No matter how innovative suppliers may be, an invention can only become established as a successful innovation if new materials and components are effectively integrated into the car manufacturer’s production process. That’s why we develop manufacturing processes for integrated lightweight solutions by including participants all along the value chain. For example, it is not enough to simply switch to a lighter material. In the vast majority of cases, this would probably result in higher unit costs. Instead, adjacent components, final assembly and the follow-on usage phase must be considered, too. In this way, technical and economic potential can be tapped so that higher material costs can be more than compensated for.

Ultimately, it is a matter of getting the right material with the right properties to the right place. This is much more complex than working with similarly dimensioned sheet metal everywhere. This is why we consider digital methods, such as simulations for real-time process control and recording parameters with thermal cameras, when developing production technologies. The data is combined with information from prior production stages to form a digital image of the product. This offers new advantages such as end-to-end traceability of all components. For manufacturers, this is important for quality control and liability reasons, for instance.

Plastics and composite materials contribute to a longer vehicle service life and, by reducing weight, to lower electricity or fuel consumption. In addition, new material combinations are becoming increasingly reusable. This applies in particular to thermoplastics. They can also be re-melted in combination with fibers and can thus be formed into new components, as a whole or in parts. This allows for multiple use instead of merely being incinerated as waste, as was often the case in the past.

The use of plastics in vehicles still has great potential. High stress parts of the load-bearing structure such as the chassis still consist of metal elements. However, for many semi-structural components, which also have load-bearing or enveloping shell purposes, plastic has proven to be an efficient alternative to conventional materials. A holistic approach takes the positive properties of new materials into account and allows the combination of new methods with classic processing, as well as the integration of additional functionalities. It creates a very good starting point for future innovations. Ultimately, the trend is towards integrated components and assemblies made from complex material combinations.