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ATS Lifecycle Service Plans
2x performance improvement
Performance rose from 45% to 90%.
Challenge
During a routine check-in with a leading medical solutions provider, it was found that their automated assembly system was operating at a performance level of 45%, which was far below the 95% that was established previously. Working with the customer, our team found an abnormally high reject rate, a lack of understanding of root causes, and a high turnover of operators and maintenance personnel.
Solution
Using an ATS Service Plan, our team helped to lock in gains and accelerate continuous improvement. The solution involved:
- A detailed review of IlluminateTM Manufacturing Intelligence data for root cause analysis
- Remote visual inspection of machine status
- On-site machine health check & recovery plan execution, including realigning part feeding, replacing parts, and training
Outcome
Assembly system performance improved to 90% efficiency
Operator skill improved through comprehensive training
Weekly check-ins to lock in gains
ATS Lifecycle Service Plans
Streamlined production ramp-up
Achieved record production levels, with a month-over-month improvement by >20%.
Challenge
Several months into production, a customer that produces solutions for delivering medications found that their assembly line was operating at a significantly lower performance level of approximately 20% efficiency. The system was designed to operate at 80% efficiency and to produce 1.5 million units per month per shift.
Solution
Through an ATS Service Plan, our service technicians and reliability engineers helped increase production by:
- Carrying out a detailed review of Illuminate™ Manufacturing Intelligence data for root cause analysis
- Compiling production performance analysis reports and machine-prioritized work plans
- Performing remote visual inspections of machine status
- Executing an on-site production plan in 7 days
- Gathering additional data onsite
Outcome
Initial corrective action improved operational efficiency to 51%
Achieved record production levels
Increased month-over-month production by >20%
Developed a detailed asset management plan
Illuminate™ Manufacturing Intelligence
Boosting production capacity
By resolving a bottleneck identified by Illuminate™ Manufacturing Intelligence software, the PLC manufacturer was able to increase their production capacity by more than 96,000 units per year.
Challenge
Our customer is a leading PLC manufacturer with a fully automated manufacturing process producing 17 million units per year with more than 1000 product variations. Due to the complexity of the manufacturing process, their internal performance optimization team sought to automate manual inspection and reporting used to improve process times, and to make more data-driven decisions in terms of where to focus for maximum impact.
Solution
Using the data from Illuminate™ Manufacturing Intelligence software, our service team helped increase visibility to production processes and improve operational performance by:
- Providing more detail and granularity than had been available in an existing OEE analytics tool through end-to-end integration from PLC to the performance dashboards
- Collecting all the data in a central location to compare across lines and equipment
- Employing the Illuminate Performance Analysis module to identify bottlenecks according to operational conditions, issues, and cycle times
Outcome
Within 3 months of Illuminate software being used on a single line, one of the four stations was found to have a lower processing time, negatively impacting throughput
Reduced overall process time per unit by 1 second, allowing the line to produce 96,000 more units per year
Deployed Illuminate software across the site on 9 different automated manufacturing lines
Illuminate™ Manufacturing Intelligence
Enhancing performance by addressing root causes
“Illuminate [software] was hands down the best tool to improve our performance … The amount of data that we had from each shift was incredibly helpful.”
Automation Engineer
Challenge
A US-based contract manufacturer contracted ATS to design, build, and install an automated assembly system for COVID-19 Test Kits. At full capacity, the system could produce 10 million units per month, with a performance level of 90% and production level of 150 parts per minute (ppm). However, after the project was delivered, none of these targets were met.
Solution
Our team of ATS experts used our Illuminate™ Manufacturing Intelligence software to provide data-driven insights for continuous improvement opportunities. The solution included
- Using Illuminate data to trace the issue back to an equipment with a lower speed of 127ppm, which was lower than the required 150ppm
- 24/7 on-site support from our diverse team of professionals
- Collaboration with the customer’s operations team to develop solutions to address and resolve root causes
Outcome
Attained an increase in average daily throughput by around 33% after resolving root causes
Reached a consistent monthly production of 10 million COVID-19 tests
Surpassed contracted production performance targets by around 500,000 units per month
Service team excellence
Executed a line move with precision and control
With our team’s commitment to efficiency and transparent communications, the electrical vehicle manufacturer was well-prepared to take over operations of the sub-assembly lines.
Challenge
ATS Global Service was engaged by a leading electric vehicle manufacturer to dismantle and upgrade four sub-assembly lines. In addition to recommissioning them in a new facility, the line move was to be done without impacting the lines’ health and performance, while complying with California’s seismic safety regulations.
Solution
A team of our ATS experts joined with the original equipment manufacturers to successfully execute the line move. Together, they:
- Dismantled and recommissioned the lines
- Built a detailed log and backup of all programs
- Followed proper shut down procedures
- Established critical points where adjustments are needed to prevent any major failure
- Provided software and onsite controls engineering support
Outcome
Successfully completed the project in two months
Met all project targets, timelines, and budgets with minimal changes
Maintained transparency in communications between project team members
Ensured that the customer remained fully informed throughout the line move via daily updates, fostering the confidence to take over operations after the line move