Quality is a critical issue for automakers and their suppliers.  Now, you’d think that measuring the parts that go into making a system or module and making sure that they meet specification would result in good quality.  But a survey by the Center for Automotive Research shows that’s not necessarily the case.

Automakers and suppliers need all their partners to develop new products.  They need to collaborate early in the design process and they need common processes to make sure they are on the same page.  Mike Segal presented information on internet-based tools that enable collaboration.

Collaboration between automakers and their suppliers and suppliers’s suppliers was a key theme at the Management Briefing Seminars.  With this is mind, companies are now going to have to look a new business models.

Business collaboration and information sharing have been dominant themes.  But as everyone knows, we are being overloaded with information.  Nandit Soparkar provides some insight on software that can analyze text and provide a summary of what it's all about.

It’s no secret that automotive suppliers are going through some very tough times.  In fact, it’s almost impossible to see how they can sustain doing business this way over the long run.

Randy Barba has extensive experience working with automotive suppliers.  He talks about the latest issues the industry is grappling with.