2024
Presentation
Product Development Transformation: Bridging the Gap Between Simulation and Systems Engineering
For the automotive sector, the competitive environment is fiercer than ever. The marketplace is demanding ever-increasing complex products at a faster rate with higher quality expectations than ever before. New players in the industry are challenging industry norms and practices. Finally, all of these subject to changing technologies, government regulations, and the laws of physics demand more than ever from original automotive equipment manufacturers like Ford Motor Company.
Margins on products are razor-thin, so companies must achieve high-volume sales to survive. Engineering and design teams must rely on more than previous technical prowess to deliver new products; they need to focus on efficiency and productivity gains instead. New methods, processes, and tools are required to augment the ever-expanding demands placed upon engineers. New ways of working together across engineering functions and technical disciplines are required.
This presentation will examine some of these challenges, Ford’s responses, and the increasingly important role of simulation and engineering tools in designing and manufacturing automotive vehicles.
J. Robert Wirthlin, PhD, holds a PhD in Engineering Systems, a master’s from MIT, and a BS from the US Air Force Academy. Dr. Wirthlin previously held positions at GM and in the US Air Force in systems engineering and program management. He has numerous publications to his credit.