OPTIMIZE ASSEMBLY OPERATIONS

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How to OptimizeYour Assembly Operations

Designing an assembly system to fit the manufacturing process How to Optimize Your Assembly OperationsAssembly ConveyorsLinear Motion and Assembly Technologies8981 500 202 2/05

1Bosch Rexroth Corp.2Bosch Rexroth Corp.Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies8981 500 202 2/05Assembly Conveyors

How to Optimize Your Assembly Operations3

051015202530354045New-tothe-world

MajorRevision

MinorRevision

Time to get to market in monthsType of Product2004

20042004

199519951995

The flexibility of your assembly operation can make the differencein your manufacturing profit

Cutting,Forming,Machining8-30%

Assembly50-75%

Inspection

4-15%

It’s tough to make a buck in manufactur-ing today. Rapid change is driving theway products are made and even theproducts themselves. Products areincreasingly complex and require moreassembly steps. But the biggestpressure comes from time, becausewhile product variations expand, productlife cycles contract (see Figure 1). Thechallenge is to get better products tomarket faster, while maintaining profitmargins and lowering manufacturingcosts. To do this, most manufacturersare staying flexible.

Today’s manufacturingoperations present bothopportunity and challenge forimprovement.

To stay ahead of the pack, manufacturersmust seize every opportunity to increaseproductivity and throughput, reducecosts, increase product quality andreliability, while managing change on analmost daily basis. Typically, the laborinvolved in producing individual compo-nents—operations such as metal cutting,forming, and machining or plasticsmolding and finishing—representsbetween 8% and 30% of total manufac-turing costs. The labor involved ininspection and testing typically repre-sents between 4% and 15%. But thelabor involved with assembly can runbetween 50% and 75% of totalmanufacturing costs (see Figure 2). Thisis clearly where the largest manufacturingcost savings can be achieved.

While assembly operations may offer thegreatest potential for increasing efficiency,they can also pose several challenges.These include:

• Reducing work-in-process (WIP)inventory (the number of piece partsand materials waiting idly for value-added assembly operations to becarried out).

• Controlling product quality: test andinspection generally take place after allassembly operations have beencompleted. Rejected assembliesneeding rework increase WIP andcancel previous value-added gains.

• Managing rapid growth: for example,when customer demand is outstrippingcurrent capacity and/or the product mixis proliferating.

Figure 1 Product Development Time Keeps Shrinking for U.S. Marketers*

Figure 2: Production LaborBiggest manufacturing efficiency gainscan come from assembly tasks

*Source: Product Development and Management AssociationHow to Optimize Your Assembly OperationsAssembly ConveyorsLinear Motion and Assembly Technologies8981 500 202 2/05

1Bosch Rexroth Corp.4

While agile and lean may bethe ultimate goal for assemblyoperations, achieving that goalis seldom simple.

There are numerous variables involved indesigning the best assembly methods tomove products through a manufacturingoperation. The more complex theproduct, the more extensive the productmix—the more difficult the task. Shorterproduct life cycles also complicate thesituation. As product mix or volumeincreases, traditional material handlingmethods (i.e., the use of plywood palletsand/or roller conveyor for staging andtransferring WIP) may prove inadequateor counter-productive. Adding more ofthe same is clearly not a long-termsolution.

Additional common assembly challengesinclude:

• Numerous parts, components, and/orsubassemblies

• Assembly operations requiring precise,repeatable positioning

• Special environmental provisions suchas clean rooms, ESD (electrostaticdischarge) protection, temperaturecontrol, etc.

• Operations to accommodate modelvariations with differing lot sizes

• Products requiring up to 100%inspection

Companies successfully managing thedemands of continued, profitable growthhave recognized the need for a mecha-nized solution, i.e., conveyor systemsdesigned specifically for assemblyflexibility. Often, the best productassembly strategy requires the right mix

Old-fashioned assembly methods, like this, are both labor intensive and inefficient.of automated and manual operations andthe ability to adjust that mix as necessary.Flexible assembly conveyors, seamlesslyintegrated into the assembly processesthey support, provide the best solutionfor today’s complex assembly conditions.