SEG Automotive

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Implemented By:
IBCS Hungary
Implemented In:
2018
Industry:
Automotive
Country:
Hungary
Customer Website:
seg-automotive.com/
Use Cases:
Material Flow Material Booking Warehouse Utilization
SEG Automotive

Shortening Lead Time and Reducing Labor Costs by Leveraging Indoor Tracking RTLS

Background

Innovation That Reduces Emissions Across all Powertrain Technologies

SEG Automotive is closely linked to the history of the automobile. Emerged from the BOSCH Starter Motors & Generators division in January 2018, the company stands for more than a century of innovations in its product sector: from the invention of the starter motor and generator to Start/Stop and mild-hybridization. SEG Automotive makes a significant contribution to climate protection by reducing emissions across powertrain technologies: Fueled by its passion for innovation, the global supplier is driving the transition towards more efficient combustion engines, 48V hybrids and electrification. Almost all automotive OEMs worldwide rely on SEG Automotive’s global production network, which delivers high-performance, durable and competitive products with uniform quality standards. This global strength has its foundation in a cross-cultural team of over 8,000 employees in 14 countries in the world’s most important automotive markets. [fusion_imageframe image_id="47014|full" max_width="430px" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="none" lightbox="yes" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="SEG Automotive - Gates" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]https://www.sewio.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SEG-Automotive-Gatest.jpg[/fusion_imageframe] Gates where the material is booked out.

Goals

Streamlining the Booking Process

At SEG Automotive, the warehousing and production are in two separate buildings with a 10-minute-truck-drive time between them. Production orders the material from the warehouse in just-in-time mode. The milk-run operator gets the order from SAP and then picks up the requested assets in the warehouse and carries them to the gates, where they get loaded onto the truck. To make sure that production gets the right assets, at their right amount, in the right sequence, and at the right time, each batch of assets gets booked out at the gate while leaving the warehouse and booked in at the gates at the side of production. This booking process is manual, prone to errors and manpower costly. The booking data is also processed with a time delay because it is not recorded immediately when the assets reach the gate. The main aim of the project was to replace the manual process with an automated, errorless and fully digital, real-time asset tracking system with the following aims:
  • To limit the cases when some assets have not been booked out despite already having left the warehouse and vice-versa, as these were extending the lead time and making the just-in-time process flawed
  • To reduce or delegate manpower to another workload away from the current routine and error-prone booking process
  • To free the logistic managers from these replenishment loops by limiting errors
  • To enable the asset tracking to make the processes fully visible and transparent for all company stakeholders

Challenges

The Battle for Accuracy - UWB RTLS versus RFID

The key feature of the indoor-tracking system was its accuracy as the tracked gates are closely positioned next to each other requiring a precision of 30 cm to properly detect the position at the correct gate. Two indoor tracking technologies had been considered – Sewio UWB-powered RTLS and active RFID. Based on the previous IBCS project using active RFID, the solution met only a 95% correctness of booking signals as the RFID readers got easily recalibrated by the vibration of machinery or a forklift, or even if they were knocked. Therefore, the reader had to be recalibrated, which took two working days, resulting in additional maintenance costs and the gate tracking system being out of order during that time.  Finally, the accuracy of RFID was unsatisfactory as it was causing the wrong identification of material between gates that were close to each other. Sewio UWB-powered RTLS was tested over three weeks as a proof-of-concept for this use case. Due to the nature of the UWB technology and TDoA methodology powering Sewio’s real-time location system for automotive, it recorded and reported all – 100% – bookings correctly and made the system the clear winner for the implementation. The main challenge for IBCS was to ensure the flawless cooperation between SAP, Voice Picking, the printing solution and Sewio RTLS. To ensure this, IBCS had to install a robust wireless communication system to make data transmission available at any point of the facility and also create a software interface to convert data into the appropriate format for each part of the system.

Solution

Full Tracking of Indoor Logistics Processes

To cover the area for full track and trace and process visibility, 40 anchors have been implemented to the ceilings and 600 galvanized stacking pallets have been equipped with the Sewio tags. Unlike the RFID with a passive tag, the active tag used in the RTLS system allowed it not only to be possible see the actual presence of the asset but its full tracking, including the trajectory, and both its real-time and historical data. To ensure 100% accuracy for tracking the asset movement through the gates the speed/velocity of the moving tracked objects needed to be considered as well. As the tags are not powered by the milk run’s battery, the optimal balance between the refresh rate and battery life had to be found. This led to the usage of a higher capacity coin battery with guaranteed 1.5-year lifetime at a 0.5-second refresh rate. Sewio RTLS was integrated by IBCS with both the installation and customization of the Voice Picking and mobile printing solutions and also the heavy reconfiguration of the existing WLAN. With many years of experience in these fields, IBCS engineers were able to significantly reduce the time necessary for the implementation. [fusion_imageframe image_id="47021|full" max_width="430px" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="none" lightbox="yes" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="SEG-Automotive-Tag-Placement" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]https://www.sewio.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SEG-Automotive-Tag-Placement.jpg[/fusion_imageframe] Tag placement on the galvanized stacking pallet. [fusion_imageframe image_id="47022|full" max_width="430px" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="none" lightbox="yes" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="SEG-Automotive-Anchor-Placement-2" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]https://www.sewio.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SEG-Automotive-Anchor-Placement-2.jpg[/fusion_imageframe] Anchors placement above the gates. [fusion_imageframe image_id="47019|full" max_width="430px" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="none" lightbox="yes" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="SEG-Automotive-Anchors-Installation-Overview" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]https://www.sewio.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SEG-Automotive-Anchors-Installation-Overview.jpg[/fusion_imageframe] Overview of the installation of anchors within the facility. [fusion_separator style_type="default" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" sep_color="" top_margin="15" bottom_margin="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center"][/fusion_separator]
2,000 m² / area covered
40 / receivers
600 / tracked objects

Results

15% Employees Saved for Less Routine Work

The implemented Sewio RTLS integrated perfectly with the current WMS automated booking in/out process, allowing the dedication of 15% of employees over three shifts from the routine operational task to other work. The previously created errors of false and forgotten bookings were eliminated, streamlining the overall process. The delayed data was replaced with real-time insights moving the just-in-time methodology towards just-in-real-time. Both the eliminated errors and delays in reporting led to shortening the lead time by 50%, from six to three hours. Although it is it not certain who was first to say this: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it”, it doesn’t lower the validity of the quote. To allow the continuous improvement (Kaizen) of the processes, logistics and supply chain managers obtained full visibility and transparency of the asset flow. The future plans not only include expanding Sewio RTLS into other halls and facilities of SEG Automotive, including the production hall, but also to cover additional use cases such as real-time route modification, root optimization, congestion avoidance, improved safety using the speed limit check, improving Pick by Voice by Pick by Position and the overall improvement of production efficiency through digital twin technology by leveraging the real-time data provided by Sewio RTLS. [fusion_menu_anchor name="VideoSEG" class=""][/fusion_menu_anchor] [fusion_youtube id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ8Ly1M5J2w" alignment="" width="" height="" autoplay="false" api_params="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" css_id=""][/fusion_youtube] [fusion_separator style_type="default" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" sep_color="" top_margin="15" bottom_margin="" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center"][/fusion_separator]
50% / shorter lead time (from 6 hours to 3)
15% / employees saved for less routine work
99,9% / reliability versus 95% when comparing RTLS to RFID
6 months / installation time

Key criteria for choosing Sewio

  • 30 cm accuracy which allows the full flexibility and variability of virtual zones without any changes of infrastructure
  • The guaranteed long battery life of 1.5 years, even with the high refresh rate needed for tracking movement, decreases the total cost of ownership
  • The ability to easily set an unlimited number of virtual zones that can be updated with a single click at any time in the future to adapt to the updates of processes
  • Continuous track and trace – unlike RFID and other technologies that provide only presence detection
  • Low maintenance and higher reliability compared to RFID-powered systems
  • The ability to scale the system easily and quickly to track more objects and expand the system to more halls
  • Unlike RFID and Bluetooth, Sewio’s UWB-based technology works with higher precision and can work in harsh metallic and variable environments
Testimonial
“Making our first-ever RTLS installation was really a great experience. We, of course, had to face several challenges throughout the project, but it was a great team effort from both sides, and we are very proud of the result we've achieved together. We at IBCS believe that RTLS will become an inevitable technology in the near future and we are very excited about our further cooperation with the great team of SEWIO.” Laszlo Pinter, System Engineer at IBCS Hungary
Testimonial
“Implementing RTLS turns out to be a great project and a real teamwork of all three parties – us, IBCS and Sewio. As it was a new field of application of indoor tracking, we have faced few challenges including the need of gaining the trust of our colleagues as RTLS is a cutting-edge technology. We’ve made a good choice with both, IBCS and Sewio, and we have invested into reliable and future proof solution.” Istvan Kovacs, Logistics Manager at Starters E-Components Generators Automotive Hungary Kft.
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