Case Studies - Automotive Manufacturing
Case Study #2:
Vehicle Optimization
Valued Partner:
As one of the largest automotive manufacturers in North America, the efficient expediting of parts coverage in eastern Canada is a key initiative. The ability to provide same day or next day parts coverage is critical in maintaining both market share and customer loyalty. Growing consumer demands require management to constantly seek strategies to expand efficiency benchmarks pertaining to productivity output.
Customers Goals:
Managing a mixed fleet of 39 lift trucks comprised of counterbalance, orderpickers and electric pallet trucks this auto manufacturer’s parts distribution center was looking for utilization analytics out side of the box. Standard telemetry systems provided generalized information such as key hours vs. operating hours and information pertaining towards hourly cost based on service expenditure. The information did not allow the customer to go deep enough into understanding their productivity cycle so that they could make progressive changes to increase output necessitated by demand.
Integrated Solutions:
With the introduction of the SkidWeigh Plus UT60 lift truck utilization system the customer was instantly given visibility into their operation down to the minutes for each vehicle and operator. The system allowed management to work in real time with their operators to understand gaps in productivity in minutes. With the ability to program specific allowed downtime delays that affected their business and to isolate those unknown downtime eventsthe system automatically detected and reported on all downtime delays. Within days of assessing the data management could assess that discovered andunknown downtime delays reaching 45 seconds at a time were adding up. Management was able to make some process changes for performing specific tasks and shorten unknown downtime delay times down to less than 20 seconds.
Along with process changes the SkidWeigh Plus UT60 also provided motivation for operators to optimize time accountability when operating the vehicles during their shift. The system also provided the customer the ability to control vehicle access using RFID card access,programmable pre-shift safety checks, on-board weigh scale with overload warning, and impact detection and reporting via email notification. All event details comprised in the system are recorded to USB port for upload to the memory stick or can be easily viewed on a LAN webpage and or through automatic ftp reports.
Along with process changes the SkidWeigh Plus UT60 also provided motivation for operators to optimize time accountability when operating the vehicles during their shift. The system also provided the customer the ability to control vehicle access using RFID card access,programmable pre-shift safety checks, on-board weigh scale with overload warning, and impact detection and reporting via email notification. All event details comprised in the system are recorded to USB port for upload to the memory stick or can be easily viewed on a LAN webpage and or through automatic ftp reports.
Integrated Benefits:
- Ease of Use: The system is designed not to impede operation. The unidentified downtime events are automatically recorded and reported without operator input. One button notification is all that is required of operators to identify allowed operational downtimes.
- Utilization Factor: The utilization factor can be changed by the end user to achieve the optimum operational productivity for each operator.
- Operator Visibility: Visual indication of all operational downtimes in real time.
- Enhanced Information: Rootcause understanding of unidentified downtimes delays impacting operation.
- Safety: Access control, overload, safety checks and impact detection provide secure vehicle and operator monitoring.
- KPI: Operational Idling Times Automatic measurement, recording and reporting of all unidentified downtimes on each vehicle will result in in peak performance of your material handling fleet.
- Boost Operator Performance: Productivity improvement gains are substantially enhanced when companies first evaluate whether the current operational productivity benchmark is appropriate or could be improved. Managers and supervisors are given specific data to react quickly to downtime delay patterns and make strategic and corrective decisions to improve.
ROI: Productivity improvements in the range of 15% to 30% are possible and commonly achieved by implementing baseline KPI programs to achieve and sustain maximum improvement.