Transformation

Bridge and hub function

The core element is the application perspective of the Transformation Hub LS. The hub looks at research and development (R&D) projects and other sources of innovation through the eyes of an industry expert and not as a scientist. One focus is on the ongoing collaborative projects at KoPa 35c. However, the analysis also goes beyond this. The transformation hub LS translates the project results into messages and use cases that are understandable and relevant for the industry. The Hub also has direct contacts with companies, enabling it to identify specific implementation potential in dialog and provide important decision-making aids for implementation. The hub acts as a bridge and a hub. This means that relevant results from R&D are not only transferred into practice, but there is also an active feedback channel.

The conceptual basis is an end-to-end transfer model. It is based on an adapted AIDA approach, which culminates in concrete implementation activities by the companies. Over the course of the project, the LS transformation hub is aiming to expand the target group towards the electrics and electronics (E/E) domain. Close cooperation with other hubs such as powertrain and interior is also being sought, as these are inseparable from the vehicle electrical system.

Wire Harness in transition

The Wire Harness, also often referred to as the "wiring harness", "cable harness" or "wiring system", connects all electrical and electronic components (drives, actuators, sensors, displays, control units, energy sources, etc.) in the vehicle. It is one of the most expensive and labor-intensive components of the automobile. For German car manufacturers (OEMs) alone, several hundred thousand jobs in the supplier industry worldwide depend on this component. In the meantime, however, overarching trends in the automotive sector as a whole and various component-specific developments are forcing all players in the value chain to undergo far-reaching transformations and reconsider all value creation processes. The core challenges of the Wire Harness value chain are in particular

• High integration of functions due to the rapidly growing complexity of vehicle electrics
• Electrification of the drivetrain (electromobility)
• Increasing data rates and higher functional safety requirements. These are the essential prerequisites for autonomous driving at levels 4 and 5
• The increasing automation and digitalization of all production and manufacturing processes
• Forcing the miniaturization of wiring and components in the vehicle electrical system
• Increased quality requirements and audit-proof traceability of all process steps
• Resilience of the value chain, such as production at the OEM on site
• Circular economy and new materials for sustainability (REACH)
• Determination and reduction of the_{CO2 footprint} across the value chain

The Wire Harness must be understood and approached as an integrative overall system that includes every E/E component. For many companies, how well these challenges can be overcome depends on faster and better access to innovation impulses and new solution approaches. This applies in particular to disruptive developments in the areas of digitalization and electrification.

Bridging the "valley of death"

The aim of the transformation hub LS is to bridge the "valley of death" between research and practice. This system-immanent "breaking point" of many R&D projects results from the fact that convincing and proven answers to practical questions are a prerequisite for the subsequent scaling of implementation. This is where the transformation hub LS comes in. The following key areas of work result from the end-to-end transfer approach:

• Research and contextualized preparation of pre-competitive solution approaches for the transformation needs of the value chain based on a complete systematic requirements survey of the value chain players, as well as preparation of the findings from workshops, studies, surveys, interviews, etc. One focus is on technology and digitalization innovations from ongoing joint projects with a high application relevance to Wire Harness.
• Dissemination and marketing: Generating awareness and interest in the industry and initiating the AIDA process with suitable, consecutive formats for knowledge transfer, e.g. events, trade press, website, social media, etc. with the involvement of established transfer structures (multipliers, cooperations, etc.).
• Interested companies are introduced to more in-depth transformation projects in smaller groups via low-threshold incubation formats. These transformation projects set the course within the company for a longer-term and comprehensive transformation process.
• The added value is also communicated. The aim here is to initiate lighthouse projects. These serve to generate subsequent use effects and the establishment of network structures (communities of practice), which can then be used to ensure a transfer to further unsubsidized scaling (continuation).

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