Ford, Siemens Collaborate on Virtual Manufacturing Software
Ford says the software, currently being implemented on a pilot basis, could improve communication, streamline processes and cut down on redundancies.
DEARBORN, MI – Ford and supplier partner Siemens have launched a pilot program designed to give manufacturing engineers and other personnel unparalleled access to information about the assembly plant floor.
The program uses IntoSite, a cloud-based web application developed using the Google Earth platform. Through IntoSite, manufacturing engineers can access a 3-D version of assembly plants, down to the workstations, to better understand global processes.
At any virtual location, engineers can add pins, similar to those used by Google Earth, to upload content such as videos, documents and images. Engineers can share the information worldwide, helping improve communication, streamline processes and cut down on redundancies.
“We’re looking to build platforms in different countries, and sometimes it’s hard to collaborate on issues,” says Marty Smets, Ford ergonomics engineer. “We were looking for a solution to share information in a cloud-based format on an intuitive and easy-to-use site.”
As an example of an issue IntoSite potentially could solve, Smets points to a problem assembly workers were having with the wiring harness used on Ford’s global C-car platform. Employees at the Michigan Assembly plant, which builds Focus derivatives, were having difficulty threading the harnesses through the engine bay, while workers building the C-platform-based Escape CUV in the Louisville, KY, assembly plant were not.
Ergonomic engineers sent to Louisville discovered workers were wrapping the harness wires in a plastic sheath, making it easier to thread. Using the software to examine the process would have eliminated the cost of sending engineers to the plant.
The software “makes manufacturing more efficient globally and reduces redundancy, all things to drive One Ford and improve quality and standardization,” Smets says.
Michigan Assembly is the only site to be loaded into the platform, but plans call to expand upon the pilot program next year.
Smets says he isn’t sure if the software will go beyond the pilot program and be applied throughout Ford’s global assembly plants, noting the strategy remains in its infancy.
“It’s still very early. We’ve only been working on this the past year,” he says. “We’ve been showing it to various groups trying to get interest and make sure if it’s implemented, it is in the best way possible.”
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