Exploration of RFID intelligent manufacturing and RFID intelligent logistics

1. Background of RFID intelligent logistics construction

1. RFID smart manufacturing is the direction of transformation

In recent years, the automobile manufacturing industry has faced many challenges such as overcapacity, customer demand for product diversification and personalization, rising raw material and labor costs, and shrinking profit margins. Traditional management methods and operating models have obviously encountered bottlenecks.

The rise of RFID smart manufacturing has undoubtedly brought new opportunities to the transformation and development of the automobile manufacturing industry. With the rapid development of the Internet, people's thinking patterns have undergone disruptive changes; at the same time, the development and mature application of various new technologies will push business intelligence to a new height and make the realization of artificial intelligence possible. These impacts on the automobile industry have extended from automobile products to the entire automobile industry. Many automobile companies around the world are actively completing transformation, and SAIC-GM, as the leader of China's automobile industry, is no exception.

In fact, in the early days of the company's establishment, SAIC-GM was based on advanced technology and high automation rate, and had a complete information system to support efficient business operations. The company also continues to innovate during its development process, continues to introduce advanced production technologies and processes, increases investment in automation, digitalization, and intelligent equipment, and continuously consolidates its leading manufacturing advantages. It can be said that 20 years of accumulation have laid a solid foundation for SAIC-GM to implement RFID intelligent manufacturing.

SAIC-GM's entire RFID intelligent manufacturing system consists of intelligent systems, intelligent products, intelligent R&D, intelligent design, intelligent production, intelligent quality, intelligent sales, intelligent services and RFID intelligent logistics, covering product R&D, manufacturing processes and equipment. Engineering development, production and manufacturing, logistics operation and management, quality control, marketing and after-sales service, etc. SAIC-GM has deployed overall digital and intelligent application practices in each of the above-mentioned business links, and will steadily advance them in stages.

2. The time has come for the development of RFID smart logistics

Logistics, as a core part of automobile manufacturing, is also facing a lot of pressure. The improvement of logistics efficiency under the traditional model is close to the bottleneck, and breakthroughs need to be sought; market demand and product supply need to be more accurately and quickly connected, putting forward higher requirements for supply chain and logistics; labor costs are rising, land resources are scarce, and prices are constantly increasing, etc. factors, leading to a significant increase in logistics costs; emerging industry companies have unique Internet resource advantages, and automobile logistics faces the threat of cross-border competition. In this context, automobile logistics is increasingly embedding "smart" demands.

In addition, in recent years, the continuous emergence of automation equipment, intelligent robots, and new control technologies, as well as the continuous development and maturity of advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things, visual recognition, big data analysis, cloud computing, and machine learning, have provided opportunities for the development of RFID smart logistics. Good opportunity.

For SAIC-GM, the intelligent transformation of logistics is the company's goal to maintain its advantages and continue to move forward. It is also an important part of supporting the smooth advancement of the company's RFID intelligent manufacturing. On the other hand, SAIC-GM, as the leader of the automotive industry chain, will also coordinate and drive the common development of the upstream and downstream automotive industry chains through the advancement of RFID smart logistics strategies.

2. Robust digital logistics development plan

The main development line of SAIC-GM RFID intelligent logistics will focus on five directions: modularization, automation, digitization, networking, and intelligence. The realization of digitalization is regarded as the basis for intelligent transformation. In 2015, based on the company's RFID smart manufacturing development strategy, SAIC-GM formulated a supply chain and logistics digital development plan to conduct a global digital transformation of traditional business processes in the entire logistics process; at the same time, relying on automated logistics equipment, sensing technology, material/services Advanced technologies such as networking, big data, and intelligent optimization algorithms are used to intelligently transform some logistics businesses and systems to explore and find breakthrough points in traditional businesses and new profit growth points, laying a solid foundation for the transformation and upgrading of RFID smart logistics.

SAIC-GM digital strategy panorama

1. Grasp the characteristics of the automotive supply chain and promote digitalization of logistics

(1) The business chain is long, has many links, and has a wide scope

SAIC-GM's supply chain and Logistics Management operations are under the responsibility of the Production Control and Logistics Department. Its business covers the entire business chain including production planning, material preparation, inbound logistics, factory logistics, and out-factory logistics; including production plan management, parts Planning management, inventory control, supply chain management, material transportation management, warehousing management, bin rack management, packaging design, vehicle shipping and other business links; the business scope involves almost all departments in the company (marketing, procurement, finance , engineering, manufacturing, quality, etc.), the company involves parts suppliers (including domestic and foreign) and logistics service providers (including land transportation, sea transportation, air transportation, etc.).

(2) Large number of systems and poor interconnection

Based on the complexity of the supply chain, the construction and application of SAIC-GM’s information system are also relatively complex. The specific manifestations are as follows: first, the company has many business departments, and each department involves and applies more than 30 systems; second, in the past, the systems of each business department were developed independently, and the interconnection and interoperability were not strong, resulting in different efficiency of each system; third, Each system does not capture data from the same data pool at the same time, resulting in information asymmetry.

2. Build an interconnected digital information system

In order to achieve efficient connection between the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, SAIC-GM needs to promote the digital transformation of all aspects of traditional business flows from two aspects: first, unblocking the entire business chain, and second, unblocking the entire information flow. To this end, SAIC-GM has adopted an enterprise architecture approach to organize, decompose, design, build, integrate and expand business architecture, application architecture, data architecture and other contents to form an end-to-end global plan to ensure that each digital information system complies with departmental requirements. Strategy, business, and technology development requirements are interconnected; at the same time, a data modular design is adopted in the IT architecture design to ensure that when relevant systems are modified in the future, only the characteristic modules need to be modified without any impact on other systems. .

Ni Bin introduced the overall architecture layout of the smart factory using the Cadillac factory of SAIC General Motors as an example. The factory applies industrial Ethernet technology to provide high-bandwidth network access for underlying production equipment. Sensors, actuators and other equipment at the equipment layer are all connected to the system through industrial Ethernet; at the control layer, PLC products are used to realize integrated control of process and safety equipment, and a large number of PC-based or panel-based HMI products are deployed on site to provide real-time Obtain production equipment operating status information and process information, and enable remote control; at the workshop level, an MES system is deployed, which has functions such as production process monitoring, equipment monitoring, production planning and scheduling, logistics operation management, and quality information collection and traceability. , and connected upwards with the enterprise ERP system; at the enterprise level, according to the business chain and functional division of labor, ERP-based systems and other related systems are deployed to achieve system function coverage of the entire business chain.

In the future, as the factory continues to invest in the construction of the Internet of Things, more sensors and equipment will be connected at the equipment layer and control layer, and more data will need to be collected and transmitted for processing and analysis; at the workshop level and enterprise level, big data analysis will be promoted and visualization Tool applications to help identify optimization opportunities in business operation links, and use technologies such as digital modeling analysis and intelligent algorithms to explore advanced applications such as intelligent production scheduling, intelligent dispatching, and intelligent optimization; at each level, specific project needs will be combined, Carry out communication network performance upgrades and deploy relevant business applications.

3. Exploration on the construction of RFID intelligent logistics system

According to Ni Bin, based on cost control and risk controllability considerations, the promotion of SAIC-GM's RFID intelligent logistics system construction is not concentrated on a certain production base or a certain factory, but uses global resources to select appropriate projects in different areas. The factories in the four places will be piloted separately, and after success, it will be fully promoted in the four factories. Since the implementation of the RFID smart logistics strategy two years ago, SAIC-GM has conducted separate pilot projects on digital technology and RFID smart logistics equipment, laying a solid foundation for the comprehensive transformation and upgrading of RFID smart logistics.

1. Application and exploration of digital technology

SAIC-GM continues to introduce digital technology applications in production planning and scheduling, inbound logistics, factory logistics, supply chain extension management and other aspects to promote the digital and intelligent transformation of logistics.

(1) Digital production scheduling technology

In 2016, SAIC-GM applied digital production scheduling technology in the stamping business for the first time in the domestic automobile industry. The production scheduling of the stamping workshop is a typical mathematical model of small batches, multiple boundary conditions, and multiple constraints. At the same time, under various factors such as long mold change time, high frequency, and uncertain storage locations, the constraints manually considered are limited. Production scheduling efficiency is low. SAIC-GM has transformed traditional manual production scheduling into digital production scheduling, which can greatly shorten the time required for production scheduling and quickly respond to changes in production demand; reduce the area of the material buffer area, improve site utilization, and achieve lean inventory management; rationally arrange and allocate personnel , improve the work efficiency of planned employees, equipment utilization rate and production efficiency, and can reconcile the overflow and shortage of production capacity, reduce public power and reduce various logistics operation costs.

After gaining experience in digital scheduling at the Jinqiao stamping plant in Pudong and further optimizing the algorithm, SAIC-GM will gradually promote the technology to powertrain plants and vehicle assembly plants in 2018, and then fully adopt it in the four factories.

(2) Indoor positioning technology

SAIC-GM has applied indoor positioning technology for the first time in the field of automobile manufacturing factory logistics, and cooperated with various advanced sensing technologies such as automated scanning to realize digital tracking and analysis of people, machines, and materials, optimize feeding paths, improve personnel efficiency, maximize equipment utilization, and achieve lean In-factory inventory effectively supports the construction of digital factories.

(3) Intelligent dispatch technology

It is the first time in the industry to try to apply intelligent scheduling algorithms. Through global resource scheduling in inbound logistics, factory logistics and other links, it can efficiently match material needs and logistics resources to achieve a significant improvement in the overall efficiency of logistics.

(4)Simulation technology

At present, simulation software is mostly used for factory planning or product development, and the simulation technology for the combined operation of all automation equipment in the entire process is still blank. SAIC-GM is exploring the use of simulation software in the overall planning of the logistics system to simulate bottlenecks in the entire logistics process, predict risks, and simulate more solutions to find the optimal solution.

(5) Application of narrowband technology in tracking of bins and racks

SAIC-GM uses China Mobile's narrowband technology and integrates a GPS module. As long as the mobile phone has a signal, it can track and transmit the location, status and other information of the bins and racks, realizing the full life cycle management of the bins and racks. The application of this technology is currently in the exploratory stage.

2. Application and exploration of RFID intelligent logistics equipment

In the process of building the RFID intelligent logistics system, SAIC-GM continues to promote the level of logistics automation by focusing on eight major operational links, including entry into the factory, receiving, warehousing, sorting, on-line, off-line, shipping, and leaving the factory. The currently mainly used automated logistics systems are as follows:

(1) Automated three-dimensional Library

SAIC-GM has piloted different forms of three-dimensional warehouses, including shuttles and stackers, in multiple factories at its four bases for the automation of a variety of standardized large-scale components and assemblies, including engines and gearboxes. storage, improving storage area utilization and logistics operation efficiency.

Automated three-dimensional library

Automated three-dimensional warehouses are currently rarely used in the automotive industry, mainly because the specifications and sizes of automotive parts vary greatly, making it difficult to achieve high-efficiency applications. However, as land costs and labor costs rise, the application of automated three-dimensional warehouses has become a trend.

(2) Intelligent new AGC

SAIC-GM took the lead in piloting the introduction of the internationally advanced intelligent new AGC to complete the online operation of automatic transportation of materials. Different from the traditional magnetic track navigation AGC, the intelligent AGC can rotate 360 degrees on the spot with almost no turning radius. It does not require the dense stacking of components next to the line, which improves the efficiency of the online operation.

At present, intelligent new AGC is widely used in the express Logistics industry, but less in the automobile logistics industry. At the same time, SAIC-GM also discovered during the application of AGC that because the overall packaging of some parts in the automotive industry weighs more than one ton, and the current AGC lifting capacity is limited, it is not yet capable of automatically putting all parts on line. SAIC-GM is communicating with industry-leading companies such as Siasong, Hikvision, and Gizhijia, hoping to make technological breakthroughs in the future.

(3) Unmanned forklift

SAIC-GM has applied laser-guided unmanned forklifts in its Jinqiao and Wuhan branches in Pudong to realize automatic entry and exit of materials, enabling partially unmanned operations in the warehouse. Logistics efficiency has been significantly improved, and investment will be increased in the future.

(4) Intelligent picking robot

For the first time in the automotive industry, SAIC-GM introduced an intelligent picking robot to automatically select sunroof parts, improving sorting efficiency. At a flexible production site, materials need to be sorted. SAIC-GM uses an intelligent picking robot to automatically grab the skylight and place it on the material rack, and arranges the order according to the production plan. Finally, the AGC drags the material rack to the line, realizing unmanned picking of the skylight and on-line operation.

Skylight intelligent sorting robot

In addition, SAIC-GM also uses automation equipment to realize automatic scanning, automatic packaging and automatic short-loading of entire pallets of materials; it independently develops unmanned trailers to realize unmanned automatic transfer of materials between factories at the shipping end; through machine transport chains Large-scale application to improve the efficiency of material receiving end operations; using technologies such as automatic scanning, vehicle three-dimensional warehouses, and automatic car washing to improve vehicle logistics operation efficiency; in addition, a hardware control system has been established to achieve unified management and control of different automation equipment. Control and initially realize the operation of unmanned warehouse.

4. Difficulties and solutions

In the process of promoting SAIC-GM's RFID smart logistics, many new technologies and new models are tried for the first time in departments, companies and even industries. There are no mature solutions for reference, and they face many difficulties and challenges. In response to these technical difficulties, on the one hand, SAIC-GM has established corresponding platform organizations within the department, integrating various experts from the department to focus on technical difficulties; on the other hand, through strategic supplier collaboration, industry-university-research cooperation, etc., borrowing Assist with various external resources to advance the project.

In addition, due to limitations of corporate resources and manpower conditions, it is impossible for all logistics systems and operation links to promote intelligence together. How to find a balance between technology and cost and identify breakthroughs must also be considered during the construction of RFID smart logistics. What SAIC-GM is pursuing is lean RFID smart logistics, using the lowest cost to achieve optimal solutions. The application of all new technologies and new models is to ultimately generate benefits. Therefore, after SAIC-GM has made an overall plan for the development of RFID smart logistics, it sorted out which businesses in the entire business process have systems and found the most critical links to try first. For example, inbound and outbound logistics are the most complex and account for the most logistics costs. Even a 1% improvement will bring considerable benefits, so they have become the focus of RFID smart logistics construction. There are also some relatively simple and easy businesses that you can try first. To put it simply, the steps for intelligent transformation of logistics are to achieve high returns

Businesses with high returns and quick benefits will be promoted first; some relatively large-scale and difficult links will be promoted using the concept of "running fast in small steps and iterating quickly".

Finally, it is worth mentioning that there will inevitably be some detours in the process of piloting and verifying new technologies. However, SAIC-GM’s management has always had a fault-tolerant attitude towards innovation and allowed trial and error. This has allowed relevant personnel to put down their burdens and boldly try. , enabling the improvement project to progress quickly.

5. Value analysis and future prospects

Regarding the value that the construction of the RFID intelligent logistics system brings to SAIC-GM, Ni Bin said that SAIC-GM’s original logistics system has a solid foundation. In the process of building the RFID intelligent logistics system, every small step of improvement is a major breakthrough. The current The exploration had the desired effect. The continuous advancement of SAIC-GM's RFID smart logistics can accurately connect both ends of demand and resources, comprehensively connect key links such as product design, manufacturing execution and marketing, support fast and accurate product personalization and flexible production, and create the company's RFID smart manufacturing core competitiveness.