SBD is committed to making a difference. We are proud to help make cars and societies safer, limit theft, reduce congestion and cut the cost of ownership for consumers.
SBD is an independent, technical consultancy specialising in the design and development of vehicle security, low speed crash, telematics and ITS systems. From technical trends reports to conducting end user surveys, SBD has over 15 years of experience of providing strategic advice, insight and expertise to the automotive and associated industries.
Our Mission
… to provide our customers with the knowledge, insight and understanding they need to develop class leading Telematics and Vehicle Security products and improved Cost Of Ownership performance
Our Vision
In 1995, SBD was established by three founding directors, all of whom have extensive experience of working in vehicle manufacturers’ design centres. They discovered a common theme that design teams were often unable to get clear feedback about market needs or gain a good understanding of what technology their next model would require to be competitive.
At SBD, we help vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers bridge that gap between system design and actual market needs. Our diverse team of experts understand global market and technical requirements and how to plan cost-effective systems for the future that customers value and are willing to pay for.
Our focus is global but with specific expertise in Europe, Japan, North America, China, Russia, India and other emerging markets. SBD primarily concentrates on the passenger car market.
Our Services
Technical Research
We have a wide range of exclusive research reports describing the latest market and technical trends within many vehicle security and telematics-related topics.
In addition we create specific research reports in response to particular enquiries and challenges that our clients face. If you can’t find what you are looking for in our security or telematics research libraries, then contact us to confidentially discuss your requirements.
End user surveys
The voice of the customer is the most powerful and valuable input into the specification of a system and SBD collect, analyse and present that voice in a way that helps you to focus your development to meet what customers really want.
Product Strategy
If you need to define products, business models, timescales or features, then we can advise you in best practice and help reduce the risk. Our experience ranges from creating an entire 5-year telematics strategy for a vehicle brand, to monthly advice on technical trends for vehicle security systems.
Project management
Once you’ve decided your strategy, we can help you to implement it by coordinating development groups to ensure that the specification is realised within the restrictions of the automotive development environment. We pride ourselves in providing our clients with realistic advice.
Competitive benchmarking
In addition to our regular annual research, SBD also conduct detailed competitor evaluations. This varies from vehicle teardown activities and performance testing, to feature databases. We use specialist vehicle rental firms to get access to the latest vehicle models with particular specifications and all of our testing is independent and objective.