How car manufacturers are ramping up quality with automated systems

For many years, automated systems have been used by car manufacturers to identify inconsistencies and imperfections in their product line. Systems, like ours at Shelton, can find defects before they progress any further in the process.

Today, in this blog, we’ll be talking about our take on how one key manufacturer is using this technology and how it can benefit you.

Ford is a key example of a car manufacturer making use of automation. The Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria have added new systems to their paint shop which includes 21 cameras scanning all exterior body panels for imperfections to paint work.

Reports have explained that the new system categorises these issues by size and the information is further relayed to operators on the line. In addition to this, all data is then logged into a global quality system for streamlined management. With a recent large investment between 2016-19 in cutting edge quality systems, Ford have now ensured its vehicles meet even higher standards. Reliability, quality and efficiency have all increased.

“The launch of the Paint Defect Detection System was a major milestone for our Silverton plant, as it significantly ramped up the quality of our Paint Shop, and complemented our major investment in 2018 to completely automate our painting process with 62 robots,” says Ockert Berry, VP Operations at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.

This is only one of many examples.

By having a quality control system like this, computers can detect even the smallest of problems which are sometimes undetectable to our human eye; overly replacing the long-winded manual inspection process. With this new process, staff members are more widely available to commit to more technical tasks and resources can be spread efficiently throughout the business. Though clever, computers can’t do everything!

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