Tecnomatix FAW Car Using the Tecnomatix digital manufacturing system, FAW Car substantially strengthened its R&D capability and production efficiency, saving more than 3 million yuan per car model Industry New car projects shortened by Big challenges; compelling solutions Automotive OEM two months using Tecnomatix Over the years, FAW Car established a huge product research and development A pioneer in China’s auto industry (R&D) database. This enormous amount Business challenges FAW Car Company Limited (FAW Car) of information for designing and manufac- Launch models faster to is a subsidiary of China First Automobile turing various models resulted in a capture bigger market share Group, a pioneer in the research and complex data management environment. The organization’s approach to managing Address explosive data growth development of China’s auto industry. the data required a more advanced solu- and synchronize information FAW Car is China’s first publicly traded tion, such as product lifecycle manage- dispersed in isolated island company in the automotive and transpor- ment (PLM), because information systems tation industry. Located in Changchun High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, bottlenecks were creating substantial Effectively manage product adjacent to Changchun Automobile obstacles to knowledge sharing and col- data and versions Industry Development Zone, FAW Car’s laboration between departments. Integrate engineering and new factory was completed and put into manufacturing production in July 2004, with an area of To meet this challenge and engage 880,000 square meters for Phase I proactive steps to accelerate vehicle and an annual production capacity of time-to-market, reduce costs and Key to success 120,000 vehicles. Tecnomatix digital manufac- turing technology to conduct product manufacturing feasibility studies, preliminary process planning, logistics planning and layout planning before shop floor activities are carried out Achievements Simplified work procedures New car projects shortened by two months 5 percent cost saving per car project siemens.com/tecnomatix Achievements (continued) improve overall operations, FAW Car Process planning turnaround chose the Tecnomatix® portfolio from reduced by 18 percent Siemens PLM Software. Tecnomatix is a complete digital manufacturing solution Production line capacity that allows for the integration of all increased by 25 percent manufacturing planning procedures and Resource utilization product engineering, enabling integrated significantly improved digital workflow. Smooth deployment, great support More than 3 million yuan To date, FAW Car has deployed the Process reduction in R&D costs per “In terms of digital manufacturing, we Designer solution, the Process Simulate car model have indeed encountered some difficulties, solution and Robcad™ software, all in the such as too many ‘information silos,’ Tecnomatix portfolio, for welding, paint- “Considering the company’s unstructured management of product data ing, final assembly and other first-priority special needs, I think and versions, and so on,” says Xie Wencai, areas, especially involving the product Siemens PLM Software’s who directs the Technical Division at FAW development and production preparation solutions fit in with the com- Car. “While seeking countermeasures, an stages. Using Tecnomatix, the company pany’s development strategy opportunity arose in 2011. I attended a has conducted virtual validation and simu- and will bring great lecture on digital manufacturing and lation, product manufacturing feasibility benefits.” process planning given by Siemens PLM studies, preliminary process planning, and Software, and benefitted a lot from it. logistics and layout planning before Xie Wencai Since then, I have realized the importance manufacturing. Head of the Technical Division and urgency of digital manufacturing and FAW Car process planning. Digital manufacturing “Tecnomatix is a part of Siemens PLM systems are not only a process of accumu- Software’s digital manufacturing solution, lating engineering information and exper- supporting mainly process simulation and tise, but also a key tool for enterprises to optimization,” notes Xie. “Nowadays, standardize engineering processes, control many domestic and foreign counterparts business effectiveness, and manage have adopted this digital manufacturing business operations. Considering our solution as a part of their PLM platform. company’s special needs, I think that Therefore, there is a wealth of experience Siemens PLM Software solutions fit in with worth drawing on. Moreover, Siemens the company’s development strategy and PLM Software has a very professional will bring great benefits.” service team, which provides regular technical training for our engineers and addresses any issues that may occur during implementation.” By using Tecnomatix to conduct process planning, simulation and optimization for the welding, painting, final assembly and other major businesses of the A501, A130, and C131 car projects, FAW Car’s Manufacturing Engineering Division has effectively synchronized engineering, product design, and manufacturing. Quantifiable improvements “According to past experi- FAW Car managers have found that the ence, using our traditional use of Tecnomatix has significantly short- method, it took 24 months ened production preparation time and from process planning to improved production preparation quality. actual production. With Use of Tecnomatix has resulted in more Tecnomatix, 2 months than 3 million yuan saved for each vehicle “In addition, the company has improved have been shaved on the model produced. planning efficiency and accuracy by 35 process.” percent, reduced process planning Yuan Xueyu “Thanks to Tecnomatix digital manufactur- turnaround by 18 percent, increased Deputy Chief Engineer ing software, we have shortened welding production line capacity by 25 percent, FAW Car time on the main welding line of the as well as significantly improved resource factory,” says Yuan Xueyu, deputy chief utilization, including all the resources on engineer at FAW Car. “Through specific the production line, such as welding projects, we have virtually verified whether equipment, welding guns, and industrial it is feasible to add 7 robots to the physical appliances and tools. environment, and completed off-line pro- gramming for a total of 166 programs to “There’s more. Due to the prompt be executed by 50 robots. In terms of the feedback of manufacturing engineering planning of the vehicle-body production to design engineering made possible using line, digital process planning validation Tecnomatix, we’ve reduced engineering has brought great practical benefits to the changes by 15 percent as well as company. According to past experience, decreased error and design corrections. using our traditional method, it took 24 With Tecnomatix, we’ve truly synchronized months from process planning to actual process planning and product production. With Tecnomatix, 2 months development! have been shaved on the process. In the past, 20 process planners were assigned “Overall, 5 percent has been saved from for the planning of a new production line. the total investment of the project.” With Tecnomatix, that number has been reduced to 10, and the working accuracy As to painting, FAW Car finished the and planning level of the team has also off-line programming of 89 subdivided been enhanced. colors for 5 models. Preliminary analysis and product design have been synchro- nized for final assembly. A digital assem- bly simulation was done in the early stage, identifying potential manufacturing risks. Corresponding solutions have been worked out in the preliminary stage of product development, thus avoiding the need to make equipment changes during actual production. Such proactive mea- sures also reduce equipment costs and save time correcting design errors. During this same time frame, FAW Car finished Solutions/services Tecnomatix siemens.com/tecnomatix Process Designer Process Simulate Robcad Customer’s primary the virtual modeling of the A501 car optimization, robot simulation and businesses project, the design of the factory environ- programming, ergonomics and personnel ment and the detailed modeling of performance, product quality planning, FAW Car’s primary businesses fixed equipment, establishing the data and more. Through the integration of include R&D, manufacturing foundation and virtual environment for complementary capabilities, using and sales of passenger subsequent modeling. Tecnomatix and the Manufacturing vehicles and accessories. Process Planner solution in the www.fawcar.com Long-term planning Teamcenter portfolio, we can improve Xie concludes, “The focus of the next step the whole production development Customer location is to effectively integrate various func- process in the most extensive and tional modules into the specific business effective manner.” Changchun, Jilin environment of FAW Car, and integrate China Tecnomatix digital manufacturing soft- ware with Siemens PLM Software’s open manufacturing data platform, Teamcenter, “The company has improved in order to optimize the following planning efficiency and working procedures: parts manufacturing accuracy by 35 percent, planning, assembly process planning, reduced process planning resources management, plant design and turnaround by 18 percent, increased production line capacity by 25 percent, as well as improved resource utilization by 60 percent, including all the resources on the production