ACE Issue 25 2019 | Page 5

Detailing Atlas Copco’s Seven Steps to Securing Product Quality as part of its Smart Connected Assembly philosophy, its report also illustrates a scalable and flexible roadmap to delivering the best achievable product quality. The sequential process integrates tooling and systems, which deliver both full traceability, as well as error-proofing protection, so that manufacturers have a complete understanding of the effectiveness of every stage of production. Atlas Copco’s Seven Steps to Securing Product Quality: Step 1: Classify Joints Step 2: Introduce Torque Control Step 3: Introduce Joint Control and Angle Monitoring Step 4: Introduce Process Error- Proofing Step 5: Introduce Reject Management and Part Control Step 6: Secure Process Reliability Step 7: Use of data for continuous improvement Commenting on its research and whitepaper, Paul Clark, Business Line Manager for Atlas Copco Tools & Industrial Assembly Solutions, said: “Maintaining quality is an essential aspect of the assembly process, as both the direct and indirect cost for product quality issues can be immense. The demand for error proofing is high. When it comes to brand reputation, all the big manufacturers want to get it right first time, so error-proofing is now a core focus for manufacturers, regardless of their scale or the complexity of products. Our new whitepaper gives them an informative guide to the value of error- proofing that fits their current and future assembly needs.” ADDING VALUE WITH SMART CONNECTED ASSEMBLY Whilst a clear leader in supporting automotive manufacturing, Atlas Copco’s Smart Connected Assembly approach is being adopted by an increasingly diverse number of industries, from white goods and aerospace, to wind energy and agricultural applications. Customers are seeing increasing complexity in their product mix and demands for higher quality, so the Smart Connected Assembly concept was designed to provide a clear return on investment by blending advanced tooling with data driven services and total customer back-up. This partnership approach towards zero defect assembly with full traceability enables companies to be more agile in dealing with international competition, globalization and new technologies. From a product perspective, fully data integrated Low Reaction Tools are a key part of the company’s proposition to maximise assembly line productivity and efficiency, whilst reducing human error and ensuring operator safety. By bringing together its Tools and Industrial Assembly Solutions divisions, Atlas Copco is now best placed to continue its journey as the manufacturing industry’s preferred joining partner. To download Atlas Copco’s whitepaper, click here www.atlascopco.com 5