COVENTYA KIM – Key Industry Management

COVENTYA´s success is fundamentally linked to the automotive industry.

The automotive sector’s key importance for COVENTYA is evidenced by about 400 automotive approvals acquired over the years.

Today’s economic landscapes are undergoing dramatic changes, triggered by dynamic developments in emerging markets, accelerated use of new technologies, revamped sustainability policies, and evolving consumer preferences. Where digitalisation and new business models have already revolutionized other sectors, we’re confident that the automotive sector will follow suite.

Research has shown that this sector’s development will mainly be linked to four revolutionary technology-driven trends: diverse mobility, autonomous driving, electrification, and connectivity. Alternative mobility concepts are directly associated with changing construction styles and processes. For example, in the 1970s up to 75% of a vehicle was manufactured from steel, yet today this figure is only around 50% – and is expected to further decrease to just 13% by 2030.

Whereas vehicles’ decorative parts had always been mainly metal (with galvanic anti-corrosive coatings), manufacturers now largely use plastics. This evolution of substrate choice has necessitated the complete reorientation of classic metal chromium plating and the adaptation of coating processes.

The target of maximally reducing CO2 emissions has also inspired the automotive industry to work towards new lightweight constructions that increasingly use aluminium and carbon fibre composite materials (CFRP).

With so many changes and uncertainties on the horizon, keeping a finger on the automotive industry’s pulse has never been so important.

And that’s why COVENTYA has entrusted this crucial job to our Key Industry Management (KIM) team’s highly-qualified and well-trained experts. With representatives in all major automotive manufacturing countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas, COVENTYA KIMs stay in continual contact with key OEMs and decision-makers such as VW, RNM-Group, GM, PSA, and Ford, as well as industry organizations and associations for surface finishing (ZVO, NASF, AIAG, etc.). And by closely collaborating with Tier One suppliers and applicators, the KIM team gains crucial insights into their specific needs – and shares this valuable information with our R&D specialists and international product managers. With this proven approach, COVENTYA ensures the timely and progressive development of customized surface finishing solutions for the automotive industry.

Today’s automotive industry has a global scope. And this reach requires dependable access to uniform products and processes, as well as highly-competent local technical support across the world. How does the KIM team meet these needs?  With the invaluable support of the unique COVENTYA Approved Applicators program: this allows the monitoring of our applicators’ compliance with relevant quality norms via annual audits, monthly line checks, and weekly/bi-weekly sample analysis.

And the program’s COVENTEC coding system also facilitates useful collaboration between applicators and OEMs. Each COVENTEC code defines the perfect combination of our various processes that fit the complex requirements of a specific OEM. KIMs also support OEMs and Tier One suppliers and applicators with needs-based local workshops on the latest tech, auto manufacturers’ requirements, as well as contemporary issues such as new mobility concepts, industry 4.0, and many more.