Supporting transformation processes in the wiring harness industry

The Transformation Hub LS combines research results with the practical needs of the wiring harness industry. The conceptual basis is an end-to-end transfer model that records the needs of companies and accompanies them step by step until the implementation of lighthouses.

bridge and turntable function

The core element is the application perspective of the Transformation Hub LS. The hub looks at research and development (R&D) projects and other sources of innovation through the eyes of an industry expert and not as a scientist. One focus of the analysis is on the ongoing joint projects at KoPa 35c. But the analysis also goes beyond that. The Transformation Hub LS converts the project results into messages and use cases that are understandable and relevant for the industry. In addition, the hub has direct contacts with the companies, so that it can demonstrate concrete implementation potential in dialogue and provide important decision-making support for implementation. The hub pursues a bridging and hub function. This means that relevant results from R&D are not only transferred into practice, but there is also an active feedback channel.

The conceptual basis is an end-to-end transfer model. It is based on an adapted AIDA approach, which culminates in concrete implementation activities by the companies. Over the course of the project, the LS transformation hub aims to expand the target group towards the electrical and electronics (E/E) domain. Close cooperation with other hubs such as drive and interior is also sought, as these are inseparable from the on-board network.

wiring harness industry in transition

The wiring harness, also often referred to as a "cable harness", "cable set" or "on-board network", connects all electrical and electronic components (drives, actuators, sensors, displays, control units, energy sources, etc.) in the vehicle. It is one of the most expensive and labor-intensive components of the automobile. For German automobile manufacturers (OEMs) alone, several hundred thousand jobs in the supplier industry worldwide depend on this component. In the meantime, however, overarching trends in the automotive sector as a whole and various component-specific developments are forcing all players in the value chain to undergo profound transformations and re-examine all value creation processes. The core challenges of the wiring harness value chain are in particular:

  • High integration of functions due to rapidly increasing complexity of vehicle electronics
  • electrification of the drive train (electromobility)
  • Increasing data rates and increased requirements for functional safety. These are the essential prerequisites for autonomous driving at levels 4 and 5
  • The increasing automation and digitalization of all production and processing processes
  • Promoting miniaturization of cables and components of the on-board network
  • Increased quality requirements and audit-proof traceability of all process steps
  • Resilience of the value chain such as local OEM production
  • Circular Economy and New Materials for Sustainability (REACH)
  • Determination and reduction of CO2footprint across the value chain

The wiring harness must be understood and approached as an integrative overall system, including every E/E component. For many companies, how well these challenges can be met depends on faster and better access to innovative impulses and new solutions. This is particularly true for the disruptive developments in the areas of digitalization and electrification.

Bridging the “Valley of Death”

The aim of the Transformation Hub LS is to bridge the "valley of death" between research and practice. This inherent "breaking point" of many R&D projects arises from the fact that convincing and proven answers to practical questions are a prerequisite for later scaling of implementation. This is where the Transformation Hub LS comes in. The following work focuses as its core services from the end-to-end transfer approach:
research and contextualized processing of pre-competitive solutions for the transformation needs the value chain based on a completed systematic requirements assessment of the value chain actors, as well as processing the findings from workshops, studies, surveys, interviews, etc. One focus is on technology and digitalization innovations from ongoing joint projects with a high application relevance to the line set.
Distribution and marketing: Generating awareness and interest in the industry and initiating the AIDA process with suitable, successive formats for knowledge transfer such as events, trade press, website, social media, etc., taking into account established transfer structures (multipliers, cooperations, etc.).
Interested companies will be introduced to deeper insights in small groups via low-threshold incubation formats. transformation projects These transformation projects set the course for a longer-term and comprehensive transformation process within the company.
The added value is also prepared communicatively. The aim here is to initiation of lighthouse projectsThese serve to generate reuse effects and to build up network structures (communities of practice), through which a transfer to further unsubsidized scaling can then be ensured (sustainability).