Major supplier to the car industry requests improvements to their pick by light system

Our client is a leader in the design and production of a wide range of components for the automobile industry including vehicle headliners. Modular headliners save considerable time on the production line as each unit is fitted with all components required for a particular specification and then electrically tested before being fitted to the vehicle.

We are involved in modifying two lines, one for the Land Rover Discovery the other for the Land Rover Range Rover. Each of the lines employs a Siemens S7 PLC, Wonderware Intouch SCADA PC and Siemens ASI modules. The system is semi automated and is designed to implement a JIT system ( Just In Time). Land Rovers are built to order, all the specification details for each vehicle are added to the system at the point of sale, these details are then issued to all component suppliers along with the date and time required on the production line.

The headliner assembly line is a pick by light system, each headliner is built in the same order as the specific vehicle on the production line. There are many different permutations for a headliner, especially when you consider different regulations and customer tastes around the world. The headliners are barcoded at different stages, which in turn instructs the operators to pick the correct components to be fitted. These components are then checked against the barcode on the component. All the data is then recorded for traceability purposes should the vehicle be involved in an accident.

We have been involved in various modifications to the system, from adding variants as vehicle specifications change, to a complete line move and restructure with additional verification stages.

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