Goals:
- Speed up the operator training phase
- Reduce picking errors (quantitative and qualitative)
- Increase the pick rate
- Improve ergonomics
Results:
- 90% training time reduction
- Defects reduction
- Maintenance of costs as complexity increases
- Increased productivity
Future Implementations:
- Extension of Pick by Light to further areas
- Introduciton of ESL for parts receipt
KFI saddles up
At the Borgo Panigale (BO) plant, Ducati has introduced wireless Pick-by-Light technology to ensure maximum efficiency in serving the assembly stations of its motorcycles.
The new process, digitized and orchestrated by Spark, has led to a significant decrease in errors and allowed to drastically reduce operator training times.
The Challenge
A supermarket to develop
The picking process from the supermarket responsible for supplying the production line of the Monster, SuperSport and DesertX families was managed by 3 operators who operated guided by paper lists, often relying on their own memory. This led to defects due to incorrect or missed samples, and training periods of 1 or 2 weeks before new employees learned to compose the kits correctly.
With the increase in motorcycle versions to be produced and in the mix of parts, Ducati has felt the need to introduce a flexible and easily reprogrammable system capable to simplify and digitize the process.
The KFI solution
Green light for pick by light
With the introduction of Spark, KFI has made it possible to interface between SAP and an innovative wireless Pick By Light system. In fact, the software manages SpeedyPick Air devices which, using semiotics based on a combination of coloured lights and flashes, allow multiple operators to simultaneously locate the parts, view the quantities on the display and confirm the picks by pressing buttons.
After selecting the picking list from the terminal and assembling the kit following the luminous indications, the employee attaches the automatic printout of the picked items and sends everything to the assembly stations. At the same time, the administrator views real-time operational process data and manages the SpeedyPicks by associating them with areas, optimizing battery consumption and monitoring their status.
The Results
Efficiency soars
The process redesigned by KFI and Ducati’s management has allowed for a marked improvement in the ergonomics of the operators, who can now carry out completely hands-free picking and reach the end of the day less tired. This has translated into a considerable decrease in errors, from those deriving from choosing the wrong paper list to those linked to an excessive use of memory. In fact, for Adriano Daniotti:
“The solution tiptoed into production but now we can no longer do without it, so much so that the project has been extended to a total of 4 areas. The most obvious advantage, apart from the reduction in defects, concerns the efficiency in the training phase, which has dropped from two weeks to a few hours necessary to illustrate the operation of the Pick By Light system. The activity is now simpler, but not only that, the operator is better protected and works more serenely”.
Adriano Daniotti, Ducati Improvement Process
Since 2003 in Ducati, he deals with the improvement of production processes with a specific focus on the most innovative technologies in the logistics sector.