VI-grade and STEP Lab Announce Strategic Partnership for Advanced Mechanical Hardware-in-the-Loop Solutions

Darmstadt, Germany, July 3rd, 2024 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with STEP Lab, an industry leader in the design and manufacture of static, dynamic and impact testing machines. This collaboration aims to provide a comprehensive solution in Mechanical Hardware-in-the-Loop (mHiL) for shock absorbers in automotive applications.

The partnership between VI-grade and STEP Lab is designed to provide the market with a turnkey solution that addresses the challenges of integrating advanced technology into industrial applications. By combining the expertise of both companies, the collaboration aims to deliver a fully integrated mHiL solution for shock absorbers, streamlining the development process and reducing the complexity and time required for implementing advanced testing systems in the automotive industry. This comprehensive approach also includes active and semi-active suspension systems and advanced control strategies, leveraging VI-grade's real-time AutoHawk platform and robust software stack.

Key Benefits for Customers:

1. Time Efficiency: Customers will benefit from interacting with a single partner responsible for the entire system, significantly reducing development times compared to setting up the final solution with multiple partners.
2. Cost Efficiency: Project costs are optimized through a pre-existing, functional solution, eliminating the need for extensive individual setups.
3. Application Reliability: Having previously collaborated on similar solutions, VI-grade and Step Lab ensure a reliable and tested approach, enhancing overall project success.
4. Unified Project Leadership: Customers will interact with the same partner for all aspects of the project, from preliminary definition to final commissioning, ensuring consistency and clarity throughout the process.

Ruggero Baesso, Owner and Founder of STEP Lab, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration: "Partnering with VI-grade marks a significant step forward in advancing Mechanical Hardware-in-the-Loop solutions for the automotive sector. Our goal with this partnership is to achieve a 30% reduction in time to market for automotive shock absorber systems, providing a notable advantage for manufacturers. Combining our mechanical testing expertise with VI-grade's simulation technology, we aim to deliver a comprehensive and efficient solution tailored to industry needs."

“We are excited to enter this strategic partnership with STEP Lab to provide a comprehensive Mechanical Hardware-in-the-Loop solution for automotive shock absorbers”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “This partnership will allow us to offer our customers a unique, integrated solution that enhances development efficiency and reduces time-to-market. By leveraging Step Lab's expertise in mechanical testing and our advanced software capabilities, we can deliver a reliable and cost-effective solution that meets the evolving needs of the automotive industry,"

To see the partnership in action, watch this demo video of a Damper-in-the-Loop system – real-life component testing with VI-CarRealTime on AutoHawk. This demonstration was presented by STEP Lab at VI-grade's 2024 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit in May 2024 at SimCenter Udine.

Share this: