When Renault began development on its new generation K9 engine to meet the now obligatory Euro6 regulations, it needed to develop new processes in various areas of its Valladolid plant in Spain. All of these were required to support its SPR and lean manufacturing principles. According to Johan Bester, head of sales at SMC Pneumatics South Africa, the K9 produces fewer than 80 mg/km of nitrogen oxides, which is a requirement of Euro6. It features steel pistons that generate less friction and delivers 3% lower fuel consumption.
The particular challenges facing Renault’s production system (SPR) was how to maximise efficiency and output while optimising the available space and keeping maintenance as simple as possible.
LEF actuators meet the requirements
With ambitious targets to reduce overall costs of the new engine whilst maintaining quality, Renault needed an experienced and trusted components supplier. SMC with its LEF actuators met the requirement to support the screw driven parts of the process. Their highly repeatable action was a key benefit in the drive to improve production efficiency.
Renault was one of the original adopters of SMC’s electric range of products and has not been disappointed with the results, expressing its satisfaction with the LEF actuators. According to Bester, the actuators have provided Renault with the high degree of flexibility required for the development of new products, and at a very competitive price.
Renault also believes that continuous collaboration with SMC has been key to the integration of the electric actuators, and has reinforced the image of the company as a components supplier for the automotive industry.
Continuous improvement is the vision
Being Japanese owned, SMC shares Renault’s SPR principle through the kaizen (continuous improvement) philosophy and collectively both teams are always striving to enhance the manufacturing process, so that it is as lean and efficient as possible. This allowed the key objectives of reducing production time by 50% and minimising maintenance time and cost, to be comfortably achieved.
A key part of Renault’s production process involves the use of robotic technology. However, these utilise valuable space and are costly, and complicated to program and maintain. So, it was Renault’s ambition to replace these, where possible, with more efficient alternative solutions.
As a result, SMC’s LEF actuators have been installed in place of a robot, with the ability to cover eight different positions whilst withstanding heavy loads. The actuators are also easy to program and maintain, and deliver production efficiencies across all key areas.
Since installing the electric actuators, Renault has significantly reduced the cycle and overall operation times, as well as saving significant space in production area.
“It’s a great example of lean manufacturing and has provided Renault with the perfect solution to its production challenges, and ultimately helped it to bring a highly competitive product to market,” concludes Bester.
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