A challenging and dynamic future – engineering at VAIVA
VAIVA has expanded its portfolio and now offers advisory services and products in addition to engineering. In a series of interviews, we want to present our three business areas in more detail and let our leading minds in the respective areas have their say.
We start our series with the area that has existed for the longest time – engineering. We have continued to expand our expertise in this area since the company was founded, and we are now building our new business areas on this. In this interview, our department heads Bastian for the “Safety 360°/Integrated safety” area and Victor for the “ADAS & Safety Features” department give us a deep insight into engineering at VAIVA.
You have both been with VAIVA for many years and have helped drive many developments yourself. How has engineering changed during this entire time?
Bastian: Engineering at VAIVA has developed considerably in recent years. We have managed to build up in-depth expertise in our strategic areas and thus not only reach eye level with our customers in the many projects, but also define our own ideas, approaches and entire strategies with the customers. In addition, we have established structures and processes to ensure the quality and reliability of our safety-relevant software products at the highest level. The process model developed for this purpose is now used in all our projects. An important milestone here was the achievement of ASPICE Level 2 in the Nanoradar project, which underlines our high quality standards. The integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data-driven approaches has revolutionized the way we work and enabled us to solve complex problems faster and more precisely.
Victor: I can only agree with that. Engineering has really developed enormously for us. Right from the start, we focused on building an integrated approach to the end-to-end development of security features. Over time, we have not only expanded and specialized our in-house development competencies along the V-model, but also transformed our development processes into a flexible PMT landscape that meets the highest industry standards such as ASPICE Level 2 and ISO 26262. Today, this enables us to efficiently develop and validate increasingly complex and innovative ADAS and safety functions in the VW Group. Another major success was the sustainable establishment of synergies and know-how transfer between projects in all engineering domains.
How will VAIVA drive engineering in the future and what challenges will we face?
Bastian: VAIVA will continue to focus on innovation and the use of state-of-the-art technologies and approaches to drive engineering forward. Future challenges will include the increasing complexity of vehicle technologies, sustainability requirements and the integration of new mobility concepts. At the same time, we are confronted with high cost pressure throughout the industry. We need to remain flexible and adaptable to meet these challenges while ensuring the quality and efficiency of our solutions.
Victor: Yes, the entire automotive engineering market is currently undergoing a major transformation, especially due to the increasing verticalization of technology stacks by OEMs. The increasing demands of the industry, such as the NCAP Protocol 2026, increase the complexity of systems faster than productivity, which can lead to delays and quality issues. We therefore need to differentiate our engineering services even better and further increase the efficiency and quality of our development processes. In the future, we will increasingly rely on automation tools, the integration of virtual V&V and development methods, and the integration of new technologies such as AI. Building a diverse partner network will play a key role in effectively scaling projects and optimizing our cost structure.
How does the new portfolio offer benefit from our expertise in engineering?
Victor: We know the topics and challenges that we address in advisory and with our products from our own projects. We are involved in various stages of feature development, so we’ve looked at potential pain points from different angles. From this, we can deduce what customers need to pay attention to. So we bring our own experience to the advisory approach. We don’t just implement, but give our customers assistance and show them a way. That is the principle: We are not a typical strategy booth, but always bring our own experience to the table.
Bastian: That’s right, our many years of expertise in engineering form the basis for our new business areas. The in-depth technical knowledge and experience we have gained over the years allows us to offer tailor-made advisory services and innovative products. Our customers benefit from our comprehensive understanding of the technical requirements and challenges in the automotive industry.
Does this principle perhaps also apply the other way around? Can engineering take something away from the advisory and product portfolio?
Victor: Yes, definitely. In advisory, for example, we have to think outside the box, advise the client and act proactively. We can incorporate this forward-looking and proactive approach into engineering and ensure a certain return flow. And the same applies to the products. If we also use our own products in our own projects, we can implement them faster and more efficiently.
Bastian: And by working closely with our customers and developing new products, we gain valuable insights into market trends and customer needs. This information also flows directly into our engineering projects and helps us to develop even more innovative and customer-oriented solutions. The application of our products can lead to new engineering approaches, and product training as part of the Advisory Services promotes the exchange of knowledge and the continuous improvement of our methods.
Last but not least, a personal assessment. What does the portfolio expansion mean for VAIVA? Will it be even more exciting to work here? 😉
Victor: The nice thing is that the three business areas will offer even more opportunities in the future. As an employee, you can try out different types of development activities and gain experience. And the rotation of employees always brings fresh ways of thinking to the various projects.
Bastian: The portfolio expansion offers an exciting and dynamic future. It opens up new opportunities for us that make our work even more varied and interesting. The combination of engineering, advisory services and products enables us to offer holistic solutions and further strengthen our position as a leader in the automotive industry. We are building up much greater resilience to market influences than before. So it will definitely be even more exciting to work at VAIVA as we are constantly finding new ways to drive innovation and delight our customers.