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“GM CEO Mary Barra has said that the automotive industry will change more in the next five years than it has in the last 50 years,” McDowell says. “I will highlight the different drivers with- in our global society that inspire a need for different transportation solutions. As we strive to meet the current and future expectations of our customers, we remain focused on driving a culture of innovation and diversity of thought. It is inspiring to be in a position where we can positively impact so many lives—now and in the future.
“As GM drives toward our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emis- sions and zero congestion,” McDowell adds, “our manufacturing organiza- tion’s responsibility is to deliver quality components and vehicles that satisfy our customers, at volume. I will discuss how our manufacturing teams are driv- ing improvements in safety, quality and efficiency by taking an active role in executing our Global Manufacturing System (GMS). We’re motivating employ-
ees and raising the bar by continuing to push for a new level of performance. “Lastly, I will discuss the importance of innovation in our manufacturing processes,” she says, “including smart- manufacturing strategies to supplement
the application of lean principles.”
The Role of Steel in Future Mobility
The 2020 APSC program wraps with a discussion led by John Catter- all, vice president, automotive pro- gram, at the American Iron and Steel Institute, on the evolving role of steel in the automotive industry, including the impact of electrification.
“While electrification will certainly grow globally, growth may be slow in the United States,” Catterall says. “But we do need to understand what it means.”
Central to his talk are the four key mobility technologies collectively referred to as ACES—automated, con- nected, electric and shared. These tech- nologies compel automotive engineers
to reevaluate vehicle design, materials and manufacturing technologies. And, central to this is the continued devel- opment of new, advanced steels.
“Since the launch of the Ford F- 150,” Catterall notes, “the last seven pickups have bodies made from steel. We like to say that the new steels mak- ing their way into pickup trucks, and into other vehicles, come from ‘inno- vation by collaboration’ as evidenced by development, jointly by steelmakers and automakers, of the ultralight steel auto body (ULSAB) and the Future Steel Vehicle (FSV ).
“Future mobility will be no excep- tion,” Catterall says, and he’ll explain how at APSC 2020, highlighted by an introduction to the newly expanded steel portfolio developed to meet evolv- ing requirements for formability, styling, decreased mass, collision per- formance, reduced corrosion, sustain- ability and more. We’ll see you there— register to attend at www.pma.org/apsc.
MF
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