Supply Chain Management in the Automotive Industry

The automotive industry is not only one of the world’s most important economic sectors by revenue, it also takes a leading role in terms of quality expectations, product variety, and manufacturing process innovation.

Driven by globalization and increasing customer requirements, car manufacturers are forced to offer a large range of vehicle models and options.

For example, one single model series of a premium German automobile brand can reach 1017 possible automobile variations!

The enormous product variety-induced complexity and the pressure of tough international competition make it hard to ensure efficient logistics.

That is the reason why industrial computing plays a major role throughout the entire automotive supply chain, from allocation and storage of raw materials and components to production and delivery to timely spare parts procurement.

Download the White Paper Now to see detailed topics:

• Completely Knocked Down: The CKD Principle - The reasons behind why automotive manufacturers prefer to ship vehicle components to be assembled on-site in local manufacturing plants instead of shipping whole cars for overseas markets.
• Inbound Production Logistics - The challenge to deliver the correct individual automotive parts to every workplace in the production line, at the exact time and in the exact sequence in which the vehicles are being assembled.
• Operator and Tool Management - Systems to aid workers at each assembly station to manage the flow of parts and components they have to mount, including on a basis of individually configured cars.
• Spare Parts Logistics - Efficient after-sales parts service through standardized spare parts logistics throughout the entire supply chain.
• Production - Advantech mobile computing solutions support said processes, reduce error and failure rates, and facilitate uninterrupted production.
• Reliable WLAN Connectivity - Learn why forklift terminal PCs must feature reliable and diverse Wi-Fi and 4G for maximum availability on the facility floor.