How OEM Integration Can Boost Your Concept Vehicle Demonstrations
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 // JEFF VARICK
You’re introducing a cutting-edge technology into a concept demonstration vehicle. While you want to be modest about it, you have to admit — it’s pretty darn impressive. But let’s be honest: the way you’ve integrated your tech into the vehicle isn’t going to impress anyone. You have all the engineers you need, and you have complete capability to develop the technology. But you don’t have the resources to go the extra mile and seamlessly integrate it into the production vehicle. And that’s not a small thing. You’ve got to make the most of every demonstration, because it isn’t just the project on the line — it’s your reputation. Those kinds of stakes demand a seamless vehicle integration. Outsourced OEM-grade vehicle integration services can give your concept vehicle technology demonstration the edge it needs. Let’s look at the benefits that can make the difference for your next concept demo.
Your Book Is Being Judged by Its Cover
We’ve seen more than one concept technology that comes to the demonstration with cables running everywhere. OEMs are underwhelmed, because they can’t get past the looks of the equipment. As innovative as the technology is, the presentation of it has dampened the buyers’ opinion. It’s a little embarrassing to present an innovative vehicle technology that looks like it was slapped together by Doc Brown. It feels crude and unfinished. Even if the system works perfectly, it looks and feels like it’s easy to break. That doesn’t inspire confidence or excitement. Your technology demonstration is a sales tool, and it needs to start selling from the first glance — even before you turn the key. The most successful concept demonstrations look like they just rolled off the production line with the vehicle. They fit and function seamlessly, and they already live up to the OEM’s reputation and image. An OEM integrator can give your tech that kind of treatment.
Performance You Can Count On
Exposed cables and a bulky installation are an open invitation for disaster. Someone can accidentally trip over the cables, disconnect them, or knock components loose. It’s also all too easy for engineers to make last-minute modifications, against better judgment. The worst thing that can happen during a demonstration is presenting brand-new, innovative tech that doesn’t work because something got tampered with. You can’t tell the customer, “Well it worked yesterday.” It’s embarrassing, and it impacts your company’s reputation for future demonstrations. There’s also the wear and tear factor. Repeated use isn’t kind to concept products that are merely attached to the vehicle. If you don’t have stable connection points and tuck the wires out of the way, your demonstration technology won’t last very long. An OEM integrator can make your demonstration technology durable enough for showing after showing.
Safer Demos with Fewer Distractions
Seamless OEM integration makes your demonstration technology safer, too. When you drive it on a demo, you won’t be distracted by hanging cables or components that aren’t securely mounted. Nothing is fastened awkwardly to the dash, blocking the forward view. We did a project for a developer who wanted a huge display on the dashboard. We noticed that it would block the driver’s view, so we installed the monitor over the existing display. We hinged it so that they could lift the monitor and still access the controls underneath it. They loved the innovative approach, and the demonstration was a greater success.
Complete OEM Integration with Brandmotion Solutions
Brandmotion Solutions offers end-to-end integration services for concept vehicle technologies. We’ll start with a kickoff meeting to look at the vehicle and the parts, and to gain a full understanding of what you want. Then our craftsmen get to work. Our services cover the broadest range of capabilities needed to complete your entire project:
- Creative Integration Design. When showcasing your automotive technology, it’s critical that it looks OEM. We start every project by studying the concept and the vehicle to determine the best design for seamless integration, and then hand-build the first integration parts.
- Part Scanning and 3-D Modeling. Our dedicated in-house CAD team scans hand-built parts and creates 3-D models for the component parts that will be fabricated. Each design will go through several iterations, until they perfectly integrate with the vehicle.
- 3-D Printing. We create 3-D printed prototype parts to ensure they connect to the vehicle like an OEM component would. If the prototype is off even in the slightest, we’ll modify and reprint it until it looks like an original part of the production vehicle.
- Sheet Metal & Fiberglass Fabrication. Once the prototyping is perfected, we begin in-house component builds. Our fabrication team can produce any sheet metal or fiberglass part to seamlessly integrate your technology.
- OEM Quality Painting. Your concept technology needs to look and feel like it was always a part of the production vehicle. Our meticulous texture and color matching process ensures that the painting will produce a component that looks factory-made.
- Electrical System Integration. We don’t merely install your system — we integrate it so that it functions seamlessly with the vehicle. It will look and function as if it were an original component.
This is the same process and set of resources we use to make our own products. Our in-house design and manufacturing team is yours!
A Quick Success Story
We had a company come to us that needed to demo 10 autonomous vehicles. They were taking the cars to some of the biggest shows in the country and the world, including the Consumer Electronics Show. A lot was at stake — their corporate reputation, their professionalism, and their capability to prove themselves as a world-class operation. In the past, this customer had used other sources that specialized in one or two aspects of concept development. They had to take each vehicle to several providers to get different parts of the work done. This time, they needed a one-stop shop that could tackle the whole project fast. We had six weeks to integrate mounted lidar and radar sensors, cameras, and custom-integrated switch displays. We delivered all ten vehicles on time, and the customer loved the results. They finished with ten beautiful, show-worthy cars that they’ve demonstrated repeatedly.
Run More Successful Vehicle Demonstrations
OEM integration isn’t outside of your reach. With Brandmotion Solutions, you have all the expertise and craftsmanship you need to present a truly impressive technology that integrates seamlessly into a production vehicle. Eliminate the fears around unreliable wiring, and provide a safer demo experience that highlights the tech — not an inconvenient setup. Let us help you deploy your new vehicle technology today.
