Editor's Note: Fund test as well as R&D
Dan Romanchik, Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 3/1/2003
On December 12, 2002, Thomson Derwent, an arm of the Thomson Corp., announced the results of a global study on automotive patent activity. According to the study, patent activity in 1998 and 1999 fell by more than 25% compared to the previous two years. It has since rebounded, with an average increase of 8.7% in 2000 and 2001. The study attributes this to increased R&D spending and predicts that this trend will continue through 2005.
What types of automotive products are showing the most patent activity? Early research into patenting activity in 2002 shows that companies are investing in transmission and clutch and gear systems in order to build vehicles that are easier to drive and more fuel efficient. Companies are also investing in anti-collision systems.
Sooner or later, these new products will show up in your test lab, and you'll need a test program in place that is as innovative as the products themselves.
Let's hope that the auto companies and their suppliers are smart enough to fund not only product-development programs, but also innovative test-development programs. Sophisticated products need sophisticated testing, and without new test programs, these new products will be either inadequately tested or delayed as they go through the test process. And with the current slowdown in sales, the industry can't afford to delay new product introduction or to ship vehicles with defective parts.
Contact Dan Romanchik through E-mail at editor@aatr.net.
