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www.us-tech.com
May, 2017
Safeguarding Production by Optimizing Supply Chain
By Nicole Schenk
plant has put the idea into practice through a combination of factory automation, digital supply chain management, an efficient layout, and robust IT systems. How do you achieve global excel-
A
lence in operations? For Jörg Cwojdzinski, VP of supply chain man- agement at ASM Assembly Systems, it comes as a result of many years of labor and continuous improvements. “We laid the foundation in 2003 with our strategic SCM (supply chain man- agement) Synchro program,” says Cwojdzinski. “Previously, our supply chain had the traditional function- based structure. Purchasing, logistics, manufacturing sites — each depart- ment operated autonomously and pursued its own optimization tar- gets.” The SCM Synchro program allowed the company to create a process-oriented and globally-uniform SCM organization. The goal was to have single responsibility from the first screw to the final delivery of the placement machine to the customer. As a result, hierarchies became
flatter and responsibilities clearer. Unnecessary interfaces and coordi- nation steps were eliminated. The organization ultimately focused on the customer’s individual order and implemented and optimized consis- tent process chains. The benefits quickly became measurable as the order-to-bill throughput time for building a placement machine was reduced by 60 percent.
Thinking Lean In 2008, Cwojdzinski’s team
began a second improvement cycle. This time the team focused on a lean supply chain and implementing lean production principles and methods down to each individual workstation. The company’s Munich plant was reorganized and the entire layout was converted to a workflow-based design with assembly cells. The machines were produced on a strict, order-oriented basis, using a pull or demand-based approach rather than a future-oriented method. Flexible
fter years of being only theory, the smart factory is finally within reach. ASM’s Munich
time contingents replaced weekly work schedules. In addition, the employees have been trained in such
award” sponsored by Produktion Magazine and consultancy firm A.T. Kearney. The contest certified that
with monitors and data projectors. In the past, workers had to call up clas- sic assembly instructions for the respective order. Today, videos or a series of images are displayed auto- matically, showing the work steps in detail.
At stations involving the assem-
bly of hoses, for example, an image of the next hose is projected directly onto the work surface. A special device issues this hose in the correct color and length. Other procedures have been networked and synchro- nized as well. The kanban racks have been equipped with pick-to-light technology to reduce errors and wasted time during material collec- tion. In the future, light barriers, cameras or scales will be used to ver- ify the parts. In other assembly cells, intelli-
Jörg Cwojdzinski, head of global supply chain management, ASM.
a way that they can be deployed at different workstations and in various production cells. “Many managers use the lean
production approach merely as a toolbox for making tactical improve- ments,” explains Cwojdzinski. “Our goal was to teach our employees to think lean in their everyday work. We conduct joint value stream analy- ses and improve processes in stages.” Processes like material deliv-
ery, refilling kanban racks or pack- aging the machines for shipment were turned over to service provider teams that are integrated closely into the company’s planning and schedul- ing activities. ASM managed to make the pro-
duction of extremely complex mach - ines with many different versions flexible enough that the company is able to respond quickly to any change in the industry. With 80 percent less space, and without adding to the headcount, the company was able to raise its maximum output. All the improvement paid off, ASM’s Munich factory won the “Factory of the Year/Global Excellence in Operations
ASM can balance order fluctuations of ±60 percent through its processes, flexible organizational structure and factory layout. The company’s latest initiative
is its smart supply chain. Its goals: use more networked and smart machines, further improve the inte- gration of suppliers, and expand the value stream mapping to the entire supply chain. To test Industry 4.0 components
for maturity and usability, ASM com- missioned a university to evaluate new production technologies. The company also established a manage- ment position for production digitiza- tion to oversee the conversion to a smart supply chain.
Four Areas of Improvement The company’s current produc-
tion innovation project focuses on four key areas: smart assembly, automation, 3D printing, and IT sys- tems/digitization.
Smart Assembly. Since assembly processes make up the largest part of machine production, some assembly stations and cells are now equipped
At hose assembly stations, images are projected onto the work surface.
Automation. ASM is also pushing the use of robots. “Today’s robots are
Continued on page 65
gent and wirelessly networked torque wrenches are used that set the proper torque when the order data is received. The system also instructs the user to install the right attach- ment through the pick-to-light system or by blocking the attachments that must not be used.
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