Auto Manufacturer Revs Up Production with Solutions from Kodak Alaris and Tronitech

Summary

The Indiana facility of a major international auto manufacturer needed to modernize document scanning and data automation on its production line. Their system was outdated and riddled with critical bugs; it required constant manual interventions that slowed down operations significantly.

They asked Tronitech, a document capture software company, to recommend a better path forward. Tronitech and Kodak Alaris have a history of successful collaboration, and with guidance and technology from both companies, the auto manufacturer quickly transformed its document capture workflows and eliminated the critical system errors that had bogged down the production line.

The Challenge: Roadblocks to Efficiency

A US-based manufacturing facility for a major international auto brand was struggling with an outdated element of its production line: a data capture system that required several manual interventions to resolve persistent issues causing production bottlenecks.

The assembly of each car requires scanning a validation document and a VIN barcode. A database query retrieves additional indices, and all the data is then transferred to the Tronitech VAULTView software for storage. As time passed, this system became obsolete and created obstacles to production efficiency. These roadblocks included:

• Constant manual interventions: Daily maintenance was required to address recurring issues with their data capture software, often resulting in document batches getting stuck or lost in the process due to high memory usage.
• Security risks: Their data capture software relied on Internet Explorer, an outdated browser no longer supported by Microsoft. This introduced significant security risks.
• Upgrade failures: Each major Windows update introduced new compatibility bugs that bogged down the production line and forced even more costly manual interventions.

The Solution: Successful Automation Paves a Smoother Road Ahead

Tronitech had been consulting with the auto company and saw an opportunity to introduce a new solution that proved to be a better fit, along with a roadmap for further modernizations. With expert guidance from Tronitech, the company decided to switch gears to Kodak Capture Pro and quickly integrated the software with their existing fleet of Kodak i4000 Series production scanners. Capture Pro enables easy one-touch document capture, and this simple operation was a major improvement over the auto maker’s previous multi-step, error-prone manual workflows.

Key implementation details included:

• Comprehensive system analysis: Tronitech conducted a thorough workflow and systems analysis, recommending solutions from Kodak Alaris and a plan to integrate additional capabilities, including intelligent document processing.
• A fast and successful deployment: The installation of Kodak Capture Pro Software, with its easy one-touch operation, automated the process to get the data moving quickly.
• Simple configuration: Employees were efficiently brought on board through a simple installation and configuration process that required minimal training.

The Results: Full-throttle Productivity

With the new data capture solution in place, the auto manufacturer has seen a significant acceleration in production. The reduction in manual processes, the elimination of software compatibility issues, and the resolution of persistent roadblocks have made a tremendous difference for everyone involved.

Other positive results include:

• Increased output: Production line staff spend less time troubleshooting errors and locating missing batches.
• Greater process efficiency: Several manual steps and maintenance tasks have been eliminated.
• Reduced errors: The system now requires minimal downstream error correction and manual intervention.
• Better security: The new system eliminates a significant security risk by not relying on outdated software.

The Victory Lap: Driven by Partnership, Fueled by Successful Automation

The successful collaboration between Tronitech and Kodak Alaris has enabled this car maker to quickly modernize its operations and become more competitive in the market by optimizing a key element of the manufacturing process. A simpler, more user-friendly data automation process now accelerates each phase of production, delivering measurable improvements in productivity and efficiency while also resolving several system issues that had been a daily source of frustration for employees.

Tronitech and Kodak Alaris continue to assist the auto company with ongoing workflow optimization and solution enhancements that promise to bring an even greater level of intelligent automation to the manufacturing facility.