SAP and other sofware makers have limited success in corporate purchasing departments, a RAAD study shows (Photo: SAP)

Purchasing departments at German companies more often than not manage without IT systems that are tailored to their requirements.

According to a survey conducted last year by Germany’s RAAD Research, fewer than 20 pc of 230 German companies interviewed use software that specifically supports the purchasing function. Instead, many use a mixture of Excel spreadsheets and Microsoft Word documents, the survey found.

“Strategic purchasing has grown significantly in importance in recent years,” said RAAD analyst Cristian Wieland. “Yet, many companies resort to a huge amount of manual labor in their purchasing operations, which doesn’t just cost money but also takes a lot of time.”

Wieland added that the absence of special IT systems also limits the search for proper suppliers.

According to the survey, fewer than 50 pc of those polled used special supplier relationship management software to manage the various steps of the purchasing process. Also, barely one-fifth make use of e-procurement solutions when it comes to buying goods online in a standardized way.

Wieland said the low penetration of IT in purchasing departments leaves a lot of cost-saving potential unrealized. “To realize a clear jump in margins through purchasing, three factors are important: a consistent strategy, qualified staff and integrated IT systems,” he said.

The analyst said in a press release that he was surprised that many purchasing managers seemed to accept that the administration of purchasing with the help of Microsoft Office programs is a time and labor-consuming process.

The survey found that only 20 pc of those polled considered the amount of work involved high or very high.

RAAD is a division of Hoppenstedt, a German publisher of company information.

Related Articles

• TRW uses POET SaaS e-Procurement solution
• PLM survey: Standards needed for data exchange
• Panasonic Automotive to get new ECM software
• Interview: TRW’s Engelhardt says powerful IT needed
• Interview: BorgWarner CIO balances costs and growth

Gentex is a leading maker of auto-dimming car mirrors (Photo: Gentex)

Gentex said it will supply a new auto-dimming mirror with a camera-based driver assistance system for the 2013 Ford Explorer.

The Michigan-based supplier said the system will use a multi-function camera combined with algorithmic decision-making to provide high-beam control, lane keeping and driver alert functions. Gentex developed the system together with Mobileye, a maker of vision-based driver-assistance systems.

The high-beam control turns off high beams automatically when they risk blinding other cars. Lane keeping technology can automatically turn the steering wheel to keep a car from leaving its lane. And driver alert systems can notify a driver of signs of inattentiveness. Some of the components for the Ford system are integrated into a Gentex interior auto-dimming mirror.

Gentex senior vice president Mark Newton said in a statement that the Ford system includes its first multi-function camera system with these new features. “Gentex has spent more than two years developing an in-mirror system that integrates this Mobileye technology,” he added.

Newton said the auto-dimming mirror is “the perfect place to integrate any feature that requires a camera to look forward of the vehicle to gather information.”

Related Articles

• Ford Europe study: Handheld in-car mobile phone use stays high
• WSJ: US top safety regulator focuses on technology
• Using Google’s predictive software, Ford cars may get a lot smarter
• US PlayStation now features a virtual Ford showroom
• US govt proposes mandatory backup cameras for bigger cars

The two-day conference will take place at Harnack House in Berlin (Photo: AMAA)

The 16th International Forum on Advanced Microsystems for Automotive Applications will take place in Berlin May 30-31.

The conference, which will focus on “Smart Systems for Safe, Sustainable and Networked Vehicles,” will look at how the car is changing and how IT is playing a greater role in this development.

“ICT, components and smart systems have been essential for a multitude of recent innovations, and are expected to be key enabling technologies for the changes ahead, both inside the vehicle and at its interfaces for the communication of data and energy,” the organizers said in announcing the conference.

Speakers include Khalil Rouhana, director-designate, components and systems at the European Commission; Patrick Bastard, vice president advanced electronics & new technologies at French carmaker Renault; and Reiner Hoeger, director engineering governance automotive systems and technology, at German automotive supplier Continental.

An outline of the conference can be found HERE.

Related Articles

• VDI/VW electronic safety conference – Berlin
• VDA quality management – Berlin
• Urban Mobility 3.0 – London
• Telematics Update: Room seen for embedded and smartphone-based connectivity
• Simulation exec says new approach crucial to EV success

Although it doesn't want to advertise, GM will continue its Facebook pages, WSJ says (Photo: Facebook)

General Motors plans to stop advertising on Facebook because campaigns on the site don’t seem to have an impact on car sales, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal says the decision highlights growing doubts among marketers over the effectiveness of advertising on the social media Web site.

Facebook is in the middle of an initial public offering that is set to raise more than 100 billion dlrs in new capital. But that high valuation assumes at least in part that the Web site is valuable for its advertising appeal.

The Journal said GM will continue to have pages on Facebook, but it won’t pay for these. The carmaker spent about 10 million dlrs last year on Facebook advertising, insiders told WSJ.

GM’s marketing chief, Joel Ewanick, told the Journal that Facebook pages are effective and important, but he confirmed that GM “is definitely reassessing” its advertising on the site.

According to the Journal, GM spends about 30 million dlrs a year on its unpaid Facebook content, which includes agency fees and the management of its pages.

Related Articles

• With RelayRides, GM joins the car sharers
• Visser leaves Opel for Chevrolet; Sedran joins board
• US, German carmakers to demo fast EV charger
• Renault launches iAd for Twizy electric car
• Randy Mott is new global CIO at GM; Kline leaves company

Sports cars generate large amounts of performance data that need to be analyzed (Photo: McLaren)

McLaren will use SAP software to  better handle data flows, optimize its infrastructure and improve group operations.

The British automotive racing technology company said it had signed a new contract with SAP to use the business software maker’s solutions, including the SAP Hana database.

Ron Dennis, executive chairman of McLaren said analysis of large amounts of data is especially important for the company’s Formula 1 racing activities.

“Our Formula 1 cars generate vast quantities of performance data,” Dennis said in a press release. “Our ability to process that data and act on it rapidly is crucial to creating the kind of prescriptive intelligence that enables us to transform the outcome of races.”

Added Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO of SAP: “Transforming information into intelligence in real time is a cornerstone for McLaren’s winning formula – and increasingly critical for the future of every company.”

Related Articles

• VW chooses SAP for new CRM software
• Utopia establishes European operations
• Up in the air: cloud computing and the auto industry
• SAP’s Q1 after-tax profit rose 4 pc to 403 million euros
• SAP will build innovation center in Potsdam near Berlin

Reinhard Ploss (left) takes over as Infineon CEO Oct 1; Peter Bauer is leaving his post for health reasons

Infineon CEO Peter Bauer is stepping down for health reasons, but the Germany-based semiconductor group  immediately announced he would be succeeded by another board member, Reinhard Ploss.

Infineon said in a press release that Bauer had been suffering from osteoporosis for several years and that his condition had “significantly worsened” recently.

“Due to the uncertainties posed by my illness I can no longer dedicate the undivided attention required by the office of the CEO to lead Infineon into the future,” Bauer said in the statement.

The change will take effect October 1.

Ploss, a 25 year company veteran, is an Infineon board member responsible for production, development, technology and human resources.

Wolfgang Mayrhuber, who heads Infineon’s supervisory board, said Ploss has improved Infineon’s competitiveness in manufacturing and innovation. Said Mayrhuber: “He brings with him both extensive technical expertise and a broad business background.”

Related Articles

• Munich Management Colloquium: Winterkorn, Bohr see different resource opportunities
• Industry strives for no-fault automotive microprocessors
• Germany’s project HONEY: Designing smaller chips
• German companies join forces to improve electronic components
• At IBM, Virginia Rometty to become new CEO

Audi employees working with high-voltage batteries (Photo: Audi)

Audi opened a new 3,500 square meter high-voltage battery facility near its main plant in Ingolstadt, Germany, underscoring its intention to make electric vehicles a more important part of its product lineup by the end of the decade.

By 2020, the Volkswagen Group premium car division wants to offer an electric e-tron model in every segment of the market.

At the project house, engineers, working closely with partners, are building a prototype for special battery cells for high-voltage batteries.

The new facility will also test high-voltage batteries at the cell, module and system level.  And the carmaker will design and develop software and hardware for all HV components. It  also plans to manufacture the batteries for the brand’s R8 and A1 e-tron models.

Audi hired around 100 electronics experts especially for the project house.

Said Frank Dreves, head of Audi’s manufacturing: “The close collaboration in the high-voltage battery project house paves the way for efficient, sustainable series production of electric cars.”

Related Articles

• Microsoft and VW infotainment unit sign patent agreement
• IAA 2011: Audi to show electric A2 concept
• Harman expands VW infotainment contract to Asia
• CIO Straub to leave Audi – sources
• Audi acquires motorcycle maker Ducati

TRW says its touchpad provides a more intuitive way to operate various infotainment controls (Photo: TRW)

TRW, in an attempt to further simplify in-car controls, has developed a capacitive touchpad that recognizes handwriting.

The US-based automotive supplier said the touchpad, which will be ready for production this year, will mark a major improvement in the human machine interface (HMI) because it can be used by car drivers and passengers in a more intuitive manner.

Automakers are looking for new ways to operate a growing number of mostly infotainment-related functions in the car. Many are betting that voice recognition will be the dominant technology, but specialists say complementary interfaces will always be required.

TRW’s handwriting-recognition touch pad can be installed as a standalone product or as a multifunction control panel. The user can write individual characters with a single finger on the sensor area. The input is then interpreted by software and acknowledged with an audible feedback.

The touch sensor lets a driver operate applications such as mobile phones, navigation systems and the radio as well as sending messages, from a single point. TRW said the sensor could even replace simple switches within the car.

“TRW research has shown that the use of in-vehicle handwriting recognition operation reduces driving deviations by 78 percent compared with the alphanumeric keyboard method,” said Frank Koch, advanced engineering manager for TRW’s Body Control Systems

The new touchpad also offers design advantages because of its relatively small packaging, TRW said. The multifunction controller can be located in the center console, the door armrests or elsewhere.

Related Articles

• TRW uses POET SaaS e-Procurement solution
• TRW says new display makes controlling in-car functions easier
• TRW integrates seatbelt pretensioner and automatic brakes
• Interview: TRW’s Engelhardt says powerful IT needed
• HMI solutions to grow strongly in cars, Frost & Sullivan says

The US-based division of Japanese electronics group Hitachi said its “Smart Access” cloud-based telematics service, which will be launched in June in North America and Japan, features smartphone connectivity and the ability to access a wide range of smartphone apps. These include car maintenance, safety management and emergency calling services.

The service will be rolled out globally in stages and Clarion plans to add additional content later.

The introduction of Smart Access will transform the company “from an in-vehicle information equipment manufacturer to an in-vehicle information solution provider,” Clarion said.

It added that, with people wanting to be connected everywhere at all times, it was essential for Clarion to offer a broader portfolio than its traditional range of in-car infotainment products.

“As it becomes increasingly more common for people to connect to the internet and use its applications globally, the ability to continuously deliver new features, functionality and benefits through an internet connection in the vehicle will become a universal necessity,” Clarion said.

Starting in June new Clarion products will be equipped with a Smart Access connection interface that will be open-sourced. That means carmakers can have connectivity with their own in-vehicle equipment and with products built by others.

Related Articles

• Wind River, Clarion collaborate on Android-based infotainment
• Volvo engineers strive for Apple-style user-friendliness in car IT
• Point of view: At CES, mobile living rooms come a step closer
• Nokia hopes car connectivity group will push Terminal Mode
• Mulally to discuss Ford’s European SYNC rollout at CeBIT

The electric RAV4 has a range of 100 miles (Photo: Toyota)

The Japanese carmaker, which continues to lead sales of hybrid-electric vehicles with the Prius, said it plans to sell only 2,600 units of the RAV4 EV in the next three years.

The cautious projection underscores the difficulties the industry is having with the sales of electric vehicles, a new category of car that comes with a relatively high price tag and a severely restricted driving range.

The electric RAV4, for example, will cost 49,800 dlrs, will have a range of about 100 miles and will need at least six hours to fully recharge its batteries.

By comparison, the sticker price of the standard US version of the RAV4 starts at  22,650 dlrs for a four-cylinder 2-wheel-drive model and goes up to 28,650 dlrs for a high-spec V6 powered 4-wheel-drive version.

Toyota characterized the electric RAV4, which it developed together with EV specialist Tesla and  is bringing to market in a record two years, as somewhat of an experiment.

“We believe that the RAV4 EV will attract sophisticated early technology adopters, much like the first-generation Prius,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the US Toyota division. “It’s designed for consumers who prioritize the environment and appreciate performance. We look forward to seeing how the market responds.”

In contrast with Japanese competitors such as Nissan and Mitsubishi, Toyota has been hesitant to develop fully electric vehicles, betting instead that the success of the Prius will help prolong its lead in hybrid-electric vehicles.

The RAV4 EV will go on on sale in late summer at selected dealers in California. The model, which Toyota says is the only all-electric SUV on the market,  can be driven in sport mode or normal mode. In sport mode, it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.0 seconds.

On the infotainment side, the RAV4 EV features an eight-inch capacitive touch screen displaying navigation, telematics, and EV drive information and settings designed specifically for the model.

The car will have a three-year complimentary subscription to all services of the Entune infotainment suite. It will also have satellite radio, Bluetooth streaming audio and a US aport with iPod connectivity.

Toyota – excluding Lexus – posted a 13.3 pc rise in US unit sales in the first four months of the year to 598,681. Sales of the RAV4, its best-selling SUV in the US, slipped 0.7 pc to 55,061 units.

Sales of the Prius hybrid soared 55.7 pc during the period to 86,027 units.

-By Arjen Bongard

Related Articles

• US govt study finds no unintended acceleration in Toyotas
• US expert panel: in-car electronics require more supervision
• Toyota, Tesla to build joint Rav4 EV in Canada
• With pure EVs struggling, Toyota continues to bet on hybrids
• Windows provide new interactive dimension in Toyota concept