Category

Automotive

Oct 29
Steam Shovel in front of Hollywoodland Sign (C. 1925)

Caterpillar: Smart Iron Delivers Customer Value

By Automotive, Telematics 2 Comments

From Product Promise of the Past to the Promise of the Future

In the pre digital revolution economy, products were defined by technical features and detailed specifications that product marketers and designers believed were important to customers. Product companies enumerated technical specifications and delineated contract terms to which they promised to adhere.

In the digital era, the product promise of the past is quickly transforming into the product promise of the future, in which the competitive edge is achieved not by technical specifications but rather by the ability to help customers realize meaningful business outcomes.

The key to success in the era of the pervasive digitalization and ubiquitous connectivity of the Industrial Internet of Things is to shift the product strategy away from tightly controlling products and supply chains, and waging price wars aimlessly and in vain, to focusing on delivering and measuring customer value. Product thinking must shift from inside the company to customer value and a dynamic, interconnected, and collaborative ecosystem that continually realigns itself around worthy innovation. Read More

Sep 17
Time Warp (Mike Gambino, 2011)

Autonomous Vehicles: Slow Down to Go Faster

By Automotive One Comment

Reprioritization of Autonomous Vehicles Development is Needed

Everyone is in the self-driving car race. Google has been developing autonomous driving capabilities since 2009 and continues to demonstrate incremental improvement in its autonomous driving technology since. By 2012, Google’s fleet has logged 300,000 self-driven miles. Tesla’s AutoPilot, another household name on the driverless car stage, has logged nearly 250 million miles of hands-free driving. Delphi’s Roadrunner completed a nearly 3,400-mile cross-country trip, 98% of it in self-driving mode.

Fearing the perception of falling behind in the race to take the checkered flag, practically all major automakers and suppliers are investing heavily in self-driving technologies and are very vocal telling their own bold vision of crash-free, stress-free traffic. And if you are a car executive who doesn’t dream big enough, you are out! Read More

Jun 28
JCB JS290

Telematics Helps JCB Ride Market Growth

By Internet of Things (IoT), Telematics One Comment

Earthmoving and construction equipment company JCB has high aspirations. The world’s third-largest construction equipment manufacturer by volume, is banking on the strong Indian construction and agricultural sectors to drive market growth.

JCB India’s 2016 revenue and sales volume grew almost 40% over 2015. With the Union budget of India for 2017-2018 focus on additional investments in farming and infrastructure building, the company hopes to experience strong growth in 2018, albeit not at the same levels as a couple of years ago. Read More

Jun 16
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé (1954) (Andy Warhol, 1986)

Tesla: Making Cars is Hard to Do

By Automotive, Manufacturing 9 Comments

Tesla Struggles to Ramp Up Manufacturing Volume, With Unintended Consequences

Ramping up an auto manufacturing line is difficult. For a newcomer, reaching efficient and lean operation at the level of Toyota and GM is extremely challenging. And, as I pointed out in the past, Tesla’s ongoing manufacturing woes are a painful proof.

In 2010, Tesla acquired the Fremont, CA NUMMI manufacturing plant previously owned jointly by General Motors and Toyota for a $42 million bargain basement deal. When I visited the Fremont plant a while ago, my host was especially proud of the junkyard price the company paid for two huge Schuler hydraulic stamping presses, which form the largest line in North America and the 6th largest in the world.

What Testa didn’t get as part of the deal is complex manufacturing knowledge and experience. Read More

Jun 14
At The Optometrist (Norman Rockwell, 1956)

OpenText Acquires Covisint: A Telltale of the IoT M&A Market

By Automotive, Internet of Things (IoT), Mergers & Acquisitions No Comments

In an announcement that failed to get headlines, OpenText, a Canadian enterprise information management (EIM) company,  recently disclosed it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Covisint Corporation, best known as the enterprise data interchange (EDI) company whose name nobody was sure how to pronounce.

Covisint was formed in 2000 by a consortium of automotive companies, including General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler. Over the years, the company expanded its EDI platform and services into the healthcare, oil and gas, government, and financial services markets. Read More