Atlantic Tool and Die meets Honda of America's Line-side printing mandate
Background
Founded in 1937, Atlantic Tool and Die (ATD) manufactures metal stampings and assemblies from its six facilities in Alabama, Ohio and Texas. The company serves major automakers including Honda of America Manufacturing in Marysville, Ohio. ATD established its main facility in Strongsville, Ohio in 1967. Atlantic Tool & Die supplies automotive parts worldwide on the just-in-time delivery system.
Problem
Honda of America announced their line-side printing initiative in the spring of 2007 to be in place for the '09 model year. At that time, barcode labels were being bulk printed and then attached to containers in a staging area. This process has allowed for mislabeling issues to occur. Honda prefers that suppliers apply the Honda Container Label as soon as the container is filled on the manufacturing line.
Solution
In an effort to become compliant with the new line-side printing requirement and stay on the leading edge of technology, the Seville plant was built specifically to supply parts for the Honda 08' Accord.
- Helps minimize human interaction and improves count, part and label accuracy issues.
- The PLC and Poka Yoke identify exact parts produced, separates parts that are good from bad and counts the number of good parts.
Results
The benefits ATD has experienced with this solution are reallocated manpower to other processes, no downtime for paperwork and being proactive to prevent DTR's.