Transparency and documentation are of great importance when making decisions concerning the choice between new investments or re-use of existing equipment. Retooling experts at CSP have developed guidelines which show the problems inherent in retooling and retrofitting projects, and suggest possible solutions.
Only a few years ago it was normal practice in the car industry, when a model series came to an end, to remove and to scrap the equipment used, such as assembly lines and robots. The following new series would be manufactured using new plant. In this way the company could be sure of using state-of-the-art equipment. Nowadays, however, not least as a result of the economic crisis, companies aim at a more efficient and long-term optimization of costs. Because of this, many companies are starting to re-use existing plant.
”When talking to car manufacturers, it becomes clear that many see significant cost savings by means of in retooling”, says Heike Johannes. But it is equally clear, according to the product manager responsible for retooling at CSP GmbH & Co. KG in Großköllnbach that bad project organisation can lead to unexpected costs. In the useful and easy-to-read guidelines „Best Practices for Retooling Decisions “, the retooling experts have incorporated their experience. Moreover, with their own „Software Retoolizer“, they offer an additional useful tool. “With this software one can in principle find out which steps in retooling must be observed and what equipment must be used for a retooling project”, explains Heike Johannes. This is, however, only one aspect. A further aspect is that the software enables calculations for the required space and the costs for the retooling project to be calculated. In this way there can be a realistic comparison to the costs of a new investment.
Data relating to the equipment and its maintenance are in most companies available in their systems. However, there is seldom a link to the calculations necessary for the cost comparison of retooling. As the available information can only be considered individually, the resulting costs of used equipment are difficult to calculate. It is no different in the case of the technical knowhow relating to individual assembly machines and components if one ignores during retooling decisions whether the necessary skilled labour is available for further operation. Factors such as change of department or loss of staff play a very important part here. These problems can only be solved with a suitable knowledge-management system which should not, however, be used as a singular system.
The increasingly efficient use of production lines shortens the time between the end of the old manufacturing series and the start of the new manufacturing series. This requires an optimal coordination in retooling projects. For this reason, the “Retoolizer” company helps already in the planning phase to decide whether new investments or retooling make more economic sense. Before existing components are disassembled, the appropriate space must be reserved and made available to the retooling team. This step in the process simplifies the new space administration module of the Retoolizer.
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