Improving manufacturing efficiencies and reducing the cost and environmental impacts of vehicle travel using efficient information and communication technology (ICT) systems can be achieved if energy providers, information technology (IT) enterprises and automotive manufacturers collaborate.

The importance of IT for automotive manufacturing is increasing and leads to lower costs of manufacturing and adds value to core business processes; it also helps in the development of systems for future automotive requirements, says mobile technology specialist company T-Systems South Africa strategic business development head Michael Frans.

ICT must be used to unify the multiple distributed locations of automotive manufacturers to standardise processes worldwide, consolidate suppliers and optimise costs in the production process.

“Streamlining production, optimising processes and real-time visibility of production times for all automotive components are required for accurate forecasting and planning. Technology can enable automotive manufacturers to accurately calculate production times, synchronise production, and improve planning and control. This ultimately leads to not only reduced costs but also improved quality.”

Further enhancements driven by IT can help automotive manufacturers gain a competitive edge, explains Frans.

“Innovations such as using three-dimensional (3D) printing platforms in research and development and in production spaces can help to improve cost structures and enhance agility. Developing and printing components can be conducted at a lower cost to produce the finished product at a faster pace, without disrupting production time. Further, changes can be made faster and more cost effectively, without [serious] impact on production.”

Increasingly, smart cars and related machine-to-machine communications networks provide the potential for manufacturers to improve process efficiencies and add greater value for users.

IT will provide the back-end platforms required for electric-car public-charging payments and management systems. The communication systems required to manage such systems are also suited to complementing smart grid power systems that will enable the accurate determination and management of consumption and generation feed-in tariffs.

“By enabling the connected car concept and the underlying smart systems and networks, automotive manufacturers can leverage proactive, direct consumer contact, which aids the development of new revenue streams, as well as continuous product improvement through more effective customer feedback while providing more functionality for users. The value of smart cars will lie in their ability to communicate and analyse internal and external information while providing information used by external systems to improve efficiencies of all elements of the network.”

This communications network will also improve process optimisation and cost reduction in fleet management and logistics, besides other benefits.

“The automotive sector is a business like any other, generating data that needs to be analysed for more effective future operations. The core technology systems used by businesses across various other industries can provide enormous benefit for a sector that faces increasing challenges,” emphasises Frans.