As vehicles are fast becoming more software-enabled, cloud-connected devices, global OEMs’ needs are growing exponentially in software-enabled steering features and other software-centric motion control applications. Consequently, Nexteer Automotive is elevating its global Software Engineering organization to meet the ever-expanding software needs of its global OEM customer base.
Software Organizational Enhancement
Nexteer’s new organizational enhancement creates a single strategic software team across four global locations within Nexteer, including the Global Technical Center in Saginaw, MI, Regional Technical Centers in Tychy, Poland and Suzhou, China as well as a Software Center in Bengaluru, India. Previously, software engineering expertise was dispersed among various teams throughout the Company and reported separately through product lines and R&D.
The newly formed team reports directly to the Company’s chief technology officer.
Nexteer’s centralized software team will support Electric Power Steering (EPS) systems and advanced steering feature development. In addition, the new structure will also support software-related R&D projects including software solutions that could be cloud-based or reside within a centralized chassis domain controller.
Software R&D Collaborations
Nexteer’s new software engineering structure aligns with R&D collaborations on two fronts with CNXMotion and Tactile Mobility.
Nexteer is developing motion control solutions with CNXMotion, the Company’s joint venture with Continental. In addition, Nexteer is exploring advanced steering safety features such as real-time road surface detection in collaboration with Tactile Mobility, a leading tactile virtual sensing and data company based in Israel.
“Nexteer’s new Software Engineering structure will accelerate Nexteer’s innovation-to-production timeline as we draw tighter connections between our software teams, from early innovation to pursuit and on to launch readiness,” said Robin Milavec, Senior Vice President, Executive Board Director, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, Nexteer Automotive. “This new structure positions us to meet expanding software demands, shorten lead times, maximize our value proposition and capitalize on emerging software product opportunities.”
Nexteer plays a vital role in the “modern automotive value chain” – supplying complex software and electronics solutions that enable advanced steering features and more. This exponential growth and technology disruption require an increased level of support and focus across Nexteer’s advanced steering solutions.
“Nexteer’s team of software experts across four global locations collectively drive operational excellence – working together as one team to develop, validate and launch production-intent software,” continued Milavec. “Elevating our Software Engineering structure will allow us to further ensure quality and compliance among increasingly complex software features with our global OEM customers.”
Software plays an important role in today’s vehicles related to advanced safety and performance. From a safety perspective, steering software plays a crucial role in ensuring steering assist as well as enabling advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) such as park assist, lane keeping, lane departure warning, traffic jam assist and more.
In the future, automotive software will also play a key role in enabling autonomous vehicles, as well as additional advanced safety and performance features. This is critically important as today’s hardware-defined vehicles are rapidly transforming into software-defined transportation platforms.
