An OEM automotive supplier was planning a new semi-automated assembly line and was under great time pressure. The company, a hidden champion (around 700 employees and €200 million turnover) and manufacturer of caravan radiators, engaged the interim manager as an expert in production processes to speed up the ramp-up process and ensure the planned start of production.
Initial situation: start of production severely jeopardized by insufficient planning
In the analysis, the interim manager primarily identified weaknesses in the layout and assembly sequence of the planned production. For example, the design of the production line did not clearly show which assembly steps should take place where. Transportation between the production stations was also not regulated. To make matters worse, production was spread over several floors and could only be reached by two elevators. This complicated supply and removal considerably. In addition, the planners had failed to include the employees from production and equipment construction in their plans. Discussions with the ramp-up team revealed that the assembly sequence had so far only been roughly mapped in Excel - and the target times were just as roughly estimated on the basis of a previous project. In other words, the project was on the verge of failure. As a result, the pressure on the team members was palpable at all times.
Management convinced by digital planning in a virtual 3D environment
The planning team had been working with traditional 2D plans up until the time of the assignment. In view of the complex challenges in the production facility, the expert convinced the management to switch to a digital 3D planning model that he had developed himself. This Virtual Process Planner (VPP) makes it possible to design and validate the production processes interactively with a very high level of detail using virtual reality technology.
Project team expanded to include expertise from the departments involved
In order to obtain all the necessary information for the 3D development, the interim manager expanded the ramp-up team on an interdisciplinary basis in consultation with the management. Two team leaders from assembly, two fitters and one specialist each from equipment and service ensured that all experts were able to contribute their knowledge. The team defined the goal of shortening lead times and reducing inventory and batch sizes in particular.
Data collected for the planning environment and VR production created
In the next step, the interim manager prepared the virtual planning environment. In this environment, the team examined two line designs, including the assembly sequence and logistics concept. Employees from production checked the ergonomics in the virtual environment using the OWAS method and provided further information for the final design of the processes. The team compiled all the information in an evaluation matrix focusing on throughput time and inventory and integrated it into the planning. Thanks to the realistic simulation in virtual reality, the team was very quickly able to optimize the two lines and their final timing.
VR model accelerates assembly line planning and improves the product
The VR process planning proved to be a great success. The VR technology enabled the team to catch up on the planning backlog within a short space of time. Just three months after the start of the mandate, the project team was able to complete the entire planning and begin implementation. The production line went into operation a short time later with the optimized design.
Significant savings achieved through process optimization
The improved design now makes it possible, among other things, to shorten the production cycle to 60s/piece (previously: 100 s/piece). The number of production fixtures has been halved from ten to five. The 3D models also led to improvements in the product itself: For example, the number of elements required was reduced by 15 per unit.
