Boost EV Production by Increasing Manufacturing Plant Efficiency
The market for electric vehicles (EVs) has grown rapidly in recent years, and it isn’t expected to slow down. EV production is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. Whether consumers want to invest in cleaner transportation, save money on fuel or comply with (or get ahead of) government regulations and policies, they’re driving increased commitment to EV production by automakers.
To meet these demands, new waves of EVs will need to hit the market—and soon. By 2029, electric vehicles could account for one-third of the North American market, and about 26% of vehicles produced worldwide, according to consultant AutoForecast Solutions. Goldman Sachs Research predicts that, by 2035, the percentage of EVs making up worldwide car sales will rise to 61%. Sales may not increase according to a nice curve, either—demand could spike suddenly in a short amount of time.
Currently, many EV production lines still rely on manual assembly to install specific components (headlights, windshields, sunroofs, seats, controls, etc.) and lack data to identify which processes could be improved. This creates bottlenecks that slow down processes and drain efficiency.
If you still rely on manual assembly, will you be ready to respond and scale when the time is right? Can you quickly redesign your assembly lines to amp up production? Are you able to add or redeploy workstations as needed without a two-week shutdown? Leaving manual processes behind for automated assembly is one of the only ways to create faster cycle times.
Build a Foundation for AGVs and AMRs
Squeezing more efficiency from your EV production lines will help your facility push more fully assembled, quality products through its doors so you can improve lead times and get inventory out to customers faster—which keeps costs lower for them and you. And these efficiency improvements can be made without hiring hundreds or thousands of laborers
By taking a flexible manufacturing approach that allows you to build EVs cost effectively and sustainably while maintaining quality, you can ramp up as demand for electric vehicles increases. At the heart of this approach is a robust EV production network that supports new technology and creates infrastructure to acquire, transmit, orchestrate and manage the data that automakers need to boost efficiency.
Optimizing your network will not only prepare your plant for the future and allow changes to be made on the fly, but also improve uptime and minimize exposure to threats that could hamper EV production. Because production technologies change almost as fast as market demands, building flexibility and adaptability into your network now will translate to efficient, future-ready operations.
While automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are the tools that will help you improve efficiency and shift from manual to automated assembly, your network is what connects them to critical information. Without that capability, the machines won’t be able to send or receive data, coordinate motion or complete tasks. In other words, they become ineffective.
Tap into Your Plant’s Data
In addition to supporting autonomous work, an EV production network connects employees to the information they need to make smarter, faster decisions. Instead of making educated guesses, operators and supervisors can have metrics in front of them that continuously report on availability, performance and quality. It can all be displayed in one place so everyone can see what’s happening with their machines and processes. Live overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) data can tell you which lines are running well, which lines need attention and which ones are down (and why).
A robust network also allows EV production facilities to realize the value of predictive maintenance. Laborers can rely on real-time data about critical assets to decide where and how to focus maintenance tasks. Operators will know when a specific parameter is behaving differently so issues can be addressed right away before failure occurs.
Imagine Your Future-Ready Solutions
Belden knows how to bring your data and equipment together to make your processes and systems more efficient.
Digital automation consultants, who are part of our Customer Innovation Center, work closely with you to:
- Identify the scale and complexity of your production
- Analyze your current situation and assess processes
- Validate your assumptions about the causes of production bottlenecks
- Pinpoint the data you need in order to address challenges
- Gain access to that information through the right network design
When your EV production facility is ready to implement future-ready solutions to meet the demand headed our way, reach out to Belden’s automotive experts. We’ll help you get started—and guide you every step of the way so you hit your production targets and maximize the return on your technological investments.