TRW Unleashes Synergies From Acquisition
1 March 2000
TRW Unleashes Synergies From Acquisition, Will Demonstrate the Value of Integration
CLEVELAND--March 1, 2000--Through live interactive presentations at the SAE 2000 World Congress, March 6-9, TRW Inc. will demonstrate for automakers -- and ultimately consumers -- how integration adds value to critical automotive systems.At booth No. 2101 in Detroit's Cobo Center, the company will showcase its skill for integrating systems and modules and pioneering advanced technologies.
"TRW's automotive business today is significantly different from its automotive business of past years," said David M. Cote, president and chief operating officer of TRW. "With the integration of LucasVarity, we are a company of new people, expanded technologies, and broader product lines. Across the organization, TRW and LucasVarity are sharing best practices," he added. "The company is poised to offer automakers ever greater value at a reduced cost."
Integrated Vehicle Control Systems
With TRW's Integrated Vehicle Control Systems (IVCS), multiple products from the company's broad technology portfolio can be integrated into systems that improve vehicle performance, safety, and comfort.
Two of TRW's core products -- vehicle stability control (VSC) and electrically assisted steering (EAS) -- will be on display at the company's booth and provide the ideal foundation for using IVCS software. TRW can optimize the functionality of each system and provide new functions through integration -- at substantial savings.
TRW's current Vehicle Dynamics Control Systems integrate functions that affect a vehicle's ride and handling, including steering, braking, suspension, and powertrain. With IVCS, TRW takes integration to the next level, incorporating onboard control systems, including occupant safety, collision avoidance, navigation, and intelligent transportation.
What's more, future generations of TRW IVCS will be embedded in intelligent chassis modules and will enable control of all the primary subsystems that affect the dynamic behavior of a vehicle. TRW expects production on this type of advanced IVCS to begin in 2006.
Occupant Safety Systems
TRW has won an estimated $1 billion in annual new safety systems business from global automakers for up to five years, beginning in 2003. The new business reflects TRW's industry-leading 24 safety systems integration contracts, 15 of which were awarded last year alone.
In response to the contracts, TRW has begun ramp-ups for several new products that will be on display at the company's SAE exhibit:
| -- | Multistage air bag inflators -- Production will double to 1.5 million units this year and grow to nearly 9 million units by 2004. Multistage inflators deploy the air bag at different levels, based on the severity of the crash and position of the occupants. |
| -- | Seat belt pretensioners -- Production will increase more than 35 percent worldwide, from 8.8 million units in 1999 to 12 million units this year. Seat belt pretensioners remove slack in the webbing to further control an occupant's forward movement during a crash. |
| -- | Curtain air bags -- Production will more than triple in 2000 to 1.2 million units, with nearly 10 million units projected in 2004. Curtain air bags deploy downward from a vehicle's roof rail to protect front- and rear-seat passengers. |
TRW's advanced electronic sensing systems -- which rely on TRW's proprietary crash severity algorithms -- enable the optimum systems performance for these products.
Electronics
TRW will showcase a broad line of automotive electronics next week at the SAE show, including systems and sensors that improve driving comfort.
TRW's adaptive cruise control system can reduce driver fatigue and stress on long commutes. The system is similar to conventional cruise control in that it maintains the vehicle's pre-set speed. However, the added benefit is that it automatically adjusts the speed to maintain an appropriate headway between vehicles in the same lane. This is achieved through a radar headway sensor, digital signal processor, and longitudinal controller.
Through a joint venture, TRW and Thomson-CSF of Paris developed a 77 GHz forward-looking radar system to use in TRW's adaptive cruise control system. Located behind the vehicle grille or bumper, the radar senses the distance to the nearest vehicle in front. If that vehicle is traveling slower, it sends a signal to the engine or braking system to decelerate until there is an appropriate following distance.
Adaptive cruise control is a cornerstone technology for future intelligent transportation systems. It also can be integrated with steering, suspension, brakes, and occupant restraint system sensors to provide more advanced dynamics and safety.
TRW's advanced-design rain sensor will also be on display at the SAE show. This fully automatic moisture-activated system detects how hard the rain or snow is falling and determines how fast to run the wiper motor. Drivers can "set it and forget it."
TRW was the first company to launch a viable rain sensor in North America and already has five contracts worldwide for the wiper system. The newest rain sensor, in fact, offers automakers significant advantages. It is lower in cost, more robust, and about 90 percent faster to install at the vehicle manufacturing plant.
The TRW rain sensor is the only sensor in production today that works on the wide variety of glass surfaces used in windshields. With its numerous mounting options, it also allows the most flexible vehicle styling. The sensor can be integrated into current technologies that address various driver preferences, such as memory for seats, mirrors, and radio stations.
For the SAE 2000 World Congress, TRW also will demonstrate a number of innovative products and technologies:
| -- | Viscoelastic and particle damping material -- First used in TRW spacecraft to cancel unwanted vibration, this damping material now is used by TRW automotive engineers to eliminate high-frequency noise and vibration in occupant restraint systems, braking, and steering and suspension systems. |
| -- | Driver detection technology -- This face-recognition technology application features a small camera mounted in a vehicle's instrument panel to measure and register facial characteristics. Only drivers registered with the equipment are able to start the vehicle. |
To be the strongest possible partner for automakers, TRW integrates related technologies into total vehicle systems, underscoring the company's premise that integration adds value.
With 200 automotive locations in 25 countries, TRW Inc. is among the world's largest OEM suppliers. The company is a leading producer of steering and suspension systems; braking systems; occupant restraint systems, including air bags, seat belts, and steering wheels; electronic safety and security systems; engineered fastening systems; engine components; commercial steering systems; and aftermarket replacement parts for the global automotive industry. In 1999 TRW's automotive businesses recorded sales of more than $11 billion, approximately two-thirds of the company's total $17 billion in sales.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, TRW also provides advanced-technology products and services for the aerospace and information technology markets worldwide. For more information about TRW, including its news releases, visit the company's Web site at www.trw.com.