Coburg
Brose wins prize for its modular system management of seat systems
International automotive supplier Brose has been recognized for its modular system management of seat systems as part of an industry-wide benchmarking survey conducted by an industrial consortium of leading enterprises. The mechatronics specialist
received the "Successful Practice" award during the official ceremony
in Harsewinkel on December 18, 2014. The consortium praised the modular
component concept, process stability and high quality standards during the
development and production of Brose seat structures,
"The judges were particularly impressed by the fact that Brose managed to advance a
modular component concept while meeting the specific requirements of the
OEMs," said Elisabeth Schrey, responsible for innovation management at the
Laboratory for Machine Tools at RWTH Aachen University, explaining the
decision. The research facility conducts industry-wide surveys in collaboration
with the Complexity Management Academy and representatives of industry and
commerce. "These studies are an opportunity for us to find best-practice
solutions for relevant problems together with internationally successful
companies," said Schrey during the award ceremony.
Wolfgang Sczygiol, Vice President Development Brose Group, expressed his thanks for the
award during the event, saying, "This award is an incentive for us to
continue with our efforts to develop flexible solutions for our customers. This
also helps us further strengthen our competitiveness. Thanks to the
standardized component approach for seat systems, we can react faster, better
and more cost-effectively to OEM inquiries."
Brose modular system management: standardization and individuality in one package
Worldwide, Brose uses a system that has been tried and tested for many years: standardized
components that are used for different customers are combined with parts that
can be customized. As a result of the modular concept, the automotive supplier
can reduce development times by almost 25 percent and offer its customers
products that are tailored to their needs. OEMs can thus design visible
adjuster elements according to their own ideas while using standard elements in
the seat structure.
Representative study on modular system and variant management
The benchmarking study analyzed the modular system management of 130 companies,
focusing on modular concept, functionality, controlling, compliance with
standards, organizational integration and change management. The Laboratory for
Machine Tools of RWTH Aachen University collaborated with ABB, BSH, MAN, Bosch,
Claas and Siemens Healthcare to conduct the study on modular system and variant
management.