With a cutting-edge in-house software program, Continental is transforming requirements management in product development, eliminating the need for the specification sheet. As it moves toward independence as a publicly traded company, the automotive division is putting itself even closer to the demands of consumers and markets with the launch of the so-called AI-Based Requirements Engineering tool. Artificial intelligence greatly speeds up a crucial stage in the creation of new products.
For Continental customers, development projects are also finished more quickly, accurately, and efficiently overall. This has earned Continental the title of “Overall Winner” at the prestigious “Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award,” which is given out by Microsoft Germany in collaboration with the international management consulting firm Roland Berger. The “Oscar of the Manufacturing Industry” is another term used in the industry to describe the award.
“With the new application based on Microsoft Azure AI Services, we are now entering a new era of requirements management,” says Philipp von Hirschheydt, Executive Board member for the Continental Automotive group sector. “Together with our technology partners, Microsoft and NTT DATA, we have developed a highly effective tool that makes a time-consuming step in product development significantly more efficient. This not only offers our customers significant added value but also provides our engineers with a reliable development tool to further strengthen our competitiveness.”
Microsoft Azure AI Services was used in the development of the new digital tool. Artificial intelligence enables the tool to read and evaluate large specifications in a straightforward and nearly error-free way. It is possible to automatically distribute project duties and individual requirements to the relevant Continental development centers. This can save up to 80% of the work needed for a step that is typically time-consuming.
New AI tool: Enabler for successful, effective automotive developments
Until now, specification sheets – the catalogs of requirements from clients for the development of components, software or automotive systems, which usually contain hundreds of pages – were processed manually.
Experts in requirements management have invested up to 37,500 working hours in requirement engineering over the course of a development project. As system development and the scope of specifications become increasingly complex, it is crucial to structure requirements management much more efficiently.
The innovative analysis tool was developed at Continental in close collaboration with Microsoft and NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and technology services.
“With the Microsoft Azure AI Services development platform, we are providing technology companies with an important tool for realizing highly complex processes such as product development more efficiently and in a more up-to-date manner with the support of artificial intelligence. Continental is showing how a crucial interface with the customer can be designed in a much more targeted, reliable and effective way by realigning requirements management,” says Joachim Franz, Automotive Industry Lead at Microsoft Germany.
“As a trusted integration partner with extensive expertise in automotive engineering, we successfully collaborated on the creation of a customized AI solution. Together with Continental and Microsoft, we implemented an innovative, ready-to-use AI-based application. The final result demonstrates significant efficiency potential for Continental and showcases the actual value of AI for businesses,” explains Jens Krüger, Head of Global Automotive Engineering at NTT DATA.
The impeccable performance of the development tool implemented at Continental impressed the requirements engineering staff from day one. Training for the virtual AI-Based Requirements Engineering tool takes less than an hour – after that, the advantages of AI-supported processing of specifications immediately become apparent.
Important sections and terms in the task documents, which contain up to 30,000 individual requirements, are identified, extracted and assigned internally. The same repetitive steps are now completed automatically.
Thanks to AI support, engineers can complete many tasks much faster, thus advancing the development process. This means that the new AI-Based Requirements Engineering tool is not a replacement for employees, but an enabler for a creative work environment. It serves as an intelligent assistant, enhancing efficiency by automating repetitive tasks and enabling engineers to focus on high-value, strategic aspects of product engineering.
Continental Receives Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA)
The AI tool also supports Continental experts in updating specifications. In complex development projects, new customer requirements have to be coordinated, entered and redistributed to the correct departments at various points in the product creation process. This is a difficult process that previously generated additional time and costs. Following a successful test phase, the new
AI-based requirements management system is now being made available to the development departments of all business units in Continental’s automotive division in order to accelerate even the most demanding projects and, at the same time, ensure their success with the highest degree of reliability.
The great potential of “AI-based Requirement Engineering” not only convinced the engineers at Continental, but also the jury of the renowned industry prize MIMA. Microsoft and the global management consultancy Roland Berger have now recognized the innovative technology solution as the “Overall Winner” at this year’s “Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award.”
The MIMA recognizes forward-looking projects by companies in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region that make optimal use of the opportunities offered by end-to-end digitalized value chains. The application examples can range from digitalized product development to smart production and supply chain management to intelligent services and product portfolios.
