Meritor, Inc.’s (NYSE: MTOR) Lindesberg, Sweden facility has received the Swedish Assembly Award 2016 for advancing assembly technology with industry-leading solutions.
The plant, which manufactures front and rear axles, began a transformation in 2012 by installing two new lines for front- and rear-axle assembly. In the final stage of the transformation, the plant in 2015 consolidated production for all families of bolted carriers into a single universal assembly line that utilizes smart sequencing and material flow enhancements. This consolidation creates a flexible line that supports a wide variety of customer needs. To accomplish this, the team simplified processes and replaced older, complex machinery with modern, easy-to-use equipment.
“The facility’s transformation led to best-in-class delivery and productivity − and dramatically improved quality,” said Joe Plomin, president, International for Meritor. “This investment will enable us to produce thousands of different axle configurations on a just-in-time basis for our customers.”
In evaluating Meritor’s assembly line transformation, the Swedish Assembly Forum reviewed productivity, quality and delivery performance and examined how each new change affected profitability. The forum, which includes 300 OEMs and suppliers such as Meritor, works with companies and universities to create research projects that help the local industry develop, share best practices and inspire competitiveness and innovation.
Leading the assembly line transformation for Meritor were Göran Jansson, project manager; Markus Andréasson, manager, Manufacturing Engineering; and Erik Björklund, project sub-leader. In prepared remarks, the Swedish Assembly Forum recognized the work done by Andréasson, Björklund and Jansson as “exemplary” for the Swedish industry.
Photos of the Lindesberg facility can be found here.
