Heading into a new area
As engine of the economy, the automotive industry has shaped the understanding of quality and high-tech for decades. The current surge in innovation is creating new growth opportunities for automotive companies as well as pressure to reinvent themselves.
The situation is becoming especially critical for suppliers who deal with powertrains. And with the upcoming transition to electric cars, not only is one era changing: a second change is approaching in parallel as we move towards more digitized and
connected processing. As a consequence, many suppliers can no longer cope with the extent of today’s complex market demands.
What’s more, developments such as e-mobility, digitization and the vision of self-driving cars have also drawn numerous new competitors out onto the playing field. And these companies do not even need their own factories; they can offer new business models using computer centers alone.
Staufen offers the automotive industry solutions which allow you to face current and future challenges while you concentrate on the value chain.
Markus Riegger
Member of the Management Board, Staufen AGMarkus Riegger has worked for Staufen since 2008. His career began as a continuous improvement process manager at Daimler. In the Mercedes Car Group, he served as a Mercedes production system expert in South Africa, the Netherlands and at German sites, and he helped implement the Mercedes-Benz production system. In his position as the head of DaimlerChrysler production system direct processes at the Mercedes Truck Group, he was responsible for implementing shopfloor management and coaching at the plant in Wörth, Germany and at Japanese sites for FUSO trucks.
Read moreStaufen’s concepts and solutions
The question is no longer whether or not the combustion engine in cars will be replaced by electric engines: the question is when. Realistically speaking, it may well be that both drivetrain concepts operate parallel to each other for at least another 10 to 15 years. And this transition phase will dramatically increase the degree of complexity in the years ahead, creating new challenges in how OEMs and suppliers will work together. Making complexity manageable will thus be one of these businesses’ key tasks. Among other things, this means that every process has to be reviewed.
We assist you in creating transparency, perfecting your procedures and making them more flexible. As a result, you can turn your attention to your value-chain activities — keeping your customers happy in terms of deadlines, quality and cost-efficiency.
Beyond that, Staufen also guides you as you implement professional variant and complexity management.
In the automotive industry, there are hardly any factories where the Lean approach has not already been introduced. For decades, the methods and culture of Lean Management have been making major contributions to successful production lines.
Further increases in efficiency are feasible as well, especially using smart factory solutions as well as connecting and digitizing facilities. Beyond those areas, however, Lean management has not yet been able to establish itself in back-office areas — from purchasing to administration to sales and everything in between. These are often the areas which lead to bottlenecks in the value stream and have a negative impact on the overall lead time and customer satisfaction.
Staufen assists you in structuring every area of your company to focus on the value stream.
More than ever, companies depend upon the successful work of their experts in innovation and development. Electromobility, lightweight construction and CarIT all involve new technologies and production processes. At the same time, conventional technology is also experiencing massive pressure to innovate. Creativity and structured work are in no way mutually exclusive: engineers and developers alike can benefit from the methods and culture of Lean Management.
Professional multi-project management shows that lead time in the product-development process can be significantly decreased despite a growing number of tasks.
In our many projects, we have demonstrated that Lean Development and Lean Innovation help new ideas launch quickly and successfully.
The automotive industry is facing fundamental transitions, resulting in major uncertainty among managers and employees. More than ever before, those in charge have to focus their efforts on creating a culture of constant learning. The main emphasis here is on professional development that empowers employees, expanding their competence and motivating them. Shopfloor management and kata help establish this kind of culture. Employees at your work environment will be empowered to identify problems early on and resolve them independently. Management assumes the role of a coach and mentor.
Staufen’s consultants teach your managers the skills they need to make these changes. We create leadership excellence in every area of your company and work with you to complement the classic hierarchical structure with new agile kinds of collaboration. The result: a working environment which can quickly adapt to changes and anticipate customer needs.
