Case study

The challenge

Cars today are more than an engine, a chassis, a steering wheel and some seats and tires. They’re a complex amalgamation of interrelated hardware and software. The processors in vehicles use more lines of code than a space shuttle. New technologies make testing more important than ever.

A leading global automobile manufacturer was rapidly adding greater electronic functionality to its vehicles to meet industry and consumer demands. To speed the rollout of its new features, the company had to replace a costly, time-intensive manual approach to validating the performance of electronic parts.

Our approach

The manufacturer partnered with Cognizant to overhaul its testing process, implementing our proprietary Hardware-in-Loop Automation Test Suite (HATS) framework. HATS incorporates tools and services that enable complete automation for vehicle testing.

The framework facilitates real-time measurements, automated reporting and defect tracking for closure at the vehicle’s pre-production stage. HATS also incorporates mixed-mode validation, so missing parts can be simulated to combat the delays incurred by late-arriving parts—which, depending on the reason for delay, can be weeks.

Automated testing builds a better car

Finding more defects, and finding them sooner, enables the manufacturer to resolve these issues long before a vehicle goes to production. Moreover, early detection means resolution is simpler and faster. Both factors lower costs and result in a safer, higher quality product. Vehicle recalls are less likely to occur, and the manufacturer can produce vehicles with fewer defects than ever.

200%

increase in validation coverage productivity

4 months

to realize return on investment

5X

more defects found, 4+ months earlier

$500,000

annual overhead savings