Driving Digital Transformation at a Leading EV Component Manufacturer with Icsoft MES

A leading electric mobility component manufacturer, part of a diversified Indian industrial group, is focusing on developing technologies to accelerate electric mobility in India. The company offers a range of e-mobility solutions including electric powertrains for a variety of vehicle segments, vehicle integration, and state-of-the-art EV accessories. With a dedicated core team having over two decades of experience in the electric vehicle (EV) space, the company aims to revolutionize the EV industry in India and the world.

• Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
• Industry: Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing
• Employees: 50
• IcSoft Product: Manufacturing Execution System

Rapid Digitalization

As IcSoft ERP was successfully running in its parent company with proven results, the EV component company decided to implement the MES along with ERP, thus saving precious time. Currently, IcSoft MES is being implemented for end- of-line quality, production reporting, shortage lists, and dashboards. Immediate roadmap is to implement IIOT for end- of-line quality. Costly downtime and scrappage can result from even small issues with source materials, equipment tooling, maintenance, production data, continuity between shift changeovers, and other issues. Reducing these inefficiencies was central to the company’s drive for continuous improvement and sustainability.

Overcoming Obstacles of the Manual System

The company was using an accounting software with no support for manufacturing. Shop floor operations were totally manual. With IcSoft MES, the company aimed to have a virtually paperless factory and complete visibility into station-wise, operator-wise real-time production. The digital work instructions are likely to boost operator productivity. QR code scanning for reporting is expected to reduce manual errors. Real-time shortage lists are available for taking timely actions to prevent stoppages. Accurate data for cycle time is likely to identify causes of inefficiencies and areas of potential improvements.

Optimizing Manufacturing Capacity

Prior to implementing the MES, the company would typically create production plans manually in spreadsheets. Reporting on production attainment required production counts, KPIs, and other key metrics to be input into spreadsheets to generate reports. This method offered low visibility into operations and lacked any indications to adherence to plans.

After implementing the MES, production plans are now transparent across teams and show real-time performance against targets. The MES can now pull the production orders from the ERP system and place them in the MES scheduler with the planned start and end dates. The MES picks the order and quantity and considers how well the equipment is performing based on the real-time data from the HMIs placed strategically at workstations. From this, the MES can accurately predict an order completion time based on current performance.

Business Challenges

• Poor shop floor visibility
• Low OEE
• Lack of corrective and preventive measure
• tracking for quality improvement
• Delayed decision making leading to losses

Expected Results

• Operator productivity
• Reduced downtime
• Improved resource utilization
• Error-free reporting
• Real-time decision support
• Reduced waste
• Better order promising

Reducing Inventory, WIP and Improving Cash Flow

Access to real-time data allowed the company to refine synchronization of processes upstream and downstream, which helped reduce inventories and release cash tied-up in work-in-progress (WIP). In addition, with the MES accurately predicting production numbers, the company can improve dispatch and delivery efficiency.

Having a Single Source of Truth

The company eliminated paper-based, standard work instructions and other production documentation by displaying the information through screens on each piece of equipment. This facilitates rapid dissemination while maintaining consistency and accuracy. The company is now a completely paperless factory.

Employee feedback shows that the MES is user-friendly and offers all the data required to manufacture highly precise metal components with the least amount of human intervention. Their time is now free for more beneficial pursuits.

Testimonial

“The flexibility and ease of configuring dashboards means we continually have the rich data flowing from the MES. The dashboards provide detailed overviews of all the production-related data.”
— A company executive

Reducing Waste and Scrap

A dashboard receives real-time data directly from the production equipment. It provides alerts (e.g., instantly indicating when a component is trending out of control) and prompts users to take immediate corrective action. This increases the stability of the entire manufacturing process and lowers waste and scrappage.