How a Vehicle Manufacturer Boosted Efficiency with Real-Time Tracking
The problem
At a Glance
A North American vehicle manufacturer’s truck assembly plant was grappling with inefficiencies in post-assembly quality float due to manual processes causing extended search times and productivity issues. The manufacturer adopted Cognosos’ real-time vehicle tracking technology to streamline and enhance the repair quality and process.
Their Business Challenges
- High volume: Over a hundred vehicles were awaiting repair at any given time, causing congestion alongside fully assembled trucks.
- Manual tracking: The manufacturer relied on printed lists and colored tags, involving VIN comparisons for locating vehicles.
- Extended search times: Metrics consistently indicated prolonged and unpredictable durations for vehicle location, impacting overall efficiency.
- Productivity impact: ‘Time to locate’ and ‘mean time to repair’ metrics suffered, disrupting repair station operations.
- Operational disruptions: Repair stations occasionally paused work, awaiting delivery of specific vehicles, further hampering productivity.
Cognosos Solution Implementation
- Equipment: Encompassing 2,000 GPS tracker tags, ‘Gateways’ acting as routers with long-range antennae, and ‘Activators’ providing location data in GPS-challenged environments.
- Software: Featuring smartphone apps for Apple and Android, the Cognosos portal for dashboard access, a Cloud data repository, web-based reporting applications for thorough data analysis, and REST APIs for seamless data exchange with the manufacturer’s enterprise systems.
- Support: A dedicated project manager and support provider serving as the director of customer field operations, available customer operations engineers, and unlimited access to Cognosos’ support team via email or phone.
An Ongoing Partnership
In response to post-pandemic automotive component shortages and a rise in the ‘build-shy’ ratio, the truck assembly plant extended the Cognosos solution to track both ‘build-shy’ vehicles and their required components, leading to a broader implementation across the plant’s finished vehicle logistics operations and remote storage yards.
Impact & Results
What was the Impact?
- Estimated $500K reduction in costs
- 20% reduction in vehicle moves per repair
- 5%–10% reduction in dwell time
- Reduction in time-to-repair metric
What's Next? Request a Demo
Cognosos utilizes the power of AI/ML to transform tracking data into operational intelligence, redefining the value of location solutions. Cognosos is able to quickly deploy with an ultra-lightweight footprint that excels in complex environments, producing a hard-dollar ROI within months through a subscription based service model.
To learn more about real-time vehicle visibility: cognosos.com/finished-vehicle-logistics