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Just-in-sequenceAutomotive production down to the second
Today, many components are delivered just in time - or even just in sequence - directly to the assembly line during ongoing production at the automotive manufacturer’s plant. With tight delivery windows and complex systems, this is a demanding task for global system suppliers such as thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems.
In thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems’ just-in-sequence production process, humans and industrial robots assemble vehicle components with precision and in the order required by the production flow.
Hardness testing before series production begins
thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems is generally involved at an early stage of pre-production development. The thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems Test Center plays a key role in this process. Long before cars or commercial vehicles are launched, they undergo intensive testing to assess the durability of the installed components and identify potential weak points in advance. Much of this work takes place in the state-of-the-art laboratory in Essen. Covering 2,500 square meters, the Test Center uses custom-designed test rigs to conduct high-end durability analyses for demanding automotive customers. The tested components and systems are analyzed with maximum precision to reliably identify any weaknesses. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
"From integration into the development process to early consideration of assembly feasibility, from the site concept through the implementation of supplier and supply chain management to precisely synchronized just-in-sequence assembly and delivery: Our customers can choose from a variety of concepts or a combination thereof."
Delivery to the assembly line with split-second precision
Delivery directly to the manufacturer’s assembly line with split-second precision is no longer the exception. For thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems, it has long since become standard practice. A standard that requires extensive expertise and presents an enormous challenge. As soon as a vehicle body leaves the paint shop, the company receives an electronic call-off specifying exactly how the front and rear axle systems for that vehicle must be configured. From that moment on, depending on the customer, the team has 240 minutes to produce the modules and systems and deliver them to the customer’s production line at precisely the right time. Conversely, this means that if the process fails, the assembly lines come to a standstill. The worst-case scenario - for both the automotive manufacturer and its suppliers.
In just-in-sequence production, vehicle components are assembled with precision and at exactly the right time.
Complex coordination of 150 to 200 suppliers per location
To meet these challenges for every vehicle produced, the plants have to manage a considerable degree of variant complexity. thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems delivers complete systems, most of them highly complex and comprising a large number of components. Across all configurations, this means dealing with bills of materials containing up to 200 individual parts per module, all of which fall under our responsibility.
The challenge lies in managing the large number of different suppliers. Depending on the location and level of complexity,it's about 150 and 200 suppliers and more than 1,000 material numbers. This is a scale that can only be managed with a high degree of automation. The supplier management process is fully automated through a SAP system, to which all suppliers are connected. All information relating to demand, supply capability, delivery status and other relevant data is exchanged automatically through this system.
"Our customers inform us of their needs on a daily basis. This forms the basis for our resource planning: It takes available inventory into account and calculates the requirements, which we then must forward to our suppliers. This process is fully automated. As soon as the components are ready for pickup, our transportation processes kick in. This means that logistics service providers contracted by us handle the shipments, mostly via land freight and ocean freight. When the components arrive at our facilities, they are first assigned to the warehouse and then transported to the assembly line via the so-called “line-feeding” process."
International logistics: a fine art
The art lies in sourcing parts from all over the world for the production sites and, after they may have spent weeks at sea, assembling them within an extremely tight time window and delivering them directly to the line at precisely the right moment.
The continuing importance of the human factor, despite all the digitalization and automation involved, becomes particularly clear when internal processes deviate from plan or other exceptional situations arise. As soon as information comes in that suppliers will be unable to meet their schedules, special processes are initiated at thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems. The planning teams then investigate why the required quantity cannot be delivered and determine what action can be taken to ensure that the material is nevertheless available on site in the correct quantity at the required time. For local suppliers delivering to the locations several times a day, delivery schedules are extremely tightly timed. This is not a matter of days or weeks: exception management has to work within hours. Only then can the complexity be mastered.
A particular challenge is posed by the impact of the geopolitical upheavals of recent years on finely tuned global supply chains: first the coronavirus crisis, then semiconductor shortages, followed by wars and crises around the world. Global logistics has become an enormous challenge. When the logistics machinery begins to falter, genuine improvisational skill is sometimes required to secure the necessary parts - along with a well-established network built up over many years. In exceptional situations like these, the human factor takes center stage. Ultimately, what thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems sells its customers is trust: trust in its delivery reliability. That is the standard against which the team measures itself every day.
In the right place at the right time
An ever-growing number of model variants and individual equipment options is increasing the complexity of automotive production. It is specialists from thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology that make the continuing trend toward even greater individualization possible in the first place. Whether complete rear axle systems for Porsche or the electric drive system for the Smart Fortwo: thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems handles end-to-end supplier management, on-time delivery and assembly for its customers worldwide.
Flexible automotive production through just-in-sequence and just-in-time processes
The high level of customization offered by today’s vehicle models requires extremely flexible production. After all, every variant - sometimes across several model series - is assembled on the same production line. For thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems, this means that virtually every axle system is different. Two identical ones are about as rare as hitting all six numbers in the lottery. Plus the bonus number.
This is why vehicles are now produced according to the just-in-sequence principle (JIS). It is an advanced form of just-in-time delivery (JIT): the right components must not only be available in the correct quantity and quality, at the right place and at the right time. Just-in-sequence delivery also ensures that the different parts arrive in the exact order in which they are needed for assembly. This allows the automotive manufacturer to incorporate them immediately into the existing production flow. It also keeps inventory levels as low as possible, minimizing the amount of stock and storage space required.
Both JIT - and particularly JIS - delivery therefore require not only highly efficient processes, but often also close proximity to automotive manufacturers. thyssenkrupp Automotive Systems therefore plans and implements facilities tailored specifically to its customers, either directly on their plant premises or in the immediate vicinity.