Daimler Trucks claims to have launched a new era of truck production in Brazil, involving systematic implementation of Industry 4.0 concepts.
A completely new type of truck assembly line has now commenced operation at the Brazilian Sao Bernardo do Campo plant of subsidiary Mercedes-Benz do Brasil.
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The application of hyperconnectivity (real-time networking of individuals, things, devices) and digital technologies to systems and tools results in a future oriented production system. A completely new building has been constructed to house the assembly of light- to heavy-duty trucks and the associated parts logistics processes. The company ensured that its employees played a significant part in designing the new production facility, with the aim of creating a more ergonomic, more intelligent and safer working environment.
“Brazil currently recovers as a truck market. We have always believed in the market and continued to invest there,” said Stefan Buchner, worldwide head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, as production started.
Over the last three years, Daimler Trucks has spent EUR125 million on the new assembly line. In order to be able to benefit from the return of market growth in Brazil, it is also set to spend a further EUR600m on updating its truck model line, digital services and the modernisation of the two factories in Sao Bernardo do Campo (Sao Paulo) and Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais) by 2022.
In the last full year, it increased sales to 13,400 units from 12,100.
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By GlobalData“Following a long period of sluggishness in recent years, it is expected that the more buoyant economic recovery phase will bring with it significant growth for the truck market in Brazil in 2018,” the unit said.
Industry 4.0 includes a range of technologies and tools that are all fully connected together in real time (hyperconnectivity). The new assembly line is connected 100 percent with all the other production areas. With the aid of a smartphone app, workers and management have access to all relevant data relating to the assembly line on their mobile devices. These include the data for the 60 or so automatically guided vehicle (AGV) systems and for the electronic screwdrivers which work with pre-programmed torque settings. They, too, form part of a cloud network via Big Data Intelligence, ensuring faster reaction times in production. In addition there are new forklift trucks equipped with light sensor technology to speed up the flow of materials in parts logistics and 3D printers used for the more agile production of new parts at lower cost. Should maintenance work become necessary, the service teams will in future use augmented reality headsets instead of cumbersome manuals as a means of sourcing detailed information about each component.
The use of Industry 4.0 has led to an improvement of around 15% in the manufacturing efficiency of the new truck assembly line compared with the old lines. The new facility has resulted in a reduction in the number of parts stores from 53 to six, and in the storage time for components from 10 days to, at most, three days. The overall parts logistics process is now some 20% more efficient.
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil will now gradually extend Industry 4.0 to all production processes for the major assemblies (engines, transmissions and axles) as well as to the manufacture of bus chassis and truck cabs at both plants.
