Market Change Results in Lost Sales Due to “Inflexible” Fixed Tooling Assembly Systems
Company Size
1,000+
Product
- eFlex Assembly
Tech Stack
- MES level
- PLC logic
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Innovation Output
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Manufacturing System Automation
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The customer in this case study is a global automotive manufacturer. They had major investments in their highly automated fixed tooling for 4-and 6-cylinder engine assembly lines. Both lines met their market requirements reliably for many years, with the 6-cylinder being higher in demand. However, a sudden spike in gas prices influenced buyer behaviors and resulted in a higher demand for the 4-cylinder engines. As a result, the demands for 6-cylinder engines dropped and the market demand for 4-cylinder sharply increased overnight. This sudden shift in market demand exposed the inflexibility of the manufacturer's assembly lines.
The Challenge
A global automotive manufacturer was facing a sudden shift in market demand due to changes in fuel prices. The demand for 4-cylinder engines increased overnight, while the demand for 6-cylinder engines dropped. The manufacturer's assembly lines, which were highly automated and fixed for 4-and 6-cylinder engine assembly, were not flexible enough to adapt to this change. The 4-cylinder line was running around the clock but could not increase its capacity beyond its original design capabilities. The 6-cylinder line was meeting production requirements by 10 am and sitting idle for the rest of the day. This inflexibility resulted in lost sales opportunities.
The Solution
To address the inflexibility of their assembly lines, the global manufacturer standardized their global powertrain operations with the eFlex Assembly architecture. eFlex Assembly is a flexible assembly line optimization solution that includes software, hardware, and reporting tools. It integrates equipment and manpower on the plant floor to create an intelligent manufacturing system that is globally standardized, high quality, and highly flexible for production, maintenance, quality, process, and training. The flexible and modular design, technology, and tools in eFlex Assembly make rebalancing or reconfiguring an assembly line as simple as unplugging and re-plugging the equipment. This “plug-n-play” architecture, with validated standardized processes, drastically reduces changeover time.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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