Case Study

Enabling A Paperless Factory

by
Xemelgo
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Problem

SEKISUI Aerospace is an integrated design, manufacturing, and testing supplier of advanced composite structures, systems, engine components, and thermoplastic technology for the global aerospace industry. SEKISUI has been in operation for over 32 years and is leading the way in the implementation of advanced thermoplastics and intelligent automation for aerospace and is well positioned to deliver a new generation of composite products to meet increasing industry demand.

SEKISUI competes in a heavily regulated manufacturing industry; therefore, it needs to ensure traceability of all its development, manufacturing, and testing activities. Current requirements of tracking, storing, and archiving paper documents were manual.  

SEKISUI’s challenges included:  

  • Lack of real-time visibility to the location of parts being transported from one facility to another, especially during peak production times.

  • Small delicate parts and work tools being damaged or lost during transportation.
  • Significant time spent locating parts would cause compounding effects on production, especially if a problem would arise (missing or damaged parts). Fabrication of the new part would further stall production for several additional days.
  • Limited trend data associated with a product to measure the overall equipment and department effectiveness. Limited ability to apply real-time analytics to enhance manufacturing quality, performance, and availability.

Solution

With Xemelgo’s suite of solutions, SEKISUI was able to transform their manufacturing operation to a digital process resulting in time savings, improvement in accuracy, and an overall reduction in the costs of operations while increasing productivity.

Implementation

SEKISUI Aerospace and its Industry 4.0 team aimed to transform their physical production and operations business to a full-scale, well-connected digital factory optimized by smart technology and powered by real time data.

Outcome
  • Cross-facility real-time Shipment Tracking.
    Xemelgo, with its Shipment Tracking Application, implemented a Digital Thread of SEKISUI’s shipment process.
  • Compliance to regulatory requirements.
    Implemented RFID technology where all items are now scanned at each step during loading and transportation from one facility to the next.
  • Real-time Inventory and locating items.
    All items can now be located during transportation and on arrival. Items can be immediately accounted for with real time information and sign-off on the completed process can occur.
  • Pre-emptive action with Work in Progress Tracking. Managers receive real-time notifications on their mobile device for missing and/or damaged parts and they are immediately alerted if there is a quality issue.
  • Increased velocity through Asset Tracking Application.
    Minimized costly production delays due to missing or damaged items.
  • Real-time data-driven decision-making.
    Important business decisions now powered by mobile access to real-time operational data.

To learn more about Xemelgo’s Shipment Tracking and Work in Progress Tracking, email contact@xemelgo.com or visit Xemelgo at Automation Alley’s Industry 4.0 conference, Integr8, on May 10 at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

Details
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November 9, 2023
March 18, 2022
AON3D
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