The Spanish subsidiary of the German multinational group MANN+HUMMEL implemented three collaborative Universal Robots to optimize processes in the manufacture of automotive parts. The cobots, which work side-by-side with operators in precise machine-feeding tasks, have helped the company achieve gains in productivity without adding the cost of more operators or over-producing parts. MANN+HUMMEL IBÉRICA is a leading manufacturer of high-quality products in the field of filters and technical plastic components for the automotive and industrial sectors. Located in Zaragoza, and with some 750 employees, it counts on vehicle manufacturers, as well as the most important spare parts distributors, as customers.
The business transformation
The company works continuously to improve manufacturing processes and is firmly committed to the automation of production lines to help it "achieve a clear reduction in costs, increase productivity and therefore maintain the competitiveness we need in order to retain our position as market leaders,” says Iñaki Calavia, Head of Process Engineering at the plant in Zaragoza.
Furthermore, in the case of some assembly cells, the company had to increase the performance of the production process in order to meet changes in customer demand but without adding more workers to the cells. In the words of Hervé Serrano, Process R&D Engineer and Technician: "It wasn't about reaching the highest productivity in the shortest possible time. We are using automation to make individual productivity gains in environments where the solution functions side-by-side with the operator.”