Connected Vehicle

SEMA’s Vehicle Technology Center One of the central principles of lean customization is the Japanese term Genchi Genbutsu, which means “go and see.” To truly understand new business opportunities and the impact vehicle technology is having on automotive specialty-equipment products, you need to Go to the Gemba—the place where value and meaning are created.

If you’ve been paying attention, you can’t help but be aware of the surge in sales of smartphones and hand-held tablets, such as the iPad. This is a tough trend to miss, because the statistics are overwhelming. It’s estimated that currently there are 4 billion mobile devices in use, and a quarter of those are smartphones.

From tire-pressure monitoring and powertrains to navigation and smartphone integration, nearly every facet of today’s automobile is controlled, managed or affected by some type of mobile electronics. As the field has expanded, an increasing number of products are introduced each year in the SEMA Show’s New Products Showcase, and an ever-growing throng of buyers seeks information about the most innovative systems and components.

As a kid, John Waraniak, SEMA’s vice president of vehicle technology, never gave much thought to a college education. He did, however, enjoy building fast toys—plundering the neighbors’ throwaways on garbage day and reconfiguring found treasures such as washing-machine pulleys, lawn-mower engines, old wagons and bikes into saleable contraptions. That was the sort of vision and imagination that led him to two master’s degrees as well as engineering soapbox racers, B-2 stealth bombers and Chevrolet motorsports programs.