Manufacturing is going through a revolution not seen since the 1970s. The primary driver is consumer demand for personalized service, creating a transition in the industry from mass production to mass customization. For automotive manufacturers, this means producing batch-of-one vehicles with variations specific to a customer at the same or better costs and quality achieved with large-batch scheduling.
Consumer demand that drives more variation and faster production cycles creates new complexities for automotive manufacturing. Adding to this challenge, auto manufacturers are also responding to geopolitical changes that force reconsideration to their offshoring strategies. They’re also rebuilding their technology base for full electrification and are investing in unprecedented artificial intelligence (AI) for new autonomous functions.