The starting position
Automotive customer requirements have changed dramatically. The need for inside door opening mechanisms with additional features such as loud speakers, switches and lighting has risen steadily. A manual assembly of increasingly complex and variable products is time-consuming and prone to failure. That’s why SFS decided on a fully-automated assembly line and site expansion.
A fully automated assembly system
Jánossomorja, a small town to the north west of Hungary, has become the focal point of the new 3,000 square metre building project for the Automotive division. From outside the new stores space looks unspectacular; it is inside that the futuristic aspect comes to life. The fully-automated assembly line for inside door opening modules was developed by the SFS Group in association with an external partner. The result is a modern multiplex system consisting of numerous individual stations connected via a circulating system, with the individual assembly steps carried out by six-axis robots.
Extensive flexibility
Today’s door mechanisms are supplied in a huge range of variants, depending on the vehicle model and chosen interior. SFS has set itself up to meet the needs of the automotive industry with the new assembly system and is in an optimum position to rapidly address new projects, offering thirty-plus different individual assembly solutions.
Value proposition
Using sensors and cameras, the assemblies are checked and inspected at every stage, resulting in exceptionally low reject levels. At the end of the assembly process, a laser engraves the finished component with a number and date reference, ensuring complete traceability. At full production, the Jánossomorja site will be producing 1.8 million complete inside door opening mechanisms per year.
