Rockwell Automation Logistics Information System Solution

Auto Industry

Case study

Automotive logistics automation information system solution

Rockwell Automation Automotive Industry Information

Rockwell Automation, an annual turnover of 4.3 billion US dollars, largest supplier dedicated industrial power automation, control and information solutions the world. leading brands in industrial automation company, to provide comprehensive automation solutions, including Allen-Bradley® (Allen-Bradley, also known as AB), Rockwell Software® (Rockwell Software) factory management software, and other well-known brands known. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, with more than 23,500 employees serve customers in more than 80 countries and 450 institutions worldwide. Automotive industry users are the most important customers of Rockwell Automation worldwide, and its products as the world's leading automotive manufacturing base in North American market share of 80% market share. Rockwell Automation at the same time to provide users with the best show of automation products, but also for the solution according to the needs of users and other IT suppliers together to provide advanced customized information systems solutions of the automation industry . This includes the general logistics solution. Since the early 1990's, Rockwell Automation has partnered with IBM to establish a strategic partnership to jointly develop a number of automotive industry solutions for some of the world's leading automakers, and has been at General Motors; Toyota; Ford; Dai - grams, and other well - known international car manufacturers have been successfully applied.

Has been doing business in China 20 years old Rockwell Automation company in the country in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing, Dalian and other cities with branches. Its products are some of the major domestic automobile manufacturers, such as: FAW-Volkswagen, Tianjin Toyota, Beijing Jeep, Shanghai GM, steam, SAIC-GM-Wuling, Hafei and other large domestic automobile manufacturers have been widely used. Meanwhile Rockwell Automation will also be automotive manufacturing concept and advanced foreign manufacturing management for the country. That also includes material tracking; call site materials; pull the material and other solutions, and in some domestic car manufacturers have been widely used.

Rockwell Automation Solution Typical Features

As the global economy becomes more and more deepening of the integration process, national auto industry more competitive international, China's auto industry also faces "the world" test the various car manufacturers are facing increased production, in addition to the whole car, reduce A number of challenges such as production costs. Therefore, by adopting internationally advanced management ideas, modern management methods have become a top priority. In general, some of the specific problems automakers face in logistics include:

mode pull material and existing material can not solve the problems of large-scale distribution and production side more accurate collinear models of the line of process materials. Existing material escort mode is inefficient and wastes a lot of human resources.

production material requirements can not accurately capture real-time, real-time will not achieve the next parts production plans and supplier parts supply, resulting in materials backlog inventory escort or not timely resulting in waste and cost of production plus an unnecessary whole.

Real-time side-line consumption can not accurately grasp the material, the mode of material distribution management behind, inefficient administration. The level of materials management in place is behind schedule.

The main materials for loading parts of recorded content can not be a long-term production information, quality information and historical retrospective, we were not able to establish a factory for the assembly of monitoring the quality of the body sole.

The combination of these requirements described above, Rockwell Automation combined with its engineering partner in China jointly developed and successfully implemented a number of process logistics solutions including automobile manufacturing:

ANDON material real-time traction system

EPS / PPS electronic production system

KAN Kanban Management System

All these solutions must be decided on the type of solution and how to implement d

and according to their different scale of production, different production processes, and different manufacturers of automobile management models. The implementation methods and main functions of these systems will be described one by one in the following sections.

ANDON material real-time pull system solution function introduction

ANDON system since the early Toyota Motor, is mainly used for the management of visual factory floor, thus improving the workshop management level. ANDON the material system is mainly developed based on the ANDON system, next to the factory floor by the production facility of a number of stations to request a material call button, from the material store and the factory floor information display panel production line in the workshop real-time feedback material on the call application, PC software will be requested every time the material that occurs under real-time recording, location and response of the requested material and long-term recording and analyze.

For these types of stations of materials more stations the call can be provided a touch screen material, since each material can be a touch screen according to the calling unit and the plurality of materials different call picture models, each image, but also a plurality of materials Trigger button for material drive. Therefore, the main assembly parts and distribution line only need to call a touch screen material provided some materials can achieve the function call.

This material is provided in the logistics display area, the main object is achieved by a large real-time distribution panel display of information materials; station store floor material station floor; job programming information search vehicles. Material information display will show the material as a supplement to the material area to monitor and account printing system materials. delivery personnel from the materials logistics area and forklift driver without being able to visually computer screen, can pass one of these large display systems to produce real-time observation stations and workshop materials to maintain current status. But also to facilitate the next step of their own responsibilities and other personnel of distribution of materials.

Process Flow Diagram of the ANDON Material System

PPS Production Draw System Solution Function Introduction

PPS is the English Pull Production System, translated into Chinese is the pull production system, which mainly integrates the Rockwell Automation Control Contrologix system platform, the multi-phase technology RSNetLinx new integrated communication network architecture, IBM industry ABI platform automotive software An automated information system that is specifically requested and pulled by real-time materials for automotive manufacturing companies in the automotive manufacturing process. The system consists mainly of three basic modules: basic data, vehicle tracking and material consumption. PPS system will be used to pull plant material in real time; each of the vendor components stimulating production in real time; consumption of plant material and statistics; the main components with body tracking and other functions.

The main functions of the PPS system include:

Material report function

Material Consumption Report

Analysis of staff performance

Vendor evaluation report (including on-time delivery, accuracy, quality issues, etc.)

Recording analysis, reproducing the entire process of pulling, providing decision data (details of the registration of various aspects of the process the material comprises a request time, the requested time of confirmation, to draw time, request information, materials, etc.) to further optimize the operation

Query and material stock report from the line library

The store buffers library for the line-side library transfer register query generates the store material buffer library for the line-side library transfer database report

Counting report

Row Library Library Query and Report

Vehicle tracking function

Inventory Management Function

Stock count function

Daily operation function

The main structure of the system is shown below

As can be seen in the figure above, IBM's ABI software platform and Rockwell Automation's Contrologix control system will be the core of the factory floor control equipment and the core of the superior software platform. The ControLogix controller will control the digital

identification and identification on the shop floor and will collect the body's movement information in real time. The vehicle information will be transmitted in real time to the IBM ABI software platform, the ABI platform software will automatically calculate the required amount of material used and automatically calculates the consumption side-line consumption dissipation material according to body information, and the system also to the conveyor A forklift with wireless touch screen emits forklift sending commands in real time. The system process is as follows:

= The entire PPS system runs on the Windows system platform. All program modules are distributed and each functional module supports standard WEB-based display and operation functions. The figure below shows the distribution of the structure of the system function.

EPS / PPS Production Pull System Solution Function Introduction

Kanban material traction material call system, is a more traditional and very effective way to transfer material, is widely used in many domestic and foreign automobile logistics system manufacturers; This material is mainly used in common parts methods and call transfer materials Small pieces.

Kanban Material Definition: Kanban Material is a plastic or paper material card The material name, material number, material quantity per carton and carton number are recorded on the carton. Sometimes a bar code that uniquely identifies the material is printed on the material's kanban. Kanban material is usually designed and produced by the auto parts logistics department according to the type of material and the actual number of work units.

Material distribution process

The material parts supplied by the supplier are also placed on the material kanban card at the same time as the unpacking and refilling classification of the material delivery container. A material card is placed in each box (or other container unit).

After the material is sent to the assembly station, when the operator prepares to use the first material of the container, the material card is first placed in the material carton collection box near the station.

materials sector will have the person responsible in the sound system and alarm ANDON ready, periodic workshop on the site in each collection materials Kanban tank inspections are carried out, when Kanban Kanban material found in the collection box hit a predetermined number (on behalf of the Species The kanban card of material is collected back into the logistics area and fed according to the information on the card.

For larger materials such as: windshield materials, benches, tires and other materials next to parts in the factory floor storage station can not be a lot of (frequent delivery) the use of material or sensitive screen materials to touch call button, set the material in the call logistic area The alarm display method is used to perform the material distribution.

Conclusion

From the above introduction, we can see that Rockwell Automation can provide a variety of different customized logistics solutions for different customers. It provides different solutions for the different scales of production and actual processes of the customers. Throughout the project implementation, Rockwell Automation provides pre-planning and consulting services for the design, implementation of turnkey projects, training and production start-up support for related systems. Rockwell Automation also sincerely hopes to cooperate more broadly with Chinese customers.

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