The automotive industry is at the edge of a transformation. The conventional driver assistance systems in cars are giving way to fully autonomous ones. While the transition promises compelling benefits, the two distinct design and manufacturing disciplines must overlap to align automobiles with the evolving expectations of customers.

Advanced Automation Group (AAG) excels in enabling just that.

A frontrunner in providing custom engineering solutions for the automotive industry, AAG offers everything from futuristic design, manufacturing, and development of high-performance sensors to precision AC and DC electric motor drives and controllers.

“The foundation of AAG is rooted in our R&D capability, which is the crucial factor behind our best-inclass engineering excellence,” says Dr. Shaotang Chen, founder, CTO and COO of AAG.

An Innovative Mindset is Key

Dr. Chen, a widely recognized leader in power electronics, brings to the table a wealth of experience in automotive electrical systems and hybrid vehicles. In Longhai, Fujian, China, he established a primary R&D unit focused on electronics design, to bolster AAG in the automotive sector.

Armed with a competent team of senior engineering and R&D experts in China and the U.S., AAG is steering ahead with constant innovation in the design and development of automotive sensor technologies. It designs and manufactures state-of-the-art components for various travel, distance, pressure, thermal, and cooling sensors.

A serial innovator in the automotive sector for more than two decades, Dr. Chen’s next focus is on automotive interior and panel lighting. Most lighting systems today have conventional, segregated sensor units. Cars are now being outfitted with unified remote sensors to pop the trunk, switch on approach lighting, and automatically unlock the doors. AAG’s design combines conventional capacitive with wave radar sensing, for more accurate and reflector lighting. It has developed mmWave radar sensors for automotive panel and side lighting activation and other applications. AAG actively works with OEMs to design, develop, and manufacture cost-effective sensors.

On the heels of cutting-edge sensors is AAG’s expertise in battery management systems. It develops high-efficiency motor control units like induction and permanent magnet synchronous motors with supportive incremental encoders and Hall effect sensors, which are widely used in EVs.

Automotive Manufacturing with a Difference

Following the industry-wide adoption and success of AAG’s design capabilities, Dr. Chen invested heavily in electronics manufacturing and set up another factory in Shanghai and Ganzhou, China. Poised to address the evolving need for efficient battery management systems, AAG manufactures compact, advanced controllers that can self-diagnose. They are designed specifically for EVs, including passenger cars and buses, and forklifts.

They have high power density, frequency, efficiency, and low noise and energy loss. Currently, AAG is manufacturing these controllers for multiple tier-one customers in the automotive and industrial equipment sectors in the U.S., Asia, and China.

Other than these product lines, AAG is designing products, including rotors, electric seat motors, and trunk opener motors with improved efficiency. The prototypes are approved and heading toward full-scale manufacturing. The next big step in AAG’s growth is the electrification for EVs and components traditionally powered through mechanical action. For example, AAG is working on a line of oil pumps for heavy-duty vehicles to replace mechanical oil pumps.

Apart from automotive, AAG is active in power electronics. It has extensive resources to design and manufacture effective solutions pertaining to power distribution and management.

AAG’s pursuit of product innovation and service excellence does not stop there. Its engineering and R&D team constantly strive to improve design for functionality, dependability, and cost. From a manufacturing standpoint, AAG implements SMT assembly to place electronic components on PCB. This innovative SMT manufacturing, along with optical inspections and end-of-line testing processes, are focused on value analysis and quality assurance to ensure zero defects.

“Our top priority is delivering the highest quality products and technical support services for customers on time with utmost care and efficiency,” says Michael Scheiven, VP of sales and marketing, AAG.

Customer-Centricity at the Heart of Everything

To deliver on its promises, AAG maintains sufficient surplus stock for most components, spare parts, and microchips. It can manage the supply base with its pre-planned, electronic component schedules for an extended period, assuring customer orders are always filled on time.

Developing customer solutions can take a variety of methods, including developing a product design from scratch within key parameters, manufacturing the product, or both. Innumerous instances, clients lacking the resources contract with AAG to guide and work directly with their primary customers, which works with them until the project is completed.

Showcasing AAG’s commitment and integrity is an instance where a client received an order to design the interior map lighting for a Honda vehicle. The initial design was dysfunctional and expensive. They agreed to provide AAG with a right of last refusal upon developing a competitive, high-functioning design that minimizes expenses. Open to the project proposal, AAG reduced the cost of interior lighting by 40 percent in less than two weeks.

The foundation of AAG is rooted in our R&D capability, which is the crucial factor behind our best-in-class engineering excellence

A Culture and Leadership of Excellence

A flexible, holistic, and dynamic culture is the engine behind the transformative work accomplished by the AAG team in electronics manufacturing. It adopts a hybrid work model while providing round-the-clock support for its customer base to build long-lasting relationships.

“We have the right people to work with our customers regardless of where they are, to be able to understand their cultural and business practice differences, and be as effective as possible in supporting them,” adds Scheiven.

Aiming for expansion, AAG envisions setting up manufacturing facilities in Madison Heights, Michigan, with requests from the aerospace and defense sector. This will bring flexibility, allowing for manufacturing products in Michigan and China, enabling it to thrive in the era of supply chain disruptions.

Throughout its endeavors, AAG infuses a customercentric approach and a commitment to helping clients with integrity and accountability. Using its unique position in the automotive design and manufacturing worlds, AAG will continue to script success stories for its global customer base as a reliable automotive manufacturing partner.