The all-new Mazda CX-5 is the first car fitted with wire harnesses made by a new production method from Mazda and supplier Yazaki. The two Japanese companies started working together in early 2022. They aim to make harnesses closer to vehicle assembly plants and to automate more of the work, which they say will make the supply chain more resilient.

Mazda Motor Corporation and Yazaki Corporation have announced the first result of a joint project on wire harness manufacturing. Harnesses made with the new near-site and automated method are now used in the all-new Mazda CX-5. It is the first model to get them.

A project running since 2022

According to the announcement, the two companies began their co-creation work in early 2022. The project has two main goals:

  • Near-site production: making wire harnesses closer to the plants where vehicles are assembled.
  • Automation: doing more of harness production by machine.

Mazda and Yazaki say the aim is a resilient supply chain and more sustainable manufacturing.

A different way of working between carmaker and supplier

The companies describe the project as going beyond the usual split between a carmaker and a parts supplier. They say they combined their expertise and technology from the early stages of development, rather than Yazaki simply supplying a finished part to a Mazda specification.

Why wire harnesses matter

The wire harness is the bundle of cables and connectors that carries power and signals around a car. Each harness is large, complex and often specific to one model, and much of the assembly is still done by hand across the industry. That makes harnesses a common target for automation and supply-chain changes.

Yazaki is one of the world’s largest wire harness makers. This makes the project a significant test of whether moving production closer to the assembly plant and automating more of it can work at volume.

What has not been disclosed

The announcement does not give production volumes, plant locations, the level of automation reached or any cost or emissions figures. It also does not say whether Mazda plans to use the method in other models.

The all-new Mazda CX-5 is the first vehicle to use harnesses made with the new method.

Source: www.mazda.com