“Zonal architectures can significantly reduce harness complexity” Zonal architectures promise leaner wiring, but they also raise the stakes for power distribution and fault handling. Manoj Singh of Forvia Hella explains what fail-operational systems must deliver in future vehicles. Benjamin Müller
“Active cooling becomes relevant when thermal limits constrain performance” Rising power demand is forcing the wire harness industry to rethink weight, packaging and thermal limits. Markus Leitner, Director Group Product Management & Business Development at GG Group, explains why system-level integration and active cooling are moving into focus. Benjamin Müller
“Agentic AI should not reduce the validation threshold” E/E architectures are becoming more complex as development cycles shrink. Molex’s Sushil Kumar Singh explains how digital twins, virtual validation and agentic AI could move connector validation upstream. Benjamin Müller
How E/E architecture transformation is reshaping the automotive industry The Automotive Wire Harness & EDS Conference 2026 returns to Detroit on 20–21 October. The focus will be on zonal E/E architectures, high-voltage systems, optical connectivity, AI-supported engineering, 3D electrical design and manufacturing automation. Benjamin Müller
“The strongest enabler is cross-brand governance” As SDV architectures increase system complexity, modularisation becomes a key lever for cost, scalability and integration. Volkswagen’s Melanie Sohnemann explains how standardised connector systems can enable cross-brand reuse and accelerate SDV rollout. Benjamin Müller
“Ensuring data trustworthiness involves three key aspects” As vehicle architectures grow more complex and energy-hungry, power distribution is becoming a strategic challenge. Martin Baumann, Development Engineer at BMW, explains how data-driven methods are changing electronic power distributor design. Benjamin Müller
“A digital twin can predict current-related failure modes very well” As rising system complexity challenges validation in automotive development, digital twins are becoming a key enabler. Thiruvenkata Babuji Baskaran, Molex, explains how virtual validation transforms connector design and testing. Benjamin Müller
What to expect at the Bordnetzkongress 2026 On 5–6 May 2026 in Ludwigsburg, the Bordnetzkongress (Automotive Wire Harness & EDS Conference) brings together OEMs, suppliers and industry experts to address next-generation EDS architectures, high-voltage safety, automated harness production and scalable vehicle platforms. Benjamin Müller
What challenges will the wiring harness industry face over the next five years? Which challenges will shape the wiring harness and EDS industry most strongly over the next five years? Four experts – all speakers at the 2026 Bordnetzkongress in Germany – provide surprisingly different answers. Benjamin Müller
