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RFID Covers Durakon's Assembly Operations
In the Tennessee plant, workers glue the two halves of a tonneau cover in final assembly, then affix an RFID label onto it. The employees glue an installation kit into the bottom half of a large shipping box, then place the tagged cover in as well. Finally, they attach the top half of the shipping box, affixing a third RFID label to the box.
When covered by the shipping box, an electric eye underneath the table activates the interrogator, which reads all three tags, then utilizes iMotion to communicate with the manufacturing management systems and determine if the correct components have been packed in the box. If they have, a light stack connected to the reader flashes a green light, alerting the workers to move the large box off the assembly table and onto a pallet for shipping. If the verification is negative, however, the labels are rechecked. If needed, the box is opened and the assembly is corrected.
Since the RFID system became operational about six months ago, Mawhinney says there hasn't been a single packaging error with the Duracovers, which the company sells to auto manufacturers and distributors. The quality improvement is a money-saver, he says, and helps to boost customer satisfaction. "This is a large item, and it is hard to ship. If we send a pallet out and there's one wrong product on it, it is expensive to send it back to us, and then for us to ship it back to the customer," he states. "Also, because this is a new product launch, we want everything to be right for our customers. We want to provide our customers what the need."
As Durakon ramps up production of its Duracovers and adds more assembly lines, the company may use the RFID system to track assembly times. The RFID readers can date- and time-stamp each read, and by tracking the time between each scan, Durakon can measure how long the final assembly of the covers takes. According to IdentiTrak's Fryman, the company needed a month and a half to plan, test and implement the hardware and software.
Durakon is considering expanding its use of RFID technology. Mawhinney says he'd like to put an RFID reader on the pallet wrapper to capture the RFID label data on the Duracover's outer box. This, he explains, would allow the firm "to identify each order that's ready for shipment, so we know which customer every single tonneau was shipped to."
Mawhinney would also like to extend RFID to the packaging processes of the company's rocker panels (protective metal strips that run along the bottom of the car body, beneath the doors). Durakon packages 49 identical rocker panels—each the same part number and color—in a single container and affixes RFID labels to all 49 panels and the outside container. In so doing, the company would able to ensure each container contains the correct number and type of rocker panel. The RFID system could also help generate a master container list.
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When covered by the shipping box, an electric eye underneath the table activates the interrogator, which reads all three tags, then utilizes iMotion to communicate with the manufacturing management systems and determine if the correct components have been packed in the box. If they have, a light stack connected to the reader flashes a green light, alerting the workers to move the large box off the assembly table and onto a pallet for shipping. If the verification is negative, however, the labels are rechecked. If needed, the box is opened and the assembly is corrected.
Since the RFID system became operational about six months ago, Mawhinney says there hasn't been a single packaging error with the Duracovers, which the company sells to auto manufacturers and distributors. The quality improvement is a money-saver, he says, and helps to boost customer satisfaction. "This is a large item, and it is hard to ship. If we send a pallet out and there's one wrong product on it, it is expensive to send it back to us, and then for us to ship it back to the customer," he states. "Also, because this is a new product launch, we want everything to be right for our customers. We want to provide our customers what the need."
As Durakon ramps up production of its Duracovers and adds more assembly lines, the company may use the RFID system to track assembly times. The RFID readers can date- and time-stamp each read, and by tracking the time between each scan, Durakon can measure how long the final assembly of the covers takes. According to IdentiTrak's Fryman, the company needed a month and a half to plan, test and implement the hardware and software.
Mawhinney would also like to extend RFID to the packaging processes of the company's rocker panels (protective metal strips that run along the bottom of the car body, beneath the doors). Durakon packages 49 identical rocker panels—each the same part number and color—in a single container and affixes RFID labels to all 49 panels and the outside container. In so doing, the company would able to ensure each container contains the correct number and type of rocker panel. The RFID system could also help generate a master container list.
