Two Teams Share

We started working on the project about two years ago. We called a meeting with the Electronics team and asked ‘What do you guys know about driver monitoring?’ We really ramped up our collaboration quickly. It’s been enjoyable. Customers have thrown one challenge after another and we’ve come back and exceeded expectations. No one group could have solved the challenges on its own.

Magna has a unique position because we are top players globally in cameras and interior mirrors. We knew if we teamed up and made a product totally integrated into the mirror it would give us a golden entry ticket into the market. The main benefit is significant cost savings for the OEM customer. The added engineering complexity is solvable. Magna leadership realizes tapping into the power of One Magna is a huge advantage.

We know we have “lakefront property” with a vehicle’s interior mirror. In other words, the location of the rearview mirror is prime real estate for technology features. It’s the perfect location for the Driver Monitoring System. There is an unobstructed view between the driver and the mirrors.

We’ve got the technology, but team building in a pandemic can be a challenge. You meet online and work out a plan and work hard to execute the plan. We have fun together. It can be a virtual happy hour at 5 o’clock where you tell silly jokes or ask everybody to recount an embarrassing moment.

As team leaders, Kevin and I talk on a regular basis, sometimes four to five times a day. There is an open line of communication within the teams. We don’t always agree with each other, nor should we. But both groups could always see the opportunity.

You must have a clearly defined common goal and align the interests from different groups and divisions. Then things are easier. Respect each other. It’s not like your own group that you’ve known for a long time. You have to listen to each other, contribute and work hard. Good ideas will result and a quality competitive product will be the outcome.

Have patience. The decentralized nature of Magna requires patience in getting it going. We all have our own goals, objectives and priorities. That’s where patience and perseverance come into play. A close collaboration has its rewards. With the Driver Monitoring System, we leveraged Magna expertise to deliver a final product that is better than the competition.

The collaboration with Magna Lighting started with a different product more than three years ago. Dominic came to me with an innovation in fog lamps. We built on that initial dialogue and now we look at other opportunities for design collaboration. It illustrates the Power of One Magna. I’m a firm believer there’s always somebody somewhere who can help me solve a problem. I love being able to leverage the organization and cultivate creativity.

There was a growing interest in the market to use lighting as a brand differentiator and a design characteristic. Lighting was starting to appear in non-traditional places, such as door handles and wheel wells – not purely for vehicle safety. We both said: ‘We need a partner. We need to start talking to each other. I used to work in Exteriors. I knew the scope of their products and could see how lighting could add value. I played in both sandboxes, so collaborating made sense.

Our strength lies in the breadth of our product. We have a very diverse portfolio. My team may have tunnel vision, then we talk to other groups and they say: ‘Did you think of this?’ We’re no longer narrow-minded. Then the whole world opens up.

The goal was to bring lighting solutions to the Exteriors team that could be integrated into the liftgate to add unique customer value and enable innovative styling – and to mutually grow our business.

OEMs are asking for this kind of solution. You can’t shine light through metal, but you can shine it through a thermoplastic liftgate. You touch the brake pedal and the light shines through the plastic, unlike a traditional taillight. The technology uses a new type of plastic that’s being developed right now. It opens up big possibilities. It tells OEMs we’re ready for the vehicle of the future.

The greatest challenge in our sessions is staying focused on a singular concept. One brainstorming session with Exteriors resulted in 50 ideas! Then the liftgate project became the focal point. We also integrated people into the team from Magna Electronics and software employees from other groups to provide technical insights that were beyond our scope.

The biggest challenge is communication. I like to do meeting notes on the screen during Microsoft Teams and share them through OneNote. By putting it in writing everyone is clear on the process and what you need to get the job done.

Don’t assume the solution has to look like something you’ve done in the past. If your mental model is ‘This is how we do lights or optics and my solution has to look like that,’ think again. Break down the barriers. There is a solution on the other side of the barrier I might never have seen or used before.

You welcome all ideas, but they must align with our business plan and manufacturing capability. This approach helps us develop the technology roadmap for future vehicles.