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MakoLab at the Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance Meeting

Our representatives recently headed to Detroit and the international, industry-leading Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance (COVESA) All Member Meeting and Showcase, where they took part in in-depth discussions about what’s happening at the cutting-edge of the automotive industry. With no shortage of data in vehicles, its usage was the main focus of the event.

Marek Wodzisławski, Vice President of the Management Board, and Piotr Marciniak, Director of our Connected Vehicle Department, were there flying the flag for MakoLab. Their extensive experience of the automotive sector is rooted in the outstanding projects they have completed for clients, giving them a broad perception of the talks and debates. They have shared some of their takeaways with us.

One of the challenges facing manufacturers came across loud and clear at the event. We’re moving away from the traditional model of making vehicles. Tesla’s a prime example of this. At the start of the design process, they’re thinking about software and not the raw materials they’ll be using to make the car. It’s a completely new way of looking at it and the OEMs are slowly taking it on board.
Marek Wodzisławski, Vice-President of the Management Board
The slogan that’s lodged itself most firmly in my mind is ‘Unlocking the potential of SDV’... software defined vehicles. It’s a prime example of what Marek’s just said about Tesla. They’re bringing an absolutely different approach to bear in carrying out their project, not to mention that there’s no technological or organisational debt. In their vehicles, programming is both the priority and the pivotal factor affecting functionality. The software-defined vehicle is also a response to the requirements of clients who want to carry their experience of smartphones over to their cars. The solutions that MakoLab supplies for OEMs encompass every application layer and fit in perfectly with the changes taking place in the automotive industry.
Piotr Marciniak, Director, Connected Car Department

MakoLab’s staff have been creating solutions for the automotive sector for more than twenty years now and they are always happy to exchange knowledge during discussions with clients or other vendors. This is also the driving force behind COVESA, which aims to accelerate work on connected vehicles and stay ahead of the curve in terms of clients’ needs. Initiatives like this are what enable us to make giant strides without sacrificing project quality.

We create user-inspired solutions. In other words, the user’s expectations and experience are front and centre in everything we do. Software and technological innovations are becoming increasingly crucial as a factor influencing customers’ vehicle choices. One thing that was emphasised repeatedly at the meeting in Detroit was what we’re competing with and what we aren’t. A course of action was also marked out... the standardisation of data exchange. We’re keeping our finger on the pulse because it’s an area of particular importance to MakoLab, given our experience with solutions for collecting data from cars and sending them to our clients’ servers, where they’re then monetised.
Piotr Marciniak

At MakoLab, we create innovative solutions, advanced sales platforms and financial simulators for our clients, enabling them to offer the state-of-the-art services that are essential to vehicle manufacturers wanting to stay ahead of the game in a dynamic sector. Armed with our end-to-end solutions, they can promote vehicle sales, offer their customers financing for their purchases and guide them through their servicing needs for the entire life cycle of their vehicle, right up to its repurchase and resale on the used car market.

We’ve returned from the USA with new contacts in the automotive industry, but not only. It’s worth emphasising that we had the opportunity of meeting representatives of other sectors that are also a part of creating solutions for vehicle owners. One example would be the insurance sector, where there’s a growing willingness to use data from vehicles and where premiums for cars or commercial vehicles can be calculated on the basis of driving style and safety.
Marek Wodzisławski

When it comes to collecting and processing data, we are no longer focused solely on private cars. Attention is also concentrated on commercial vehicles. The old saying. ‘time is money’ could easily be replaced by ‘data are money’, particularly in terms of transporting fast-moving consumer goods, where a lack of information about a glitch could give rise to massive costs.
An immense change is under way in the approach to manufacturing vehicles. At MakoLab, we’re delighted to take part in events like COVESA, especially since we attend them in order to talk to our clients, present and future, about what matters the most to them in their vehicles and their businesses. We’re pleased to say that another opportunity to do that is coming up in November!

Translated from the Polish by Caryl Swift.

23rd October 2023
4 min. read
Author(s)

Ewelina Buchta

Employer Branding Specialist

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