Indego, automotive consultancy, automotive consulting, steve young

The economics of automotive manufacturing are driven by the need to cover the high fixed investments inherent in certain processes.  IndeGo addresses that through the design of the product itself and make vs buy decisions on key systems.

By using a modular body structure where unstressed plastic panels are attached to an underframe bonded together from bought-out major sections, the need for major body in white investments and a paint plant at the vehicle assembly location is removed.  The viable size of an automotive manuafcturing plant drops from the 300,000 minimum of conventional thinking to 50,000, and the building itself can be a generic industrial unit rather than a purpose built complex, suitable only for this single purpose.  Total employee numbers in an IndeGo automotive factory would be around 500, and the operation could be totally sub-contracted or franchised to a third party to further reduce investment requirements.

Manufacturing scale would be maintained at the supplier level by using generic parts where available, outsourced power train from another manufacturer or specialist, and cross-range, cross-plant commonality within the IndeGo offer.