eFlex Systems Case Studies Market Change Results in Lost Sales Due to “Inflexible” Fixed Tooling Assembly Systems

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	Market Change Results in Lost Sales Due to “Inflexible” Fixed Tooling Assembly Systems eFlex Systems

Market Change Results in Lost Sales Due to “Inflexible” Fixed Tooling Assembly Systems

eFlex Systems

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
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. Read More
About 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. Read More
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. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

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

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.

About 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.

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.

Impact #1	Increased powertrain assembly flexibility by 82%
Impact #2	Increased line throughput by 22%
Impact #3	Reduced labor by 10%

Impact #1

Increased powertrain assembly flexibility by 82%

Impact #2

Increased line throughput by 22%

Impact #3

Reduced labor by 10%

Benefit #1	35% cost savings on new assembly lines

Benefit #1

35% cost savings on new assembly lines

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Overview

Market Change Results in Lost Sales Due to “Inflexible” Fixed Tooling Assembly Systems

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit