eepos Crane Systems in the Fendt Tractor Factory
Feather-light handling for massive power packs
The project undertaken by the AGCO Group, manufacturer of Fendt tractors, could hardly have been more demanding: they aimed to build the world’s most modern and efficient tractor and agricultural machinery assembly plant. This facility began operation in the Bavarian towns of Marktoberdorf and Bäumeheim in Autumn 2012, featuring innovative lightweight handling systems from eepos.
By 75, Fendt had reached the capacity limits of its previous production halls, with sales increasing by 15.000 percent to around 2012 tractors worldwide over the past fifteen years. The existing facilities lacked both sufficient space and routes, and the assembly technology was outdated, no longer able to accommodate the size and weight of the tractors being produced.
“eepos convinced us with its unsurpassed smoothness.”
Patrick Müller
Planning Engineer - Technology, Team at AGCO GmbH
Ergonomic Handling of 10.000 Components Per Tractor
Each Fendt tractor is made up of around 10.000 components, making material handling a crucial part of the assembly process. The goal of the new concept was not only to create an ergonomic, worker-friendly handling solution but also to ensure maximum flexibility. In the new tractor factory, 48 different models across eight series are now produced on a single assembly line, ranging from the smallest specialized tractor for winegrowing to the 390-hp powerhouse for performance-intensive applications in agriculture, forestry, and construction. To achieve this, all Fendt tractors are customized according to customer requirements. Key technical innovations include the entirely new crane systems from the North Rhine-Westphalian manufacturer eepos, now used at every workstation.
“We put the crane systems to the test in advance,” Müller explains the selection process. Handling systems from different manufacturers were loaded with the same components across various weight classes on test stands, and their functionality, ease of movement, and wear were evaluated.
Almost 30 Fendt assembly line experts, who work with the systems every day, served as the evaluators.
Project Manager Müller: “The clear favorite in this comparison was the lightweight aluminum cranes from eepos, which are still relatively new on the market. eepos impressed with their unsurpassed lightness.” For a 100 kg load, a worker needs only 0,5–0,8 kg of force to set the system in motion and only 0,2–0,4 kg to keep it moving. On average, this is just one-third of the pulling force required by conventional handling systems.
“The reason for this ease of movement lies in the sophisticated aluminum profiles of the crane tracks, combined with special precision chassis and rollers made of high-tech plastics, which are arranged optimally to prevent tilting, even when pulled from one side,” explains eepos sales manager Volkhardt Mücher.
Thanks to the low rolling resistance, Fendt workers can move the huge number of individual parts per tractor, which can weigh up to 500 kg, not only faster but also more ergonomically. In addition, eepos aluminum crane systems are modular, making them extremely flexible in their application.
More than one and a half kilometers of eepos crane rails
To keep the assembly process at the main line manageable and efficient, nearby pre-assembly stations supply the main line with prefabricated assemblies. These assemblies are built at the respective pre-assembly stations and delivered just-in-time or just-in-sequence to the main installation location. eepos handling systems are used at Fendt in both pre-assembly and main assembly. In the pre-assembly areas alone, there are approximately 400 meters of monorail systems and 30 bridges. At the main assembly line, the prefabricated assemblies are then installed onto the tractor body. Here, an additional 1.200 meters of eepos crane rails and 50 bridges are installed. Four monorail systems serve the main line. On either side of the main line, there are bridges 2,45 meters and 3 meters wide, while 5-meter bridge systems span the full width of the main line where required. The placement and selection of crane elements were determined solely by the logistical feasibility of the assemblies and ergonomic considerations.
“With 3-meter-wide crane bridges, workers can assemble components from the side up to the middle of the tractor body. With 5-meter-wide crane bridges, installation can be done from all sides,” explains planning expert Müller.
"While our old handling systems worked with fixed points, i.e. with sockets or compressed air outlets screwed onto shelves, we now work with flexible media systems from left and right across the entire cycle length. This flexibility is made possible by, among other things, the telescopic eepos bridges, which, depending on the Crane Bridge extend the working reach by 1,20 meters to 1,60 meters."
Maintenance routes for easy retrofitting during assembly
When planning the crane runways, Patrick Mueller's team also considered maintenance routes. “We can switch off individual railway areas in so-called maintenance sections,” explains the engineer. This is necessary, for example, if the installation location of a module changes or new modules are added for newly developed tractors. In these cases, new crane bridges are retrofitted or existing ones are modified. “In the initial phase after commissioning, one or two modifications were necessary,” said the AGCO chief planner. “In practice, some processes simply differ from what was planned on paper. However, we were able to implement the changes to the eepos aluminum crane systems with minimal effort.” The world's most modern agricultural machinery production has been running in two shifts since September 2012. eepos cranes are used for an average of 2 hours per working day. The crane expert's first unscheduled check was particularly pleasing: the visual and functional inspection revealed no increased wear on the bridges, their attachments, or the crane tracks. Patrick Mueller: “Marktoberdorf, as the world’s most modern agricultural machinery plant, now serves as a prototype for the AGCO Group.”
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