Ford’s Wearable Portable Quality Assurance Device Saves Major Time
Portable Quality Assurance Device
Ford revealed today that it has developed a wearable device that is able to help production line workers be more efficient in their movements, effectively reducing human error by as much as 7% and saving employees more than 1 kilometer of daily walking between their stations and desktop PCs.
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The new Portable Quality Assurance Device connects to an Android smartphone app that allows employs to make on-to-spot quality checks without having to stop to consult with their stationary PCs. It is estimated that the new devices will make each vehicle check seven seconds quicker. If one assumes seven seconds saved for every one of the 400,000 units that Ford will build in Valencia, Spain, Ford will gain approximately 777 hours of additional productivity. That’s 32 days’ worth of time saved with one device.
“We have varied options and features across our vehicle range and digital innovation in our plants helps to generate lean methods within the manufacturing process,” said Linda Cash, vice president, Manufacturing, Ford of Europe. “The ability to simply consult a smartphone screen to check any aspect of a vehicle’s quality and specification helps to guarantee highest levels of product quality, and improves work processes and manufacturing efficiency.”
Having successfully completed the pilot project in Valencia, Ford is planning to bring its Portable Quality Assurance Device to other plants around the world.
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