Automotive and transportation WEST-RU

Advanced simulation tools from Siemens PLM Software enable WEST-RU to deliver efficient and optimal production planning for new car models

Products: BIW project helps verify the (Kaluga), Volkswagen (Kaluga), Ford Tecnomatix, NX accuracy of selected logistical (Yelabuga), Ford (Naberezhnye Chelny), Daimler (Nizhny Novgorod), Skoda, GAZ, models and planning solutions and AutoVAZ. Business challenges: for welding and assembly shop Offering a wide range of at Ford Sollers (Yelabuga) plant Simulation serves as the production services, including designing, planning foundation Comprehensive production planning developing, procuring and In 2012,WEST-RU won an order from Ford services and solutions commissioning Sollers to develop an optimal body-in-white WEST-RU provides engineering services (BIW) shop layout taking into account a vari- Meeting customer-specified and turnkey solutions to the automotive ety of equipment and positions. The cus- performance indicators industry. The company focuses on welding tomer wanted to align all shop floor process Planning and optimizing and assembly processes, and performs sig- flows and provide the expected capacity automobile plant facilities nificant material and equipment handling while making three different Ford models, Launching second simulation- systems work. Its experience includes all while utilizing the available equipment enabled production planning extensive Russian and European car body from a previous production project. pilot project manufacturing projects, from end-to-end services starting with preplanning (when Ford Sollers is a of Ford Motors only basic production performance indica- and the Russian company Sollers, which is Keys to success tors and initial concepts are available), located in Yelabuga (Tatarstan Republic). Employ Plant Simulation in through manufacturing, process flow, Ford Sollers manufactures the the Tecnomatix portfolio equipment layout, etc. and ; with the for production planning, launching soon. The Yelabuga plant uses including implementing WEST-RU meets varied customer require- semi-knocked-down (SKD) assembly. The preventive problem/ ments by developing suitable production bodies are welded from pressed parts, resolution best practices system layouts and verifying them using painted, and assembled. simulation. Once the proposed shop or Design BIW shop buffer workcell layout is approved by the cus- equipment using NX Ford Sollers selected WEST-RU to implement tomer, the detailed design stage begins. the project because WEST-RU had more Apply simulation at Ford than 15 years of experience with similar Sollers plant (Yelabuga) to WEST-RU‘s global customers include BMW, international projects, and was able to pro- eliminate possible bottlenecks Daimler, Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda, Ford, vide equally high-quality services to compa- and optimize operations, Mitsubishi, and Peugeot. Those it supplies nies whose first language is Russian. then fast-track second buffer extensive support to locally include WEST-RU was also chosen because of its project launch Renault (Moscow), Peugeot, Mitsubishi experience with global

www.siemens.com/plm Results trends, new technologies and solutions. quickly evaluate various production All plant production cells Approximately 95 percent of the compa- options, which can significantly reduce verified virtually ny‘s orders come from the German auto- development time and project implemen- motive sector. Another important tation risks. Manufacturing, procurement factor was WEST-RU’s office in Nizhny and commissioning completed Novgorod, which is quite close to the Ford Plant Simulation is widely used in the on the buffer equipment for Sollers plant in Yelabuga. global automotive and aerospace indus- the BIW shop at Ford Sollers tries, as well as across numerous other (Yelabuga); personnel and Employing best-in-class PLM industry sectors. The software is especially equipment productivity WEST-RU uses solutions from product advantageous for top-level projects, such targets realized lifecycle management (PLM) specialist as for a site-to-site collaboration process, Second buffer project well Siemens PLM Software, including the and for modeling individual work cells, underway Tecnomatix® portfolio (integrated digital lines and workstations. The objective of manufacturing solutions covering produc- such simulations is to determine the inter- tion planning, from process development action between equipment units, human to verification, modeling, 3D simulation, resources, shops and packages in order to and optimization) and NX™ software verify the entire manufacturing operating (comprehensive computer-aided design, environment. engineering and manufacturing (CAD/CAE/ CAM) applications. Among the firsts The Ford Sollers project is one of the first The Ford Sollers project particularly uti- simulation applications in the Russian lized the Plant Simulation solution in the automotive industry, representing a Tecnomatix portfolio. Plant Simulation is a breakthrough for the region’s domestic discrete modeling tool used to plan and carmakers. “Even globally, not many auto- optimize material flows, as well as motive companies use such a tool in pro- resources, logistics, and productivity. duction planning as a corporate standard,” Plant Simulation enables its users to create notes Sergei Vasiliyev, director, WEST a digital logistical model suitable for Manufacturing, WEST-RU Group. “The com- exploring “what-if” scenarios. The soft- panies that do use advanced digital pro- ware’s wide range of analytical tools, sta- duction simulation solutions are today‘s tistical models and diagrams helps users to global leaders in the industry.”

“NX played an important role in reducing overall project time and substantially improving design efficiency.”

Sergei Vasiliyev Director WEST Manufacturing WEST-RU Group The Ford Sollers project began with the Appyling simulation to greenfield Simulation is particularly simulation of a buffer in the BIW shop and and modernization projects valuable for greenfield and then was expanded to include the entire Simulation is particularly valuable for modernization projects, plant. The plant consists of three primary greenfield and modernization projects, where there is a need to shops: the BIW shop, the paint shop and where there is a need to increase car out- increase car output or the assembly shop. They are largely inde- put or number of models while consider- number of models while pendent facilities with their own regula- ing operational limitations. The BIW and considering operational tions and different production cycles. assembly shops at the Ford Sollers plant limitations. The buffers located between the shops represented greenfield projects while the are intended to store the products. paint shop represented a facility upgrade. In order to correctly create and optimize Using Plant Simulation, issues were quickly the buffer configuration, work sequence identified and resolved in both projects, and capacity, the input and output flow with the production schedules, proposed parameters must be correctly specified. layouts, launch, documents and other In most cases, the shop operations have items shown to be viable. to be simulated to obtain the flow parameters. “Much depends on the accuracy of the sim- ulation model,” says Vasiliyev. “To develop Simulation is a compelling way to antici- such a model, we need very accurate data pate possible delays, such as situations from the customer, and some of that data when either humans or equipment would may be confidential. It takes significant lag behind, by identifying logistical or han- time and effort. As the company is getting dling issues, etc. Use of simulation enables ready for a launch, not all data are users to readily identify bottlenecks and immediately available; some aspects get errors, and rectify them as early as the pro- changed on-the-fly. Still, using Plant duction planning stage. Simulation, we were very pleased; we finished the project on time per customer Simulation can make a substantial differ- expectations.” ence in terms of productivity, because exceptionally accurate plant capacity The Ford Sollers project‘s first stage estimates can be generated. However, to addressed BIW shop buffer simulation. achieve such accuracy, the initial model Several buffer configurations were has to be highly reliable, which typically developed and the one that best fit the requires extensive effort since there are so customer’s requirements was selected. many equipment pieces and potential product configurations. Such was the case At the next stage, Plant Simulation was at the Ford Sollers plant, where Plant used to develop models of the BIW, paint Simulation was used to develop a model and assembly shops, as well as the entire and simulate the entire production pro- plant model. Having combined the buffer cess, including expected production out- and plant models, WEST-RU conducted a put, ways to boost capacity, solutions to number of virtual tests to analyze equip- potential bottlenecks, and more. ment capacity and utilization. The layout was adjusted to account for customer changes and another simulation cycle was run. Solutions/Services Once the results were approved by the “NX played an important role in reducing Tecnomatix customer, WEST-RU began detailed engi- overall project time and substantially neering using Siemens PLM Software’s improving design efficiency.” Plant Simulation in the NX™ software. With NX, engineers devel- Tecnomatix Portfolio oped a thorough design of the buffer, www.siemens.com/tecnomatix Today, WEST-RU is designing the second including a 3D model of the buffer, han- buffer to be installed between the BIW and dling equipment and structural steel foun- paint shops. The concept and simulation NX dation. The Advanced Simulation module are well underway, with the project sched- NX CAD of NX was used to perform a strength anal- uled to be completed in 2015. NX CAE ysis of the latter in order to optimize its www.siemens.com/nx mass and meet load bearing requirements. “Russian companies have started realizing the clear advantages of using digital simu- Project launch success Customer’s primary business lation for production planning,” says The engineering documentation has been Vasiliyev. We see increasingly growing WEST-RU is a Russian engineer- released. “We have developed all the pro- interest at other Russian automotive ing solutions provider, offering duction drawings, and with them we have companies. “We are very pleased with the integrated services for weld- manufactured the equipment, delivering success of the Ford Sollers project, our first ing, punching, handling and and commissioning it,” explains Vasiliyev. simulation project for our customers.” storage systems as well as Management described the launch as comprehensive expertise in highly successful. Vasiliyev notes, structural steel design. The company serves automotive and general industries, both domestically and internationally. Using Plant Simulation, manu- www.west-ru.ru facturing, procurement and Customer location Nizhny Novgorod commissioning were completed on the buffer equipment for the “Using Plant Simulation, we were very pleased; we finished the project BIW shop at Ford Sollers, with on time per customer expectations.” personnel and equipment Sergei Vasiliyev Director productivity targets realized. WEST Manufacturing WEST-RU Group

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