Nexteer crafts new ways to steer clear of cyberattacks

In simpler times, vehicle steering was based on hydraulics, and Nexteer Automotive was known as Saginaw Steering, the in-house supplier to General Motors. Today, 70 percent of independent Nexteer's business is electric power steering, or EPS, and most of the rest comes from advanced products such as electric vehicle drivelines. But because of the shift to software-based components, Nexteer must now devote more time and resources to innovating new protective cybersecurity solutions. News Editor Lindsay Chappell spoke with the supplier's chief technology officer, Robin Milavec, and Kathy Pattok, Nexteer director of safety and security. Here are edited excerpts.