Assumed ROI

LISI was founded in 1777 by the merger of several family businesses in Montbéliard and Belfort. It began its activity in the watchmaking sector and is today 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 specializes 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 optimize quality, reduce scrap rates, improve the man-machine supervision ratio and pilot the production line with fewer technical skills.

LISI Automotive generates sales of €485 million, with a workforce of 3,300 in 7 countries and 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 automakers and parts manufacturers worldwide. 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 (Haute-Saône) site, which specializes 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 for 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 run 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 APC -Automated Process Control- software. Melisey site manager Christophe BLASZCZYCK decides to automate machining center set-up in a "closed loop".

The Ellistat team supports LISI in implementing the software on its first machining center. 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 is rapid 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. Whatever the machine and whatever 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, consuming several parts to reach the required level. Now, only one part is required. APC saves around 75% in set-up time.

In January 2021, the scrap rate falls 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 scrap rate of around 95 %.

In early 2021, the APC solution will be deployed on some twenty CNC machines at the Melisey site. These are machining centers of different brands and generations. Deployment is 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 the environmental benefits of reduced scrap 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".

As of March 2021, Anne-Delphine Beaulieu, a member of LISI Group's Executive Committee in charge of Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0, is promoting the solution within the Group and facilitating the transition to scale. APC is used in several of the Group's entities in France, and is currently being deployed 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 of the highest quality, based on a win/win relationship. The teams are in constant contact with each other, and exchange ideas on product development. 

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