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Efficient crash test planning at a leading automotive manufacturer with Peak Test Management Suite

Challenge: Complex crash test processes and limited resources

A well-known European car manufacturer, whose diverse model range enjoys a great reputation worldwide, was faced with the challenge of organizing the planning and execution of crash tests more efficiently. The vehicle safety department, which is responsible for this type of testing, had to deal with the following aspects:

High complexity: For homologation (= type approval), numerous vehicle derivatives are tested as part of comprehensive test projects. The respective test projects in turn consist of a large number of individual tests in which a wide range of regulatory requirements have to be met.
Coordination of many teams: Different teams are responsible for the individual tasks within a test, such as setting up the test vehicle, equipping the test vehicle with sensors, setting up the camera systems or analyzing the tests, and these teams have to be coordinated.
Scarce and expensive test resources: Scarce and extremely expensive test resources are used for the tests, including test vehicles, crash test dummies, crash test tracks, external test laboratories and test engineers with specific skills. The tests must therefore be planned in such a way that they fulfil the required standards and achieve type approval with a minimum use of resources.
Time pressure: The tests have a direct impact on the start of series production of the vehicles. A delay due to poorly planned tests can have considerable economic consequences. In order not to jeopardize the SOP (Start of Production), precise and conflict-free planning is required.

Solution: Introduction of Peak Test Management Suite

To meet these challenges, the car manufacturer decided to implement the Peak Test Management Suite (PTMS). The solution was introduced in an agile project approach in close collaboration with the users of the vehicle safety department and offers the following functions:

Centralized management of test resources: The test engineers receive a comprehensive overview of the availability of test resources.
Optimization of resource utilization: The software helps the test planner to plan test projects and activities in such a way that as few test vehicles as possible are required.
Automatic conflict avoidance: The software automatically recognizes dependencies between the various test activities and the test resources required for them and takes them into account directly in the planning.
Standardized test description: Thanks to intelligent templates, the test description is standardized and directly linked to the test data management. This reduces manual input and ensures the long-term traceability of test results.
Business Intelligence: By connecting Microsoft Power BI to the Peak Test Management Suite via API, important key figures such as resource utilization, project runtimes and adherence to deadlines can be evaluated at any time so that bottlenecks can be identified and avoided at an early stage.

The Peak Test Management Suite was deployed as a container solution based on OpenShift in the company's private cloud and fully integrated into the existing IT security infrastructure. After a three-month pilot phase in 2022, the solution successfully went live in 2023. When it went live, operations were handed over to the company's local IT service provider.

Result: Optimized processes and more efficient use of resources

Since introducing the Peak Test Management Suite, the company has benefited from the following advantages:

✅ Increased efficiency: Thanks to the system-supported planning process, tests can be carried out faster and without unnecessary waiting times. Resource bottlenecks and postponements are minimized as all relevant factors - such as test resources, personnel availability and external service providers - are optimally coordinated. This leads to an overall more efficient processing of crash tests and other safety-relevant tests.

✅ More transparency: The teams receive an up-to-date overview of the status and progress of their test projects at all times. Centralized and clear dashboards enable managers to identify bottlenecks at an early stage, adjust priorities and control test procedures more precisely. This facilitates collaboration between different teams and reduces delays caused by a lack of coordination.

✅ Optimized use of resources: The software automatically detects dependencies between test activities and limited test resources. More precise coordination of test requirements and intelligent planning ensure, for example, that existing test vehicles are optimally utilized. This results in considerable cost savings.

✅ Reliable adherence to the SOP: Start-of-production (SOP) deadlines are a top priority, as delays in the test phase can lead to costly delays in series production. Peak Test Management Suite minimizes planning conflicts by ensuring that all test activities are carried out on schedule. Bottlenecks and resource overlaps are recognized at an early stage so that all crash tests are completed on time and the SOP is not jeopardized.

✅ Process reliability: System-supported planning minimizes duplicate and incorrect data entries, thereby avoiding inconsistent information. Standardized workflows and automated data transfers also ensure greater process reliability and easier traceability of test results.

Why Peak Solution?

The car manufacturer decided in favor of Peak Solution and Peak Test Management Suite because of the following aspects:

✔ Features of the solution: Peak Test Management Suite impressed with its extensive ‘out-of-the-box’ functionalities, which already covered many of the specialist department's requirements. At the same time, the software could be quickly and flexibly adapted to specific requirements through customized configuration and administration. The API enabled customized integration into the existing IT infrastructure and existing workflows without having to rely on expensive in-house development or long-term adaptations.

✔ Experience and expertise: A decisive factor in choosing Peak Solution was the company's extensive experience in the automotive industry and specifically in the field of vehicle safety. Peak Solution had already successfully implemented several test data management systems within the company and also had in-depth knowledge of the special requirements of crash tests. The experts at Peak Solution were not only able to deliver a customized solution, but also contribute best practices from other projects.

✔ Innovative strength: Peak Solution continuously integrates new technologies and methods into its products. These include cloud-based technologies, web-based dashboards, REST APIs and frameworks for low-code programming. This means that the software not only fulfils current requirements, but is also ideally equipped for future developments, such as the greater integration of AI-supported algorithms.

The product owner and key user of Peak Test Management Suite confirms: “The introduction of the Peak Test Management Suite has taken our crash test planning to a whole new level. We can now coordinate all tests more precisely and recognize bottlenecks at an early stage. We were particularly impressed by the high flexibility of the solution and the seamless integration into our existing systems. The collaboration with Peak Solution was consistently professional and goal-orientated - a real benefit for our processes.”

The company is now planning to expand Peak Test Management Suite in order to further automate the planning of complex test projects, optimize individual process steps even more and extend the solution to other departments such as engine and electronics development.

Conclusion

With the introduction of the Peak Test Management Suite, the car manufacturer was able to further optimize its crash test processes and thus secure clear efficiency advantages. The solution helps to reliably comply with safety standards, utilize resources efficiently and reduce costs.

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