Challenge
For Husqvarna, based in North East England, working on a seasonal basis slowly led to a year on year drop in applications. Furthermore, the manual assembly of robotic lawnmower systems meant that production faced quality issues, safety concerns and productivity constraints when targets were missed.
The customer image of a company producing automated machines on a manual system, was also a concern. The robotic lawnmowers were being completely assembled by hand in an old production line. Operators were using hand tools like screwdrivers and physically moving equipment along the production lines.
- Safety concerns
- Quality issues
- Human error
- Missed targets
Solution
A modular approach to manufacturing was undertaken. Husqvarna installed an Automated Production line, Rotary Tester and Packaging line, with each module designed to be used fully automated, semi-automated or fully manual.
The benefits were very clear – a 10% increase in product throughput, approximately 120 extra units per day. Additionally, there is now 100% traceability through the manufacturing process, leading to reduced defects on the production line. Most importantly the project has enabled an average revenue increase of £50k per day, per line.
- Manual labour removed
- Increased revenue
- Reduced staff turnover
- Targets met
