April 26 - 30 | 2021

1. Could you tell us more about any projects you are working on currently and/or your area of expertise?

I cannot refer to any projects in specific but working on onboarding various startups offering various solutions in smart mobility, industry 4.0 and smart materials that are of interest to the company.

2. Do you see any strategies that the automotive industry can adopt to accelerate recovery post-COVID 19?

COVID 19 did not change dramatically the way our company works but its certainty accelerated topics in industry 4.0, smart logistics and automated process.

3.How can companies better anticipate risk and increase supply chain resilience post-COVID 19?

I think it goes to less dependency on 1 supply chain and trying to spread the risk.

4. How do you think industry can prepare its workforce for the current and upcoming challenges?

Remote support, communication and training will become a key element and companies should adopt more solutions in these domains.

5. How is consumer demand for automotive shifting, and how will it look by 2030?

It is a mix – in some cases demand is raising as people are more concerned to use public transportation and on the other hand they drive less. I believe commercial vehicle demand will most likely increase anyhow.  

6. What are the main ways in which digitalisation is creating opportunities for automotive manufacturing?

More reliance on digital and automate platforms , less human centric and more automated.

7. How are future technology trends changing patterns of collaboration with other actors (e.g. technology applications, research institutions, government bodies) for automotive innovation?

Start-ups are becoming more interesting to collaborate with given the strain on resources and R&D expenditures. Companies are looking more for collaboration to reduce costs and risk.

8. What are the key ways that suppliers can start preparing now for the shift towards EVs?

More automated predictive maintenance and maintenance services in general, better and designated platforms for EV operations.

9. Why are second-life battery solutions important for electric vehicle manufacturers?

Since the expectation is that the more cars there are the more used batteries will be so we need to find solutions what to do and how to handle them.

10. What are some of the enduring challenges facing women in the automotive industry? How are companies working towards finding solutions?

It is conceived a men centric industry for many years. As the solution is becoming more software driven more opportunities open.