Not all copies (of lines) are created equal

Realising a mistake and not repeating it is one of the main strengths of successful people. The same is true for a successful business. Our client in the automotive sector also didn't want to find himself in a dead end again, so he did the right thing: he stopped, looked around and then moved on with his mind.  

What role did ICE play in this? How did we increase the capacity of the old line? And what steps did that involve? Find the answers below.

The problematic line of our responsible client

Our client's company had to meet increasing capacity demands from customers for a specific type of sensor. However, the line that was producing it was not only outdated and worn out, but also malfunctioning. It had not been well thought out from the start, which in itself was causing the company considerable problems. If ICE had designed and supplied the line back then, we are sure we would have been able to avoid these problems. 

A smarter copy  

But our client needed to produce the contracted volume of sensors, so we created a concept for a new line. We used Siemens' Plant Simulation software tool to do this. Our efforts were aimed at ensuring that the copy of the sensor line would not suffer from the same problems as the existing line. The concept was therefore fine-tuned to keep up with the times and meet the demanding requirements of customers in this sector.

Three phases of the "Line Copy" project

The work on such a project can be divided into three phases: mapping the current state, creating a digital twin of the line, and fine-tuning the entire system into a new, improved concept.

1. We first became thoroughly familiar with the existing line: we saw it not only producing, but also reporting a fault and then standing still. We mapped and carefully documented all processes and operational aspects. 

2. From this data, we created a digital copy of it in Plant Simulation that mirrored its operation in the virtual world. We were then ready for the consultancy part of the work, where critical areas for improvement could be identified.
   
   

   
   
   

3. Thanks to the simulation software, we always had an overview of which place on the line was "throttling" production and was therefore a bottleneck on the line. When it was removed, another new bottleneck appeared - and we iterated in exactly this way until we reached a point where the annual simulated production met customer requirements and the line was reasonably balanced.
   
   Questions we answered for the customer during the process:

• How does line performance increase when the number of products per pallet increases?
• What significant impact does station faultiness have on the cycle time?
• How much does the scrap rate decrease?
• Why is it significant to create a buffer of seven pallets before the fourth station on the line?
• Which station is worth replicating despite high investments?
• How many pallets need to be available to keep the line running smoothly? etc.

Even when creating the concept of the line copy, we encountered dead ends, which are part of every development and are immensely valuable. For example, you might get information that the thing you are proposing is not cost-effective to purchase, which will surely be appreciated by every business economist.

Thanks to our diligent resolution of these difficulties in development, we can say that the new line will be fine-tuned and our client will derive the desired benefit from it.

If your company faces similar challenges, don't hesitate to embrace innovation and refine existing processes. Our team of experts is ready to provide advice and support wherever needed.

Petr Jirků, Lean Manager