TRAVERSE CITY Microsoft announced it will partner with Ann Arbors Center for Automotive Research to conduct a series of annual surveys that will focus on key trends in the auto industry, continuing Microsofts assault on the auto industry.
John Fikany, head Microsofts automotive vertical, said the initial survey will focus on three issues, including warranties, which amount to a $22 billion annual cost – about $2000 a vehicle. The announcement was made during the Management Briefing Seminars, an annual auto networking event in this northern Michigan town.
Future studies may include lean manufacturing/six sigma, product innovation, brand equity and marketing.
CAR is excited to work with Microsoft, a company known for its R&D and innovative approach to solving customers challenges, said CAR Chairman David Cole. The management studies will combine the advances in information technology that have allowed OEMs to accumulate large amounts of industrial data on every aspect of their operations, products and customers, and will provide a framework to develop solutions that will transform that data into usable information.
Microsoft already dominates demand for factory floor control software, and its MSN Auto site is one of the larger online retail outlets. The software giant also is expanding its role in the vehicle, especially with a push into telematics. The house that Bill Gates built recently signed an agreement to provide all the navigation and other telematics software for the struggling Italian automaker, Fiat.
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