Plattform versus Flexibilität: Die Siemens VDO EMS 2 Plattform Architektur

A modern engine management system has to cope with a huge amount of conflicting requirements, and should in parallel be sufficiently flexible to address the increasing wish of car manufacturers to differentiate from competitors. In order to fulfill these requirements, new solutions have to be introduced, which are open enough to make allowance for future technology trends. A promising approach is the introduction of a modular architecture as a necessary means for the definition of a scalable and adaptable platform. Siemens VDO Automotive addressed this challenge with the introduction of the EMS 2 platform, and showed that standardization need not to be in contradiction with flexibility. Right from the early definition phase, specific focus was given to the car manufacturers' needs, i.e. to allow the integration of competitive customer owned functionalities and technologies. The development of concepts for modular architectures has been carried out in different domains and is largely documented. A constant challenge is the definition of efficient processes and the necessary adaptation of the organization, in order to take advantage of the dedicated platform. This applies to the introduction of a new platform within an existing organization, as well as for its maintenance. With the EMS 2 platform architecture Siemens VDO Automotive is prepared to support different types of business models, while taking full advantage of a platform's features.