Global automotive supplier Visteon Corporation has opened its first innovation and design centre in India. Centrally located in Pune, which is a key hub for major global automotive companies, the facility will focus on creating ideas, developing concepts and commercialising innovative, market-driven products across Visteon’s portfolio.
Housed within the Visteon Engineering Centre, the innovation and design centre will be staffed by program managers, engineers, industrial designers, Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) experts and market researchers.
“Visteon’s Innovation and Design Centre provides a creative atmosphere for cross-functional teams to work with customers to develop high-value products and services for our rapidly growing business in India,” said Subu Nagasubramony, Visteon’s managing director, India operations.
“This is another example of Visteon’s understanding of, and commitment to, the dynamic India market,” he added.
Tim Yerdon, global director, innovation and design, said opening a design studio is a significant “next step” in fostering and expanding relationships with key Visteon customers in India. “This new studio integrates the best practices of the existing network of Visteon innovation and design centres in Germany, the United States and China, while incorporating our knowledge of the India market,” Yerdon said.
Visteon, which designs, engineers and manufactures innovative climate, electronics and interior products for vehicle manufacturers, has been in India for close to 20 years. The company has four manufacturing plants, three engineering centres, a joint venture and more than 3,000 employees in India.
INTERVIEW WITH MARK JARVIS
Innovation manager for North America and Asia, Visteon Corp.
Which best practices from Visteon’s other innovation and design centres have been implemented in the Pune Centre?
Flexible furniture, flexible lighting and available sunlight, state-of-the-art equipment (powerful computing workstations, high-resolution monitors, interactive pen displays and tablets), state-of-the-art design software, and Curiosity Cubes (a collection of innovation inspirational materials, toys, technology books, and well-designed everyday objects).
The Studio’s ‘Curiosity Cube’ wall highlights inspiration examples of design, material, colour, technology, lifestyle and market innovation including well-designed everyday objects. The designers use these objects as an innovation ‘design library’ along with conventional design reference materials such as ergonomics texts, colour chips, and creativity guides.
What is the size of the team at the Centre?
Current staffing is six design personnel with backgrounds in transportation design, product design, interaction graphic design and new media design backgrounds. The centre has the capacity to add more designers.
What kind of work will the Centre be engaged in?
Industrial Design (ideation, design research, 2D design, and 3D design) for transportation products at all stages of development (concept, pursuit, and production), Interface Graphic Design for transportation products with reconfigurable displays, Interaction Design, Technology Demonstration Properties and Vehicles.
Will it support work for overseas subsidiaries?
The Visteon India Design Studio provides design creative services primarily for the growing, local India market. From time-to-time, the Design Studio collaborates with other Visteon studios in N America, Europe, and China on projects of global scope.
Will it work on low-cost two, four-wheeler projects?
Visteon’s 2011 Growth Market Project included both a Growth Market Car and a Growth Market Bike Technology Demonstration Vehicle. These vehicles demonstrated Visteon’s insights and competencies in providing appropriate value-based product solutions for growing markets such as India. Visteon continues to develop new technologies, investigate market conditions and analyse consumer preferences to enhance the learning acquired from dialog and demonstration of these vehicles with India’s car and bike makers.