Electronic Components for Renault
At Le Havre in France, a world-leading logistics company operate a warehouse, storing and dispatching wiring harnesses and other electronics components to Renault.
Components are received from manufacturing plants in Portugal, Spain and Roumania. Pallets are received and stored in racking within the warehouse and are subsequently delivered to the Renault plant and to other local Renault component suppliers.
The reliability of delivery is critical as an incorrectly supplied part, or late delivery would stop the complete Renault manufacturing track.
When a vehicle is launched into production, many component suppliers have several hours in order to supply each part to the track fitment point. However, the wiring harness is one of the very first components fitted to a vehicle. Therefore, the time between each part being requested and it’s fitment on to the vehicle is measured in minutes. The system has to be immensely robust and responsive to avoid halting vehicle production. Hence the decision to install the PASS system and to utilise the support services of Newline Computing.
Accuracy is just as important as speed. To deliver an incorrect part would either result in stopped production whilst a replacement is sent urgently, or worse that a vehicle should commence its manufacture with an incorrect component. Consequently, the PASS system utilises very extensive error proofing at every stage in the handling and supply of material, noticeably at the point of dispatch.
The logistics company describe the solution as “Innovative IT. With the harness being a critical early component in assembly, improved levels of accuracy result in significant time and cost savings.”
Exactly how does this innovation result in improved accuracy and significant time and cost savings? This ingenious system allows all warehouse activities to be carried out by barcode control using handheld WiFi scanners. Without the need for keyboard entry, or continuous trips to the computer terminal, critical timescales are achieved and productivity is maximised.
Features At A Glance
Planning
Customer requirement schedules and orders are received via EDI
Customer requirements are processed automatically
Supplier orders and schedules calculated and sent to Supplier by EDI
Advance shipping notes (ASN) are received electronically from suppliers
ASNs can be manually keyed if Supplier sends by fax
Material receipt is booked in and compared to original instructions
Maintains information of overdue deliveries
Ability to export customer requirements to spreadsheet format
Stock Control
Material received checked and put-away into precise racking locations
Receives daily orders via EDI from Renault and other companies for KanBan
Allows orders to be manually entered into the order bank
Compare order requirements, automatically creates backorders
Produce A4 Pick Lists with barcodes
Identifies precise Pallets and Locations for picking by system controlled FIFO
Creates a Plan for Kitting whereby tote boxes are picked from pallets and laid in dispatch pallets in precise loading order
Uses WiFi ‘real time’ barcode scanners
Automated pick face replenishment notification
Ensures picking operation and dispatch is accurate to pick list
Allows manual entry of picking process as backup failsafe.
Entry of additional dispatches as required.
Sends standard EDIFACT (Odette) ASN message via EDI upon dispatch
Records the stock balances of all components used in the assembly process
Produces a range of management information to support operational management.
Offers audit trail for component tracking.
Sequenced Supply - Just In Time (JIT)
JIT messages are received by direct x25 link to Renault
Each message concerns a vehicle body about to be launched for manufacture
JIT messages are received in sequence of manufacture
JIT messages are validated for assembly code and sequence
Very comprehensive error handling facilities are provided
For each JIT message (vehicle) a sequence label is printed.
Labels contain barcodes for sequence and assembly part(s) required.
Labels contain Picking instructions, identifying precise FIFO pallet
Pick face replenishment by barcode and scanner instructions
Multiple label types, some controlling an assembly process
Final accuracy check immediately prior to dispatch
WiFi Scanners operate in real time with the application
Scanning immediately prior to dispatch ensures accuracy of supply