The 10 Fastest-Growing Automobile Solution Providers of 2022 July2022

A Hub of Innovation and Technology

Editor’s Desk

Raun ak

Raunak Mhetre

A hit the road? You are, right?

re you not amazed when feature-packed vehicles

Consumers like me, and you expect utility, looks, and efficiency in the vehicles we look at or the vehicles we dream of owning. When automobile companies go beyond their usual forte and bring amazing cars and other vehicles which break innovative and creative barriers, it brings a smile to the face of buyers. That's what companies intend to do, constantly redefine their standards and produce epic vehicles.

This brings the automobile companies to a constant question, “What more can we offer into a single vehicle package to amaze the consumer every time?”

When automakers hit a roadblock, they come up with value-added features and technologies to enrich the driving experience.

The automobile industry is a hub of innovation and technology.

Things are constantly set in motion, and cutting-edge technologies are the core of the automotive industry. When self-driven or autonomous vehicles (AVs) were made available commercially, accident-preventing technologies had taken the CenterStage.

AVs have since advanced to recognition technologies and AI-enhanced computer vision, which can identify obstacles and helps prevent accidents. Their approach evaluates the pedestrians' head position, eye contact, and leg motions in addition to the weather and assigns a risk level.

Autonomous vehicles' safety is improved due to fewer false positives in pedestrian identification. This protects vehicles against getting into untoward incidents and keeps passengers and the car safe.

As time progresses, vehicles are getting safer. In contrast, one can argue that self-driving cars are cars handled by the machine software. But as history has proven, machines are getting smarter than humans on various levels, and automobiles are no exception. AI and ML have enabled vehicles to reach topmost driving and safety standards as good as their human driving counterparts, if not better. And on the brighter side, companies are working on softwares and technologies that could be even better than humans at driving. As things stand, we are heading into a future ruled by automotive vehicular technologies.

The tamper-proof digital identity is another newest trend in the automotive sector. This makes the vehicle simple to track and creates data for various applications, including fleet management, insurance, driver safety, and predictive maintenance. This technology sets individual vehicles apart from other vehicles in the network.

Sharing this vehicle data drastically improves the entire mobility ecosystem equipping other automakers with a large pool of data. Such innovations have made identifying and working with vehicles and owners easy to handle. This simplification of processes can create a common platform for companies worldwide to supplement safe and simplified driving patterns.

Armed with an arsenal of new-age technologies, automobile solution providers are redefining perfectly with its adoption at a central stage. On a hunt to find innovative companies who are setting examples for others to follow, we at Insights Success came up with an edition of “The 10 Fastest-Growing Automobile Solution Providers of 2022.”

Our in-house editorial team has also complied articles and CxOs to compliment the amazing range of companies featured in the magazine.

T h e

Company Name

SANTOKU COPORATION san-toku.co.jp

Featured Person

Susumu Matsuda Director, Information Equipment Department

PCMI Corporation pcmicorp.com

Webasto webasto.com

Lantha Sensors lanthasensors.com

Mark Nagelvoort President & CEO

Dr. Holger Engelmann CEO

Rob Toker CEO

Brief

Santoku Coroporation have been stimulating innovation in all its business processes with never ending strong will for seeking the new frontier.

Empowering you with innovative administration software to fuel your growth.

Offering Customized Solutions - Efficient, Smart & Comfortable

Lantha Sensor test strips are customizable to bespoke applications at any scale, helping to future proof your business and set you apart from your competitors.

3db offers automotive qualified IEEE 802.15.4z UWB and services with flexible cooperation models. 3db 3db-access.com

Acerta Analytics Solutions Inc acerta.ai

Blickfeld blickfeld.com

Blue Sage Software bluesagesoftware.com

Design Systems dsidsc.com

Toposens toposens.com

Dr. Boris Danev Co-founder and CEO

Greta Cutulenco CEO

Mathais Muller CEO

Roger Moyers President

Joel Schnelbach VP of Operations

Alexander Rudoy

Rinaldo Persichini

Tobias Bahnemann Co-Founders

Acerta Analytics Solutions Inc turns complex data into actionable insights.

Blickfeld LiDAR sensors go hand in hand with software to offer a smart sensing solution, enabling real-world applications.

Blue Sage Software is a software technology developer and network provider focused on the automotive aftermarket and similar marketplaces.

Design Systems, Inc. is a client-focused firm providing Manufacturing Engineering & Consulting services to industrial clients across North America.

For the future of robotic, automotive, and industrial markets, there is a need for reliable, robust, and cost-efficient solutions.

Improving Life with Technology CORPORATION

“ “

Our technology creates new worlds.

The 10 Fastest-Growing Automobile Soluon Providers of 2022

reating the technologies that help the cause of

C energy conservation, health and safety and clean energy serve as a boost to the sector and the nation's economy. Countering the facet of global warming through high quality chip manufacturing by reducing the carbon footprint of the process, Santoku Corporation has aced the industry standards. The company produces finest quality chip carrier tapes that carry extremely small parts which are indispensable for promoting lightness and miniaturization.

The newest challenge for the team at Santoku was to establish a business considering using VR as a means of communication by 3D interaction. VR is perceived as a visual means. And as its use progresses, the company is exploring its range while thinking about a mechanism that creates methods and safety ideas that enhance the safety of people and the earth using VR.

Let's dive straight into the ideas that go behind the lifesaving tech here;

VR put to Constructive use

Consider VR as a means of visual expression and its costeffectiveness. Santoku Corporation is exploring the infinite possibilities of VR and gradually increasing the number of sensory reproductions so that it perceives it more intuitively. The company wants to contribute to society by providing disaster reproduction case study videos and disaster experience system products for improving danger sensitivity. It is an operational concept of comprehensive safety to operate these and maintain safety. The complete safety circulation cycle is scientifically guided according to human experience and biological characteristics. It is a training program that enhances safety at each stage of the human experience process. While exploring social needs for VR, the theme that fully fit the company was "safety and reassurance that directly touches the human heart according to the biological characteristics of humans," and it aims to realize it.

The VR experience system applies robot technology to reproduce the sense of touch, smell, and balance. It is a mechanism that creates a scary sensation and improves danger sensitivity by directly stimulating the five senses of a person. From the beginning of development, the team has

implemented a mechanism to adjust the stimulus intensity at the time of experiencing touch by the use of various methods. That creates a mechanism to prevent posttraumatic reactions.

Negative emotions in humans are guided by a mechanism that adds negative sensations to the body. The company has studied the biological process of human beings while grasping the human experiences from the biological science side and comprehensively understanding sense engineering, neural engineering, brain chemistry, and psychology. The method of elucidating the safety and reassurance of human beings rather than the biological mechanism of human beings is a unique approach, which is the essential idea of RiMM.

Working Of RiMM

The company's signature technology: RiMM makes the body memorize work: At first, there is a skill training simulator that emphasizes versatility and expandability. Secondly, the KY video is a case study of occupational accidents, is an accident reproduction video that has been expressed using original deformation technology since 2005 and an intuitive method.

Then comes the disaster experience product that senses the danger in the event of a disaster and improves the sensitivity. In addition, a few years after the introduction of disaster experience products, the company plans to commercialize and announce products that promote awareness of the disaster which occurred in 2018.

The Need

Since 2020, there has been an increase in demand from the market. The company has taken new actions in consideration of comprehensive support for safety. It has reviewed human safety from the biological science side, establishing safety methods for each process that humans experience, and has started conceptual research on an integrated safety integrated circulation cycle that provides the services. The simulator for promoting judgment and behavior in the event of a disaster will commercialize the method the company developed in the 2015 Disaster Imagination Game training simulation, which further enhances resilience in the event of a disaster. The company

is continuously developing products and methods that realize "flexible strength and ability to recover" with the theme of resilience.

The Concept

A comprehensive safety cycle is a concept created through 20 years of research and development. The RiMM safety comprehensive circulation cycle is improving with time, and the company has developed methods corresponding to the circulation cycle. It has also developed strategies to improve disaster response capabilities by increasing resilience in the event of a disaster. It also prioritizes a mechanism to move the safety complete circulation cycle that contributes to human safety.

The Time Factor

Santoku has created specifications and developed products according to the needs of the market. It has used the

products developed at an early stage in the market, collected feedback opinions on improvements, performed improvement work, put them back on the market, and repeated this cycle to raise the product level gradually. This method is called the cyclone Philosophy, which is a development method created to obtain consensus in a brief time in developing a technical training simulator created with full custom specifications. With this method, the company can meet the market's demands faster. The company has studied the challenges and incorporated it for safety and reassurance.

“Safety cannot solve latest problems unless it is a fusion of multiple disciplines.” The company has made it possible to use the specialized knowledge necessary for safety by immediately incorporating it through continuous trial and errors. The vast technologies and expertise which the company uses are VR, robot control, vision processing, mechatronics, automated feedback control, sensitivities, psychology, brain chemistry, neural engineering, safety engineering and reliability engineering.

The Wide-Ranging Disaster Responses

The global environment surrounding people has changed these days drastically. The disasters the world is facing can be divided into four categories. They are general, natural, occupational, and human disasters. In addition, the number of cases including unknown disasters is increasing.

To increase resilience in the event of a disaster, it is necessary to face and respond to unknown disasters. To deal with such disasters comprehensively, the cooperation of government agencies, research institutes, and various people is required. To realize a safe society, it is necessary to have a cooperative system that solves problems while cooperating with the whole society and facing disasters.

Since unpredictable disasters occur for the first time, it is difficult to objectively understand the cause of the disaster and what is happening. In addition, new obstacles affect people's psychological aspects, which is unmanageable at times. It is important to stabilize the psychological aspects so that this type of situation does not occur.

To avoid psychological instability, it is necessary to switch between unknown and known concepts while at the same time using human intuition to avoid crises. Intuition facilitates judgment and reduces the risk of life being compromised. Intuition is one way to overcome obstacles. By repeating these activities, humans can improve their ability to overcome unknown obstacles. Rather than being able to do nothing, intuition makes the decisions and takes immediate action to increase the chances of survival.

Inspired by the Origins, Spreading it to the World

A culture that emphasizes safety and reassurance is one of the cultures that grew up in Japan's harsh social environment. In this harsh environment, Santoku has been conducting research and development in accordance with various safety requirements for more than 20 years.

Regarding new demands. It is solving the problems by repeating good trial and error in joint research with research institutes. Safety and reassurance to realize society for people. At the same time, it is also important for people to respond while reconsidering the global environment in which they live. People need to work together to deal with various disasters. Realize a safe and secure society.

Cooperation and wisdom are the key points to ensuring safety, including the global environment in which people live.

The company is currently developing product sales in Asia, its origin from this year, to create a product demonstration environment in the United States and start sales activities. At the same time, it plans to start expanding services to India and the Middle East.

A Happy User Experience

Here are the voices of RiMM users who put their views forward, “There are disaster cases that lack the ability to feel danger in a wide range of age groups. It is difficult to cultivate this "power to feel danger" only by conventional classroom education, and I was wondering if there was any innovative idea, but the variety of disaster scenarios is overwhelming, and I feel it. We chose "RiMM" because it was a decisive factor to convey more realism by using the equipment together. A total of two hundred employees experienced disaster scenarios in about one year after the introduction, and in the questionnaire after the experience, about 90% of the experienced people answered that there was a change in safety awareness. By experiencing danger in VR, it became possible to imagine fear and danger scenes, and many people requested regular experiences to maintain safety awareness and risk prediction training. I feel that the safety awareness of our employees has further increased.”

3db Access:

Disrupting Intelligent Vehicle key Technology Space

Automation has emerged as one of the most instrumental approach in the business world. However, no matter how advance the technology gets, there is always room for manual control. Hence the enterprises are pushing themselves on the edge to find that sweet spot where automation is synergized with manual approach to work most effectively. Although, there is no denying that It is growing at a rapid pace and pushing industries towards a smarter and more intelligent generation of business.

Intelligent vehicle keys are already a reality with the keyless entry and start systems (PKES). PKES has brought car access to level of security and comfort appealing to car owners due to their high convenience and ease of use. The presence of the key fob in the owner’s pocket or belongings enables the car to take intelligent actions including opening car doors when the owner is in its proximity, allowing the engine to start when the owner is inside, and locking the car when the owner is moving away.

provides accurate, reliable and provably secure distance measurement. With this Unique Selling Proposition, 3db is disrupting the automobile industry in the area of secure passive entry and start systems.

Serving Innovation

The core of 3db’s innovative secure distance measurement technology is the use of Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) signaling in order to deliver ultra-low power and provably secure technology from the logical layer down to the physical layer. Central to 3db ultra-low power and secure technology is the use of short nanosecond long UWB pulses compliant to the IEEE 802.15.4f UWB standard. Such RF pulses allow maximizing the energy per pulse at the Transmitter which is crucial since it allows to reduce the complexity of the Receiver for a given distance range.

Receiver power consumption reduces significantly owing to a decreased on-chip processing obtained by significantly less pulses to process for a given distance range. This automatically translates into less complexity and silicon size. With the help of this technology, car owners will finally appreciate the highest convenience of accessing their car while being assured to get the strongest security guarantees. For auto makers, 3db supports their drive towards fully secure and safe vehicles.

Utilizing the same for a better, smarter and efficient product line, 3db Access has developed and commercialized the world’s smallest and lowest power UWB chip for secure and accurate distance measurement enabling next generation keyless access systems for cars and centimeterprecise location information. 3db secure distance bounding technology brings PKES systems to the highest level of security keeping their appealing level of convenience and comfort and drives the PKES to fully secure, compliant with existing and future regulations.

3db’s integrated chip technology, based on IEEE 802.15.4 LRP standard, achieves more than order of magnitude lower power consumption than competing UWB technologies and

In its next generation chip 3db will further enable more services and applications in the car including standardized security and precise location services. It believes this will foster larger adoption of UWB technology in the car and go beyond into the more conservative market of access control to home and corporate buildings, and proximity-based secure mobile payments.

An All Encompassing CEO

Dr. Boris Danev, as Co-founder and CEO of 3db, has contributed in all technical and business aspects of developing next generation secure and convenient passive keyless entry and start systems. He, along with the team managed to influence the automotive industry into adopting scientifically proven secure distance bounding technology

enable next generation secure access control and positioning.

Greta Cutulenco CEO

The 10 Fastest-Growing Automobile Soluon Providers of 2022

3. Describe the experiences, achievements or lessons learnt that have shaped the journey of the company. Some of our biggest learnings have been around the datasets that are generated during testing of various vehicle systems. Although each manufacturer is testing for similar functionality, the equipment used, the steps of testing, the data formats, and data quality seemed to vary hugely between manufacturers. For a while we were trying to accommodate each dataset in a special way, build separate schemas, APIs and UIs, but over time we started to notice quite a few similar underlying patterns in this data. As a result, we’ve built a very robust governance system we call Cortex that can aggregate, clean and normalize data in the same way across multiple manufacturers, systems, and tests. We have since realized that Cortex can provide a lot of value to many manufacturers who are just starting with their digitalization journeys, and thus started to offer it to customers directly.

4. How does the company contribute towards making the industry better?

In the recent decade the automotive industry has been facing a major transformation. As a result of electrification, autonomy, and new mobility paradigms, vehicles and automotive manufacturing processes have been growing in complexity at an overwhelming speed. This has led to billions being spent on recalls in the last few years (ex. GM ignition or Toyota acceleration), and high-profile accidents in autonomous vehicles. To succeed in the new era, manufacturers need to adopt new technologies that help ensure safety and reliability of their cars in face of the growing complexities.

Acerta provides such a platform and will continue to have an impact on ensuring reliability and safety of vehicles and their parts throughout their life.

5. Give a detailed explanation regarding the Founder/CEO/Management’s influence towards the industry and Acerta Analytics Solutions?

Acerta has a very strong leadership team with years of experience spanning multiple disciplines including data collection, analysis, machine learning and AI, and automotive systems (development, testing, and manufacturing).

There are a few influencers on our team worth noting. Sebastian Fischmeister, Acerta’s co-founder and current Chief Science and R&D Officer, has worked in academia over the last 15 years in the area of real-time embedded and safety systems. As the Executive Director of WatCar, Waterloo’s automotive research facility, he headed many projects that focused on autonomous vehicle reliability and safety. The group had major contributions to the Renesas autonomous demonstrations at CES over the last few years.

Acerta’s CEO Greta Cutulenco comes from the automotive industry, where she focused on functional safety of vehicle ADAS systems, primarily with Magna. She used a lot of her experience from the industry, automotive and aerospace, to drive the vision at Acerta and the focus of current activities.

Acerta’s CTO Jean-Christophe Petkovich has a combination of academic experience, through his PhD at the University of Waterloo, and industry experience, through QNX and Bombardier. His earlier work has focused on the applications of machine learning and AI for performance monitoring and anomaly detection. By merging his understand of the industry and newest AI technologies, he now drives the product behind Acerta to deliver real value to Acerta’s partners and customers.

6. Where does Acerta Analytics Solutions see itself in the long run and/or what are its future goals? Acerta’s goal is to facilitate the future of autonomous, connected, electric, and shared mobility by providing an . AI-driven platform that can ensure reliability and safety of these vehicles throughout their life cycles. We have started making an impact for manufacturers today by applying our platform and analysis during assembly. In our most recent deployment we were able to reduce warranties by 30% by identifying complex patterns in testing data that were indicative of defects. But our vision is to provide similar value throughout the vehicle lifecycle, and have already started making headways by applying our platform and analysis to autonomous on-road connected vehicles.

7. Considering the rising number of Automotive Tech Solution Providers, how does Acerta Analytics Solutions stand out from its competitors?

We are the only platform solely focused on product data from automotive systems across the lifecycle of the vehicle, so from initial development and testing, through production, and afterwards while the vehicle is driven on the road. This ability to manage and analyze the product data throughout the supply chain and across multiple vehicle subsystems differentiates us from most other tech providers.

Our solution is being implemented by a growing number of automotive manufacturers as they trust the predictions and the value that our analysis brings.

Industries in their true essence are the systems driven by technical excellence and customer satisfaction. These two variables are the vital ingredients for any organisation to thrive in this competitive domain. Unfortunately, not all the time these dimensions prove to be absolutely fruitful. Contingencies do strike! The Automotive sector is no exception to that.

One such history-defining challenge in the form emission norms had entered into the market back in 90s and its latest version has caused automotive industry to disrupt. Constantly rising air pollution made lawmakers to establish few amendments for restoring the nature’s balance. These amendments or regulations impose constraints in front of the firms making them to upgrade and update their tools.

To survive and succeed, automakers need to revise policies and strategies on different fronts including technology, infrastructure, recapitalization and marketing. This difficult balancing act where they have

Emission Regulations

to enhance their expertise on the account of billions of dollars to be invested, and minimising the pass-on effect to customers, has sparked vigorous discussions in recent times.

An industry which has evolved astonishingly with passing time will evidently respond to this universal call towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Euro Standards, the first and foremost emission regulation ever formulated in the wake of astronomically growing pollution across the globe, were initiated in 1991. On its basis, California Air Resource Board (CARB), a primary institute which governs all emission related rules in US was made. CARB which works in tandem with Environmental Protection Agency (EPAs) is known for its stringent regulations which are adopted by most states in the country.

Ultimately, the issue which remains is how are the current automotive companies going to amend themselves to match these norms and appeal customers

without tightening their budget at the same time? Thus, they are analysing keyways to adopting these strict emission norms and not losing their beloved customers as well.

1.Technological Innovations

In the history of automobile, many revolutionary changes have been made. Be it the discovery of Spark Ignition or Compression Ignition engines, or the development of Electronic Traction Control system which employed a smooth integration of machine intelligence into mechanical power.

In this need of the hour, technical perfection has to stand up once again if automotive industries have to retain their title of change-makers. Thanks to many bright engineering minds, such ideas are kept surfacing which will help to reduce emissions from automobiles and simultaneously enhance fuel efficiency too. Higher mileage eventually helps to achieve lesser vehicular emissions.

Mechanisms like Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), Three Way Catalytic converter (TWC), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), Variable Valve Train (VVT), Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT), Turbochargers, Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), On-Board Diagnostics with oxygen sensors and transmission-systems-provided-with-many gears can help to trap and reduce Nitrous oxides (NOx), Hydrocarbons(HC), carbon monoxide(CO) and particulate matter (PM). Additionally they have proved their prowess in enhancing mileage, realizing the dream of highly fuel efficient futuristic vehicles with zero or least emissions.

One more important aspect of these add-on systems is that they operate with a prerequisite condition of high graded fuel. Fuel quality of present days can hinder the flawless working of above mentioned equipment. Fuel with any amount of sulphur greater than 10 parts-permillion is considered ill-suited for the current infrastructure. Therefore, fuel refineries have to upgrade their machinery to achieve the desired quality. Good news is that Oil Marketing Companies have already gear up the process to upgrade their refinery infrastructure.

2. Down-weighting is the key!

Many organisations employ a method where they opt for unconventional size accompanied with lightweight structure to fit in the regulations. For instance, instead of hunk sized SUVs, companies nowadays launch many SUVs having smaller sizes and much lighter in weight. This can give them advantage in two ways. Firstly, with less intrinsic load to propel, vehicles achieve better mileage which is the most appealing factor for many of the buyers. Second thing is, production costs associated with shrunk size vehicles are proportionally smaller, further shrinking the actual cost a consumer has to bear.

Needless to say, reduction in size and weight together is merely a dream without materials having desired properties. Fortunately modern material science has blessed us with materials like Carbon fiber, Aluminium Alloy, Magnesium Alloy, Hybrid material and Polymer Composites which not only flaunt their lightweight characteristics but also their durability and wear resistance.

3. Green fuel powered vehicles

Automobile fraternity is facing a paramount shift in terms of propelling power as newer, cleaner and cheaper alternatives are being introduced. From its introduction thof SI and CI engines in late 19 century, they are a popular choice among mass and technocrats. But their environmental demerits are slowly pushing them towards extinction. Solar vehicles, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and gas powered vehicles can be the solutions for growing environmental pollution and depleting crude oil sources. As a wise has man said, “change is the only permanent thing in this world”, automakers have no choice than embracing these changes despite of their higher initial cost. However, the advantages it offers are countless and unquestionable.

4. Unorthodox Designs

Until now people have used automobiles for connectivity, comfort and the means of carrying goods. Time has come to rethink over our expectations from them since we are employing vehicle designs which serve purposes commonly. An example where a vehicle

widely used for intra-city connectivity is also equipped with larger trunk spaces which could have been avoided helping in reduction of overall weight and size. Dedicated category of vehicles for dedicated purposes employing unique shapes seems a distant dream for now but certainly not impossible.

5. Spread the word!

Customers tend to have a problem in paying extra cash unless they know the long-term benefits and payback time of these accessories. A study shows that a EURO VI norm car which costs about $1000 more than its EURO V counterparts retrieves the investment within 2-3 years for enhanced fuel efficiency.

Protecting our mother Earth from harmful effects of pollution is a responsibility of every single individual to assure a healthier and greener environment to our future generations. Despite of initial investments which these amendments demand, they are essential for the very existence of this planet. An intensive marketing strategy about making people aware of the benefits received at the core can instil an appreciation of value over cost. This can make the job easier for manufacturers.

6. Credit System: A tool for rectification

Credit system is a depository system where if an automaker exceeds standards in early years, it can bank credits to use in future years with stringer standards. An interesting statistics revealed that last year, many automobile giants like Mercedes Benz, Honda could not mitigate the emissions to the level drafted by regulatory agencies. However, thanks to their previous years’ credit points, they could manage to surpass the benchmark.

Some experts even call this credit score mechanism a daunting loophole which is compromising the serious efforts of environmental protection. However, while tightening the grip on vehicle pollutants, stricter emission standards like EURO VI, CARB and BS VI had to provide a breathing space for organisations. Entrepreneurs can exploit this situation to some extent in case they fall marginally short of meeting the norms.

7. Lower profits with higher number of customers

A prime hurdle while employing these technical modifications is that their cost is undoubtedly reflected in increased vehicle prices. This can discourage people from purchasing new automobiles resulting overall slowdown of the industry. After all, people pay vehicle producers for horsepower and not for environmental protection.

That being said, we should also face the reality check where bearing the whole cost isn’t possible for any organisation. So, passing it on to the customers is the only way manufacturers have. But a chunk of those costs can be swallowed by lowering the profit margins. This strategy can make businesses survive without losing their customers.

Undoubtedly, emission regulations are the need of the hour with millions of vehicles rolling out in the market worsening the pollution issue globally. Conforming to them is of prime importance when considering the noble virtues of the efforts making this planet a better place to live. But succeeding and surviving in this transiently modifying world of connectivity, automobile industry has to adopt some changes and strategies. An industry with a history of marvellous inventions and a potential to shape the future will surely be on the driving seat while experiencing this sustainable awakening.

LiDAR systems are technically ideal for environment detection - especially for autonomous cars. The problem is that laser-based sensor technology is not yet robust enough and, above all, too expensive for use in millions of vehicles. Munich-based LiDAR start-up Blickfeld is working on the next generation of LiDAR.

It is still unclear exactly when autonomous cars will bring us comfortably to our destinations. While manufacturers such as Tesla and Volvo predicted such vehicles for 2017 in the past, the consulting firm PwC assumes that Level 5 driving will not be part of everyday life until 2030. What is clear, however, is which sensor technology will be needed for the further automation of traffic in the coming decade: “LiDAR is the sweet spot for sensors,” writes the Swiss banking group UBS in its recent report on autonomous driving. The reason: only LiDAR technology will ensure reliable safety for autonomous cars - and thus pave the way for their breakthrough for the mass market.

Key technology for the autonomous car

Laser-based sensor technology functions similarly to a radar: Instead of radio waves, however, a LiDAR emits laser pulses. If these pulses hit objects, they are reflected. A sensor in the LiDAR measures the amount of time it takes for each pulse to bounce back. The distance between the objects can then be calculated from the pulse

propagation time. Thanks to their good spatial resolution, LiDAR sensors can detect cars, cyclists and pedestrians as well as traffic lights, fences and buildings precisely and reliably - better and easier than other sensors: stereo cameras can also be used to obtain 3D information. However, distance measurement with this method is strongly dependent on ambient light. A radar, on the other hand, is not highresolution enough: it detects objects, but cannot say exactly what they are. However, LiDAR systems still have their drawbacks: Currently, the key technology for autonomous cars is still too large, prone to failure, too expensive, and not production scalable.

German LiDAR start-up Blickfeld says the problem that the automotive industry faces today is not buying a handful of high-performance LiDAR. The problem is getting hundred thousand or millions of them at a cost where they can be built into every consumer grade car which can eventually provide the highest performance and safety. As of now, there is no LiDAR available for this mass-market need.

Mathias Müller,

Florian Petit,

Rolf Wojtech

The 10 Fastest-Growing Automobile Soluon Providers of 2022

The currently most powerful LiDAR costs tens of thousands of euros, is so large that it can only fit on the roof of the car and is still not automotivegrade. Prices like that are out of the question for series applications. In addition, the current LiDAR generation has a further disadvantage: it works with complicated rotating mechanics to direct the beams from several lasers over the scenery. These components are sensitive and not ideally suited for the typical stresses in a car. Blickfeld takes a different approach. They believe solid-state-LiDAR sensors are the solution. They do not require mechanically sensitive components like bearings and are therefore much more robust and therefore more durable. A key component are so-called MEMS mirrors. These silicon parts are responsible for laser beam deflection, replacing all rotating parts. They can be manufactured as precisely and as highly scalable as computer chips. In combination with low-cost standard components, powerful LiDAR sensors will thus become affordable for the mass market for the first time.

Highly scalable, ultra-compact and flexible in application

Blickfeld's silicon technology is also ultra-compact and can be configured flexibly, for example as a front-facing system with a narrow opening angle and a long range of up to 200 meters for motorway driving - or as a mid-range sensor with a 120-degree scanning angle. In addition, the new generation of LiDAR sensors can also improve driver assistance systems such as blind spot detection. Distributed over the corners of a vehicle, they can completely monitor the area around the car. Previously, only extremely expensive and bulky LiDAR sensors on car roofs offered such a 360-degree all-round view.

information and enables high-level environment perception based on data collected by one or more LiDAR sensors. It is designed for application in a variety of scenarios, such as object tracking and recognition, or real time localization and mapping.

Visionary Leaders

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Soon such LiDAR sensors could roll off the assembly line in their hundreds of thousands and more. Until now, one could only dream of these quantities. For this new LiDAR technology, there are also many applications outside vehicles. For example, intelligent traffic lights that warn pedestrians, cyclists and cars of each other at dangerous junctions. Or mobile robots and autonomous drones that can find their way safely. Even LiDAR monitoring and measurement technology is possible.

The 3D point clouds, that the LiDAR produces are rich in information, but to use it in such a turnkey solution requires an intermediate step which condenses information. Blickfeld is therefore also developing a software stack that provides abstracted

For Blickfeld, the key for success is technical expertise, experience and variety in a team. Each LiDAR is a complex system and requires deep knowledge of a multitude of technical disciplines. The founding team of Blickfeld consists of an opto-electrical engineer, a computer scientist, a roboticist, and a patent attorney - two of which had already founded a successful start-up together. They therefore know how to build a company, valuable knowledge which they are applying to Blickfeld now. That alone brings very different skills to the table. They are joined by a management team of experienced professionals with renowned expertise in the fields of electronics, optics, MEMS, software, and business.

About Blickfeld

Blickfeld is a provider of cutting-edge LiDAR technology for autonomous mobility and IoT applications. The company has developed proprietary LiDAR technology based on patented silicon MEMS mirrors and commercial off-the-shelf components. Blickfeld aims to bring high-performance LiDARs to the mass market. Founded in 2017 and based in Munich, Germany, the fast-growing company has 50 employees today.

Gone are the days when the application of ERP software was limited to automating the back office functions of an enterprise. ERP today has become a comprehensive tool for businesses and manages to impact almost every function of an enterprise with effective results. Logistics in specific has seen exceptional productivity. All of this is an outcome of years of development and innovations put together by the ERP solutions providers. These providers have disrupted various industries for good and enabled them to deliver best in class products and services. Blue Sage Software is one of the leading ERP solutions providers and has done the same.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Diego, CA, Blue Sage Software provides premier ERP software for the automotive, truck, and heavy duty aftermarket parts distribution market. The software is designed to provide customers with an easy to use interface and give owners and managers access to the details they need to operate their businesses efficiently.

Blue Sage also participates in the major trade events where customers, vendors, and users all have valuable insights into the market. This enables the company to work within these groups to develop new and better products to meet the ever-changing needs of industry concerns.

Solutions as per Needs

Blue Sage delivers solutions that are customized and are tailor made for the needs of each customer, be it a small retailer or a very large enterprise. It offers solutions that can re-order parts as per the requirements of specific rules determined by the customers and provides many levels of pricing that can be customized by the customers themselves and adapted for each end user they service.

A Seeker of Excellence and Innovation

Roger Moyers is the President of Blue Sage Software. He has over 35 years of experience building and guiding high-tech business growth driven by his desire for excellence in technology, developing people, and building successful teams.

Prior to Blue Sage Software, Mr. Moyers’ career highlights include founding his first company in 1989 and selling it to Intel Corporation and then starting his second company in 2000 and raising $40M in venture capital funding. Blue Sage Software is his fifth company. He is a former Technology and Business Advisor at the William J. von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement at the University of California, San Diego.

The 10 Fastest-Growing Automobile Soluon Providers of 2022

Roger is also a former Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) with Springboard/CONNECT, a non-profit corporation that assists companies in all phases of their business.

Blue Sage Software management is extremely customer focused. The Leaders, along with its team interact with customers on a daily basis and encourage the employees to do so as well to make sure they fully understand customer needs and requirements to continuously improve the products and services.

Leveraging Experience

The core of the software that Blue Sage provides has been developed over the course of more than 35 years. This level of insight is unparalleled in the industry, and the vast rulesbased capabilities that have been created over that long period of time continue to show value even to new entrants in the company’s markets. Blue Sage has customers that have relied on its products to manage their businesses for decades and it offers the same level of service to brand new patrons.

Customer Specific Software

Blue Sage has been operating its software for a many years and its team has developed a deep understanding of the unique needs of each of its customers. The company fully understands that no two customers are exactly alike so it has made a significant effort to develop the tools necessary to allow its customers to adapt the software to fulfill their specific needs.

Exploring new Territories

Growing its business into new markets and segments is a priority for Blue Sage Software. It will continue to develop features to meet the needs of new geographical markets as well as new vertical markets that can benefit from its extensive experience in business process management software.

Blue Sage will also be announcing the launch of PaceSetter Business Intelligence at AAPEX 2018 in Las Vegas, NV October 30 – November 1. PaceSetter BI provides easy-touse dashboards for visually reporting the data from Pacesetter, webPace, or Pacesetter Plus ERP software package. The charts & reports provided by this solution will show everything from stock flow to sales performance in real-time. It will also allow mobile friendly access to all features on-the-go through smartphones, tablets, and of course, laptops and desktops. Pacesetter BI is the ideal analysis tool for business owners, senior management, sales people and financial staff.

Emblem of Excellence

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The number one reason we changed to Pacesetter was the ease of exporting the financial data and importing that data into our accounting system due to the fact that just about all financial institutions, accountants, etc., required all our financial data be integrated into third party software such as Quickbooks, Peachtree, etc.” – Todd Hernandez, Computer Administrator, Childersburg Truck Service, Childersburg, AL

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Business owners need tools to help them make money and those tools are usually either a blessing or a burden to use. Pacesetter is a Blessing.” – Larry Hall, Owner, Battery Specialists, Inc., Greenville, SC

“If you are already using PaceSetter software I don’t think you need to go anywhere for an upgraded system and better customer service. Blue Sage Software isn’t just a new name, it’s a whole new company that’s here to help your business grow.” – Roger May, Founder, Mighty Distribution of Minneapolis, MN

REDEFINING THE ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE

Throughout history, technology has been a catalyst for driving change within the business world. As the technological advancements steer through various challenges to break the stagnancy barrier, PCMI, LLC was created to empower you with innovative administration software to fuel your growth by becoming "Your Technology Partner."

Founded in 2012 by Mark Nagelvoort, the President and CEO envisioned a transformative approach to policy and claims administration systems. Today, the company has three global offices and is the industry leader in administration software, seeking to do more.

Insights Success caught up with Mark in our endeavor to find " The 10 Fastest-Growing Automobile Solution Providers of 2022" and discussed where PCMI heads next.

Below are the highlights of the interview:

Please provide a brief overview of PCMI and administration software, PCRS.

PCMI provides software that a company would need to offer what we refer to as add-on products. Add-on products can be anything from prepaid maintenance plans, extended warranties, GAP, and even furniture protection.

One of the primary benefits of selling add-on products is to generate customer loyalty and improve your brand. In

recent years, there has been more of an emphasis on making sure that the customer quickly and easily receives the benefit of the product, which requires a certain type of technology.

PCMI's administration software, PCRS (Policy Claim and Reporting Solutions), not only provides the technology to sell and issue add-on products but can also facilitate the processing of a customer to ensure they receive the benefit of said products.

The ultimate goal is to provide a comprehensive, flexible administration system that allows companies within the automotive and consumer industries to best cater to their customers specific needs to maximize the customer experience.

What makes PCMI the preferred solution among other competitors? What makes your technology different?

PCRS is very scalable. The scalability of the software allows you to start with either a single product or manage 10-20 different products all in the same solution, making it both extremely flexible as well as efficient.

Not to mention the system is offered under a SaaS model, so there are almost no upfront costs.

From a business leadership perspective, what is the most important aspect of a successful business?

The

Automobile Soluon Providers of 2022

PCMI offers a modular package of software solutions for the administration of F&I Products, Service Contracts, and Extended Warranties.

Mark Nagelvoort

President & CEO - PCMI, LLC pcmicorp.com

Discipline and keen focus on the real problems our customers and the industry face. For us, it's not about selling more software. It's centered on solving problems that our customers (and their customers and integration partners) face through innovation and data integrity.

What would you say is the driving force of your growth as an auto provider?

A comprehensive understanding of our customer's challenges and both the innovation and flexibility to address those needs. For our large customers, they like that we're international with offices in the US, Europe, and Asia. For our smaller customers, they like that 3-4 people can actually set up and run our entire system.

Because PCRS is so versatile, we can service small, medium, and large markets which has been the driving force of our growth.

What obstacles has PCMI faced over the years, and how did you overcome them?

Launching the company in 2012, we began this journey with no customers and we knew we were entering a saturated market that was complacent in terms of capabilities.

We overcame those obstacles by designing a brand-new system – built systematically with all ecosystem stakeholders in mind – for a market our competitor's thought was too fragmented to serve. And then, we implemented rigorous product development and continuous improvement to incorporate learning into the feedback loop.

We saw the market growth opportunity as substantially higher than our peers, driven by increasingly complex requirements and evolving product use cases. We have since overtaken our competitors as the number one software platform.

In the past year, how has PCMI grown, and how has it affected the industry and its customers?

One of the things we're most proud of is how extensively our software is used. To go from market launch in 2012 to serving over 40,000 dealers in 2022 is a great accomplishment for our customers' adoption.

Last year, the usage of our system was up 38%, and we expect this trend to continue.

How do you plan to continue growing within the market and with your customers?

The biggest feature of our software is that our clients get to

define new types of products without even contacting PCMI, so they are constantly reacting to market conditions.

For example, in periods of high unemployment, they can develop plans that forgive loan payments. In other markets, they can focus on the appearance of the products being damaged for something as simple as fabric protection. They can also design complete service contracts for extended warranty programs that protect a customer for a long period of time.

We see the constant evolution of additional products that our customers can build within our software without modification as a key driver, which makes the opportunity for continued growth tremendous.

What are the future goals of PCMI? Where do you see the company in 5 years?

PCMI is not only a provider within the automotive industry, but also a provider for the consumer warranty and home warranty markets.

With so many customers coming to us looking to improve their customer loyalty, we anticipate significant growth among strategic markets with our current platform as well as international expansion.

Our main goal, ultimately, is to be the technology partner of an expanding customer base.

What do you think is the single most important reason for your success?

From the very first day, we looked for people that were committed and excited about the industry, and we committed to their growth at PCMI.

As a result, they've stayed with us and really led the success. It comes down to your team and making sure you have the right people.

What advice would you give to individuals starting out in the industry?

Make sure that your product is different and that you're serving the market in a unique way.

Driving Towards a Greener and Cleaner Environment

ith the environmental damages from the fossil fuel electrics cars have seen a steep rise in its demand. A growing number of countries, including Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Denmark, Portugal and Spain, have recently set targets on electric vehicles sales. Also countries like UK, France and India are looking to completely shift towards all electric vehicles by the end of 2040.

According to petroleum giant BP, global oil demand will witness its peak demand in 2030, which will eventually increase the demand of electric vehicles by quite few folds.

When it comes to leading the way with electric and hybrid engines, Norway and China are one of the prominent facilitators. In case of Norway more than half of the new cars sold fall in to this category. China is also a big and a leading market for electric and hybrid engines and power trains. Back in 2017, more than 600000 electric vehicles were sold in China, which was whooping 71% higher than the previous year.

So, the question arises, how it will impact the consumers and governments?

When it comes to individuals, electric vehicles reduce monthly travelling costs drastical

electric vehicles come with limited range of fuel efficiency which means one has to plan his/her trip according to route with ample number charging stations. Also electric vehicles are much cheaper to maintain than an internal fuel combustion engine.

The impact of electric vehicles on environment is quite clear. More than a quarter of greenhouse gases produced in the United States of America are a result of transportation which eventually contributes to the rising pollution levels. On the other hand, electric vehicles come with no gases and sounds, leading to a clean environment.

However, the wide use of electric vehicles also has some demerits if we consider the government’s perspective. Thanks to these vehicles, various governments will lose billions of dollars of revenue from taxes on fossil fuel. So, soon we might have to shell out higher direct or indirect taxes, or the vehicle taxation system could be changed completely. Also, electric cars need 30% lesser time to produce. So, a complete switch to these green vehicles might also lead to reduction of workforce in the automotive industry. Switching to green vehicles would also mean drop in employment levels in petrol bunks, car repair garages, etc.

Vehicles are not only going electric, Norway plans to start 1.5 hours short haul flights using electric planes.

Recharging Enviroment

Also, the aircraft manufacturer company Airbus, engine manufacturer Rolls Royce and Siemens are developing a hybrid model which will probably make its maiden flight as early as 2020.

According to a major Swiss bank, by the end of 2025 electric vehicles will account for 14% of total car sales globally. Back in 2017, the figure was just 1%.

Also thanks to the rapidly changing market and growing innovation this timeline can eventually shift backwards. As an example, the batteries are constantly getting cheaper and much more efficient. Nowadays one can cover a distance of 1000kms with a single charge. With the improvement in battery technology costs are slowly cutting down and it’s being predicted that the total cost of ownership of an electric vehicle will be on par by 2025.

So, it’s all good for the drivers and the owners, who will be able to buy and maintain electric vehicles at reasonable prices. But jobs will be lost, countries that are now thriving due to petroleum will face scarce demands. However, new jobs will be created, and countries which have Lithium deposits may have their chance of success. Above all we will get a planet that is much greener, cleaner and quitter.

Driving the World of Mobility

The automotive industry is gaining speedy momentum in a new age. It actively shapes the future of mobility, where sustainability is crucial, among other challenges to reducing fuel consumption and alternative drive systems. Companies often fail to understand these aspects; however, breaking these barriers with global innovative systems partnering with automobile manufacturers in multiple core business areas while keeping sustainability in mind, consistently setting trends in technology and design is Webasto Group .

Webasto possesses a high degree of development expertise and extensive know-how in electronics. It has mastered global manufacturing and supply chain management in the automotive industry and is highly experienced in global project management. It strives to maintain global access to the automotive aftermarket through its distribution and service structure. Based on its capabilities and experiences, it is consistently developing a wide range of products and services.

High-Performance Quality Products

The Webasto Group looks back on more than 120 years of family-owned history. The company manufactured stamped parts, wire holders, and household appliances in its early days. Today, Its core business is the worldwide market leader in sunroofs and panorama roofs, convertible roofs, and parking heaters. With electric heating systems, charging solutions, and battery systems, it also addresses the growing market of electromobility.

Webasto is a global innovative systems partner to almost all automobile manufacturers and is among the top 100 suppliers in this sector worldwide.

We're pooling

creative ideas with up-and-coming tech enthusiasts and looking for new technical solutions for our extensive product range.

The

Fastest-Growing Automobile Soluon Providers of 2022

Dr. Holger Engelmann CEO Webasto Group

Webasto's vision is "Our Inspiration Drives the World of Mobility." The company sees itself as a trailblazer, accompanying its customers on their way to the mobility of the future. With enthusiasm for technologies and innovations, it develops highperformance quality products for the automotive industry worldwide.

Efficient Production and Supply Chains

Even before Corona, the challenges in the automotive industry were great due to the transformation of the industry, strong volatility in demand, trade disputes, and constantly increasing cost pressure. With the pandemic, customer and supplier lockdowns, and material shortages, the complexity of managing global production and supply chains has increased significantly. The state of emergency has become the new normal.

Webasto is not directly exposed to the vulnerability of global supply chains, as it is the principle of the company "to produce in the market for the market". But each component has its supply chain, which can be affected. Holger states, "We are also affected where our suppliers need components or customers can no longer produce. Therefore, a supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and the complexity of value creation is now enormous."

Shaping the Future

A pioneering spirit and willingness to change are part of the company's DNA. Six years ago, Webasto took a strategic step towards electromobility. As a global innovative systems partner, it works closely with almost all OEMs worldwide. It is aware of the requirements of the automotive industry and understands what drives its customers.

Holger says, "We are present where our customers need us – with over 50 locations worldwide, over 30 of these are manufacturing plants."

The company's key to long-term success is that the automotive industry is gaining momentum in a new age and actively shaping mobility's future. This process pursues a dual strategy of "strengthening" and "participating."

Holger asserts, "For us, this means, on the one hand, rigorously strengthening our existing core fields of business. On the other hand, we are opening up new fields of business that match our competency profile. Here our focus is on products and solutions for electromobility."

Enormous Sales with Sustainability in Mind

"Committed to sustainability" is the title of Webasto's sustainability program - it describes what it is doing today in terms of sustainability and what it is striving to achieve. As a globally active company, Webasto is aware of the responsibility for employees, business partners, society, and the environment. Since the company was founded in 1901, "responsibility with foresight" has been one of five values that have shaped its actions.

The company wants to leave a world worth living in for future generations. Therefore, Webasto acts in a forwardlooking and responsible manner in all areas. Holger says, "We respect the laws and regulations and stand by our promises. We promote the health, know-how, and fairminded cooperation between colleagues and business

partners, and social groups. We are committed to protecting the environment and considering ecological values and criteria along the entire value chain. We bundle environmental protection and occupational health and safety under one roof."

For Webasto, the future is smart, digital, and electric. The goal is as simple as it is ambitious: it intends to become the leading system provider for electromobility – with highly efficient, holistic, cost-optimized solutions and a clear longterm perspective.

Since the successful market entry with charging solutions and batteries in 2017, Webasto has won numerous series orders and has invested more than half a billion euros in this new business field. Over the coming years, it is planning to invest triple-digit million sums in electromobility annually. The company's ultimate goal is to generate sales of one billion euros in 2025 with its solutions for climate-friendly mobility.