Commission of New Spot-Weld Machine

Situation

A new spot-welding machine came in, replacing one that was being used for an automated process where a cobot would feed the part to the machine, which would then weld nuts onto it.
The old machine was not in the same location as the rest of the department, the new machine has to be.
The machine arrived at the beginning of February. Must be up and running by the end of the month.

I have been told to lead the project and make sure it goes smoothly, an exciting responsibility for a co-op student🙂

Spot-weld area during installation

Create a new layout that must include the automated work cell for the spot-welding department. It must fit in the existing space with no expansion allowed.
Meet and correspond with all stakeholders (maintenance, spot-welding, management, etc.), providing all necessary background information to understand what is needed from them.
There are 20 part numbers which were running on the old spot-welding machine, while a platform was designed to ensure alignment, each program will need to be touched up to ensure alignment and movement efficiency.

I designed 3 new layouts for the spot-weld area, and one was chosen to move forward. The automated work cell was included, with no expansion necessary, and the workflow was redesigned to prioritize 1 piece flow.
I led meetings 2 times a week to update progress and hash out issues that would arise, promoting a collaborative approach. I also held countless 1-on-1s to provide extra support, and smooth out friction between stakeholders.
I reprogrammed every part onto the new spot-weld machine, since every program was misaligned. I also removed inefficient movements to speed up the runtime of each part.

Robot work cell during commissioning process

Old spot welding layout, confusing workflow and cramped work space

New layout, with new "cobot spot weld" workcell incorporated, along with all existing machines

- The new layout fit 4 work centres, with the previous set-up having only 3.
- The project was completed on-time, with the work centre handed back to the spot-welding department at the end of February.
- Each program had its' run-time reduced between 10-20% per part, with a typical work order of 20 or more.

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