Developing for Mass Production

Let’s face it -- there are a lot of good ideas out there.  Hundreds of companies and thousands of inventors coming knocking each year at the doors of the world’s OEM’s.  Yet only a few of those concepts make it into production.  The reason for this is that the number of companies that can actually take an emerging concept and work together with an OEM to rapidly evaluate, design, develop, integrate, and productionize a new product is much smaller.  FEV is one of the select few companies that provide such services.

For 30 years, FEV has repetitively demonstrated the ability to perform powertrain design and development programs from concept to start of production (SOP) in the shortest possible time frame.  FEV engineers continue to work every day to reduce the product development cycle, while improving quality and reducing cost.

FEV engineers stand ready to undertake nearly any powertrain or vehicle application task.  We routinely provide integrated, engineered systems, such as the development of new prototypes, complete pre-production development and off-tool engine application engineering for new vehicles or homologations for new markets or legislative requirements.

FEV design and development teams are interdisciplinary – ensuring that our customers have the benefit of all of the technical expertise required to bring their products into production.  We have created an integrated virtual product development process (called FEV2DP) that saves time and money by eliminating a large amount of hardware prototyping from the product development cycle.

We provide highly efficient CAE project management, allowing a tightly integrated simultaneous and multidisciplinary development process.  Benchmarking data from FEV’s large database of current production engines is leveraged throughout the design and development process to ensure that the end product meets not only the technical specifications, but that it can be manufactured at low cost and with high quality.

Regardless of the technical disciplines required to complete the project, FEV offers combustion experts, designers, stress and tribology analysts, electronics and controls experts, vehicle calibration and homologation teams, noise and vibration experts and many more capabilities that can be applied within project teams.  We support many different design and analysis platforms – allowing us to support our customers in their native platforms.

FEV operates a wide range of modern powertrain test cells in multiple technical centers across the globe.  We employ the most advanced test cell equipment and provide all of the laboratories and capabilities to support full engine development programs in-house.

At FEV, our mechanical development staff provides world-class simulation and mechanical testing capabilities.  Every effort is made to ensure that potential design issues are identified and resolved prior to prototype construction, representing a significant time and cost savings to our customers. FEV also conducts mechanical development testing (friction, thermal shock, system function, oil aeration, mechanical durability, etc.) to improve the design, function and ultimately increase customer satisfaction for the individual components or the entire powertrain.

FEV offers complete rapid prototyping services to its customers and we have established a worldwide network of foundries and pattern makers to support our projects, when required.  We also offer a world-class engine build shop that is capable to assembling more than 300 prototype engines per year.

Finally, FEV provides its customers with a complete array of powertrain application engineering services, including control system calibration, to ensure that our customer’s drivability, exhaust emissions, fuel economy, performance and acoustic targets can be met.  These services can be provided over the entire development process through SOP and homologation support.

You’ll be surprised at all of the capabilities that are offered by FEV throughout the world.  Contact FEV or click on one of the related services at the right to see more information about how FEV can help you bring innovation to the street.