The Challenges Facing Global Suppliers

Authors

F. Fehrenbach, Vorsitzender der Geschäftsführung, Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart

Year

2008

Print Info

Fortschritt-Berichte VDI, Reihe 12, Nr. 672

Summary

The key challenges facing global suppliers in the automotive industry can be summarized as follows:


• The changes in the global economy, with the attendant redistribution of GDP and thus of global automobile production, will strengthen the economy of the Asia Pacific region in particular.


• The increase in the oil price, the exchange-rate risk, the price of raw materials, and the industry’s relatively high rate of price change call not only for ever better productivity, but also for a high level of global innovative strength, with increasing regional expertise.


• The future challenge of reducing emissions also calls for greater technological expertise and innovative strength.


• The low-price segment is opening up completely new market segments. These also require completely new technological solutions which, together with the optimization of emissions, will significantly increase technological diversification and general complexity.


• But the desire to minimize emissions is not all. There is also the vision of accident-free driving. Here again, one of the main ways of achieving this is through innovation in components and systems.


• Standardization, the classic means of reducing complexity, has to accord with customer requirements, which differ greatly from region to region.

Order Members Login