Modern electronics are intrinsic to safety and to the car’s critical functions, including brakes, steering, airbags, and seatbelts, as well as engine management and transmission systems. These have to work 100% of the time in all conditions for a designed life of 20 years. This performance requirement extends not just to the functionality of products in service but to the supply chain as well. The high duty cycle and performance requirements, coupled with the need for reliability means that component and material suppliers need to be at the peak of their game.

Apart from reliability, protecting the environment (by reducing the energy consumption) has become more and more important. Through materials science we have developed high reliability alloy systems that deliver these goals.