Success Case 02 1 Robot That Replaced 11 Workers

Asian Alliance International started a business in 2005 as a manufacturer of processed tuna and has expanded into the luxury pet food business in 2013.

However, we faced the challenges of rising labor costs and a shortage of workers in Thailand. There was an urgent need to improve productivity without increasing the number of workers. In that situation, we found a solution at FTI Lean Automation Project held in 2018, which was encounter with LASI.

DENSO’s LASI proposal met out needs, which was to reduce manufacturing costs by automation and to introduce high performance automation. This encounter was a turning point that dramatically changed our factory.

With the support of DENSO, we had worked on improving our production lines for 2 years. Through kaizen, we thoroughly reviewed existing processes and laid the groundwork for introducing automation.

The first step was to standardize the lid assembly process. By optimizing product direction, position, pick-up method and placement, we were able to significantly improve work efficiency.

We then introduced the latest robot technology to the packing process, which is a common process in the factory. Automation of this process was the key to success.

The robot lifts products at high speed and places them precisely in boxes. The challenge was to improve the efficiency of this pick-and-place operation. We carefully designed the robot's movements to prevent products from falling.

The results were astonishing. Pre-shipment inspections that previously took days or weeks can now be completed in just 1 day. Furthermore, the innovative design of the robot, which allows it to operate continuously, has realized a significant reduction in manpower with a small investment. We have succeeded in achieving both speed and accuracy, and has achieved a dramatic increase in productivity.

As a result of collaboration with DENSO, 1 robot successfully replaced the work of 11 workers. Productivity increased by 150%, achieving unprecedented efficiency. This was made possible by an automated design that achieved a cycle time of 0.5 seconds/piece and 95% robot operating efficiency. Not only did we solve the problem of labor shortage, but we were also able to dramatically increase productivity.

Automation has not only improved the efficiency of our production systems, but also our ability to respond to customer needs. By learning from DENSO experts, workers and engineers have improved their ability to understand problems and propose solutions.

We are currently planning to expand Lean Automation to 26 projects. We will continue to expand new production lines and further advance through continuous training of our workers.