Watch: Making it modular - vehicle production’s flexible future

Updated April 27, 2022 with on-demand video.

Volatility and disruption in component supply; fast-changing market demand; increasing electric vehicle powertrains and growing model variety – automotive manufacturing needs to be extremely flexible to cope with fluctuations and uncertainty, as well as ensuring stability and predictability in lean manufacturing.

OEMs are achieving this flexibility through multiple changes in their production planning and systems, from prioritising vehicles by value or market, redesigning material flows, introducing advanced automation in vehicle assembly, as well as by adapting existing tooling to handle parts across more model and product types. Some manufacturers have been innovating with the use of more autonomous-driven production flows, creating modular workstations which receive different parts based on priority and availability, allowing maximum use of space and throughput rather than moving all products down the same linear assembly lines.

The rise in electric vehicle and battery production, with fewer but larger modules compared to ICE-based vehicles, is likely to make such innovation even more significant.

Modular production concepts are not new – automotive manufacturers have been using induction loops and consolidating modules of component for lineside delivery for decades. However, advances in linear motion technology and robotics, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), machine vision, data analytics and software control systems are allowing carmakers and tier-1 suppliers to introduce more flexible automation and processes in vehicle production, whether cellular-based robotics, ‘goods-to-person’ material flow or in optimising areas such as riveting and joining.

Watch experts in flexible automation, linear motion and software from Rockwell Automation, Ewellix and AMS in conversation about opportunities and innovation in modular production, and ultimately how such approaches can help manufacturers succeed despite high levels of disruption in the automotive industry.

Key points covered in this livestream: 

• Strategies to improve manufacturing flexibility across products
• Flexible automation innovations for assembly, from AMRs to cobots
• Opportunities for software and artificial intelligence in new assembly concepts
• Plant layout and design changes in brownfield and greenfield plants

Want to learn more about flexible automation?
Join the online AMS Automotive evolution Summitt May 17-19

Featured Speakers

Sungwon Lee
Managing Director – South Korea
Global Product Development Manager – Flexible Solutions
Ewellix

Sungwon Lee leads Ewellix’s business across South Korea, and is globally responsible for the company’s linear modules technology. He has a strong business and product development background in the assembly automation market. He has over 15 years of experience working with large OEMs in the fields of automation, medical and power transmission distributors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University, South Korea.

Laurent Sanchez
Director Automotive
Ewellix

Laurent Sanchez is responsible for Ewellix’s automotive sector, including in linear motion and module technology. He has held several positions within the field of engineering and business development across Asia (based in Singapore) and Europe (France). He has over 15 years of experience in the industrial market sector, working with large OEMs in industries including medical, automation, mobile machinery and power transmission distributors. In 2019 Laurent strengthened his engineering academic background (Engineer INSA Lyon) with an Executive MBA from EM Lyon with a speciality in corporate strategy and governance.

Christian Leitner 
Business Leader Future Mobility
Rockwell Automation

Christian leads the Rockwell Automation EV & Battery Business in the EMEA region where he supports Automotive customers and their suppliers on their digitalization journey to enable manufacturing environments that connect people, processes, and technologies. Christian joined the company in 2015 where he has since had the opportunity and pleasure to accompany global leading companies driving the electrification of mobility. He has successfully managed the start-up of multiple new greenfield plants – from early initiation throughout to the post-production phase. Christian intimately understands the nature of complex Automotive programs and has solid knowledge of the challenging dynamic market conditions and the involved ecosystem. Prior to Rockwell Automation, Christian worked for more than 15 years in different Industry-leading technology companies, where he developed a strong and diverse background in Marketing & Sales, Engineering and Project Management. Christian holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Vienna, Austria.

Nick Holt
Editor
Automotive Manufacturing Solutions

With over 20 years’ experience covering the automotive industry, Nick is responsible for editorial across Automotive Manufacturing Solutions. He has gained wide experience of automotive production operations, visiting OEM and tier supplier factories in Europe, India, China and the US.

Host

Christopher Ludwig
Editor-in-Chief
Automotive Manufacturing Solutions, Ultima Media

Christopher Ludwig is responsible for content and editorial strategy across Ultima Media’s global automotive media platforms, including Automotive Manufacturing Solutions, Automotive Logistics, Car Design News and its business intelligence unit, Automotive from Ultima Media. He’s covered the automotive industry, manufacturing and supply chain for 15 years and has nearly 20 years’ experience in the media and publishing business. He has an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Partners

Ewellix is a global innovator and manufacturer of linear motion and actuation solutions used in industrial automation, automotive assembly, medical applications and mobile machinery. Formerly part of SKF Group, the Ewellix Group consists of 16 sales units and eight factories. External net sales are approximately 2.3 SEK billion ($250m) and we employ around 1,200 people. Ewellix is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden and is owned by Triton.

To learn more about Ewellix, visit www.ewellix.com

Rockwell Automation is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 24,500 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. Rockwell Automation helps manufacturers to bring their electric vehicles & batteries to market with maximum speed and efficiency, making the world more productive and more sustainable. We can help accelerate launch schedule and achieve optimized production faster – all while keeping costs and risks to a minimum – with our industry know-how, technical expertise and digital technologies.

To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across automotive industrial enterprises, visit https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-gb/industries/automotive-tire.html