How Augmented Reality and GE Digital's MES are Bringing Global Expertise to the Factory Floor

For those of us who drive to work each day, we don’t often think about all of the parts and systems that go into producing a finished vehicle. We just expect that when we turn the key or push the ignition, the car will run smoothly and consistently.

Automotive manufacturing is a complicated process, with experts at every level 

Manufacturing vehicles, however, is a very complicated process. Getting the right information to the right operator on the factory floor at the right time in a process that produces a car approximately every minute is hard (to say the least). Management need to be able to see the big picture trends driving productivity, cost, and quality. Operators needs to view the specific details relevant to each task they perform–but also feedback the reality of production to management–their expertise is essential to the effectively running a production line. Consider that manufacturing facilities can be the size of a small town, and are often part of global networks and it can be expensive and difficult to share expertise quickly. So how do some of the world’s largest automakers do it?

Implementing automation and MES solutions

The first step is automation. Gone are the days where manual work processes and paper are sufficient for meeting production demands and staying competitive. By implementing HMI/SCADA solutions, like iFIX from GE Digital, automakers, like Subaru, are able to improve uptime, increase use of real-time data, leverage predictive analytics, and monitor quality— resulting in record turnaround times.

Building upon automation solutions, comes the need to dig deeper in streamlining the production process. Manufacturing execution systems (MES) have been used for years in the automotive industry, but now companies, like Volvo’s Car Engine division, are getting more creative in how they leverage manufacturing data to make better decisions and improve process reliability.

With both automation and MES software, industrial companies are taking information about production and using it to make sure that machines, operators, and managers are able to make the right decisions at the right time. This helps them ensure that output and quality remain high, while costs are as low as possible.

CJLR uses mixed reality systems to improve production and efficiency

So, it’s clear that there’s a benefit to bringing manufacturing data to the factory floor. Until recently, that information would be restricted to a nearby monitor. Increasingly operators are using smartphones and tablets to get even closer to where the work is and complete tasks more efficiently. Now one automaker is taking this a step further.

CJLR is the joint venture between CHERY and Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR) with a factory in Changshu, China producing 130,000 high-end luxury vehicles per year. GE Digital and CJLR’s Mixed Reality system is now being used for new car assembly guidance in the production stage.

By integrating the Microsoft Hololens ‘Mixed Reality’ headsets with GE Digital’s MES solution suite, CJLR is freeing up employees' hands, reducing operational steps, and effectively improving production takt time. 

The industrial application aims to greatly reduce the cost of producing the vehicle chassis and other parts in the production stage, while improving delivery quality and speed of production. Furthermore, the innovation is greatly improving the efficiency and repeatability of training new employees.

Problem solving in real-time

This technology is helping CJLR employees solve production issues faster than ever before. One employee told us that the technology is so useful they can simultaneously see the machine they are working on, all the relevant data about that machine, and their product leader in the United Kingdom.

When it comes to any type of industrial manufacturing, getting the right information to the right operator at the right time is essential—but this is especially true for automotive manufacturers who are looking to remain competitive, while leveraging digital industrial applications to speed innovation for the future.

So, next time you start up your car—consider that it may have been manufactured with a combination of mixed reality, digital industrial applications, and with a dose of good old fashioned human expertise included.