UK automotive engineering consultancy, Drive System Design (DSD), is establishing engineering and sales offices in Michigan to provide improved support for its growing customer base in North America, the company announced on Monday (2 June).
The new facility, in Farmington Hills, will be run by Shaun Mepham, formerly Ricardo’s global technical director of driveline and transmissions.
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Once fully established, DSD’s new office in North America will give US vehicle manufacturers local access to the same level of expertise in high efficiency drivelines and transmissions as currently provided by the UK facility. It reflects the increasing importance of the region to DSD, where the company’s sales have more than tripled since 2011.
“Our goal with the Michigan office is not just to provide a sales conduit but to deliver full engineering support to our clients in the region,” said DSD managing director, Mark Findlay.
“We have made a flying start with Mepham’s appointment and will be supplementing him with others as we grow the business. Our intention is to replicate all the activities we carry out in the UK.”
Based in Detroit since 2006, Mepham has a detailed knowledge of the US automotive transmissions market in addition to his extensive technical experience. As product group director with Ricardo, he was responsible for driveline and transmission activities in America. He steered the business through the worst recession since the depression, growing revenue by a factor of five despite the adverse trading conditions. This led to his movement into the newly created Ricardo role of technical director global– driveline and transmissions.
Among his many technical achievements, the most notable is his work on the Bugatti Veyron. As chief engineer for the Veyron dual clutch transmission and active axle project, he delivered what DSD said was “one of the most technically challenging transmission programmes of the decade”.
Founded in 2007, DSD specialises in design, development and control of transmission systems and the integration of driveline systems into vehicles. It currently employs over 45 workers with expertise in driveline refinement, efficiency improvement and hybrid and electric vehicle transmissions.
