Continental is revolutionizing product development with its new AI-based tool, designed to streamline the traditionally complex requirements management process. The tool, developed in collaboration with Microsoft and NTT DATA, uses artificial intelligence to efficiently analyze and process extensive customer specifications, reducing the time spent on this critical step by up to 80%.
The innovative tool, named the “AI-Based Requirements Engineering” application, marks a significant leap for Continental as it works towards increasing its independence and progressing as a publicly listed company. It automates the assignment of specific tasks to the appropriate development centers, ultimately leading to faster, more precise, and efficient project completion. This achievement earned Continental the prestigious “Overall Winner” title at the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA), a highly regarded honor in the manufacturing industry, known as the “Oscar of Manufacturing.”
Philipp von Hirschheydt, Executive Board member for Continental’s Automotive group, expressed the company’s excitement, stating, “With this new application based on Microsoft Azure AI Services, we are stepping into a new era of requirements management. This tool not only brings immense value to our customers but also provides our engineers with a reliable tool to enhance our competitiveness in the market.”
The development tool, built using Microsoft Azure AI Services, simplifies the task of reading and analyzing long specification sheets that usually contain hundreds of pages. Previously, this process was manual, with experts dedicating up to 37,500 working hours per development project. Now, the AI system can identify key sections and requirements, automatically assigning them to the correct departments.
This innovation drastically reduces the time and effort involved in what was once a labor-intensive task. Engineers can now focus more on high-value, creative aspects of product design, thanks to the tool’s automation of repetitive steps.
Joachim Franz, Automotive Industry Lead at Microsoft Germany, highlighted the tool’s potential: “Continental is demonstrating how requirements management can be realigned to be more targeted, reliable, and efficient through artificial intelligence, offering a significant advantage in the automotive sector.”
The tool has been met with praise from the Continental engineering team, with training for the system taking less than an hour and immediate results. The system has already been rolled out across all business units in Continental’s automotive division, accelerating even the most complex projects.
The tool’s effectiveness, particularly in handling updated specifications and coordinating customer requirements across departments, was key to its recognition. The MIMA jury, which includes experts from Microsoft and Roland Berger, awarded the tool for its outstanding contribution to enhancing the digitalization of value chains in the automotive sector.
Continental’s achievement underscores its commitment to innovation, with the company continually developing cutting-edge technologies to drive sustainable and connected mobility solutions. Founded in 1871, the company is a global leader in automotive safety and technology, employing around 190,000 people across 55 countries.
