eepos one Cranes for BMW Two-Wheelers from Berlin
Innovative manufacturing concept ensures premium quality at BMW BerlinFor many owners, a motorcycle is more than just a simple means of transportation. It is cared for, maintained, and often lovingly tuned. And to ensure that everything runs perfectly from day one, no mistakes can be made during the entire production process. In the Berlin factory of the premium motorcycle manufacturer BMW, the eepos aluminum crane system kit, eepos one, plays a crucial role in making that happen.
Completely new concept
Anyone familiar with production and assembly processes knows very well that when revising a system, new and diverse requirements arise, which are often difficult to implement with the existing infrastructure. This made the task even more interesting for eepos GmbH from Wiehl in the Bergisches Land when they were involved in the planning of motorcycle production at the BMW Motorrad plant in Berlin. It became clear early on that the existing basic line would no longer be capable of producing the various variants at a premium level within the required timeframe. Additionally, the existing systems could no longer accommodate the expanded logistics concept in the desired breadth and variety of variants. To make matters worse, the special roof structure meant that an economically viable solution with the existing overhead rail system could no longer be realized. What was now required was a holistic solution that would meet criteria such as speed, precision, and maximum flexibility for future assembly processes.
Differentiated Flow Production
The strengths of the eepos one aluminum modular system were already apparent during the quotation phase: it offers the required modularity and flexibility even for a motorcycle assembly line with extremely differentiated requirements. In addition, the very positive experiences with eepos cranes in other departments at the Berlin plant and the consistently positive feedback from various operators of eepos crane systems played a key role. The proximity of eepos service GmbH in Berlin was also a good fit, as it was to accompany the conversion from now on. Standard workstation as a basis First of all, an ergonomic standard workstation was defined, which consists of a base frame just over 3 m wide and 3 m long made of eepos aluminum profiles of size L and a media column suspended next to it, such as eepos base S. The base frame is designed like an oversized two-girder crane, which serves as the basis for an assembly cycle. The handling devices, fixtures, tools, test equipment, etc. are suspended in it. The media column provides electrical energy, network connection, status monitors and various signal transmitters. Since the base frame itself is suspended from an eepos one crane track with integrated service stations, each workstation can be positioned flexibly, and each assembly cycle can be easily swapped.
Just-in-sequence delivery
By fully attaching the eepos systems and the system technology to the hall roof, the space required for the assembly line and the flexible floor-based setup concept is created. Below the crane systems, tugger trains deliver materials just-in-sequence to the respective assembly cycle and fill shelves. If racks and devices for pre-assembled and customer-specific components, such as cladding elements or tire sets, are provided on either side of the assembly line, they can be removed with the eepos crane systems and installed on the motorcycle in the shortest possible time.
Premium service
eepos service GmbH in Berlin played a key role in planning and implementing the entire system. Managing Director Andreas Spieß summarizes the advantages: "The concept with an approximately 3 m wide assembly cycle, into which a base frame made of eepos aluminum profile is suspended, offers great flexibility for all attachments. For example, if tools and devices are hung in the base frame parallel to the belt, the motorcycle can be mounted on the AGV from both sides. If the work equipment is hung at an angle of 90° to the assembly line, work can be carried out on the motorcycle from multiple positions, front to back, with one assembly cycle. In addition, many assembly workers take advantage of the smooth running and jam-free nature of the eepos systems, using simple return springs to retract the systems to their original positions after use." The feedback from employees is consistently positive, as the various possible uses of the eepos profiles are optimally combined with the AGVs to provide the best ergonomic working position in every assembly cycle. Furthermore, eepos service conducts annual ergonomic tests to determine breakout forces and other forces of crane systems and spring balancers.
Quality comes above all
To ensure continuous measurement and testing of the assembly line’s quality, the current status of the assembly cycle is displayed on a media column after each eepos base frame. After each work step, the assembly worker on the line can perform quality control on-site via signal lights or a monitor. If there are delays, a limiter on the eepos base frame, just before the media column, detects when a tool has left the cycle and triggers a warning signal. Additionally, each fitter can use the media column to call the foreman responsible for this cycle. The foreman is notified via a signal light and a cell phone message and can immediately decide on the next course of action.
Consistently positive
Since the launch of the completely renovated assembly line in 2017, eepos service GmbH has been maintaining the crane systems and attachments, receiving consistently positive feedback from the BMW-Motorrad plant in Berlin. The advantages are manifold: Thanks to the interaction between the positioning concept and eepos crane systems, the delivery time from order to the assembly line now takes less than half a shift. Additionally, the use of the eepos crane systems and AGVs has made it possible to Ergonomics at the workplace be significantly improved. From a system perspective, the eepos systems -through the interaction of the crane system, AGV, and auxiliary concept - prove to be a reliable and flexible system unit, representing a secure investment in the future. As desired, the result of the premium assembly line is a motorcycle that brings its owner immense joy from day one.
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