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Overview:

The customer required a flexible system capable of assembly and test of over 20 models of a family of steering columns for various vehicle platforms. The system provides flexibility to accommodate product variation, both current and future, as well as production volume flexibility with a minimum of change-over time. The project required concurrent production of dissimilar product types which lead to multiple lean systems as opposed to a larger single path assembly system. 

Values & Benefits:

• Flexible design allows for reuse of capital equipment as customers needs change
• Product type flexibility
• Production volume flexibility

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Solution:

• The overall solution is made up of five (5) lean production systems each of which produces an assembly every 27.5 seconds.
• The total production for this platform of products is 1.2 million steering columns per year.
• The systems use a combination of stand alone stations and a powered non-synchronous conveyor to a point where the parts become unwieldy to handle.
• Comprehensive process validation insures defect free products from every process.

Highlights:

• Automatic test of Tilt Effort and Release Effort.
• Automatic test of telescoping function for effort and travel.
• Archiving of all assembly and test process data.
• Currently producing 22 part types in 10 families with flexibility for 23 additional planned part type configurations.
• Quality sensitive operations are automated. Less critical operations utilize low cost manual stations.