Perfecting Just-In-Time Production
Johnson Controls makes car and truck seats that must be delivered to automakers in precise order for just-in-time manufacturing. The company has deployed a 13.56 MHz RFID system that has proven to be 99.9 percent accurate.
By Jonathan Collins
Aug. 11, 2003 - Johnson Controls' business is all about delivering what big automakers like DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors want when they want it. And that's one reason the $20 billion Milwaukee, Wisc.-based suppler of car and truck interiors decided to deploy an RFID system in its Livermore, Calif. production facility.
The Livermore plant makes car and truck seats for just-in-time manufacturing at the New United Motor Manufacturers (NUMMI), a joint production facility of Toyota and General Motors. Johnson Controls has to ship up to 1,500 car seats daily to NUMMI's production line in Fremont, Calif., in the order that exactly matches what NUMMI has asked for. If any of the 20 or more deliveries made each day has a single seat that is the wrong type or not in the correct sequence, Johnson Controls could bring its customer’s car or truck production line to a grinding halt.
To ensure the accuracy of its seat shipments, Johnson Controls deployed an RFID system that improved its ability to deliver the correct number and type of seats in the exact order demanded. The system also smoothed the process of producing a range of seats for cars and trucks.
"Our previous ID system involved basic clipboards and checklists located with operators at each station of production, inventory and shipping," says Fred Zaske, an electrical engineer at Johnson Controls, which is based in Livermore, Calif. "We needed to find a way to eliminate the human error that was prevalent with an operator ID system."
Aug. 11, 2003 - Johnson Controls' business is all about delivering what big automakers like DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors want when they want it. And that's one reason the $20 billion Milwaukee, Wisc.-based suppler of car and truck interiors decided to deploy an RFID system in its Livermore, Calif. production facility.
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| Foam cushions ready to begin the manufacturing process |
The Livermore plant makes car and truck seats for just-in-time manufacturing at the New United Motor Manufacturers (NUMMI), a joint production facility of Toyota and General Motors. Johnson Controls has to ship up to 1,500 car seats daily to NUMMI's production line in Fremont, Calif., in the order that exactly matches what NUMMI has asked for. If any of the 20 or more deliveries made each day has a single seat that is the wrong type or not in the correct sequence, Johnson Controls could bring its customer’s car or truck production line to a grinding halt.
To ensure the accuracy of its seat shipments, Johnson Controls deployed an RFID system that improved its ability to deliver the correct number and type of seats in the exact order demanded. The system also smoothed the process of producing a range of seats for cars and trucks.
"Our previous ID system involved basic clipboards and checklists located with operators at each station of production, inventory and shipping," says Fred Zaske, an electrical engineer at Johnson Controls, which is based in Livermore, Calif. "We needed to find a way to eliminate the human error that was prevalent with an operator ID system."
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