Ford looks to suppliers for value-added innovation

OEMs and suppliers collaborate for a number of different reasons in the automotive industry. A handful of recently formed partnerships have been created with the primary aim of offering customers more value for their money, with a particular focus on vehicle electronics.

Ford has recently announced two new partnerships with different suppliers in the hope of providing more value for its customers. The OEM has teamed up with Baidu, China’s leading search engine company, to co-invest US$150m in the Californian-based start-up Velodyne LiDAR. Ford has also started a new collaboration with Harman to “revolutionise the in-vehicle audio experience.”