A UK automotive manufacturer was running a body in white production line, controlled by a Rockwell PLC with KUKA robots across multiple stations that was operational but not performing at the throughput level the business needed. The cycle time was longer than it should have been, and the business wanted to know what was causing it and whether it could be improved without major capital investment or extended downtime. The added difficulty: the line couldn't simply be stopped to experiment, so every change needed to be understood, planned, and proven before it touched production, fitting around the shift pattern with everything safe and reversible.
Duke's engineers started with pure observation, spending time on the line watching each station and recording video of the robots and full cycle sequence without making any changes. That footage was then analysed offline, frame-by-frame, to review each robot's motion, the timing of handshakes between stations, and where time was being lost, surfacing multiple improvement opportunities, each small individually but significant collectively. Changes were then implemented during shift breaks and after production shifts so output was never interrupted: KUKA robot programs were adjusted to refine motion paths, cut unnecessary wait times, and tighten sequencing between stations, with any changes touching the Rockwell PLC logic handled carefully to maintain safe, correct operation. Each modification was implemented and verified incrementally before moving to the next.
Across seven days on site, Duke's engineers identified and implemented multiple targeted improvements to the KUKA robot programs and station sequencing, achieving a cycle time reduction of 34.33% — saving 103 seconds on every cycle the line runs. For a line running continuously across multiple shifts, that translates directly into a significant increase in units produced per shift, per day, and per year, achieved without any additional capital investment, without extending the line, and with zero unplanned production downtime.
""The temptation on a project like this is to jump straight to making changes. The discipline is in watching first, understanding what is actually happening rather than what you think is happening, and then making changes you are confident about. That is where the results come from.""
Published with the express consent of both parties. The buyer chose to remain unnamed, so they are described by sector only. All quotes are unedited extracts from verified reviews.
