Will Car Manufacturers Survive the Second Death of Henry FORD ?

摘要

Henry FORD was a visionary man that did not only create a huge company, he also built up a comprehensive architecture of the “car system”, including the product, the process, the operations and the service. This architecture was so good that it lasted nearly 100 years, being the basis for one of the strongest industries of the 20 20th th century. The 21 21st st century comes with new requirements, as well as with new technological opportunities that drastically change the way the car systems may be built. But, just as the “fly by wire” killed most of the aircraft manufacturers, the “drive by wire” is likely to produce the same results and be as lethal for the automotive industry. This paper tries to re-capture the Henry FORD architecture and to put it in perspective with today’s concerns and evolutions. Then, a possible systems engineering road map is given to highlight areas where car engineering may reduce the time and money wasted when designing a car.