Report

PSA Global Autos / New Mobility: The New World of Gigacasting

Tesla’s plans to halve EV manufacturing costs rely heavily on the increased use of gigacasting. Using massive aluminium die-casting machines to achieve this, however, is not only a major technological challenge, it requires substantial initial investments. Nevertheless, global automakers and suppliers are now exploring the possibilities of gigacasting, as the race for EV cost competitiveness is on. In this report, analyst Julie Boote outlines the benefits and challenges of gigacasting, examines global gigacasting initiatives across the global auto industry and explores who could emerge as a winner of the new production trend.
Underlyings
2CRSI SA

2Crsi SA. 2Crsi SA is a France-based company, which serves as a manufacturer of server solutions and other data storage device wholesaler. Its portfolio of solutions includes Data Centers, which provides customers with smarter storage; Independent Software Vendors (ISV), which enables users to create solutions that optimize customers' data experience; Industries, which provides information technology (IT) equipment for a number of industries, including the aerospace, petroleum, oil & gas and healthcare sectors, among others. Additionally, 2Crsi manufactures a range of products, which includes servers, storage solutions, converged platform, appliances and micro clusters. Its customers include OVH, Free, Dassault Group, CGG Veritas, and many independent software vendors, data centers, distributors, and other businesses, among others.

Aisin Seiki Co Ltd

Aisin Seiki is engaged in the manufacture and sale of automobile parts and housing-related equipment. Co.'s principal products are engine parts, including water pumps, pistons and intake manifolds; automatic transmissions, and manual transmissions; brake and chassis parts, such as brake master cylinders, disk brakes and antilock brake systems; door locks and power backdoor systems, car navigation systems, parking support systems and intelligent parking support systems; housing-related equipment, such as shower toilets, beds, automatic wheel chairs and gas heater pump air-conditionings; and fiber laser. Co. is also engaged in the civil construction and petroleum sales businesses.

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor designs, manufactures, markets, and services a line of Ford cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles, electrified vehicles, and Lincoln vehicles, as well as provides financial services through its subsidiary, Ford Motor Credit Company LLC. The company is engaged in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected vehicle services. The company has three operating segments: Automotive, which includes the sale of Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories; Mobility, which includes its autonomous vehicles and its investment in mobility through Ford Smart Mobility LLC; and Ford Credit, which includes vehicle-related financing and leasing activities.

FUCHS PETROLUB SE

Geely Automobile Holdings Limited

Geely Automobile Holdings is an investment holding company. Through its subsidiaries, Co. is engaged in the investment holding and export of sedans outside the People's Republic of China (PRC); research, production, marketing and sales of automobile parts and related components and the research and development of electric hybrid engines in the PRC; procurement of automobile parts and components in the PRC; and marketing and sales of sedans in Russia and South America. In addition, through its associated companies, Co. is also engaged in the manufacturing of traffic facilities; provision of webpage design and related technology support services; manufacturing of emission control systems.

General Motors Company

General Motors designs, builds and sells trucks, crossovers, cars and automobile parts. The company also provides automotive financing services through its subsidiary, General Motors Financial Company, Inc. (GM Financial). GM Financial provides retail loan and lease lending across the credit spectrum. GM Financial provides commercial lending products to dealers including new and used vehicle inventory floorplan financing and dealer loans, which are loans to finance improvements to dealership facilities, to provide working capital, and to purchase and/or finance dealership real estate. Other commercial lending products include financing for parts and accessories, dealer fleets and storage centers.

Guangdong Hongtu Technology

Guangdong Yizumi Precision Machinery

Haitian International

Hyundai Motor Company

Hyundai Motor is engaged in the manufacture and distribution of motor vehicles and parts. Co.'s passenger automobiles include Accent, Elantra, Sonata, Azera, Genesis, XG and Tiburon. Co.'s recreational vehicles include Santa FE, Tucson, Veracruz and Entourage. Co.'s commercial vehicles include H-1 Truck, Mighty II, 5 Ton Cargo, Tractor, Dump Truck, Aero Town, and Aero Queen.

LK TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS LTD

Mercedes Benz Group AG

Ryobi Limited

Ryobi and its subsidiaries are engaged in the manufacture and sale of die cast products, power tools, builder's hardware and printing equipment. Co. operates in three business segments: die casting, housing equipment and printing equipment. Co.'s principal products are die cast products including cylinder blocks and transmission cases; builders' hardware including door closers, hinges, architectural hardware and air-conditioning controllers; power tools including electric power tools, and lawn and garden equipment; and printing equipment including offset printing presses and peripherals.

Tesla Inc

Tesla designs, develops, manufactures, sells and leases electric vehicles and energy generation and storage systems, and provides services related to its products. The company operates as two reportable segments: automotive, which includes the design, development, manufacturing, sales, and leasing of electric vehicles as well as sales of automotive regulatory credits; and energy generation and storage, which includes the design, manufacture, installation, sales, and leasing of solar energy generation and energy storage products, services related to such products, and sales of solar energy system incentives.

Toyota Motor Corp.

Toyota Motor is an automobile manufacturer. Co. is primarily engaged in the design, manufacture, and sale of sedans, minivans, compact cars, sport-utility vehicles, trucks and related parts and accessories throughout the world. Co. provides financing, vehicle and equipment leasing and certain other financial services primarily to its dealers and their customers to support the sales of vehicles and other products manufactured by Co. Co.'s principal business segments are automotive operations, financial services operations and other operations. Co. sells its vehicles in approximately 190 countries and regions, and markets for its automobiles in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia.

UBE Industries Ltd.

Ube Industries is engaged in the manufacture and sale of chemicals and cement products. Chemicals segment offers caprolactam, polyamide resins, polybutadiene, industrial chemicals, specialty products and fine chemicals. Pharmaceuticals segment offers active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates. Cement & Construction Materials segment offers cement, ready-mixed concrete, limestone and building materials. Machinery segment offers molding machines, industrial machinery and bridges and steel structures. Energy & Environment segment is engaged in the import and sales of coal and the supply of electric power. Co. is also engaged in the real estate business.

Provider
Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd
Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd

Founded in 2009, Pelham Smithers Associates (PSA) provides market intelligence on Asian technology, focusing in particular on Japan. The industries covered by our team of specialists are: consumer electronics, telecomms, pharmaceuticals, internet, electronic parts and materials, automotive technology, retail and capital goods. 

PSA produces both company and sector reports. The focus of PSA’s research is to identify winners and losers as new technologies impact the top and bottom lines of corporations. Critical to our research is the clear explanation of how these new technologies work and how they impact companies and industries. 

The founding partners have worked closely together for twenty years and the team has more than doubled in size since 2012. 

Analysts
Julie Boote

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