Design Tech Can Catalyze PH Auto Industry Growth

 Chris Lee, Autodesk Senior Industry Manager for Manufacturing, ASEAN

At the end of 2012, the Philippine Automotive Competitiveness Council Inc. drafted the roadmap for the Philippine automotive industry. According to the document, the primary objective is to “secure a better market share for locally-manufactured vehicles.”  It also shares that the industry has a viable potential for a stronger domestic manufacturing industry. In fact, the goal is to produce around 195,000 units for the local market.

There are a number of ways to achieve this. Every player in and out of the industry, both from the public and private end, has to step up their game to make this aspiration a reality. Fortunately, one of the ways to catalyze this growth is through the utilization of design tools.

The Role of Design Tech

Vital to any automaker is its ability to come up with the best designed cars year in, year out. Not only does this mean mapping out the development cycle in terms of the latest functionality but also the sexiness and appeal their next-generation line could exude.

Conjuring up next year’s grand design could give your design team the shivers, unless, of course, you are ready with mind-blowing tools to complete the picture.

You’ve got everything you need—the best concept and a deep budget to roll this out. Your ideas seem endless; however, you are constrained with the limitations of your tools, and sometimes place you on a dead-end.

This is why design software targeted specifically to such manufacturing demands is crucial to any automaker. Its ability to accurately visualize, compose and render multi-dimensional prototypes of concept cars, or maybe the final product itself is nothing less than essential to succeeding the development stage.

A telling factor is managing operating costs in the project, and consequently time to market. If the design software costs you an arm and a leg, and drags the project due to the prolonged rendering and problematic modeling, apart from wasted manhours and resources, you are set to lose money, with that almost certain possibility of shelving the project and, worse, deny new revenue streams for the company.

The Case Study

The significance of design technologies in boosting the automotive manufacturing process is not theoretical. In fact, industry giant Toyota has been leveraging extensively on this technology. The carmaking giantis now relying on manufacturing-specific design software, developed by Autodesk, to keep tabs on the design process and enhance it further to meet operational demands.

Toyota had faced numerous challenges in its design process, specifically creating difficult “Class-A” surfaces or high-quality free-form surfaces on CAD software having curvature and tangency alignment, which reaches production-ready aesthetical reflection quality. Starting with a prototype model, Toyota industrial designers need a powerful design tool to develop and produce smooth mathematical Class A surfaces to digitally mold the product while reducing the time and strengthening control over design changes.

To achieve this, Toyota needed solutions that address these specific design issues and delivered in the most cost-effective way.

Autodesk’s Product Design Suite and Alias Automotive were the specific, directed solutions Toyota utilized to achieve their goals. Autodesk Product Suite, which provides designers and engineers with a complete set of tools and cloud services to simplify design, visualization and simulation workflows from product development through delivery, reduced Toyota’s development lead time by 35 percent.

Alias Automotive, a Class-A surface modeling solution and conceptual design software for the automotive industry, helped Toyota achieve 90% accuracy in our projects. The Japanese carmaker also achieved more flexibility by 45% and reduced design time by 50% by faster rendering, realizing stark process improvements in the company’s production line.

Perhaps Toyota’s Regional Manufacturing Facility Styling Design Chief Rudi Budiman said it best.“At Toyota, design strategy plays a very integral role and it is important for us to use the best design software in our designing and manufacturing process. At the same time, to stay competitive it is critical for us to manage operating cost and time to market.”

Sustainable Automotive Sector

Beyond the industry growth, design tools can also help drive the campaign for sustainability in the local automotive sector. In fact, the push for such has already started. Electric jeepneys; for example, have started to run around the city, in a drive to lessen carbon emissions that are detrimental for the environment .

Furthermore, the Philippines has actively participated in various eco-vehicle programs. In fact, eight new fuel-efficient vehicles have been developed by Filipino students for the Shell Eco-marathon Asia, which will be held in the Philippines next year.

In the end, the Philippines has shown a strong potential for industry growth – both in terms of economic growth and the thrust for sustainable vehicles. And while there are a number of factors that can help push this potential forward, design technologies can help facilitate a stronger and faster run towards achieving this.