Detailed and cross-functional insights into the retooling project at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.
Model and development cycles in the automotive industry have become shorter and shorter in recent years. This applies in particular to new engine generations with the requirements on fuel consumption and emissions forcing the industry to continually drive new developments. An example of the enormous effort involved in the production changeover to new engine models is the manufacturing system at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) plant in Bielsko-Biala in Poland. The production line for the proven TwinAir engines was to be split up in order to integrate the new GSE (Global Small Engine) engine family. A project that presented the people in charge at HELLER with a significant challenge.
TEXT Manfred Lerch PHOTO HELLER
APMP:
Project Management
The APMP Project Management team consisting of four engineers focuses on prismatic automotive workpieces such as cylinder block and head. For almost all projects, the APMP project managers have to deal with new requirements and conditions. The FCA retooling project was no exception in this respect. An existing manufacturing line comprising 53 machining centres was to be split into three production lines. Project Manager Ralf Lenuzza was responsible for the planning and coordination of the project with the customer as well as for internal coordination. However, this project represented an exceptional challenge. New processes, continual workpiece modifications and the production of the trial engines ahead of the start of production went far beyond the scope of previous projects. Despite this balancing act, the Project Manager is extremely satisfied with the outcome: “Short-term modifications are nothing unusual with projects this complex. You need to respond to them in a flexible manner.”
SOE:
Service
HELLER employs approx. 600 service staff at 30 service locations around the globe. With the FCA project, SEO Market Support Europe was among the first departments to take action on site. The machining centres had to be inspected, repaired and then re-positioned. The team of Uwe Eisinger, Head of Support Europe SOE, and Oliver Herrmann, Project Manager Support SOET, was responsible for all the work from condition assessment through to the repair and re-installation of the manufacturing lines. Based on the inspection results, the required repair measures were structured in cooperation with FCA according to an agreed scheme. Each measure was aimed at three optimisation goals: ensuring workpiece quality whilst enhancing machine availability and reliability. To achieve this, staff from all over Europe was taken onboard. A particularly close working relationship existed with the local engineers from HELLER Slovakia. SOE independently and autonomously handled the overhaul measures of the machines, integrating them into the project in close cooperation with the overall project management. Overhauls of this scope require thorough planning and competent execution, providing the prerequisites for the colleagues from Applications to achieve an uncompromising level of machine precision for the manufacturing of the new engine. In retrospect, the cooperation with the customer and the internal departments was a very positive experience for the service department. Moreover, receiving FCA’s Supplier Award was a particularly pleasing outcome of the project for HELLER.
AHFE:
Fluid Technology
Almost from the start, AHFE Fluid Technology was involved in the project. Even though the team was ‘only’ responsible for designing the fluid technology for the two new machines planned, they had to get involved early on in the project on account of the five months lead time required. A substantial amount of work went into the ten new hydraulic fixture types with new clamping sequences. Additional know-how was required for the partly very specific customer requirements regarding the design of the coolant and chip disposal systems. Although the department employs 13 staff, only three of them were involved in the FCA project. An effort that Team Leader Andreas Waldinger considered manageable in any case. In his opinion, the project in Bielsko-Biala did not so much require strength in manpower but rather intelligent coordination: “Despite the tight timeline, this was the kind of project we are expected to handle. The FCA project ran without any problems for us. And whenever I receive no calls following the conclusion of a project, this means that all went as planned.”
AHP5:
Control Technology
The solutions provided by Control Technology involved a more complex effort. The combination of old and new machines posed new challenges to the staff responsible, especially Team Manager Jochen Blank. The assessment of the old machines required extensive data research. Additionally, a new host computer connection for three different machine types had to be created. The requirement specification provided the integration of IO technology. To Marcel Bauknecht, also a member of the AHP5 team, most of these standards are part of his everyday work. However, due to the tight deadlines, integrating IO link into old machines for the first time posed a challenge after all. The AHP5 department has two team members focusing on hardware and six staff working on software. Three of them were involved in this retooling project.
APM4:
fixtures, tooling and processes in practical application
The team headed by Stefan Plankenhorn was responsible for the implementation of the fixture, tooling and process design. They came into the project when the pre-production parts were machined. The fixtures are equipped with a quick-change system and had to be integrated into the existing machines. The challenge was having to machine the pre-production parts on the original equipment and to make sure it was possible to machine the vast type variety of series parts later on. Generally, short-term workpiece modifications or tight timelines are nothing unusual according to team members Richard Reich and Andrej Berngardt: “This was an exciting project, because any problems had to be identified and solved within a short amount of time. However, when you adapt to these situations right from the beginning, you are able to respond without delay.”
AAE:
planning and implementation
Of course, the designs created in the minds of staff and in CAD also need to be implemented in practice. At HELLER, this is the job of AAE. Holger Class was responsible for coordination, observing deadlines and responding to unforeseen events. Usually, the customer sets the date of the start of production. When dealing with new machines and empty production halls, it is not that much of a challenge. However, with the FCA project, the old machines needed to be separated from the manufacturing line first and then reinstalled. Moreover, a new production line had to be taken into operation. In total, 53 machines were involved. As a result, around six to eight HELLER staff needed to be on site for the duration of almost a year. They inspected, overhauled and relocated the machines, removed any obstacles in the way and responded to ongoing process changes during the running-in process. Class still regards the project as a real challenge, but one they were able to handle practically without a hitch.
AHNC:
implementation on the machine and the workpiece
AHNC was responsible for implementing the planned machining processes determined by the colleagues in Process Planning into executable NC programs. The challenge for Erhard Hummel and his team throughout the FCA project was that processes seem to develop a life of their own throughout the product life cycle. Especially in Bielsko-Biala, numerous modifications had been made throughout the years and many workpieces added. Moreover, different machine and control generations had to be considered and the existing linkage equipment had to be connected to form a new manufacturing line. Additionally, the process modifications in the gamma series increased time pressure. To Hummel, all this is part of his work, as the department’s deadlines for the gamma parts or pilot series are usually quite ambitious.
AAS5:
commissioning
AAS5 is responsible for the running-in of the programs, including tooling and compliance with the specified tolerances and cycle times. It is a particularly difficult task, since most of the time it is not possible to modify the cutting parameters defined by the customer. Quality specifications were another challenge in case of the FCA project. To Reiner Hummel and his team, this is basically not a problem. Still, meeting the requirements with machines that were over ten years old was a challenging task. However, the team is used to dealing with similar requirements almost every day. Therefore, Hummel believes that the successful completion of the project was not only the result of his department’s work, but of the joint effort of all the departments involved. “We can only work in such a smooth and efficient manner because the cross-functional tasks were completed without a hitch. On a range of projects completed in recent years we have been able to demonstrate our excellent communication.”
