Automotive is among the most competitive manufacturing industries, combining fast innovation cycles and relentless cost pressure driven by fierce competition.
Both OEMs and component suppliers thus have traditionally been at the forefront of productivity improvement, with successive waves of automation and Lean management.
Automotive Smart Factory or Industry 4.0 has initiated the next S curve of improvement, with advanced analytics allowing to further optimize operations while improving flexibility.
Successful pilots have sprung up in factories, using Faststream’s predictive maintenance to end-to-end flows optimization, and confirmed the business case for insights-driven operations.
The car as the product undergoes constant technological innovation and represents a cyber-physical system with the capability to collect and process data.
Supply the OEMs with both “Industry 4.0 capable” car parts but also production equipment. Therefore, those industries also contribute to the implementation of Industry 4.0 within automotive OEMs.
Blockades to the client, we give away out
Technology Revolution:
The Problem:
As technology, demographics, and an economic climate shift, the automotive accessory company should revamp itself in order to stay competitive. With the increasing customer expectations, high product mix, rapid response time, and ability to make intelligent decisions the client company needed to adapt to the new technology.
Fixed by Faststream Technologies:
Using our Smart Automotive Factory or Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet /intranet-based solutions the client company is therefore progressing as a response to this high level of complexity.
1. Manual Data Entry
The Problem:
The client uses a manual data entry and re-entry process which is slow and leaves room for error. This can lead to a lengthy, inaccurate process when re-entering data onto ERP from paper-based methods. It was critical to capture all relevant information from these documents into software applications, Excel sheets, ERP applications, or cloud/local server-based applications for further processing and utilization.
Fixed by Faststream Technologies:
In our IoT-based Automotive Smart Factory, a manufacturing environment where everything is connected, machine-to-machine communication would enable network-connected devices to exchange information and initiate actions. The machine can itself communicate and share its production data with the ERP software thus leaving no room for manual data feeding leading to updating of true data for analysis.
2. Real-Time Data
The Problem:
With increasing operational costs, the client company needed a focused approach towards the way they utilize their resources. The machines should have always been the center of focus for optimum utilization and they continue to be so. The plant managers couldn’t make the right decisions due to the unavailability of real-time production data.
Fixed by Faststream Technologies:
Faststream Technologies IoT-driven data or real-time production data helps the customer to improve asset utilization and achieve greater efficiency. Bringing all the production data into cloud/local servers will give manufacturing workers a degree of flexibility and decision-making capability. This data could also help the customer to understand the efficiency level of a man and a machine by giving key insight indicators. Operational intelligence allows them to “see” products, materials, and back-office information.
Raw Material Management
The Problem:
Machine operators of the automotive accessory Company may make mistakes while using the correct raw material required for a particular manufacturing order to be processed. What if the machine can itself tell the operator if the current raw material is not meant to be used on it and from which rack the raw material needs to be taken?
Fixed by Faststream Technologies:
Our IoT-based Sensors and microchips have been added to almost every product (tools, machines, and even raw material) of the client Company. Data would be available from any kind of device that will be used to better analyze and control processes. Using our IoT enabled to service the product can itself tell the operator if it is the right product for the current manufacturing order. So, the production will be highly responsive and organized.
Machinery Maintenance Alerts
The Problem:
Proper equipment maintenance is very important. Generally, equipment was needed for the examination and its problems should be fixed either on a calendar-based schedule or wait for the things to break and then fix the problem.
Fixed by Faststream Technologies:
By integrating our IoT into their equipment, we have detected equipment failures before they happen and fixed that. Machines can by themselves determine their condition and predict when maintenance should be performed.
Consistent Oversight
The Problem:
In the client’s manufacturing process, it was always up against the clock. Therefore, production speed and efficiency could make or break the process. Yet, even with their best machinery, they were only as efficient as their team. It was crucial that their team should keep up a productive pace. Poor management on that part was a big issue.
Fixed by Faststream Technologies:
Our IoT solution helps them to delegate tasks and set goals, and it holds each person accountable for the tasks. Their employees were less likely to drag their feet as they didn’t know that every minute is being logged and compared against norms. Since our systems are connected to the Internet /intranet, they can be controlled and managed from a remote operations center. This allows plant managers to monitor the production process efficiency in real-time. Managers can instantly find out the status of production. They are able to share that information and data with coworkers in other departments.
