Why use fragmented tools for modern error management?
It’s clear: Modern embedded systems, integrating electrical, electronic (E/E), and software components, are incredibly complex. Each subsystem introduces intricate interdependencies that complicate not only design and development but also error management.
And yet, information and knowledge are often distributed across different systems and departments within the same organization, making it inaccessible to all engineers working on the same product.
For instance, rework technicians face incomplete data, a lack of interaction between systems, and insufficient tooling. This leads to low first-pass yield and time-consuming manual searches through 2D wiring diagrams that can take up to 50% of an engineer’s time. The vast solution space created by E/E variance further complicates troubleshooting.
Traditional error management methods like manual processes or pinpointing issues using disconnected tools are no longer effective in this context. This creates a frustrating environment where teams spend more time addressing recurring issues rather than focusing on the development of innovative features.
The negative impact of expert dependency and siloed engineering
For Plant Managers, Production Leads, Functionality responsibles, and Integration Engineers, the stakes are high, as well. Especially in the modern automotive environment, identifying and resolving errors quickly is crucial for maintaining production efficiency. Every day of production delay can cost up to 1 million euros, in addition to damaging the brand’s reputation.
The following factors make troubleshooting in Production even more time-consuming and dependent on expert knowledge:
- Limited access to valuable engineering data
- Inability to map complex interdependencies with traditional tools
- Manual search in diagnostics
- Over-reliance on unsustainable expert knowledge
- Existing systems unsuitable for Aftermarket
The consequence: Rising costs and production shutdowns
In such a fragmented environment, error management is inefficient. The financial impact of production errors is significant. Misdiagnosed or undetected errors can lead to:
- 50% of expert’s time spent on search for information on error sources
- Reliance on expert knowledge makes onboarding new hires challenging
- Increased operational costs, up to 1 mio euros per each day of delay
- Missed production quotas
- Cars spend hours in the rework area
- Production shutdowns and costly callbacks
The root cause of these issues lies in the inadequate tools currently available for managing complex, software-driven vehicle architectures. Without the right systems in place, troubleshooting becomes dependent on the knowledge of a few experts, and the time to resolution increases significantly.
What if there was a better way?
With a solution that links user features like ambient lighting, seat heating, and head-up displays to the physical wiring harness and electric components, engineers would have a complete understanding of how these various systems interact with each other.
By integrating logical effect chains in one source of truth, engineers could see interdependencies between functions, connections, components, and errors. Inline reworker on the line thanks to 3D and 2D visualization of the E/E wiring system and technical chains of action behind DTCs. This would enable them to not only fix issues faster but also proactively prevent them.
Furthermore, with advanced topology integration, electrical communication would no longer be limited to the physical layer. The solution would display interactions on the logical layer as well, linking signals from the physical harness to buses and protocols in the logical topology. This would provide even greater level of visibility into how components communicate, enhancing troubleshooting and error prediction.
What if there was a solution that:
- Connects relevant systems of records across the whole product lifecycle with smart connectors to one single platform (integrated product data).
- Specifies relevant dashboards, so that inline reworkers get intuitive access to up-to-date product descriptions, such as 3D coordinates of connectors and wires in reference to 3D wiring harness geometries, DTC mapping lists etc. in dedicated applications.
- Enables case-specific overview of fault hotspots for predictive fault case identification.
- Connects impact chain data from various systems to KPM ticket information, ensuring error tickets are routed to the appropriate resolution teams – with the correct contact person identified.
- Makes PDF-files with 1000s of pages obsolete.
- Enables faster onboarding for new employees.
Cut error search time & predict faults before they happen – with SPREAD
To achieve this ideal state, engineers need a future-ready platform designed to intelligently connect all relevant product data and make it accessible in real-time. It needs to transform error management by integrating data from all domains and providing an intuitive interface for reworkers, engineers, and managers.
By integrating all relevant data into a single platform and providing intuitive dashboards, companies will reduce the time spent on error detection and repair, improve product quality, and cut operational costs.
Key features of SPREAD’s solution include:
- Smart Connectors for integrated product data: SPREAD.ai links systems such as PLM, ERP, and wiring harness databases, providing a unified view of all product data
- Intuitive, customizable dashboards: Inline-Reworkers and engineers can access specific dashboards with critical information such as 3D coordinates of connectors and wires, enabling faster error diagnosis and repair.
- VIN-specific 3D views for predictive maintenance: Engineers can proactively identify fault hotspots based on vehicle identification numbers (VIN), ensuring that potential issues are prevented before they impact production.
The impact of SPREAD’s Error Management solution
Implementing SPREAD’s Error Management solution delivers measurable improvements in error management and production efficiency:
- Up to 70% reduction in error search time: Engineers and reworkers can access all the necessary data in real-time, improving first-pass yield.
- 90% accuracy in error prediction: By leveraging predictive analytics and VIN-specific views, teams can identify potential fault hotspots before they occur.
- Up to 66% reduction in error processing time with up to 75% reduced process steps.
- Up to 50% faster detection of duplicate errors.
- Increase inline rework efficiency: With faster error resolution, production lines can handle up to 5 additional vehicles per day.
- Up to 50% lower warranty costs
SPREAD’s solution positions automotive companies to face the challenges of modern production with greater agility and efficiency. Production shutdowns and delays due to undiagnosed errors have become problems of the past.
The power of our Product Knowledge Digital Twin for Error Management
SPREAD's Product Knowledge Digital Twin (PKDT) provides a centralized source of truth that connects and unifies data from PLM, ERP, and custom databases into a single, intuitive interface. At the heart of the PKT is the Knowledge Graph technology, a powerful tool for visualizing and managing complex systems by representing entities (nodes) and their relationships (edges). It is able to combine structured data from other tools and systems, as well as unstructured data from e.g. requirements.
Graph databases, unlike traditional databases, excel at managing and querying all these complex relationships, making it easier to track and optimize the flow of data and interactions.
Beyond centralizing data, the PKDT leverages, connects, and analyzes comprehensive information related to a physical product within an extensive parametric model known as the Engineering Intelligence Graph. This advanced system delivers complete, up-to-date product intelligence that can combine structured and unstructured data, enabling engineers to address complex challenges effectively.
In R&D and production environments, this technology is particularly useful for understanding intricate connections between components—such as a vehicle's wiring harness and its links to various systems.
For production executives and engineers, this means faster troubleshooting, better visibility into system dependencies, and more efficient management of complex mechatronic systems, such as tracking how specific wires connect to pins and components in a vehicle's electrical system.
Key capabilities of SPREAD’s PKDT include:
- Intelligent data integration
- App-based analysis & workflows
- Cross-domain change management
- Easy knowledge management & sharing
- End-to-end collaboration
- Enabling AI agents trained on both domain expertise and company data
Conclusion: Reduce operational costs with real-time insights
As automotive systems grow more reliant on software and E/E architectures, traditional error management methods are no longer viable. The SPREAD Error Management solution offers the real-time data visibility and predictive capabilities required to tackle these modern challenges. By reducing error search time, enhancing fault prediction, and improving production line efficiency, SPREAD empowers automotive manufacturers to stay ahead of the curve and maintain their competitive edge.
Get to know our Error Management solution: One demo, all features
