Line Walk to save costs and increase productivity of C-Parts in drawing and special parts

What the Line Walk can achieve:
The Line Walk is a systematic inspection of assembly by the experts of Würth Industrie Service. In doing so, the focus is on the product and evaluating it according to the aspects of process, quality and engineering. Thus, potential for optimisation and rationalisation with regard to product portfolio, assembly processes and quality can be identified, leading, among other things, to direct or indirect savings in manufacturing and procurement costs. The Line Walk of Würth Industrie Service is designed for series production with a purchasing volume of approx. 100,000 euros and above in drawing and special parts. One look at the practical application demonstrates that, for example, if a turned part is replaced by a more economical manufacturing process, significant savings of up to 60 percent can be realised. “A classic turned part involves high level of machining, which results in high material costs. The procedure is also time-consuming. Alternatives, for example in the field of forming technology, can significantly reduce the percentage of material and production. This not only saves time and money, but also proves to be a huge productivity winner.” said Maximilian Rau, expert in special parts at Würth Industrie Service. While inspecting the assembly, the various serial production steps are therefore considered and examined for any possible potential to standardise the assembly components. “Using different types of drives or different surface systems are the classic solutions.” said Mr. Rau, who has already led several projects. In practice, experts also often come across securing elements such as lock washers and spring lock washers, whose standard was withdrawn years ago after it was proven ineffective. This is precisely why experts start by not only evaluating the application a from technical point of view, but also suggesting solutions. In order to implement a solution approach from a technical point of view, they coordinate directly with the customer and manufacturers. In this way, it can be checked immediately, if it is necessary to adapt to new manufacturing processes. To ensure that the usual Würth quality standard is always met, Würth Industrie Service works exclusively with certified suppliers. “Within our global and audited supplier network, we work with our approved suppliers and partners worldwide to ensure compliance with our quality and environmental standards.” said Mr. Rau. Moreover, the C-Parts partner also has its own accredited testing laboratory to test customised special and drawing parts for a wide variety of requirements. To sum up, the objectives of the Line Walk are therefore aimed at saving at product and process level while simultaneously increasing quality.

Step by step towards a perfect Line Walk
How does the Line Walk of Würth Industrie Service actually work? The first step is to define the project scope and the project team together with the customer. Taking into consideration the wide range of customer requirements, experienced experts from the fields of purchasing, engineering and quality assurance are involved in the process. In the course of the Line Walk, the experts of Würth Industrie Service together with the customer inspect the individual production lines and assembly workstations. By making a precise note of which products and applications are actually in use, the actual situation is recorded and possible solutions are discussed on site. In the next step, the C-Parts specialists prepare various solutions based on the analysis. The optimisation and savings potentials are documented in the form of a cost-saving report. In doing so, possible cost savings are compared with the investments needed. Finally, the results are presented followed by planning of joint steps for implementing changes in the product.

Customised drawing parts in automated systems
The range of services offered by Würth Industrie Service in the field of drawing and special parts goes far beyond the inspection of assembly under the Line Walk. The experts support from ideation to series production, supervise the initial sampling phase and deliver the series to exactly where it is needed through state-of-the-art supply systems. Thanks to integrated supply concepts such as RFID Kanban, special and drawing parts can also be integrated into a procurement solution with an automated ordering process, traceable consumption measurement and balance of fluctuating requirements. This not only saves a lot of time, but also reduces process and logistics costs.

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