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Suppliers Recognized with Quality Awards Groundbreaking Development Takes the World by Storm Changing the Tire Transforms the Ride Supercomputer Simulation The Nerves and Blood Vessels of a Vehicle 3D Digital Engineering Technology Comes into Its Own Secret of the Japanese Supplier System |
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3D Digital Engineering Technology Comes into Its Own |
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Sumitomo Wiring Systems has a 36% share of the domestic automotive wiring harness market. The company intensified its overseas marketing four to five years ago, and now has a 12% share of the world market. Around 70% of its total production is done overseas. Automotive wiring-harness products differ from those used in consumer electronics and office equipment in that they are used under more grueling conditions inside an automobile. They have to withstand the vibrations of a vehicle in motion. Vehicles are used in a wide range of environmental conditions, from the searing heat of the desert to sub-zero temperatures of the far north. In addition to being waterproof, automotive wiring harnesses used in the engine compartment must cope with high temperatures. “There is a fundamental difference in the basic performance of office equipment that sits in the corner of an office, and something that must maintain guaranteed performance after traveling 100,000 km over 10 years,” Kato points out. As a member of the Sumitomo Electric Group, Sumitomo Wiring Systems benefits from the R&D resources of the whole group, such as cooperative research efforts from the materials stage. It has also formed alliances with overseas companies and was one of the first in the industry to develop two-way communications devices like an in-car LAN and to produce component modules. Another strength of the company is its use of state-of-the-art digital engineering technology. An example is the Virtual Visual Assembling System (VAS), which offers 3D on-screen simulation of wiring harness manufacturing processes. After receiving digital data in the form of diagrams from automakers, Sumitomo Wiring Systems automatically converts the data and import it into its CAD system, where the data can then be “assembled” on a 3D screen. Observing the simulation helps the company identify inefficient processes and the information is fed back to the automaker in the form of design modification ideas. Kato says that VAS has reduced the lead time for design and production technology reviews by half from what it was 10 years ago. Sumitomo Wiring Systems is also a step ahead in its use of IT. It set up an information system for the whole company 20 years ago, and today its global IT network links its bases around the world. Production plants are monitored live, with the ultimate goal of making consistently high-quality products worldwide. A teleconferencing system is used for meetings with overseas locations, which helps accelerate decision-making. The company’s global information network should become even more effective as automakers optimize the allocation of resources around the globe. |
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