BY DAVID MALONEY, CHIEF EDITOR specialreport WAREHOUSE SUPPORT OF MANUFACTURING Cruze control Producing a a minute requires coordination, split-second timing, and a lot of behind-the-scenes support. Here’s how GM keeps the Cruze assembly lines humming.

IN AN AUTO RACE, TECHNICIANS ON A PIT CREW But beyond simply sorting and organizing parts, the real must carry out their tasks in a precisely choreographed value that Comprehensive brings is its value-added services. sequence to get the driver back out on the track as For Lordstown, this includes producing subassemblies quickly as possible. To do that, they have to have the of some of the major components for the Cruze. These right materials ready in the right order and at the subassemblies will later be inserted directly into the car, right time. The same could be said of manufacturing saving valuable time at the Lordstown assembly plant. automobiles. Today’s complex assembly operations require the same kind of coordination and timing to A PLAN FOR EVERY PART keep manufacturing running at a high volume. (GM), Chevrolet’s parent company, Take the assembly of the popular , for owns the parts processed at the Austintown facility and example. Thousands of parts go into its production— orders all the parts from suppliers. The parts basically parts that have to come together quickly and in a fall into three categories. The first consists of bulk parts, precise sequence in order for the assembly plant in which are basic items that go into every Cruze built. The Lordstown, Ohio, to meet its goal of producing one car second category consists of parts that differ depending per minute. Making sure the plant has all of the parts on the individual car, such as a door panel of a specific it needs on time and in the right sequence is the job of color. The last category consists of parts that require Comprehensive Logistics, a third-party service provider that something be done to them in Austintown, either that specializes in automotive logistics. through the site’s kitting or subassembly operations. Comprehensive operates a 640,000-square-foot GM provides Comprehensive with electronic data distribution facility in Austintown, Ohio, which is files on each type of part it requires for the Cruze. located less than 10 miles from Lordstown. The facility’s Comprehensive then creates an individualized plan for sole responsibility is to feed parts to exact positions on handling that part based on its dimensions, weight, the Lordstown assembly lines. It receives, consolidates, origins, where on the Lordstown line it will be needed, and deconsolidates parts from suppliers and prepares and the minimum/maximum number needed to them for just-in-time delivery to the plant. Currently, maintain desired levels of inventory. This information 85 percent of the parts used in the Cruze flow through is uploaded to Austintown’s proprietary warehouse the Comprehensive facility—a total of 2,236 SKUs management system (WMS), known as Streme. (stock-keeping units). Processes in the Austintown building are then designed PHOTO COURTESY OF GENERAL MOTORS Providing these types of consolidation and distribution around those particular incoming parts. services is a specialty of Comprehensive, which “We engineer the layout based on the parts—where currently supports about 25 different auto production they will be stored, when they need to be picked, what plants nationwide. The company has been serving the value-added work needs to be done on them, which dock Lordstown plant for 11 years. Before it began providing they will enter the building from, and which dock they production support for the Cruze, the facility handled will ship from,” explains Trey Lyda, director of corporate parts for the Chevy Cobalt and Cavalier models that services, who is responsible for the engineering design were previously built at Lordstown. and layout at the Austintown facility. specialreport WAREHOUSE SUPPORT OF MANUFACTURING standard 53-foottrailers. to Comprehensive,provides thetransportservicesusing production line.FalconTransportCo.,asistercompany to the order in which they will be used on the containers areloadedontothetrucksinreversesequence Lordstown facility. and placingthemontotrucksthatshuttleto the loaded ontopallets,soit’samatterofgatheringthem Most ofthesepartsarealreadypackedincontainers or deliver bulkpartstolinesidepositions in theplant. Comprehensive hasabout80minutestogather and lists ofreplenishmentpartsitneedsforassembly. day, GMelectronicallydelivers,or“broadcasts,” parts areconsumedinLordstownthroughoutthe a day,fivedaysweek.As Production takes place 24 hours START YOURENGINES empty containersdaily. facility handlesanaverageof14,000 program, and the Austintown within thecontainermanagement 114 different types of containers the vendors.Rightnow,thereare at Lordstownandreturnsthemto company gathersemptycontainers containers andthemetalracks.The management servicesforthe lineside delivery. are thenplacedintocontainersfor an emergencytirejackset).Thekits kits (for example, a kit that includes thepieces needed for areas, wheretheyarecombinedwithotherpartstoform containers fordeliverytoLordstownorsentkitting arrive incartons.Theseareeitherrepackedintoplastic undergo furtherprocessing. products willdepartornearareaswheretheitems the building—eitherclose to thedocksfromwhich storage. The storage areas are scattered throughout on the floor or placed into pallet racks for short-term docked orsenttostorageareas,wheretheyarestacked The WMSdetermineswhethertheitemswillbecross- receiving, whichisscannedintotheStremesystem. The containersarethenassigned a “licenseplate”in incoming containersandconductavisualinspection. designed specificallyfortheindividualpartstheyhold. parts comeinreusableplasticcontainersormetalracks due toarriveatAustintown’s54receivingdocks.Most the parts.GMprovidesadvanceshipnoticesforparts The Austintownfacilityhas42outbounddocks,where Austintown alsoprovides Some parts,especiallythosefrominternationalsuppliers, Receiving personnelscanthesuppliers’labelson Once aplanisinplace,thefacilityreadytoreceive

which slotinthe12-slotshippingracktoplacepart applies tothepart.TheRFdevicethentellshimorher system printsapartlabel,whichtheworkerscansand part topullfromarackofpanels.Atthatpoint,the is needed,theRFdevicewillfirsttellaworkerwhich radio-frequency (RF)units.If,say,adoorpanelpad of theseparts,workersreceivepickingdirectionsvia match thebuildorderofindividualcars.Incase technology atComprehensive. time,” saysSteveOlender,vicepresidentofinformation of everythingwehaveininventoryandprocessreal hours’ worthofmaterialsonsite. needed next. Lordstown typically keeps only about four that Comprehensivecanprepareforwhatpartswillbe information oninventoryhandatLordstownso as wellproductsintransit.GM,turn,shares the statusofAustintown’spartsprocessingoperations the StremesystemprovidesGMwithfullvisibilityinto first-generation cartothe second. 161 ofthe2,236partsremained unchangedfromthe to handleeachofthenewpartsforCruze,asonly other decisions,Comprehensivehadtodeterminehow operation shutdownforfiveweeksretooling.Among generation Cruze. began producingacompletelyre-engineeredsecond- which happenedthisyearontheCruze.OnFeb.8,GM time tomakewholesalechangesaparticularmodel, product,” notesJamesKriner,theAustintownplantmanager. continuous improvement,asweallwanttomakeabetter that AustintownhastoaddressforCruzeproduction. Many ofthepartsrequirespecific “Streme providesuswithananimatedrepresentation As forthetrackingofmaterialsthroughoutday, In preparationforthechangeover, Lordstown Sometimes, though, car companieswill decide it’s “The cargetsbettereverysingleday.Itisallpartof worker nextscanstheslotin proper sequenceforassembly.The into sothattheitemswillbein ultra-high levelsofaccuracy. believes it’s necessary to ensure like overkill,butComprehensive scans forasinglepickmightsound was placed there. Conducting four rack toconfirmthattherightpart about 150partchangeseveryweek improvements. Asaresult,thereare with thecars,makingincremental Engineers are constantly tinkering goes oninautomotivemanufacturing. how Most peoplewouldbesurprisedat CHANGE ISAWAYOFLIFE much continuous sequencing improvement to to

Electronic and single printed copies for distrubtion with permission to Comprehensive Logistics Co.,Inc. to Comprehensive from Electronic andsingleprinted copies fordistrubtionwithpermission March © 2016 AgileBusiness Media, LLC.(lifetimewebposting) DCVelocity specialreport WAREHOUSE SUPPORT OF MANUFACTURING

As soon as it determines what As soon as it determines what like a particularly complicated complicated like a particularly are actually 96 component, there of headliners different variations for the Cruze model, depending on color, the type of visors, whether the car will have a skylight or sunroof, and the lighting and electronics packages. headliners it will require, Lordstown transmits a broadcast message to Comprehensive describing the specific permutations for each headliner it needs and the sequence required for delivery. Nothing is built at Austintown until this facility as the received, is message operates strictly on a pull inventory Perhaps the most complex of the subassemblies complex of the subassemblies Perhaps the most into operation, Once the subassembly line swings Finished headliners are placed into racks designed truckloads of 1,600 prepares about Austintown Overall, which assembles the condenser, fan, and radiator radiator and fan, condenser, the assembles which that was subassembly lines was one of the module (this the front line builds Another subassembly relocated). system front suspension which includes the vertical, the A rear vertical line assembles and front disc brakes. axle, and rear brakes, while a front rear suspension, rear the engine cradle. horizontal line produces the builds at Austintown are Comprehensive are the interior linings for the ’ “headliners,” which subassembly line was the other roofs (the headliner Though that might not sound line to be relocated). to assemble the system. Austintown then has two hours to Lordstown. headliners and deliver them lineside the production floor large display dashboard screens on the work is carried track the units’ progress. Some of like applying glue. out by robots, which handle tasks Fixed cameras and sensors measure assembly angles and tolerances to assure that every fastener is in place and all actions have been completed properly. specifically for them, with each rack holding 19 headliners. The production is carried out in reverse are Lordstown in first needed items the that so order placed into the racks last. parts each week for the Lordstown assembly operation. Comprehensive is responsible for making sure that all of the parts are delivered on time, at the right place, and in the right sequence for the GM plant to turn out 1,260 cars daily, or 280,000 in a typical production year. Or to put it another way, the 3PL’s job is to ensure that all operations remain solidly on Cruze control. March © 2016 Agile Business Media, LLC. (lifetime web posting)March © Electronic and single printed copies for distrubtion with permission to Comprehensive from DC Velocity Logistics Co.,Inc. The new generation of Cruze also requires that more requires that more The new generation of Cruze also “It’s the detail we go into for every single part. We study part. We study “It’s the detail we go into for every single While it was carrying out the While it was carrying out the Sourcing parts closer to home allowed GM to cut cut to GM allowed home to closer parts Sourcing As part of the overhaul, GM made wholesale changes changes made wholesale the overhaul, GM As part of Subassembly lines include the so-called CFRM line, Subassembly lines include the so-called CFRM line, parts be sequenced for specific builds than was the case parts be sequenced for specific builds than was the case with previous models assembled at Lordstown. “It affects our lineside presentation, so we looked at our own layouts to make our work more effective,” Lyda adds. our standards for time and distance to provide added to provide added our standards for time and distance Lyda says. productivity and to improve our processes,” retooling, Comprehensive decided retooling, Comprehensive decided to rearrange some of the storage and processing areas at the Austintown facility. It added narrow-aisle storage and moved some of the storage and staging areas closer to the docks through which the products enter or exit the facility. This has reduced forklift travel time a fleet of 62 within the building (the facility operates Handling). electric forklifts supplied by Clark Material leadtimes while creating flexibility within its supply creating flexibility within its supply leadtimes while it also affected Comprehensive, as chain. The changes it keeps stock buffer of reduce the amount to able was as inventory often takes on hand. Since international to travel by water, the facility holds long as 30 days of inventory about 10 days’ worth sourced parts. of internationally the facility For domestic products, carries just one to four days’ worth of buffer stock. As a result of the change, Comprehensive no longer needs two satellite buildings stock. buffer house to used formerly to its sourcing strategy. Some 70 percent of the parts in in the parts percent of Some 70 strategy. its sourcing to points, from international model Cruze came the 2015 American from North 30 percent sourced with only that is reversed—70 percent North suppliers. For 2016, percent international. American and 30 SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED Among the changes made during the retooling process was the relocation of two of the subassembly lines at the Austintown facility. These subassembly operations represent a major value-added service that Comprehensive provides to GM. At Austintown, workers run five production lines that pre-assemble Streme The vehicle. Cruze the of sections specific software directs the manufacturing process, acting as a manufacturing execution system. When it comes to process perfection, the sky is the limit. More and more automotive and industrial OEMs are turning to Comprehensive Logistics to support their high- velocity, just-in-time manufacturing environments. Regardless of complexity, our highly engineered approach and control methodology perfect millions of process cycles and the movement of millions of parts through our world-class synchronous manufacturing-support operations, creating efficiencies and reducing costs.

• Warehouse management • Parts sequencing • Sub-assembly • Kitting • Repacking • Sort/rework • Container management • Small lot parts management • Bulk parts metering • Cross- docking • Transportation management

800-734-0372 Ext. 642 • [email protected] • www.complog.com