As the automotive industry around the world looks at increasingly lean times, one major parts supplier is turning to RFID technology to assist in creating a “lean production philosophy” to fit the market. Robert Bosch GmBH, a subsidiary of Bosch Group and a major supplier of automotive and other types of consumer technology and service, has begun implementing RFID systems in manufacturing sites in Germany.
The first stage of Bosch’s RFID adoption focused on deploying systems based on noFilis Crosstalk and SAP Auto-ID Enterprise solutions at the company’s plant in Homburg, Germany. The system was used to automate production impulses and triggers for the plant’s assembly line.
In one example of the new applications, containers of semi-finished goods are labeled with RFID tags. When these parts are repackaged in final assembly, the containers are scanned, automatically triggering the relevant replenishment process in the nearby located warehouse and the SAP system.
“These points of improvement save a lot of money for Bosch. In the meantime the buffer locations in our production areas are pretty empty - but we never have production stops due to running out of stock,” says Reitelbach. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/archive-4.gif)
