MG Motor UK has completed an expansion project at its electrical component testing facility in the UK. New lighting, cabling and display screens have been installed to further improve operational efficiencies, alongside the addition of a third vehicle skeleton to increase pre-production testing capabilities.
Used for the development and validation of prototype technologies, the electronic component testing facility is based at the SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre (SMTC) in Longbridge, Birmingham. With 22 team members and state-of-the-art testing equipment, the facilities are used to develop in-car electronics for all models manufactured by SAIC Motor, MG parent company.
Richard McAlister, vice director of electrical engineering at the SMTC, said the upgrades are “the latest in a long line of investment projects at our UK Technical Centre in Longbridge, expanding the electrical component testing facility provides significant opportunity to test, validate and facilitate an even greater workload”.
McAlister added, “The work undertaken in the laboratory isn’t simply about testing individual components, we have to ensure that they all integrate. The electrical architecture of a modern car means that thousands of electrical messages happen simultaneously. It’s vital that the systems all cope in different scenarios, which is why continuing to invest into the latest technologies and processes is so important.
“Thanks to facilities like our electrical component testing facility, we can now identify and solve issues long before a new car enters the pre-production stage. This saves time and vast amounts of money by streamlining the whole process.”
September 22, 2016
