Enterprise Automotive OEM reallocated headcount to improve throughput

North American Automotive OEMs have faced increased pressure to introduce electric vehicles and vehicle customization to their production lines. Coupled with overwhelming labor shortages, these pressures have caused many manufacturers to reconfigure their production lines, adopt flexible manufacturing processes, and invest in training and development programs to re-skill their workforce. An Enterprise Automotive OEM partnered with Invisible AI to test our technology's capability to improve production efficiency.

CHALLENGE

In automotive manufacturing, there's often a tendency to assume that an assembly line is running smoothly if it doesn't come to a screeching halt. An Enterprise Automotive OEM asked Invisible AI to install our AI edge devices on one of these such lines to see if our technology could identify waste their engineers had overlooked. Challenge accepted! Invisible AI deployed 31 edge devices along this OEM’s well-performing line to pilot the technology.

‍

SOLUTION

Invisible AI edge devices conducted AI time studies on every cycle along the production line to gather comprehensive data on the work conducted at each station, and created spaghetti diagrams of the production line to understand operator movement. Invisible AI’s expert Vision Systems Engineers analyzed the results of the time studies and spaghetti diagrams and identified several areas for optimization, including:

• Part Layout Improvements: several steps along the line required operators to walk excessively to pick areas. In addition, an empty rack was placed in the center of a work area, causing increased walking. Invisible AI recommended layout changes for eight areas across the line.
• Wait Rebalancing: multiple wait balance adjustments across the line resulted in 30+ seconds saved per cycle.
• Line Rebalancing: engineers determined the work on the line could be completed with 4 operators instead of 5, so the top operator was removed from the line and promoted to Team Leader.
• Overlapping Work Areas: two stations placed close together cost operators extra time due to block conditions.

The success of this project resulted in implementation of Invisible AI's solution across the entire plant.