Increasing regulatory demands to reduce emissions, market pressures, and the rapid pace of technological advancement have long forced mobility OEMs to bring new solutions to the marketplace. Added to this, countries around the world are now considering or implementing plans to ban the sale of new gasoline light-duty vehicles as early as 2030. As a result, every sector of the mobility industry is under pressure to develop innovative solutions more rapidly than ever.
While OEMs have highly capable engineering and design teams, it is virtually impossible for any single organization to have the capacity to solve every problem that might arise when designing and producing a new solution. If an OEM is struggling to solve a problem in-house, the best solution is to partner with another organization that has the needed expertise. Such knowledge partners can bring critical capability to the table and work as an extension of the OEM’s team.
Sharing information is critical to the success of the project. A knowledge partner needs more than just the specifications for the proposed solution—they need access to the relevant data the OEM has already accrued. But this data needs to be protected. When OEMs collaborate with a knowledge partner, it is beneficial to immediately draw up a mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so that critical confidential information can be shared. This provides a good foundation for developing a solution that meets the project’s required specifications while minimizing roadblocks that could hamper collaboration.
