Company Profile
Location: City of Tyler, Texas
Industry: Automotive Manufacturing
Solution: Intermec CK71 Handheld Computer and EA30 High Performance 2D Imager Engine
Benefits:
- Eliminated an inefficient direct part marking process
- Improved inventory visibility
Situation
A leading North American automotive manufacturer was relying on a manual data entry process to properly sort, dispose of, or correct parts that had quality problems or required other corrective actions to be taken. This client designs, engineers, and manufacturers engines and other components for industrial equipment, especially vehicles. Although the manufacturer utilized vision systems to automatically inspect and analyze every part, there were many instances in which defects were detected only after the parts were complete.
Solution
The team at Lowry Solutions, a trusted partner of Honeywell, conducted an analysis of this automotive manufacturer’s operations and designed a solution that addressed their problem and eliminated a variety of inefficient processes. Lowry determined that the CK71 Handheld Computer and the EA30 High Performance 2D Imager Engine from Intermec, a subsidiary of Honeywell, would be ideal for reading barcodes that are either laser-etched or dot-peened directly onto automotive parts.
Results
The transition from the manual process to the handheld computers made it easier than ever to properly and efficiently record and correct automotive parts that had quality problems or other defects. The Intermec CK71 reads the DPM, and the worker can use the handheld’s intuitive interface to quickly add the information into the system. The solution eliminates human error from the process, and the collected data can be analyzed to improve the manufacturer’s operations.
Any time an organization replaces a manual process with an automated one, productivity stands to improve. While it is too soon to establish the return on investment (ROI) for this solution, the manufacturer stands to increase profits as a result of the operational efficiencies of the handheld computers and imager engines. The solution employed by Lowry features trusted, high-quality products from Honeywell that will provide tangible benefits for the manufacturer.
