ABB has partnered with Porsche Consulting, a leading management consultancy and a subsidiary of the sports car manufacturer. Accordingly, the partnership aims to reshape the landscape of analyzer manufacturing. Hence, solidifying ABB’s position at the forefront of the analyzer market.

The collaboration drives the deployment of a mixed-model production line for ABB’s process and laboratory analyzers manufactured in Canada. For that reason, this will enable best practices from the automotive industry.

Fully Digital, Lean Manufacturing Process

The new production line offers optimized logistics, quality control, and operations management. Thus, leading to a 100 percent increase in output within the same floor space, and a more than 30 percent decrease in lead times.

The project has examined and reimagined every aspect of the manufacturing process. Namely, from production setup to logistics to quality control methods and operations management principles.

In addition, the project also introduced change management approaches to prepare the factory staff for addressing the market’s evolving needs. This includes enhancing manufacturing and planning methods with test automation, live operations KPIs, and decoupling manufacturing subassembly product lines.

“Porsche Consulting helped us rethink our manufacturing systems. We wanted to be closer to the customers with better lead times and better reactivity. (Also) to offer customers better visibility of the status of products during manufacturing,” said Marc Corriveau, Head of Global Operations, Analytical Business Line, ABB.

Furthermore, Corriveau said, “The smart, digital and lean manufacturing process pioneered through this collaboration will shape the future of analyzer production. Thus, meeting the ever-evolving demands of the market and enabling us to maintain unmatched quality and service for our customers.”

Since the delivery of the first units in the spring of 2023, production has ramped up to double capacity, a testament to the efficiency and success of the innovative approach. Furthermore, the reduction in lead times has empowered ABB to respond swiftly to dynamic market demands.

The collaboration marks the latest chapter in a long-standing partnership between ABB and Porsche Consulting. Particularly, this has encompassed diverse projects from strategic visioning to pragmatic operational transformations.