FEATURE Automotive Supply Chain
Sensor obsolescence As government initiatives such as the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) list driver monitoring as a basic automotive safety system, the adoption of this technology increases, with Europe having the highest share of driver-monitoring systems in use. To meet existing and future regulatory requirements, automotive manufacturers will need to install sensors that help ensure sufficient safety- related redundancies. As a consequence, more sensors will be built into the car’s seat, steering wheel and dashboard to continuously track and trace drivers’ vitals such as respiration and heart rate, blood pressure, and more. At this stage it is worth noting that these
components have significantly shorter lifecycles than those traditionally used in the automotive sector. The average lifespan of current electronics ranges from 1.5 to 13 years, but most only survive four to five years, requiring manufacturers to reconsider their obsolescence management plans. Moreover, as newer sensors reach the
market, those already in use become obsolete sooner. For instance, ultrasound sensors may soon be overtaken by camera- or lidar-based parking assistants. Overall, sensor obsolescence brings
huge challenges to most automotive manufacturers.
Rapid changes to automotive design mean that manufacturers are under unprecedented pressure to modernise their production lines
Ongoing changes To keep up with the times and bypass the issue of sourcing legacy parts, manufacturers can commission an entirely new system, the so-called “rip-and-replace” approach. T is has obvious sales in terms of interoperability, effi ciency and synchronisation with emerging technologies. However, the disadvantages are just as
evident. Not only is the initial investment oſt en cost-prohibitive, but loss of profi ts caused by the necessary downtime to replace equipment and retrain employees can be enough to put smaller plants out of business. Moreover, at a time when manufacturers worldwide are struggling to reduce the amount of waste that fi lls up the landfi lls, the rip-and-replace approach is certainly not the best option for the environment. In light of this, manufacturers are doing
their best to cope with obsolescence by stocking large inventories of key parts and taking advantage of last-time-buy options. However, both strategies have shortcomings. Last-time-buys require large upfront
investments to purchase a suffi cient number of components that may or may not be used in the future. Manufacturers also need to estimate the total usage of these components, and this is not always easy, especially when the quantity and quality of available data for predictive maintenance are inadequate. In addition, the long-term storage of
electronic components requires dedicated warehousing space, especially for sensitive components that might be easily damaged by environmental factors such as heat and humidity.
Strategic approach Obsolescence is the natural consequence of technological progress, with no option of eliminating it completely, but there are steps that can be taken to minimise its negative consequences. On automotive production lines, the fi rst
step is to assess the current state of equipment by performing a comprehensive system audit. Manufacturers can start by assessing how old their machines are and how long their components have been on the market. T e answer should then be compared with the life expectancy data provided by the original equipment manufacturers. T is will help maintenance teams determine the life stage of core machines and their components, to better assess of how long they will serve the plant. Manufacturers can then make a list of components that are already obsolete or near their end of life. T e second stage involves risk analysis. In
this phase, manufacturers can assess which applications to prioritise in their obsolescence management plan and establish a dedicated budget for their upkeep. Finally, based on the analysis of how critical
a part is to core processes, the predicted speed at which it will wear out and its risk of becoming obsolete, manufacturers can plan where to source these parts and how quickly. In this phase, it is essential to liaise with a reliable parts supplier. Since failure of any key component could aff ect the whole assembly line, timely replacement is essential to avoid unplanned downtime. T erefore, when an obsolete component breaks, calling the right partner can make the diff erence between a couple of hours or several days of downtime.
Planning for obsolescence Regarding vehicle components, engineers should ideally plan for obsolescence during the design phase. Analysing procurement data and avoiding parts that have been on the market for several years is a good beginning to minimise the risk of obsolescence. Although assessing product lifecycle is
not easy, access to procurement information can off er more control over the complex automotive supply chain. Simulation and digital twinning can also be used to visualise each stage of production and design in the most effi cient way, eliminating unnecessary redundancies that increase the risk of obsolescence.
CONTACT:
EU Automation
www.euautomation.com/uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
Automation | February 2022
27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50
