What is Body in White and Why is BIW Important? - An Overview

In the automotive industry, "body in white" (BIW) refers to a vehicle with its frame assembled but not yet painted. It is just the welded body without the engine, chassis sub-assemblies, or exterior or interior trim (glass, door locks/handles, seats, upholstery, electronics, etc.) installed.

 

This means that the car's doors, hoods, trunk, bumper, and deck lights have joined the car's body frame. Before painting, this is the last step before the chassis is put together. Now that you know what it means in general let's look at it in more depth. 

 

What is the Importance of BIW in Recent Times?

Even though the pandemic has hurt all industries, there is still a need to develop a better design for cars at a lower price. Companies like Toyota, Nissan, Tata Motors, Jaguar, Kia Motors, and many more are looking for design engineers with enhanced skills. The need for BIW engineers has grown, and there are now more than 3000 job openings online. In 2018, the biggest space for Body In White was Asia Pacific. BIW design engineers work for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and tier-one suppliers in the automotive industry. They also get job offers from technology companies that help automakers with engineering and design services, product lifecycle management, and plant automation. 

 

Ironically, this is mostly done by keeping the body shop operations for the next 5 to 8 years after the Start of Production (SOP). Engineers ensure the shop can solve bottlenecks problems like rework, energy use, and logistics traffic that were not known at the layout stage. Because of this, it is very important that people who work in manufacturing give insights during the process layout and product design development.

 

 

Importance of BIW

The automotive body in white (BIW) market expands along with the megatrends for increased fuel savings and lightweighting. 

 

1. Slim design

The need for fuel-efficient vehicles is changing the BIW market. For instance, standard metallic materials are being replaced with materials that are lower in weight, increasing the number of BIW fixture design jobs available in the market:

• Overall weight reduction of the body,
• Improved strength,
• Manufacturing cost reduction, and 
• Fuel efficient vehicle.

 

2. Comfort and Security

In addition to lightening the load on the vehicle, BIW materials are crucial in meeting consumer desires. It also ensures; 

 

• Improved styling,
• Reduced harshness, vibration, and noise, and
• Enhanced aesthetic appeal.

 

3. One of the Most Crucial Elements of the Manufacturing Process is BIW Fixtures

First, it contributes to ensuring that the welding procedure complies with the established criteria. They offer the solidity and support required to prevent distortions during the welding process, which frequently necessitate costly revisions.

 

Second, by lowering the number of iterations, BIW fixtures assist manufacturers in achieving effective productivity targeted body proportions.

 

In the end, if factory managers and design engineers collaborate, even a slight deformation or a late collision might result in substantial effort and time theft.

 

However, effective fixture design for the product's lifecycle using various tools can be utilised to design, develop, and evaluate fixtures that can shorten lead times and ensure maximum productivity. 

 

Additionally, BIW components increase a car's safety and crashworthiness. The maintenance and modification of the body centre's machine elements will fall within the purview of the Body-in-White Process Engineer. While talking about BIW, there are numerous openings for BIW Process Engineers at Tesla, Volvo, Daimler and other companies.

 

Job Opportunities For BIW Engineers

BIW designers and engineers work in the OEM automotive industry and tier-one suppliers. They also get job offers from consulting companies that help automakers with engineering design services, Product Lifecycle Management, and plant automation. More than 200 jobs in BIW are listed on LinkedIn by OEMs and other companies. There are several jobs in  BIW fixture design jobs in India, specifically  in the cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai.

 

In India, the average salary of a BIW engineer ranges between 4.0 lakhs to 7.0 lakhs. As per a report by Ambition Box, the average salary of a BIW Designer is INR 5.0 Lakhs Per Annum. 

 

Conclusion

The BIW market is anticipated to increase from USD 77 billion in 2019 to USD 91 billion by 2027. A need to decrease the vehicle's weight to improve fuel efficiency and meet emission criteria set by respective governments.

 

Another factor driving the growth in BIW sales is the rising sales of electric mobility, which needs lightweight materials to increase battery endurance. The development of the vehicle industry globally and the expansion in manufacturing are the primary drivers of the body in white industry growth. Research and development are being conducted on the white material used for the body to maximise its durability, reduce vehicle weight, and improve its efficiency.

 

At Skill-Lync, we offer courses that will help you gain more knowledge in BIW. BIW engineers have upped their game to suit the growing demand for hybrid and electric cars. One well-known and significant area for you BIW engineers is the racing sector because that is one sector where there is a huge demand for BIW engineers who can work on race cars. So, work to realise your dreams. Improve your skills with Skill-Lync and demonstrate your passion for cars!