Efficient Development Cycles

Customer Requirements

Time to market is a crucial factor in determining the commercial success of new engines and vehicles. With new markets and ever changing demands, it is vital that automotive manufacturers can develop their models in ever reducing timescales. The challenge is in spending less time and resources on the development process without compromising the quality and appeal of the finished vehicle.

Considerations

• Vehicle performance and driveability
• Regulated emissions standards and CO₂ targets
• Engine Noise, Vibration Harshness (NVH) characteristics
• Durability and reliability
• Tooling and piece cost
• Powertrain weight

Our Solution

MAHLE Powertrain manages its projects using a matrix approach that allows all our departmental specialists to make an effective contribution to the overall objectives.
Working within a proprietary product lifecycle management system, we are able to deploy our resources simultaneously to minimise project timescales whilst maintaining complete control over specific technical details, task status and incurred costs.


Our Strengths

• Experience in a wide range of project types from 'clean-sheet' engine concepts to model year engine upgrades - over 200 projects in the last 5 years
  
• Interdisciplinary project teams co-located to provide excellent cross-functional communication
  
• In-house production engineering input from manufacturing operations
• Access to technical expertise within MAHLE product lines
• Flexible approach to work scope definition ranging from 'Time and Materials' to full 'Turn Key'

Our Services

• Support customer in defining their requirements
• Provide customer with fully detailed and costed proposals for projects
• Manage project timing, cost and quality of delivery
• Provide clear point of communication between customer and project team
• Report project status against customer defined milestones

Customer Benefits

• Project work scope defined precisely to meet customer requirements
• Changes in requirements are managed effectively during project execution
• Project can be undertaken with minimum reliance on customer input

Our Tools and Facilities

• Product Specification document ensures customer requirements are fully understood at project outset
• Detailed project plans created and maintained in MS Project Server 2007 with actual resources committed against individual tasks, in order to effectively track project progress
• Cost rate data for all resources allows accurate monitoring of financial performance of projects
• Engineering Timing & Release Schedule to monitor design release and procurement activities at detailed component level
• Project Change Request process to agree any changes in project work scope with customer to maintain focus on key deliverables
• Project Concern control system to track progress on resolving technical issues arising during product development process