An assumed ROI

The LISI industrial company was created in 1777 by the merger of several family businesses in Montbéliard and Belfort. It began its activity in the watchmaking sector and is now a global group with sales of 1.2 billion in 2021, 9,500 employees, operations in 13 countries and 42 production sites, 20 of which are in France. The LISI Group specialises in assembly solutions for the automotive, aerospace and medical sectors. Focus on the LISI Automotive Division, which has chosen Ellistat's APC software solution to optimise quality, reduce scrap rates, improve the man-machine supervision ratio and pilot the production line with fewer technical skills.

LISI Automotive generates sales of €485m with a workforce of 3,300 in 7 countries, with 21 production sites, 7 of which are in France. The division supplies metal and plastic assembly solutions - screw fasteners and clip-on solutions - as well as mechanical safety components to vehicle manufacturers and equipment suppliers throughout the world. These products are intended for engines and gearboxes, seats, passenger safety systems, hydraulic braking systems, wheels, interior/exterior trim and, finally, bodywork, chassis, axles, steering and suspension.

In 2020, the Melisey site (Haute-Saône), which specialises in the production of forged and then machined automotive parts, is looking to make gains in operational efficiency and quality. Hiring technical staff capable of understanding and adjusting a machine tool is also a growing challenge. Finally, it is aiming to have an environmental impact by saving resources.

The aim was to find a solution that would reduce scrap rates, improve man/machine supervision ratios and enable a production line to be managed with limited technical skills. Finally, the solution had to be easy to implement and deploy within the group.

In September 2020, the first contacts were made with Ellistat concerning the APC -Automated Process Control- software. The Melisey site manager, Christophe BLASZCZYCK, decided to automate the setting of the machining centres in a "closed loop".

The Ellistat team is helping LISI to install the software on its first machining centre. APC is compatible with all types of CNC machines and measuring instruments. In the case of Melisey, APC is interfaced with LISI's MES and corrections are transferred directly to the multispindles. Implementation was quick and the software intuitive. It surprised the LISI team with its ability to make the manufacturing process autonomous.

Operators are now assisted in measuring quality data. Regardless of the machine and the complexity of the part to be machined, APC is able to correct from the measurement of a single part.

Tuning used to require several iterations that consumed several parts to reach the required level. Now, only one part is needed. The reduction in set-up time achieved by using APC represents approximately 75%.

In January 2021, the scrap rate will fall from 3.5% to less than 0.1%. This is because the algorithm auto-corrects the machine tool in near-real time as soon as it deviates, resulting in a reduction in the scrap rate of around 95 %.

At the beginning of 2021, the APC solution will be deployed on around twenty CNC machines at the Melisey site. These are machining centres of different makes and generations. Deployment will be rapid, requiring little equipment or investment.

We estimate a saving of €20,000 per year per machine equipped", explains Christophe BLASZCZYK, "to which we can add environmental benefits through reduced waste and increased skills. What's more, the support provided by Ellistat and the performance of the software have led to excellent acceptance of the solution by the operators.

From March 2021, Anne-Delphine Beaulieu, a member of LISI Group's Executive Committee, in charge of digital transformation and Industry 4.0, will promote the solution within the group and facilitate the transition to scale. APC is used in several of the Group's entities in France and is currently being rolled out in the United States.

She adds: "APC is a solution that has enabled us to make considerable savings: 75% in set-up time and 95 % in scrap rate. We were surprised by how easy it was to get to grips with and the ability to deploy the solution with limited technical skills."

Relations with Ellistat are good, based on a win/win relationship. The teams are in constant contact with each other and exchange views on product development. 

In 2021, LISI is a candidate and finalist in the BFM Business Grands Prix de l'accélération digitale, in the 4.0 category, with the Ellistat APC project. A great accolade.