AutoForm to build digital automotive ecosystem in Korea

AutoForm Group CEO Olivier Leteurtre speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of AutoForm Engineering

Swiss industrial software developer AutoForm Engineering said, Thursday, it plans to invest in creating a digital automotive ecosystem in Korea, outlining its strategies to expand cooperation with local clients and nurture emerging talent.

“In the current car industry, Hyundai and Kia are the top carmakers in the world. And one reason is that because Korea goes through a lot of innovations, making it a leading country in the industry,” AutoForm Group CEO Olivier Leteurtre said during a press conference in Seoul.

“The future of manufacturing will be determined by a digital collaboration ecosystem. AutoForm is creating an environment where predictions and decisions are made based on data rather than experience by precisely connecting complex processes and data in the molding industry."

AutoForm is a leading software provider for car manufacturing, holding about 70 percent of the market share. Its software allows product manufacturability, tool and material cost calculation, die face design and virtual stamping, as well as body in white (BiW) assembly process optimization.

It has been working with top car makers, like Hyundai Motor and Kia, and original equipment manufacturers to digitalize the manufacturing for more cost-efficient and eco-friendly processes.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the company shared that it will focus on expanding partnerships with its customers and strengthening industry-academic cooperation in Korea.

“My impression is that Korea has a very good connection between industry and university on technology, unlike in some countries, like Europe … So we try to replicate what AutoForm Korea is doing,” the CEO said.

AutoForm Korea has donated 60 billion won worth of software for three years to Changwon National University, establishing an industrial technology hub at the school. Last year, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Sungkyunkwan University to work together in fostering next-generation talent in the manufacturing industry through joint research and training.

AutoForm Engineering Korea CEO Cho Young-bin speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of AutoForm Engineering

The company has been supporting small- and medium-sized partnering companies in strengthen their digital capabilities.

It plans to build a Digital Tryout Lab at Kyungil University in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, which will serve as a technical hub helping second- and third-tier vendors to apply simulation-based process analysis without needing to use expensive software or specialized experts. The center is conducting pilot projects, working with companies like A-Jin Industrial Co., and is expected to expand to allow access to more partnering companies.

"Until now, an (automotive) company's competitiveness was determined by how many skilled engineers it had. But going forward, it will depend on how many ‘smart’ engineers it has. What I mean by smart engineers are those who can quickly acquire new technologies and adapt to new environments to work according to new processes,” said Cho Young-bin, CEO of AutoForm Engineering Korea.

“In a way, these are young people whose mindset, not age, is very youthful and who can take on new challenges … We believe that companies with smart engineers and accumulated data will survive in the future. So we will continue to make efforts to support this aspect going forward."