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SIEMENS GAMESA and APPRODUCTIVITY 4.0 - Establishment of a reference model for the assembly process (Base Line).

incremento productividad flexibilidad gamesa

Factory flexibility and process standardization in the assembly lines of wind turbines.

Case Study

SIEMENS GAMESA needs to react quickly and to have a tool to adapt its processes, methods, and times to the particularities of each of its Factories around the world. For that reason we were asked to establish a reference model for the assembly process (Base Line) and to define the optimal sequence of the operative methods for the assembly of wind turbines. We accepted the challenge of facilitating innovation and improving processes by integrating APPRODUCTIVITY 4.0; offering them the possibility to increase their productivity with our cutting-edge technology.

Situación de Partida

Initial situation

SIEMENS GAMESA has a series of wind turbine assembly plants in various countries on different continents. Each of these plants was designed according to the specific needs, requirements, and state-of-the-art-technologies at the time; as a result, although all of them were enabled to assemble any of the company's products, we found that:

  • There was no tool to compare the productivity of the various Factories of the Group.
  • There was no tool available for the preparation of Workload Balancing.
  • There was no concept and structure of Time Blocks or Time Tables.
  • Each Factory used its own system to determine standard times.
  • There was no computerized tool for the management of Processes, Methods and Times.
  • Each Factory designed the formats of its own Standard Operation Instructions (SOI), which were generated in Excel, creating a disparity of formats and documents even within the same plant.
Objetivos

Goals

  • To establish a reference Assembly Process (defining the optimal sequence of operations and operating methods) or "Base Line", independently of the particularities of each Factory.
  • To create a universal Time Structure (Tables or Blocks) valid for all Factories.
  • To have a tool with which to adapt processes, methods, and times to the particularities of each Factory (capacity, versatility, layout, means, etc.).
  • To have a tool to validate and standardize the proposals for adapting the processes, methods, and times of the different Factories.
  • To design and implement a standard format for Standard Operation Instructions (SOI).
Resultados

Results

Through the implementation of APPRODUCTIVITY 4.0 we were able to solve the challenges proposed:

  • Creation of an optimal reference process for the assembly of a standard machine, which is applicable to the different wind turbine assembly lines in the various Factories the Company has around the world.
  • Providing maximum flexibility to the plants thanks to the possibility of simulating an infinite number of possible scenarios.
  • Integration of a tool which allows the calculation of the necessary templates for each possible scenario by professional specialty (skill).
  • Implementation of a tool that allows the adaptation - after validation by the central corporate entity - of the processes, methods, and times to the particularities of each Factory.
  • Unification of processes and documentation thanks to the availability of a Universal Time Table structure (for all Factories and products).
  • Standardization of Workshop documentation formats in all Factories, with the subsequent improvement in efficiency.