exibility Fiat Chrysler conveyance system boosts production f

Fiat Chrysler conveyance system boosts production fexibility

A new conveyance system at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles utilizes a Compact GuardLogix controller, paired with an industrial hotspot radio to facilitates communication. The radios transmit control, safety, and diagnostic data from each carrier back to the traffc cop PLC, to ensure carriers are operating effciently and effectively.

KEY TO ANY COMPANY’S SUCCESS is innovation and keeping up with the times. A major vertical that deals with this constantly is SOURCE: PROSOFT the automotive industry. Product needs abound from major sources. Consumers want the latest and greatest improvements to ensure value and safety, and having a great-looking vehicle is important for many people as well. Regulators around the world, meanwhile, can keep manufacturers very busy as they seek increased sustainability.

Multiply that constant innovation by 12 brands, and you get an idea of the lean manufacturing processes that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) focuses on to ensure its long-term success. When vehicle models change each year, how do you stay on top of the trends while not losing sight of the bottom line?

In two of FCA’s Midwest facilities, conveyance lines for three of the company’s vehicles (Wrangler, The new fexible conveyance system at Fiat Chrysler is ergonomically friendly for employee operators, and can be Gladiator, and Ram) needed quickly adapted to new model changes. an upgrade to take stress off employees and better prepare for new models’ which meant the system’s mechanical design This pairing has helped FCA revamp requirements. The conveyance shepherding would have been more complicated. its conveyor system to be employee and vehicles through the manufacturing process The manufacturer found a solution, starting innovation-friendly. From a technical in General Assembly was the company’s focus with a Rockwell architecture; the pairing standpoint, Subramanian said, the for the application. of GuardLogix and Compact GuardLogix improvements have brought several benefts:

“The top priorities in this project have controllers was a new (and ultimately • A flexible conveyance system that is been our employees and ensuring a fexible successful) one for FCA. ergonomically friendly for employee system as new models are designed,” said Each carrier is outftted with a Compact operators Chen Subramanian, Facilities & Conveyors GuardLogix, which is paired with a ProSoft • The conveyance system can quickly Group Manager at FCA. “Our workers were Technology Industrial Hotspot radio that adapt to new model changes, with FCA manufacturing at a high rate for long hours, facilitates communication between the only paying the upfront cost once and the movement was constant, including carrier’s processor and the GuardLogix that • Changes are done in software and can be bending and twisting. Changes to our serves as the system-level PLC. The radios implemented based on the car model’s conveyance process previously were very transmit control, safety, and diagnostic data body style costly and took a lot of time.” from each carrier back to that traffc cop PLC, In addition, he estimates that, assuming

Those changes could occur for minor to helping FCA ensure the carriers are operating changes every model year, adopting this major changes to FCA vehicle models – so they effciently and effectively. system saves FCA approximately $300,000 were frequent, to say the least, to allow the Subramanian said that benefits of to $400,000 per year in capital equipment company to maintain its competitive edge. using ProSoft’s radios included the spending.

FCA knew of an alternative conveyance solution’s Ultra-Fast roaming time and its In addition, the lower cost of maintenance system that would have required the company compatibility with the Rockwell equipment. and training saves the company at least 40 to cut the Power & Free conveyor track, then He noted ProSoft’s support assistance was minutes of downtime per day – which adds up change and re-weld it. The process couldn’t a differentiator as well; a site survey and at 260 days per year. be done during production, and a common support during and after installation helped conveyance had to be used for all body styles, ensure the application’s smooth performance. Lauren Robeson Menting, Prosoft Technology.