ASIA continents , the company ’ s large global footprint is pivotal to its success .
“ Our extensive footprint allows us to follow our main global customers and OEM ’ s such as the big three in the US – General Motors , Ford , and Fiat Chrysler – or BMW in Europe , for example . Having a global , extensive footprint allows us to have a greater reach and serve any type of customer , whether they ’ re global or local .”
As Asia-Pacific Manufacturing Engineering Director , Rodriguez understands the opportunities which lie east , particularly in the booming Chinese automotive market . “ It is a very strategic and promising market for us ,” notes Rodriguez . “ If we look at the Asia-Pacific market , particularly in China , you can see that it is growing rapidly . Right now , the Chinese automotive market represents about 30 % of all the vehicles sold in the world and if we look more broadly at Asia- Pacific , more than 50 % of vehicles sold in the world are sold in the region . China , India and Indonesia are all big opportunities for growth . With our technical center , five customer service centers and 11 manufacturing plants in the Asia-Pacific region , we are well aligned to meet that growing demand .”
Trendsetter The sector is currently in the midst of a Fourth Industrial revolution , commonly known as Industry 4.0 . It is an exciting and bold shift for the automotive industry , and it is one which Nexteer Automotive has embraced with its ‘ Manufacturing 4.0 ’ vision . As part of this strategy , Nexteer has been developing an interconnected ‘ Digital Thread ’ of manufacturing technologies to help optimise its work chain . Today , the company uses these technologies to plan upcoming production needs , track products throughout the manufacturing cycle , manage inventory and material flow throughout the complete supply chain , gather and analyse real time data from the production line , and ensure final product quality .
Nexteer Automotive is at the forefront of Industry 4.0 , working diligently with both partners and suppliers to ensure that the company remains ahead of the curve . As part of this , the company is looking into big data analytic solutions
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