Over the past 25 years, the heavy fabrication and construction equipment industry has experienced significant development. With the global increase in demand for construction equipment, companies face immense pressure to produce more products in less time and at competitive prices. Additionally, new challenges have emerged as the younger workforce is reluctant to acquire essential skills such as heavy metal fabrication, heat treatment, welding, and painting. The increased demand has forced companies to operate in three shifts, but they struggle to find workers willing to work the third shift. Recruiting and retaining a workforce to meet the heightened demand has become a major challenge.
Automation in manufacturing processes is the only viable solution to address these challenges. However, the implementation of automation projects in heavy fabrication and construction equipment factories has been slow. A significant challenge is that the products being produced were originally designed for conventional manufacturing processes. To remain competitive in a global market where products and factories are becoming smart and connected through Industry 4.0 solutions, companies must reconsider many established assumptions about product design and manufacturing system design. To maximize efficiency gains, improve safety standards, and enhance the reliability of automated manufacturing systems, engineers must design parts specifically to be handled by robots, conveyors, AGVs, and other automated equipment.
The goal of this paper is to investigate the requirements of the latest technologies in manufacturing and align design and manufacturing processes to achieve the strategic business goals of construction equipment companies. This will create guidelines for design engineers and manufacturing engineers to design more automation-friendly products and processes, leading to optimized production costs and reduced design-to-market timelines for new products.
Key Objectives
1. Identify factors for designing products to be manufactured through automation to reduce production costs by minimizing labor requirements and optimizing fabrication processes.
2. Establish design criteria for products that can be manufactured quickly and consistently through automated processes.
3. Develop design elements that enable easy scaling of production through automation to meet varying demand levels without compromising efficiency.
4. Design products with standardization, interchangeability, and modular designs.
5. Assess the impact of designing products for automated manufacturing on resource optimization, waste reduction, and environmental impact.
6. Identify key factors in the design of manufacturing processes that enable faster adaptability to changing products due to market demands or technological advancements.
7. Determine factors in product and process design that support consistency in automation processes by reducing human error and ensuring consistent product quality.