Company
ITW Dahti Seating, a division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW), specializes in the design, development, and manufacturing of advanced seating solutions. The company is known for producing high-comfort seating components and products, located in Rockford, MI and serving a wide range of clients across the globe. The company has an automotive division with several plant locations around the United States.
The Challenge
The Rockford plant was receiving a transferred production line for a head rest guide.
Molded parts came from a molding machine dropping into a tote, operators monitored the machines and totes. When totes were full operators would move the totes to a pallet and when the pallet was full, they would move the palletized molded parts to the back of the warehouse to inventory to be brought back up to the assembly area when needed. The process required a high degree of manual handling by operators.
Before the new solution there were times when quality issues on molded parts would be found long after thousands of parts in the run had been produced and inventoried only to be discovered at time of assembly, resulting in rerun and wasted parts.
The company philosophy of work in process (WIP) required workflow process improvements to the line.
The Solution
The ITW Deltar Body & Interior plant in Lakeville, CT has been a customer of Dynamic Conveyor for several years having installed many DynaCon modular conveyors in their plant. The success of the conveyors in the CT plant led to the consideration of these modular conveyors for this new production line in the Rockford plant.
The conveyor solution implemented allows ITW to execute an in-line assembly process allowing molded parts to come directly from the molding machine by conveyor to the automation and assembly area. The parts go from a conveyor on the end of the mold machine up into an overhead conveyor system, which spans the aisle and delivers parts directly to the assembly and automation areas for real-time assembly—eliminating nearly all manual handling required by the previous process.
The Results
The automated in-line process reduces the need for operators to watch molding machines and handle the parts several times before they get to assembly.
The ability to convey parts directly to the automation area in real time reduces quality spills. Assemblers can see at once if there are parts errors and can stop the mold production for correction before making thousands of parts –minimizing product waste.
This line runs at 80% efficiency compared to 30% efficiency at another ITW plant.
The area has become a showpiece on our plant floor and a tour stopping point. We’ve mounted a TV on the top section of the overhead system to show the story of the WIP process.
“We are constantly reallocating space, adding and changing production areas, the modularity allows us to easily adapt to the changing needs of the operation without having to scrap out conveyors and order new ones. The ability to transfer sections from other facilities as needed is also a convenience” said Rick Vande Kopple, Engineering Manager at ITW Dahti Seating.
The system has been in commission for eight months and has required no maintenance. “Super easy!” Rick said. “It was the first time I’ve ever had a sales guy come in and help install the conveyor, great service!” he added.
If your facility is facing similar challenges with manual part handling, inefficient workflows, or quality control delays, an overhead conveyor system like the one implemented at ITW Dahti could be the solution you need. Dynamic Conveyor’s modular, adaptable systems are designed to streamline production, reduce labor, and improve efficiency. Contact Dynamic Conveyor today to discuss how we can help optimize your process with a custom conveyor solution tailored to your operation.
With her well-rounded background and a track record of fostering brand success, Marcie is a vital asset to the Dynamic Conveyor team. Her strategic thinking and passion for connecting people with conveyor solutions continue to drive marketing excellence. In her free time, Marcie enjoys spending time with family, golf and travel.
