Visual Data's Effect On Quality And Productivity At A Tier One Automotive Components Manufacturer

To remain competitive in their market, manufacturers must employ timely measurement of performance such as productivity and quality. A solution to this problem is the implementation of visual data-based information systems that can provide a manufacturer with productivity and quality performance information quickly. These systems will help the manufacturer make quick decisions related to scrap, re-work, and poor performance, thus reducing the production costs. For this project, a single production assembly line was chosen at a tier-one automotive components manufacturing plant. A visual data system was implemented on a high-volume production line and thus provided the manufacturer with productivity and quality performance information quickly. After the implementation, the quality and productivity of the production line were observed to be significantly higher. The average number of defects was reduced by 30%, and the average number of parts produced per person per hour was increased by 5% for the production line. Sharing the project with undergraduate/graduate students in the manufacturing field will help students understand the application of manufacturing methods/technology and see the relevancy of their learning as connected to the industry. Therefore, the students in manufacturing will appreciate the immediate applicability of their classroom learning in improving productivity and quality.