AUTOMOTIVE designers are generally categorised into three work disciplines, namely product (vehicle) designers, automotive engineering designers and manufacturing process designers.
The “product designers”, from the industrial design background with applied arts and applied science qualifications, conceptualise the new vehicle design focusing on the aesthetic, ergonomic and functionality of the vehicle by working closely with industrial engineers and marketing team.
They then proceed to develop full-scale clay model of the vehicle for physical viewing.
Clay modelling techniques are still widely used, while computer-aided software and machineries are nowadays more popularly. It is during this modelling stage that design and styling flaws will be detected and corrected.
The “engineering designers” proceed with their task of developing the functioning new vehicle prototype.
If the prototype is a continuation of the previous model, the engineering design team may have lesser burden as the vehicle platform is already in place.
Modification on the powertrain, transmission, suspension and other engineering components of the new vehicle will be the major tasks to fit in the new design for optimum performance.
However, should the vehicle being developed is a new model, the engineering design team will have to embark on developing a new vehicle platform. This calls for extensive engineering development work that requires longer time and expensive endeavours.
The first few vehicle prototypes produced by the engineering design team are useful for all vehicle testing requirements and marketing promotions before the vehicles are mass manufactured.
“Process design engineers” are then tasked with the design and development of tooling, namely, moulds, dies, jigs and fixtures requirement during the pre-production stage of the new model.
Full-scale mass production proceeds upon satisfactory pre-production trial runs.
It is during the pre-production stage that quality engineers are tasked to ensure that all the tooling and processes adopted for the components manufactured will achieve the quality output.
It is apparent that in all the design stages, numerous engineering specialisations are required within the complicated network of developing new vehicles.
Hence, to further elevate the design capability within the local automotive industry, a comprehensive educational and training programme must be put in place so as to produce relevant and capable automotive designers of the future.
Automotive design process requires extensive information where design engineers have been found to spend some 56 per cent of their working hours engaging in information sourcing.
Apart from high expectations on their respective core technical competency, success among automotive designers is dependent on the critical nature of their personal attributes, project management skills and cognitive abilities.
Elective educational concept of most of the universities’ curriculum to produce graduate engineers may not be suffice to produce calibre automotive designers for the country.
The short-term exposure will not inculcate committed and enthusiastic graduate engineers to develop their career as designers.
Interest in design and their design acumen need to be cultivated within the right working environment and during their academic years.
Therefore, the industry-driven engineering education is the best alternative to create future automotive designers who will be able to face the competitive and challenging global automotive future landscape.