ElringKlinger AG – end-to-end traceability and quality assurance with Easytrace powered by 4SPC on SAP ERP

Location: 72581 Dettingen, Germany · Industry: Automotive, plastics processing, battery technology, sealing technology, quality assurance · Products: Seals, shielding parts, lightweight plastic components, battery technology components and automotive system solutions · ERP: SAP ERP · Website: https://elringklinger.de/ · S4P modules: 4SPC

Initial situation

ElringKlinger AG, headquartered in Dettingen an der Erms, is one of the leading automotive suppliers, developing and manufacturing sophisticated components for drivetrain and sealing technology. With around 9,600 employees, the company operates highly automated series production lines where end-to-end traceability and quality assurance are central requirements of the automotive industry.

Challenge

In the highly automated series production of sealing and battery technology components, seamless traceability had to be ensured for every individual part. The challenge was to integrate injection moulding machines, test stations and marking units into a unified traceability chain, to process IO/NIO results automatically and to assign DMC-labelled parts unambiguously. Manual documentation steps were to be largely eliminated in order to reliably meet automotive customers' requirements for traceability and auditability.

Solution

The cyber-physical production system supplied by KraussMaffei comprises injection moulding machines whose parts are transferred to a helium leak test by Pink. IO/NIO status is determined, a DMC label is printed and verified via a Keyence scanner; NIO parts are directed to a reject conveyor. Cell control and traceability are handled by Easytrace powered by 4SPC. Easytrace captures all relevant manufacturing and quality data in real time and ensures seamless traceability of every individual component throughout the entire production process, with full integration into the existing SAP ERP system and fulfilment of automotive traceability requirements.

Results and benefits

Traceability across the entire series production line is fully assured and quality assurance has been significantly improved. Manual documentation effort has been reduced and a reliable data basis for audits and continuous improvement has been established. Real-time capture of manufacturing and quality data provides the foundation for compliant, audit-ready reporting to automotive customers.