OPEL Edwin VW T5 - Manual (Page 9)

edwin 02 | 2003 9
he ability to respond even more quick-
ly and efficiently than before to custo-
mer requirements – this was the inten-
tion of the Vehicle Design business division
(IVM Automotive) and also the reason for its
new organizational structure. Their aim: con-
sistent use of specialized know-how and
resources throughout all locations.
Since May 2003, IVM Automotive has
been subdivided into five business fields:
Complete Vehicle Development, Design,
Vehicle Body and Interior, Samples and Pro-
totype Manufacturing, and System Develop-
ment and Integration, with the latter compris-
ing the segments Calculation and Simulation,
Electrics and Electronics, Engine/Drivetrain/
Chassis, and Testing.
MATRIX RELOADED
IVM Automotive will continue to focus in the
future too on developing complex modules
and complete vehicles including project con-
trol and coordination. The new feature: every
location will have access to the know-how
and services of all the business fields on the
spot; the skills available in every single busi-
ness field will however be concentrated at a
central location and coordinated from there.
The business field Complete Vehicle De-
velopment for example is located at Bad Frie-
drichshall; Design and Electrics and Elec-
tronics are mainly at the Rhine-Main location;
Vehicle Body and Interior, Samples and
Prototype Manufacturing, and Engine/Drive-
train/Chassis predominantly in Bad Frie-
drichshall; and Calculation and Simulation
plus Testing in Ingolstadt. Sales and Customer
Support operate on the basis of key accounts
for all locations. The opportunities for IVM
Automotive on the French market are current-
ly being analyzed from Edscha’s French loca-
tion, at Les Ulis.
“The new matrix organization forges links
between locations that have previously
worked largely independently of each other.
This will create synergies with which IVM
Automotive will continue to expand its mar-
ket position”, says Managing Director Ulrich
Mellinghoff, commenting on the reorganiza-
tion of the 1,000 or so engineers and techni-
cians in Germany. “As an efficient engineer-
ing partner, we will also be offering to a
greater extent contents to the OEM as op-
posed to external capacity reserves. That will
make the use of our services easier to plan for
our customers – both OEM and system
manufacturers – from the cost angle”, says
the former BMW manager. The positive
responses from the customers confirm that the
vehicle designers are on the right track with
this new setup. Christina Kaulhausen
PRECURSORS
Ulrich Mellinghoff (53, left) has
been the spokesman of the
management since March
2003 and is in charge of the
Sales and Engineering fields.
He is assisted by Frank Braun
(43), who as managing director
has been in charge of the com-
mercial aspects and the loca-
tions since April 2003.
IVM AUTOMOTIVE After the takeover of IVM Automotive
by Edscha in the summer of 2002, nine in-house teams
worked to raise the profile and structure of the vehicle de-
signer. The results have been implemented since May 2003.
Sharper profile
T
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
L o c a t i o n s
Wolfsburg
■
Complete Vehicle
Development
■
Design
■
Vehicle Body and Interior
■
Samples and Prototype
Manufacturing
■
System Development
and Integration
VW
Rhein-Main
Les Ulis (France)
Bad Friedrichshall
Stuttgart
Sindelfingen
Ingolstadt
Munich
Ford, Opel
PSA, Renault
DaimlerChrysler, Porsche
Audi, BMW
B u s i n e s s a re a s K e y a c c o u n t s