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Trailer Maker Uses RFID to Stay Lean
Three workstations now contain the in-ground tags: the assembly station where the basic trailer is built, the welding station and the finishing station where brakes and other parts are installed. In January, Peerless began affixing locator tags to the walls of stations where the trucks are painted or sandblasted, and where the AC, heating and electrical systems are installed. These three stations are housed separately, elsewhere on the grounds.
Peerless affixes asset tags, via a magnetic backing, to the trailers' core components (such as wheels and I-beams). As such, each trailer can be tracked as it moves through the lean manufacturing assembly line. The purpose, says Tulloch, is to measure what's known as Takt time—a lean manufacturing metric used to determine the pace of production needed to meet customer demand. "Takt time is the heartbeat of a production cell," Tulloch says.
RFind's system is helping Peerless document, in real-time, how quickly or slowly production is progressing. Using RFind's software, Peerless can create reports and statistical analysis to identify production delays.
"It is a great tool for our production foreman," Tulloch says. "He can tell how each job is progressing, and compare the progression with the actual production plan," Tulloch says.
Peerless is employing RFID for only a small fraction of the trailers it makes, but the company hopes to extend the system to all of its manufacturing operations. It also intends to integrate RFind's system with its own manufacturing system software, then make tracking information available to customers via a Web site. "The customer will be able to log into the system," Tulloch says, "and find out where their order is at any given time within the manufacturing process."
Terry Rachwalski, RFind's VP of sales and marketing, says a deployment such as Peerless' costs under $50,000. Peerless, however, has not yet determined the return on investment it is getting from its RFID deployment because the system hasn't been running long enough for the company to quantify its ROI.
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Peerless affixes asset tags, via a magnetic backing, to the trailers' core components (such as wheels and I-beams). As such, each trailer can be tracked as it moves through the lean manufacturing assembly line. The purpose, says Tulloch, is to measure what's known as Takt time—a lean manufacturing metric used to determine the pace of production needed to meet customer demand. "Takt time is the heartbeat of a production cell," Tulloch says.
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| Peerless affixes asset tags, via a magnetic backing, to the trailers' core components. |
RFind's system is helping Peerless document, in real-time, how quickly or slowly production is progressing. Using RFind's software, Peerless can create reports and statistical analysis to identify production delays.
"It is a great tool for our production foreman," Tulloch says. "He can tell how each job is progressing, and compare the progression with the actual production plan," Tulloch says.
Peerless is employing RFID for only a small fraction of the trailers it makes, but the company hopes to extend the system to all of its manufacturing operations. It also intends to integrate RFind's system with its own manufacturing system software, then make tracking information available to customers via a Web site. "The customer will be able to log into the system," Tulloch says, "and find out where their order is at any given time within the manufacturing process."
Terry Rachwalski, RFind's VP of sales and marketing, says a deployment such as Peerless' costs under $50,000. Peerless, however, has not yet determined the return on investment it is getting from its RFID deployment because the system hasn't been running long enough for the company to quantify its ROI.
