Munich: Whether buying directly from the manufacturer of computer chips, reconfigure the car, or produced with missing parts, automakers have to be creative to overcome the shortage of global semiconductor.
The drawback, because the problem of supply and demand for consumer electrical surge during a pandemic, it has been the car industry hard, with millions of vehicles worldwide is produced because of the important parts missing.
With the problems that lasted longer than expected in the beginning, manufacturers including Daimler and Volkswagen must rethink production strategy.
Car manufacturers usually buy parts from major suppliers such as Bosch and Continental, which in turn is buying from suppliers further down the chain.
In some cases causes a lack of transparency, said Ondrej Burkacky, senior partner at McKinsey.
“There is a mistake to think that you have a choice between two suppliers, but the fact is that they both have a chip that is made in the same foundry,” he said.
That is now changing, according to Daimler Purchasing Manager Markus Schafer.
German maker of Mercedes-Benz Cars has set up a direct line of communication with all chip suppliers, including wafer manufacturer in Taiwan, he said at the IAA Auto Show in September.
Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess talk about “strategic partnership” company has entered with manufacturers in Asia.
Chip suppliers need to be treated differently in view of their strategic importance to the industry, said Stefan Bratzel of automotive management center.
“You have seen the problems that arise when you treat other chip companies such as suppliers and end a call,” he said.
McKinsey’s Burkacky said automakers should consider direct investment in production, or a longer contract with the provision of more than 18 months.
“Not much has been implemented,” he added.
‘More powerful’ Meanwhile, the vehicle developers are doing their part to help manufacturers manage the supply crunch.
Annette Danielski, Chief Financial Officer of Volkswagen Trucks Unit Traton, said the company tried to clean up various space on the motherboard of the control system.
“If we change the software, we can use less semiconductor and achieve the same function,” he said.
“That sometimes takes a long time for regulatory authorities to intervene, but there are areas where you can change things quickly.” Daimler is relying on a new design for the control unit.
Instead of using a particular chip, is designed to work with an alternative that can be used in the case of a delivery problem, says the head of purchasing the company Schafer.
Tesla is regarded as a model for this.
Companies reprogram the software within three months so that other less rare chip can be used, allowing the electric car maker U.S.
to face the crisis better than others.
General Motors said it will work with chipmakers like Qualcomm, STM and Infineon to develop microcontroller that combines several functions previously controlled by the individual chips.
“We are trying to create an ecosystem that is more resilient, more expandable and always available,” said a company spokesman.
Prioritizing some car makers hoard – or what is called the BMW “Shoring hole.” The whole car is built except for the part that is missing, and then can be solved with relative ease when it comes up.
Other car makers also use this strategy.
Sometimes a vehicle delivered without certain functions that are controlled by the chip.
Semiconductors also conserved for high-quality vehicles, such as electric cars, while customers face a longer waiting time for the internal combustion engine at low prices.
The strategy is slowly reaching its limits.
Volkswagen has recently had to temporarily suspend production of electric cars in the factory Zwickau in Germany.
How well this works coping strategy is not yet clear.
“The bill will be presented in mid or late 2022, when you can see who is out of the crisis well and who did not make it very well,” says McKinsey’s Burkacky.