US manufacturing facility optimizes its production line with help from Kodak i4000 Series Scanners and Kodak Capture Pro Software

Summary

The Indiana facility of a major international auto manufacturer sought to modernize document scanning and data automation on its production line. The inefficiencies generated by an outdated system riddled with critical bugs required numerous manual interventions that significantly slowed down operations.

They asked Tronitech, a document capture software company with a history of successful partnerships with Kodak Alaris, to recommend a better path forward. With guidance and technology from both companies, the auto manufacturer successfully turbocharged its document capture workflows and eliminated the critical system errors that had bogged down their production line. The immediate positive impact substantially reduced the costs associated with regular system errors.

The Challenge: Roadblocks to Efficiency

A US-based manufacturing facility for a major international auto brand was struggling with an outdated element of its production line: a document scanning and data capture system that depended heavily on manual intervention to resolve daily issues, which resulted in repeated production bottlenecks.

The assembly of each car requires scanning a validation document and the car’s VIN barcode, and a database query retrieves additional indices—all of which are then transferred to the Tronitech VAULTView software for storage. As time passed, this system became obsolete, leading to notable obstacles in production efficiency. These roadblocks included:

  • Constant manual interventions: Daily maintenance repeatedly addressed recurring issues, often resulting in certain document batches getting stuck or lost in the process due to high memory usage.
  • Security risks: Their data capture solution relied on Internet Explorer, an outdated browser no longer supported by Microsoft, that introduced significant security risks.
  • Upgrade failures: Each major Windows update introduced new compatibility bugs that bogged down the production line and forced costly manual interventions.
The Solution: Successful Automation Paves a Smoother Road Ahead

Tronitech had been consulting with the auto company and saw an opportunity to introduce a new solution that proved to be a better fit, along with a roadmap for further modernizations. With expert recommendations from Tronitech, the company decided to switch gears to Kodak Capture Pro and quickly integrated the software with their existing fleet of Kodak i4000 Series production scanners. Capture Pro enables simple one-touch document capture, which greatly simplified their multi-step, error-prone manual workflows.

Key implementation details included:

  • Comprehensive system analysis: Tronitech conducted a thorough workflow and systems analysis, recommending solutions from Kodak Alaris and a plan to integrate additional capabilities, including intelligent document processing.
  • A fast and successful deployment: The installation of Kodak Capture Pro Software, with its easy one-touch operation, automated the process to get the data moving quickly.
  • Simple configuration: Employees were efficiently brought on board through a simple installation and configuration process that required minimal training.
The Results: Full-throttle Productivity

With the new data capture solution in place, the reduction in manual processes, the elimination of software compatibility issues, and the resolution of persistent troubleshooting regarding stuck or lost batches, the auto manufacturer has seen a significant acceleration in production.

Other positive results include:

  • Increased output: Production line staff spend less time troubleshooting errors and locating missing batches.
  • Greater process efficiency: Several manual steps and maintenance tasks have been eliminated.
  • Reduced errors: The system now requires minimal downstream error correction and manual intervention.
  • Better security: The new system eliminates a significant security risk by not relying on outdated software.
 The Victory Lap: Driven by Partnership, Fueled by Successful Automation

The successful collaboration between Tronitech and Kodak Alaris has enabled this auto manufacturing facility to quickly modernize its operations and become more competitive in the market by optimizing a key element of their manufacturing process. A simpler, more user-friendly data automation process now accelerates each phase of production, delivering measurable improvements in productivity and efficiency while also resolving several problematic system issues that had been a daily source of frustration for employees.

Tronitech and Kodak Alaris continue to assist the car maker with ongoing workflow optimization and solution enhancements that promise to bring an even greater level of intelligent automation to the facility.