Collaborative robots support production and cut labor costs

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors is a global leader in automotive interiors. With more than 30,000 employees in 113 facilities worldwide, Yanfeng produces parts found in one in every three cars in the world. After deploying two collaborative robots in its Monroe, Mich., facility, the company has improved two production processes while freeing up employees to be used at positions where they can add more value.

This is the company’s first wave of implementing collaborative robots (Rethink Robotics), which began in its Grand Rapids, Mich., facility and is spreading throughout North America. The deployment of two collaborative robots at the Monroe facility is allowing the company to effectively automate packaging tasks for the first time.

One robot is removing non-value-added labor by packing parts from a conveyor onto a rack, handling 180 parts every 54 minutes. The second robot is counting parts from a conveyor as it places them into a tote, precisely packaging each tote with 80 parts. Yanfeng has increased its production output and accuracy by leveraging robots in these two tasks.

“We pride ourselves on continuous improvement and the addition of these robots is already driving value in our plants,” says Gayle Bayer, continuous improvement manager at YFAI. “Learning to work with these robots and deploy them on the line has been relatively simple, and it’s allowed us to stay on the cutting edge when it comes to automation in our facility.”