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Adapting to the New Reality of the Industry

Mario Rodríguez - Arbomex
CEO of Arbomex

STORY INLINE POST

Sat, 09/01/2018 - 10:54

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Q: What is Arbomex’s most important innovation project in 2018?
A: We have two main projects in order to compete with steel and assembled camshafts. For many years, internal-combustion engines have used steel and forged components due to the higher mechanical properties they offer. We are developing an iron camshaft mixed with other alloys, which we named Acehierro. This component can deliver similar mechanical performance as the steel and assembled camshafts previously mentioned. For engines where iron cannot meet mechanical standards, we have developed a hybrid component: and iron camshaft with an inserted steel lobe or lobes. Both innovations, Acehierro and our Inserted Steel Lobe, were designed with the goal of reducing production costs.
Q: How ready do you think Mexico is to embrace electrified vehicles?
A: Countries such as France, Germany and China are establishing deadlines to stop selling internal combustion engine units. It might take some time for these regulations to cross the Atlantic and enter the Americas but we cannot sit around and wait for these changes to arrive. We believe Mexico has a long way to go as a country in terms of greenhouse-gas emission reduction. However, we expect that by 2025 electric vehicles will be able to compete with internal-combustion units in terms of cost. When that happens, users in Mexico will start buying these vehicles. Electrification is coming. We want to explore the possibility of supplying components to these new automobiles and we are working on different strategies to achieve that goal.
Q: How soon do you see the industry transitioning toward electric vehicles and how much participation do you expect Mexico to have?
A: We cannot look at electrification as an isolated trend. Shared mobility will impact the industry, as young generations become less interested in vehicle ownership. The priority for clients now is mobility without the responsibility of having a car in terms of maintenance or insurance. This means vehicle sales will not growth at the same rate as the world population. Autonomous vehicles are the next step for the industry and even though people are still afraid to climb into a car without a steering wheel or pedals, innovation is knocking at our door.
Both shared mobility and autonomy will be tied up with the evolution of the electric vehicles. The industry expects that by 2030, electric vehicles, shared mobility systems and autonomous vehicles will transform the automotive industry into something completely different from what we know today. More than 25 percent of all new vehicles sales could be electric. It is undeniable that the electrification trend will ramp up by 2020, especially considering that by 2025 it is expected that electric vehicles could reach price parity with the internal combustion units. These conditions will force Mexico to adapt in terms of sales and production.
Q: How much has Arbomex embraced digitalization and Industry 4.0 practices and how has that impacted your operations and the development of your human capital?
A: Currently, we are in the middle of significant change toward the implementation of manufacturing 4.0. Arbomex is redefining the way it analyzes, interprets, executes and improves processes and products within the organization.
We are already working with collaborative robots to increase productivity in our operations. Nevertheless, we also expect our operators to develop their capabilities in terms of problem solving, so the more repetitive tasks can be left to robots. The company also acquired a 3D printing center, which we have used to not only recreate prototypes of the pieces we manufacture or are planning to produce, but also functional tools for our operations with the advantage of reduced manufacturing time and cost. In the coming weeks we will receive a new printer capable of manufacturing in metal, significantly increasing our field of action.

 

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