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AMG Industries Increased Productivity and Cost Savings with Collaborative Robots
With the help of: Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Ohio MEP)
About
AMG was founded in 1904 as the Akron Metallic Gasket Company. In 1972, AMG officially entered the automotive market and the first decorative exhaust assemblies were provided to Cadillac Motor Car Division. Today, AMG’s Mount Vernon, Ohio, business continues to supply the automotive arena, working closely on engineering and design for manufacturability with OEMs and Tier 1s. Current OEMs include Ford Motor Car Company, Honda Automotive, Stellantis Automobile Company, Mack Trucks, Kenworth, and Toyota.
The Challenge
Workforce and productivity challenges prompted AMG to begin exploring ways to bring robots into the production process. AMG Industries identified a specific part, a "Ford Finger" exhaust tip that was experiencing production challenges and was comprised of a highly repetitive task. The MEP at CSCC, part of the Ohio MEP and the MEP National Network™, had recently purchased three collaborative robots with the idea of lending them to manufacturers for a short-term beta test of robots in the workplace. Company leadership (Direct of Engineering & CEO) voiced a desire to test UR robots while the MEP was leading a facility optimization exercise.
The MEP robot loaner program was a game changer for us. It allowed us to try the technology without risk and without the upfront investment. The support of the MEP engineers made this an easy process to undertake and one that will have a lasting impact our AMG Industries.
MEP's Role
MEP engineers and MEP automation SMEs came on site and oberved the production process and worked with the AMG Industries engineering team to install and program the UR robot. After a few trial runs the robot took the lead on the production with stunning results. Productivity was up 38% (averaging 276 parts an hour versus 200 manually). Additionally, the company was able to redeploy the workers to other needed areas to address the ongoing workforce needs.
Initially, the company forecast an 11 and half months ROI to pay for the equipment. With the increased productivity and the labor savings the full return on investment fell to six and half months. This initial experience was so positive that after the 3-month trial, AMG Industries purchased their own UR10E specifically for this role, which will be commissioned in July 2024. The experience has prompted the company to begin exploring other areas to utilize collaborative robots throughout their operation.
Initially, the company forecast an 11 and half months ROI to pay for the equipment. With the increased productivity and the labor savings the full return on investment fell to six and half months. This initial experience was so positive that after the 3-month trial, AMG Industries purchased their own UR10E specifically for this role, which will be commissioned in July 2024. The experience has prompted the company to begin exploring other areas to utilize collaborative robots throughout their operation.
Created July 31, 2024