KEEPING PACE
Implementing TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
ADAPT OR DIE:
The Importance of Upskilling in the ELV Industry
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If businesses do not respond to change positively, then they quickly become irrelevant. No sector understands this better than the automotive industry. The UK’s decarbonisation plans have presented an overnight electric vehicle (EV) pandemic, with demand outstripping supply.
Tesla has ensured it remains the leading EV manufacturer on the planet and the fifth-largest automaker by earnings globally through its ability to drive innovation, implement change efficiently and refusal to rely on previous successes. However, vehicle manufacturers from Eastern Asia have also demonstrated an ability to rapidly implement change in response to market demands.
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EV brands, including Nio, Airways, BYD, Dongfeng Motor, SAIC and Great Wall, all launched in Europe last year and are leaving legacy vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) playing catch-up. They may not be household names here in the UK, but they are far from small or new to their respective markets, and they have forced Western manufacturers to speed up multibillion-dollar investment plans to electrify their ranges or run the risk of being left behind.
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So, how is it that some car manufacturers manage to respond and adapt quickly to market changes whilst other businesses seemingly struggle?
TRAINING FOR TRANSFORMATION
It's likely that these automotive companies all share a common acceptance that any innovation, investment, technological advancement, hardware implementation or process change doesn’t happen without first upskilling people.
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Training is the key to unlocking and maximising the potential of any future business transformation. Failing to train people adequately leaves organisations vulnerable, unable to implement change, struggling to adapt and ultimately at risk of losing market share. Although the vehicle manufacturing industry is highly automated, the people behind it still have to implement any change, where retraining and upskilling is as important as retooling. Furthermore, training provides an essential conduit for awareness – informing and engaging employees on the reasons for change as well as ensuring they have the necessary skills to keep pace.
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Ultimately, these changes within the vehicle manufacturing industry directly impact how vehicles are processed at the end of their operating life. So, it is important that the ELV sector can respond and efficiently make any necessary change.
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Electric vehicles and high voltage require additional education, tooling, equipment and PPE. Structural HV battery packs provide the core integrity of newer vehicles, and so removal may not be possible using traditional depollution stands and lifting equipment. It is the responsibility of the ELV industry to embrace the necessary change and find solutions for safe and effective decommissioning.
Furthermore, this evolution has to occur in tandem with existing ICE depollution practices.