The automotive and industrial sectors are undergoing significant transformation, where OEMs strive to innovate to meet consumer demands with new product introductions and more frequent product refreshes.
Amidst this race for innovation, increasing number of vehicle features, technology advancements, and electrification of vehicles, the concept of a safe launch has emerged as a critical aspect of introducing new vehicle models to ensure that they meet safety standards and quality requirements.
Failure to comply with these regulations and requirements can lead to recalls, production halts, financial penalties, and brand reputation damage, making safe launches a strategic imperative for success in the automotive industry. Product launches traditionally create significant challenges for OEMs and suppliers, bringing increased pressure to plants and driving the need for more effective quality processes and controls across the supply chain.
The EV transition and digitalization of products have further highlighted that a disciplined product development and launch process is required to minimize customer interruptions and product issues. Many OEMs have adopted best practice “Launch Excellence” processes that connect product design, suppliers, tooling development, and operational launch.
The risks and financial costs of neglecting a safe launch can be high – including legal action, fines, and forced recalls. Safety-related incidents can lead to negative publicity and damage to the brand’s reputation. Consumers are also quick to abandon brands that compromise on safety, which can jeopardize market share as potential buyers turn to competitors with better safety records. A safe launch can lead to substantial long-term cost savings by mitigating these risks.
Vayan offers a benchmark “Safe Launch™ Playbook”, which is a proactive approach that combines people, process, engineering, process governance, technology and data excellence to support OEMs and suppliers to ensure flawless new vehicle launches. The focus of the safe launch is on preventing any issues that may impact vehicle quality – end-to-end from the tiered supply base to final product manufacturing.
It is extremely important to establish an effective quality wall to prevent non-conformances from leaving the production area. Any potential issues are identified and corrected at the supplier’s or OEM location – from validating supplier processes and controls to inspecting incoming parts, shipping, and labeling – to ensure compliance with quality and safety requirements. Meaningful data is immediately documented, including serial IDs and pictures, and the information is shared with our clients’ quality and operations teams to support Quick Response Quality Control activities. In addition to creating a quality wall, Vayan will deploy a layered audit process to ensure process compliance and the desired outcomes of the inspections. Vayan will also allocate full-time or fractional resources to assist with the root cause and corrective action efforts if engineering support is required.
During the safe launch, the Vayan team is an extension of the OEM’s and suppliers’ quality teams, bringing the expertise, resources, and technology to help optimize the quality of new vehicle introductions.