In the past, vehicle manufacturers have often relied upon Tier I suppliers for the powertrains of early electric vehicles (EVs) as a relatively easy, quick, and low risk way to enter the market. More recently, as the EV market has begun to settle, OEMs are more often building their own internal manufacturing and assembly capabilities for both motors and batteries. This trend reflects higher confidence in the maturity of the technology and in the volume and predictability of future demand.
But electric powertrains are a very different domain than the world of internal combustion engines, and OEMs typically recognize the limitations of their own expertise in this relatively new and rapidly evolving area. Many of GROB’s OEM customers that have extensively utilized our manufacturing systems for internal combustion engines are now partnering with us to build on that relationship and take advantage of our broad and deep e-Mobility capabilities.
Single-Sourced Assembly Systems
Our customers are choosing a single source supplier for the entire manufacturing and assembly process, for several reasons. In general, working with a single source affords strategic benefits in any production process, especially for products with rapidly evolving and highly complex technologies and manufacturing processes like e-Mobility components. Each step of the assembly process is highly dependent on the prior process step. When different suppliers are “handing off” to other suppliers, it is a proven fallacy to assume that the process will be contiguous and successful. And when multiple suppliers are involved, it can be difficult to quickly and accurately diagnose the cause of failures, assign responsibility and implement corrective actions.
For example, the welding of the hairpins is highly influenced by the enamel stripping and trimming processes upstream. Subtle variations on either process can have a big influence on welding. And if the supplier of those processes does not conform to those parameters, the welding process will fail. This same problem applies to nearly any process step, if the sourcing of processes is split between separate companies.
To be successful in the dynamic e-Mobility industry requires an experienced and trusted partner. GROB’s knowledgeable 6,800 employees worldwide offer proven solutions for all components of the electric powertrain. Leading OEMs and Tier I suppliers have depended on GROB’s innovative spirit, long and successful resume of past installations, and our approach as a true partner to lead them into the new arena of electrification.
