It's not just about self-driving cars

Robert Bosch GmbH made headlines this past month as various newsoutlets echoed Bloomberg’s headline: “Bosch to Build $1.1 Billion Chip Plant for Self-Driving Cars.” While it may not quite stray into alternative fact territory, the headlines is somewhat misleading because the chips are not reserved for self-driving cars. Buried within the article is the acknowledgement that Bosch says they will also be used for “smart homes and Internet-linked city infrastructure.” By all measures, it's clear the company intends to be a major player in the global supply chain for connected electronics. 

It’s true that the company is invested in the development of autonomous cars. In March of this year, it GmbH  announced a partnership with the American company NVIDA, which produces artificial intelligence (AI) systems for self-driving vehicles” in which it would  build  an “artificial intelligence self-driving systems for mass market cars” based on NVIDA Drive PX line with Xavier architecture.

So it does make sense that it would be considering the automotive customer, especially if it is true that, as the Bloomberg article states, each car purchased last year “contained an average of nine chips made by Bosch.”

However, the story that Bosch itself  tells about its plans for the factory it is building in Dresden, Germany are not that narrowly focused, as revealed by its press release. 

Read more in 

Beyond the Headlines: Bosch’s $1.1 Billion Investment

3D printing for cars: not just for prototyping

Efficient supply chains can be identified by a handful of components: proximity, flexibility, and minimal waste. Now, the automotive industry is hoping to capture some of these same benefits through the use of 3D printing. 

Though it hailed 3D printing as the "third industrial revolution" in 2012, The Economist  cautioned that it "is not yet good enough to make a car." Since then, though, 3D printing, referred to as the additive manufacture in the auto industry, has advanced to the point that car bodies can and have been printed. In future, additive manufacture will likely be an integral part of the car supply chain, and not just at the point of creating models for design or rapid prototyping. 

This past year, Deloitte University Press published a detailed study of the future prospects for car manufacturing in an article titled 3D Opportunity for the Automotive Industry. The value of 3D printing for rapid prototyping and realizing innovative new design has already been established across industries, but it can also be used in manufacturing the end product. That is what has the potential to really transform the supply chain for the car industry.

Read more in 

3D Printing Reshapes Automotive Supply Chain 

See the carbon fiber body of the Strati car beign printed in this video.

Hashtags and Haute Couture: Effective Branding on Instagram

Businesses have a long tradition of serving as patron of the arts. Often they are only acknowledged discreetly with logos on the sign for the exhibit they support. Some get more credit with the free admission times named for them like the “Target Free” days at many museums. For even brand greater exposure, though, it’s necessary to tap into internet sharing, and that is something that  Instagram makes possible

Read about Lexus' getting the most out of sponsoring The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, with Instagram in 

Lexus Steers Branding Program via Instagram

Confidence as a marketing ploy

That's what GM's clearance event is about, as discussed in my latest blog post for theCMOsite