Validate the Throughput of an Automated Closure Line of a Leading Line Builder

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Introduction

The automotive industry is rapidly changing while businesses are competing ferociously through precision and automation. Recently, one of India’s leading line builders who is known for delivering advanced body shop solutions to major automakers, faced a critical challenge in ensuring the newly designed automated closure line could meet stringent throughput targets before it was commissioned.

The closure line was designed to process doors, hoods, and trunk lids in a synchronized, high-speed environment. With the complexity of processing numerous components with different process times and robotic interaction, simulation on paper was not sufficient. The customer required real-world simulation data to be able to confirm whether the line would be able to deliver target productivity with optimal buffer planning and minimum downtime. This is where PMI stepped in.

Client's Objectives

The customer's main goal was to confirm the throughput of its intended automatic closure line under practical production conditions. The line had been carefully laid out, but there were a few open questions:

• Will the system achieve the planned rate of production?
• What limitations, if any, would constrain flow between the stations?
• What is the minimum buffer space required between significant operations to guarantee smooth throughput?

The customer was also interested in pragmatic advice to optimize operations to make the system function at maximum efficiency once implemented on the shop floor.

Challenges Encountered

Despite a sophisticated design, hard realities such as variability in robotic cycle time, delay in part flow, and station dependency could not be engineered or simulated adequately using conventional static models. Some of the main challenges were:

  • Ensuring the design feasibility for dynamic production situations
  • Identifying hidden bottlenecks in the workflow
  • Estimating minimum buffer requirements without excessive space utilization
  • Resolving issues around robot sequencing and downtime handling

Without solving these challenges, there was a risk of underperforming throughput and frequent line stoppages in actual operations.

Validate the Throughput of an Automated Closure Line of a Leading Line Builder

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PMI’s Simulation Approach

To address these challenges, PMI employed a data-driven simulation approach with the help of Siemens' Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software. The objective was to simulate the closure line digitally and see how it would perform under real-world production conditions.

Modeling the System

The complete closure line was modeled in intricate detail, including all stations, conveyors, robots, and buffer areas. Each process and component interaction was represented in the simulation platform.

Data Integration

PMI used customer-provided Excel spreadsheets with key data like operating sequences, machine cycle times, and downtime likelihoods. This information was directly imported into the simulation to allow it to accurately reflect real-life conditions.

Analysis Parameters

Major performance metrics—buffer levels, time-in-state plots, and throughput variations—were tracked across several runs of the simulation to see how the system reacted under different conditions.

Findings & Insights

Through simulation, PMI found that the line was running at a mere 85% of its intended capacity- a gap that might not have been detected had there been in-depth modeling.

Bottleneck at Buffer Between Assembly and Inspection:

The first bottleneck was between an assembly station and the inspection station. The buffer was small, and there were frequent stoppages upstream. PMI conducted a buffer sensitivity analysis to find out how much of an increase in size was needed. Through the analysis, it was found that even a marginal increase in the buffer by a few units would restore the lost throughput and move the system nearer to target efficiency.

In addition, the simulation expressly illustrated the drawbacks of having an insufficient buffer size- quantifying lost production opportunity in numerical terms.

Material Handling Robot Sequence Constraints:

The second bottleneck was less apparent and concerned the operating cycle of a material handling robot. The robot cycle was not well synchronized with the rest of the line. The robot wasted too much time in some states, leading to downstream bottlenecks. PMI offered two options:

• Decrease the robot cycle time by either mechanical or software-level improvement.

• Re-engineer the operating cycle to minimize idle time and schedule high-frequency operations first.

• Either change was projected to significantly boost line fluidity and contribute to throughput recovery.

Validate the Throughput of an Automated Closure Line of a Leading Line Builder

Download Case Study PDF

Conclusion

This simulation-based validation project provided the client with actionable insights before a single part rolled off the production line. PMI’s approach enabled the line builder to:

• Confirm the realistic throughput of their closure line
• Strategically increase buffer sizes only where necessary
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks tied to layout and robotic operations
• Improve line synchronization and minimize non-productive time

Through early simulation and digital validation investment, the customer bypassed expensive trial-and-error on the shop floor and had a faster and smoother commissioning process. This case study is an example of how advanced simulation techniques are an indispensable utility in today's automotive line design and validation.

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