![]() Not only do they have to create different sub-assemblies for different manufacturers, each of these OEMs now have their own specifications for each model. This function is supported by automatic tool changes to enable customization so that different car models can be customized within one cell.įor companies that supply products to the automotive industry, current market trends are making manufacturing even more challenging. One of these operations could be geometry or tooling equipment which ensures that the parts of the car are assembled accurately. The cells are typically including from two to eight industrial robots, welding, joining or gluing equipment and a separate AGV that supports logistics tasks.Įach cell is capable of executing a minimum of three consecutive process operations. Unlike the transfer system technique, where the start of production of one unit is dependent on the completion of the previous one, AGVs in the modular cell concept can transport car bodies and sub-assemblies without being linked to the next assembly step. The modular assembly concept consists of autonomous cells that manufacture and assemble cars, supported by intelligent driverless transport systems or automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that supply parts directly kitted in the storage area to the cell and then transfer the assembled steps to the next manufacturing operation. Instead, concepts like racks-free production, being offered by ABB, hold the potential to dramatically increase efficiency and productivity while manufacturing a wider variety of cars at a faster rate. The automotive factory of the future will look very little like Ford’s conveyor belt setup. Navigating this new reality requires a fresh look at how the auto industry has traditionally made cars. ![]() This has pushed up costs and dragged down productivity – two factors that are critical determinants of financial success in the industry. The conventional manufacturing line is simply not nimble enough to handle concepts such as batches-of-one manufacturing now demanded by the market. There are many disruptive factors in the market today that will impact the way they want to produce, sell and approach the end car users.įor the automotive industry, these developments have added many layers of complexity in the manufacturing process. Our customers in the auto industry have faced many challenges before, but this time the change is more significant. The ease of hailing cabs run by companies like Uber and Lyft is reducing the incentive for people, especially in crowded cities, to buy their own cars, while self-driving cars and increased connectivity could herald a permanent change in driving habits. On the social side, car ownership itself could change with the development of car sharing. The future of the automotive factory will be an ecosystem of intelligent data used to improve current production processes and new solutions such as the racks-free production concept that can squeezeevery drop of productivity from the factory. While the production line has evolved from using many people (below) to many robots (above), the basic linear approach is the same, which creates challenge when dealing with mass customization. ![]() The most notable of these changes is a growing preference for electric cars over internal combustion engines (ICE) as sustainability takes on a more important role in the state and individual’s agenda. The need for high flexibility in volumes and models, but also in the manufacturing footprint becomes a must for the next generation of operations. The uncertainty of the world market, new emission regulations and a wave of new mobility trends are creating a fundamental shift in the way cars are made, sold and used. combustion engine, these cars usually had standard features and looked just like one another. Assembly line production, made popular by Henry Ford, allowed carmakers to roll out millions of cars, at low cost. There is a reason this setup worked for so long. Pressed sheets of metal, which make up the car frame, move along a transfer system where humans, and more recently, robots load these parts and assemble them. Modular manufacturing cells, AGV-led logistics, and digitalization will be some of the key elements of the automotive factory of the future.įor more than a hundred years, we have been making cars the same way. Disrupting the auto industry at a cellular level ![]()
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