Sona Koyo Steering System Case Study
Koyo Steering System Ltd’s mother plant in Gurgaon to understand the manufacturing philosophy on the steering major.
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PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY
Sona Koyo Steering System Ltd primarily manufactures steering systems for differ-ent applications, with the Rack & Pinion Steering (RPS) and Hydraulic Power Steer-ing (HPS) accounting for the bulk of sales. A company spokesperson we spoke to informed us that the hugely popular SUV from Mahindra & Mahindra, the XUV500, is one of the company’s latest business acquisitions for the HPS.
The company presently manufactures a wide range of steering columns including tilt, tilt/ telescopic, collapsible and rigid type for major Indian custom-ers …show more content…
Operated on the principles of Poka-yoke, the present capacity of this line is 53 units per hour. This Japanese technique plays a critical role, since manufacturing of this system involves assembly of up to 27 parts and even the
slightest error could result in part failure and warranty claims for the OEM. In the event of any particular step going wrong, the assembly line automatically comes to a stop and signals the problem area through a light system. The line resumes production only when the indicated problem has been resolved. Usage of the Poka-yoke technique also helps the line workers ensure that assembly parts do not get mixed up when steering systems for multiple models are being manufactured on the same time.
During assembly, special care is taken for safety parameters that can affect the human body in a direct or indirect way. For example, if an operator doesn’t torque the steering assembly appropriately, it could result in steering failure, when the vehicle is in motion. In order to ensure zero error, the line is equipped with an electronic torque zone, again based on Poka-yoke. In case of an operator missing out, the zone detects the miss and stops the conveyor belt and resumes only once the problem has been …show more content…
This activity was started by the com-pany two years ago.
At the Gurgaon facility, there’s a sepa-rate machine-building area dedicated to the production of these machines. The machines manufactured here are also supplied to the company’s plants in Dharuhera and Chennai. Presently, man-ufactured units include washing machines, presses, fabrication & lathe machines and a few other machines. Such moves have brought dual-benefits for the company – reduction in its manu-facturing costs and increase of its techni-cal expertise in the process.
HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY PROCESS
The plant responsible for manufacturing the hydraulic power steering assemblies is one the newest and most mechanised plants at the Gurgaon facility. Present cus-tomers include Fiat, Maruti Suzuki, Toy-ota, M&M and Tata Motors.
Hydraulic steering primarily consists of a pump, fluid lines and a piston. The system works in a way that when the steering is operated, only about 10 % of force is required from the driver and the remaining is supplied by the hydraulic pump. The assembly process for the hydraulic steering is explained
5 4 www.autotechreview.com
PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY
Sona Koyo Steering System Ltd primarily manufactures steering systems for differ-ent applications, with the Rack & Pinion Steering (RPS) and Hydraulic Power Steer-ing (HPS) accounting for the bulk of sales. A company spokesperson we spoke to informed us that the hugely popular SUV from Mahindra & Mahindra, the XUV500, is one of the company’s latest business acquisitions for the HPS.
The company presently manufactures a wide range of steering columns including tilt, tilt/ telescopic, collapsible and rigid type for major Indian custom-ers …show more content…
Operated on the principles of Poka-yoke, the present capacity of this line is 53 units per hour. This Japanese technique plays a critical role, since manufacturing of this system involves assembly of up to 27 parts and even the
slightest error could result in part failure and warranty claims for the OEM. In the event of any particular step going wrong, the assembly line automatically comes to a stop and signals the problem area through a light system. The line resumes production only when the indicated problem has been resolved. Usage of the Poka-yoke technique also helps the line workers ensure that assembly parts do not get mixed up when steering systems for multiple models are being manufactured on the same time.
During assembly, special care is taken for safety parameters that can affect the human body in a direct or indirect way. For example, if an operator doesn’t torque the steering assembly appropriately, it could result in steering failure, when the vehicle is in motion. In order to ensure zero error, the line is equipped with an electronic torque zone, again based on Poka-yoke. In case of an operator missing out, the zone detects the miss and stops the conveyor belt and resumes only once the problem has been …show more content…
This activity was started by the com-pany two years ago.
At the Gurgaon facility, there’s a sepa-rate machine-building area dedicated to the production of these machines. The machines manufactured here are also supplied to the company’s plants in Dharuhera and Chennai. Presently, man-ufactured units include washing machines, presses, fabrication & lathe machines and a few other machines. Such moves have brought dual-benefits for the company – reduction in its manu-facturing costs and increase of its techni-cal expertise in the process.
HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY PROCESS
The plant responsible for manufacturing the hydraulic power steering assemblies is one the newest and most mechanised plants at the Gurgaon facility. Present cus-tomers include Fiat, Maruti Suzuki, Toy-ota, M&M and Tata Motors.
Hydraulic steering primarily consists of a pump, fluid lines and a piston. The system works in a way that when the steering is operated, only about 10 % of force is required from the driver and the remaining is supplied by the hydraulic pump. The assembly process for the hydraulic steering is explained