Here's some interesting auto-stuff:
The Car You Want When You Want It
WARRENDALE, Pa., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- "Thanks for visiting XYZ Automaker
Company. You have configured the car you want tailored to your exact
specification. May I confirm your order and when you want it delivered?"
"Yes. I will have one, red XYZ SUV with tan interior. I'll go with the
deluxe airbag package, hydrogen fuel-cell power system and six-player CD.
Hold the navigation system and the cup holders. And I'll have it in three
days, please."
"Thank you for your order. Your total comes to $?. You can pick up your
new vehicle in three days, just as you wanted."
Built-to-order (BTO) vehicles, a concept very much like made-to-order Dell
computers, might not be that far off in the future. That's the finding of a
major research programme in the United Kingdom.
"The 3DayCar: The Car You Want When You Want It" will be presented during
the SAE 2002 World Congress, March 4 - 7, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
"The concept of the 3DayCar enables all customers to have a vehicle built
to their own specification in a time scale that they require ... from three
days upwards," says John C. Whiteman, Project Director for the UK-based
3DayCar Program. "The 3DayCar not only maximizes savings in vehicle inventory
costs, but also minimizes lost sales and additional discounts that are often
necessary to get rid of unwanted cars on dealer lots."
"The proportion of cars built specifically to actual customer order varies
across markets," says Prof. Andy Graves, Director, Bath University, "around
two-thirds of Germans have their vehicles built at the factory according to
their specifications, while very few Americans are given the chance to define
exactly what they want in an acceptable lead time by ordering from the
factory."
Advocates of the 3DayCar admit that radical changes must take place in the
automotive industry.
"Marketing Departments must be proactive in creating demand, rather than
being reactive in disposing of unwanted inventory," says Prof. Peter Hines,
Director, Cardiff University. "Fully integrated information systems between
automakers and suppliers must also be in place. In addition, suppliers must
continue to introduce more simplified components such as modules and
spaceframes with pre-painted, independent body panels."
3DayCar is jointly researched by Cardiff and Bath Universities and ICDP
(the International Car Distribution Programme) and sponsored by the UK
government and 22 industrial sponsors including automotive manufacturers,
component suppliers, dealers, logistics companies and information system
houses.
Presentations on the 3DayCar will begin 1 p.m., Monday, March 4, in Room
W2-64.
SAE World Congress, the world's largest showcase of automotive engineering
technologies, attracts attendees from more than 50 countries. For more
details, including registration and special events, visit the SAE 2002 World
Congress web site at sae.org or call 1-877-SAE-CONG (723-2664);
outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-724-772-4027.
SOURCE Society of Automotive Engineers
Web Site: sae.org sae.org
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