of door and window adjusters, door locks, motors, speakers and wires in one door system Modules, lighting system modules of Philips, Netherlands, transmission series modules of Zaf Co., Germany, and dashboard system modules of Johnson Controls, USA. According to the latest information, the Japanese Mazda company and its suppliers have developed modules to the level of cockpit telecommunication modules and roof system modules that integrate car lights, handrails, and sun visors. Volvo’s XC90 SUV has included a steering column. Integrated module for cockpit operation including pedals, air conditioning, piping and various electronic components. It can be said that from the roof to the floor, from the front bumper to the rear bumper, regardless of the technical content of the system, the entire car has become a module of the world.
In fact, the so-called module production is only to integrate component subsystems with a certain function or several functions, and to use the change combination of the modules to change the difference of the automobile so as to make the automotive products that are not the same at home and abroad. To the user's hands. For example, the engine module technology is mainly used. The original 1.6-liter engine with excellent performance can be used on compact cars with high performance requirements, but it can also be used on a medium-sized car, and it can also be used for a medium-sized car. A slightly larger size car on the economy. If you consider the combination of transmissions and other various modules, this flexible production method brings opportunities to popular orders and customized production in recent years.
Increased opportunities for parts and components manufacturers
“There is no absolute standard for anything, and it is not easy to say whether the modularization can become a trend.†Although many people including Ford China’s Vice President Xu Guojun remain cautiously optimistic about modular production, the advantages of modular production Still very prominent.
First, to achieve modular production, the role of component manufacturers has undergone major changes. In the modular production mode, the focus of automotive technology innovation is on components. Component designers need to participate in the product design of automotive manufacturers, making component manufacturers more active in the “zero-zero†dominance game with OEMs. Sexuality is often caused by the fact that the parts factory leads the vehicle manufacturer to make technological progress.
Second, modular production is more conducive to systemized manufacturers with special advantages. With a modular production approach, the surface seems to be absolutely beneficial to the super-parts supply group, and they seem to have the ability to combine and develop various modules. However, in fact, some more specialized local system manufacturers also continue to take the lead in emerging modular scientific research and production fields, and they also have more advantages in a systematic research project. The cooperation of two or more professional companies has better R&D advantages than an integrated supplier. It turned out that the traditional model that is provided by the third-tier for the second-tier, the second-tier for the first-level, and the first-tier supplier qualified to supply the entire vehicle company is quietly changing.
Again, modular production increases the profitability of parts and components companies in the industry chain. Modularization benefits are not only reflected in the manufacturing and technology of the component systems themselves, but also the modular production methods that make component manufacturers take more of the work originally done by the vehicle assembly line. In the current situation of higher and higher labor costs, the profits of component companies have increased. From a statistic of Lear Corporation, we can see that the implementation of modular production has brought them a 20% increase in revenue. At the same time, modular production also improves the production efficiency of the vehicle assembly line, shortens the manufacturing cycle of the vehicle, and reduces the cost of the assembly. As part of the assembly work on the assembly line of an automobile was transferred to a place other than the assembly line, the emphasis on timely production throughout the world has also reduced the risk of accidents due to scattered parts and logistics.
Of course, modular production is also often used as a means by which OEMs continue to force parts factories to lower prices and absorb costs for them. However, judging from the point of view of the entire automobile production chain, the modular production reflects precisely the improvement of the overall efficiency, reflected in the automobile, that is, consumers can get a higher cost performance, but also has a personalized enjoyment.
Chinese companies should also enjoy modularity
The above modular production features apply equally to Chinese companies. The comprehensive conglomerates like FUO Automotive Components Group and Dongfeng Components Co., Ltd. are no exception. We are more optimistic about the many “small giants†companies that have advantages in certain types of parts and components in China. If they start their brains, or form their own single-function modularity, or combine with other “little giants†to achieve single-function or multiple-function modularization, they can compete against each other in the competition with multinational component groups. It may also be completely necessary.
China's vehicle manufacturers also need to develop in collaboration with parts suppliers in product development. Some automotive after market experts I have contacted have long proposed the concept of “happy car repairâ€. Why are manufacturers upstream of the industrial chain not enjoying the “happy manufacturing†brought about by modularization? Just like the current hot topic of “converting government functions†and “changing government work styleâ€, in the past, more parts and components companies used to service entire vehicle companies. We do not expect that the entire vehicle industry will be zero. Parts business services, but in the face of common end consumers, the two as a community to advance together must be able to achieve a win-win situation.
Many experts have said that China's auto industry is not just China's own, it is integrated with the global automotive industry, although at present more than 95% of our markets are still domestic. The development of various advanced technologies for Chinese auto parts, including modularization, is also inseparable from all outstanding automotive technologies and experiences in the world. The difference from a joint venture with a domestic automobile company is that the integration and technology introduction of the parts and components industry may have more elements and more complex factors, and we need our parts and components companies to take a good hold.
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