Ron Lee is the Senior Industrial Executive, Board Member, and Executive In Residence at Sopheon. He has a depth of transformation, technology, and management expertise that he developed over two decades managing a world-leading automotive engineering division at Jaguar Land Rover. He is the Chair of the WMCA Automotive Skills Taskforce and a board member for the University of Bradford Court. Ron joins me today from the UK to discuss innovation in the automotive industry. He shares how the automotive sector innovates the planning roadmap for developing new features with simulation, test methodologies, and digitization to ease the demands on engineering teams and product cycles. Ron describes the connected ecosystem of OEMs, Tier One Suppliers, and Tier Two Suppliers and their role in production and supply. He shares how smaller companies gain traction with larger OEMs by leveraging real-world vehicle knowledge and faster market access. Ron shares the challenges for product planning and supply structures in avoiding shortages and achieving a zero-carbon life cycle. Ron also discusses necessary emerging skills, including the digital skills needed by the industry.
"Starting with smaller businesses and accumulating real-world vehicle knowledge is often a persuasive way of getting the bigger OEMs to take more notice of what you're doing." - Ron Lee
This week on Innovation Talks:
- The challenges of innovating and competing in an industry heavily governed by changing legislation
- Reinventing automotive vehicles to achieve zero-carbon goals and innovating the pre-planning process for introducing developing technologies
- The cycle of the OEM controlling the product in-house to better outsource it to Tier One Suppliers
- The different relationships between OEMs and suppliers based on geographic location and business size
- How product planning is changing to counter disruptions and shortages
- Future changes to expect in the supply structure as the discussion of zero-carbon moves from the tailpipe to the product life cycle
- How vehicle manufacturers are investing in companies to secure their supply of raw materials
- Whether there is consumer demand for autonomous vehicles and why they may be a long way off
This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon
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