Auto manufacturers looking for a new breed of engineers
While 2007 seems to have been the high-water mark for global vehicle production, with over 73 million vehicles produced, almost 61 million for 2009 (the last complete year for compiled information) is not a bad number. China is the number one producer of cars and trucks, followed by Japan (a distant second), the United States, and Germany, with South Korea rounding out the top 5. Along with the slowdown in production came a slowdown in employment. With the advent of changing technology, that story may be changing.
General Motors and Chrysler faced the abyss, and returned (with the help of Uncle Sam (and you and me)). Ford managed to muddle through better than their domestic competitors. All are in need of bolstering their engineering teams to develop the next generation of hybrid and all-electric vehicles. As we have discussed before, the commitment thus far exhibited seems less than whole-hearted. The same, though, could be said of almost all manufacturers currently building automobiles. Nissan does truly stand out with their commitment to build as many as 250,000 full battery electric vehicles annually by the end of 2013 (globally).
The challenge facing all manufacturers is finding the talent pool willing to commit to an industry that has not been the easiest to work in over the past several years as workforce reductions took their toll. Some engineers let go could return, but only if their skills are burnished. Newly minted engineers could also see the field as having possibilities for a career as well. As with every significant change in history, the electric vehicle (EV) era, may provide significant opportunities for those keen enough to look for them.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
This is a very busy travel week for me, as I am looking at 6 flights in 5 days for work this week. I’ll try to update the site daily, but just in case I can’t, you will have some understanding of why.