Light Assembly Industry LASSI

(1)

National Technology Agency Kyllikinportti 2

P.O. Box 69, FIN-00101 Helsinki, Finland Tel. +358 105 2151, fax + 358 9 694 9196

e-mail: [email protected] www.tekes.fi

Light Assembly Industry LASSI 1996–1999

Evaluation Report

T

ekes

• Light Assembly Industry LASSI 1996

–1999

Evaluation Report

15 00

Light Assembly Industry

LASSI 1996–1999

Evaluation Report

Technology Programme Report 15/2000

(2)

Light Assembly Industry

LASSI

19961999

Evaluation Report Kamal Youcef-Toumi Antti Soini

National Technology Agency Technology Programme Report 15/2000

(3)

Tekes Your contact for Finnish Technology

Tekes, the National Technology Agency of Finland, is the main financing or-ganisation for applied and industrial R&D in Finland. The funds for financing are granted from the state budget.

Tekes primary objective is to promote the competitiveness of Finnish indus-try and the service sector by technological means. Activities should lead to diversified production structures, increased production and exports, and cre-ate a foundation for employment and social well being.

Tekes supports applied and industrial R&D in Finland to the extent of some two billion Finnish marks, EUR360 million, annually. The Tekes network in Finland and overseas offers excellent channels for co-operation with Finnish companies, universities and research institutes.

Technology programs part of the innovation chain

The technology programs for developing innovative products and processes, is an essential part of the Finnish innovation system. These programs have proved to be an effective form of cooperation and networking for companies and the research sector. Technology programs are used to promote develop-ment in specific sectors of technology or industry, and to pass on the results of the research work to business in an efficient way. The programs also offer good frameworks for international R&D cooperation. Currently a total of about 60 extensive national technology programs are under way.

ISSN 1239-1336 ISBN 952-9621-83-3 Cover: Oddball Graphics Oy

Page layout: DTPageOy Printers: Paino-Center Oy, 2000

(4)

Foreword

The LASSI Technology Programme was launched in June of 1996. Some projects which have begun during the programme will continue after the official termina-tion of the programme, also indicating that continuous R&D efforts are needed to keep the light assembly industry sector competitive and to keep and improve the achieved position in the strongly growing global markets.

The LASSI programme was aimed at the development of the infrastructure and the world-class expertise of the Finnish light assembly industry. LASSI has been an industry driven technology programme covering different industrial sectors (elec-tronic, electrical, mechanical, plastics, etc.) and different types of companies (end-users, machine and system suppliers) and the research sector. The programme has had a strong positive impact to both industry and research institu-tions by promoting the start of development projects, cooperation and scientific and practical networking.

This report is a summary of the findings of the final evaluation of the LASSI tech-nology programme. The evaluation was carried out by two people: Prof. Kamal Youcef-Toumi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Mr. Antti Soini, Satakunta Polytechnic, Development and Research Centre O´Sata. The evaluation is based on the on-site review of the individual projects, interviews with project managers, researchers and management group members, the responses to the questionnaires, and the information contained in the final project reports. Tekes would like to thank all those who have participated in the evaluation, espe-cially the assessors, for their extremely thorough work and detailed report. The findings, conclusions and recommendations will be of great value in enhancing the effectiveness of future technology programmes carried out in Finland by Tekes. Helsinki, May 2000

(5)

Executive Summary

The vision and mission of the LASSI technology programme was initiated to up-grade and develop technology, know-how and the infrastructure in the Finnish light assembly industry to a world class level. Two pre-studies, conducted in 1994 and 1995 respectively, focused on determining the state of automation, robotisation and expected needs in assembly production, equipment, Research and Development. After completion of the pre-studies, the LASSI projects were launched in June of 1996 for the development of this fast growing and important industrial sector.

The main goal of the program was to develop the infrastructure and generate

world-class expertise for the Finnish light assembly industry. The program

in-cluded subject areas in assembly cells and systems, assembly technology and methods and DFA and Concurrent Engineering.

The program has had an extensive involvement from industries and research insti-tutions. A total of 90 companies and 12 research institutions have been involved in the almost 40 projects of the Program. LASSI has promoted the start of develop-ment projects, cooperation and scientific and practical co-operation.

The program has had a strong positive impact to both industry and research institu-tions. Several new products and product improvements were made in the projects. The LASSI partners gained valuable experience and know-how. In addition, DFA clinics have demonstrated how new methods, along with limited investments, can make major improvements in industrial products. The LASSI projects have re-sulted in numerous articles and reports.

The overall knowledge of both academic and industrial LASSI partners was im-proved. This should allow for a strong foundation for enabling competitiveness and co-operation at the international level. The program allowed the partners to generate important practical results, and provided a mechanism for improving co-operation between industry and academia. It has also set foundations for facili-tating international co-operation. However, additional work needs to be done in or-der to improve the industrial and research co-operation of the Finns. Although, the LASSI project did not produce an important number of patents, issues concerning the generation of state-of-the-art results, patents and intellectual property should be addressed for future programs.

(6)

1 LASSI Technology Programme

1.1 Background

Some Finnish industries have recently shown sig-nificant growth in the assembly-based production sectors. These include the electronic and electrical industries, along with mechanical workshops and plastic product industry. An important common area to these industries is light assembly. Light

as-sembly refers to the manufacture of products,

whose weight and dimensions enable manual sub-assemblies without auxiliary equipment, and can also include small parts and sub-assemblies difficult to handle for a human operator.

The vision and mission of the LASSI technology

programme was initiated to upgrade and develop

technology, know-how and the infrastructure in the Finnish light assembly industry to a world class level. Two pre-studies, conducted in 1994 and 1995 respectively, focused on determining the state of automatisation, robotisation and expected needs in assembly production, equipment, Re-search and Development. Although the existing as-sembly systems were successful, the pre-studies de-termined that improved flexibility, human-system interaction and economy were needed. Furthermore, the use of tools and procedures, such as Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) in product design was limited. However, re-search and development for the enhancement of key aspects of assembly systems was already being con-ducted in some companies and research institutes. These aspects include flexibility, modularity, and variability, human integrated production of assem-bly systems, as well as DFA and Concurrent Engi-neering (CE). After completion of the pre-studies, the LASSI projects were launched in June of 1996 for the development of this fast growing and impor-tant industrial sector.

1.2 Goals

The main goal of the programme was to develop

the infrastructure and generate world-class ex-pertise for the Finnish light assembly industry.

The program included subject areas in assembly cells and systems, assembly technology and methods and DFA and Concurrent Engineering. The following goals were defined for the pro-gramme:

H Develop the production and machine and sys-tem technology expertise connected with light assembly production to the highest interna-tional levels (world-class expertise)

H Develop international benchmarking for light assembly production

H Bring out the importance of light assembly pro-duction and its development potential

H Establish scientific and operational networks

H Offer companies the opportunity to try out and assess new assembly methods and technologies

H Reduce risks when investing in assembly sys-tems

H Be better prepared for international operations and business and research co-operation, and for utilising international research funding Each project of the technology programme for-mulated its own goals while being consistent with the general goals of the program.

(8)

2 Program Structure

2.1 Projects

The initial research and development projects were led by industrial companies and supported by re-search institutes. Soon after that, rere-search insti-tutes with industries’ support submitted proposals focusing on applied research projects. Some in-dustry projects involved end-users and/or suppliers. LASSI has promoted the start of development pro-jects along with co-operation among organisa-tions. The research topics are quite comprehen-sive including development of products (DFA) and product processes, assembly logistics, pro-duction equipment and facilities and their control systems, new assembly methods and techniques as well as assembly production systems and pro-cesses and their design. An updated list of projects is given in Appendix A. Three main subject areas of the program were defined for the LASSI tech-nology programme:

a. Assembly Cells and Systems

H Development of assembly cells, equipment and systems

H Improvement of system performance

H Improvement of system flexibility, modularity, variability and adaptability to product and ca-pacity changes

H Machine and system solutions for high-volume production (performance, availability, degree of utilisation, reliability, flexibility, variability) HIM and semiautomatic systems

H Standardisation and modularisation of produc-tion equipment and systems

H Flexible feeding and other peripheral equip-ment

H Control of assembly cells and systems

H Development of flexible control and diagnostic modules and solutions as well as effective af-ter-sales operations at machine and system level

H Logistics of assembly production: pallets, boxes and cases, packages, material flows, total control and management, total supply chain, networking, ...

b. Assembly Technologies and Methods

H Feeding and handling of small components and products, assembly of precision and micro-me-chanical products

H New joining methods

H Handling and feeding of odd-shape compo-nents

H Machine vision, new sensors, tactile sensing, ...

H Marking, labelling and identification

H Assembly of complicated and difficult prod-ucts

H New actuators and controls

H Automatic and semiautomatic disassembly

H Advanced design methods (3D-modelling, vir-tual reality techniques, remote and distance de-sign and co-operation, …)

c. DFMA and Concurrent Engineering

H Promotion of utilisation of DFMA and CE in companies and integration of these into compa-nies’ product processes

H Further development and customisation of DFMA tools and CE processes for different companies and different needs

H Assemblability clinic

The program has had an extensive involvement from industries and research institutions. The par-ticipants of the program are listed in Appendix B. These include companies and research institu-tions. Among them are manufacturing companies, suppliers and end users in different industrial sec-tors such as electronics, electrical, mechanical, plastics, etc… A total of 90 companies and 12 re-search institutions have been involved in almost 40 projects of the Program.

(9)

The total level of funding of the completed and on-going projects is EUR 13 million. The projects have been funded with contributions from Tekes, the participating companies, universities and re-search institutes.

2.2 Co-operation

One of LASSI’s aims is to encourage and support co-operation between companies, universities and research institutes. It is important, especially for small and medium sized companies, to participate and co-operate in such programs. The participa-tion facilitates technology transfer between differ-ent organisations and provides a developmdiffer-ent op-portunity for SME companies. The program has fostered different co-operations, which benefited manufacturers, end-users and suppliers.

In order to enhance co-operation between LASSI participants, and between LASSI participants and international organisations, LASSI organised sev-eral other activities. These include workshops, continuing education (LASSI Academy), national and international seminars, and technical excur-sions (LASSI Technical Tours). The LASSI Club is one form of assembly forum, and within it the development of different Internet-applications (http://www.lassi.sci.fi). The technology transfer between participants is facilitated by communica-tion databases and other services.

2.3 Management

The management group for the LASSI program received and evaluated proposals based on short summaries. Each summary addressed three main points: (1) Project goals and synergies with the program, (2) Project contribution to the program, and (3) Expectations from the program. The man-agement group ranked the proposals and made recommendations to Tekes that made the final cisions of funding. The funding type and share de-pended on the nature of the project and the partner organisations. Each funded project had its own

management group, chaired by members of the participating companies. The work of the man-agement group involved approximately 200 per-sons, and in addition approximately 100 research-ers have taken part in the research. The manage-ment group held 20 meetings during the program. The programme was co-ordinated by Tamlink Ltd., with Professor Reijo Tuokko as the pro-gramme manager. The management group con-sisted of experts from industry representing dif-ferent areas in the field of light assembly produc-tion,

Chairman

1996-3/1998: Pentti Ahlgren, Nokia Research Center 4/1998-1999: Risto Hirvonen, Nokia Mobile Phones

Secretary

Reijo Tuokko, Tamlink Oy Members

The typical number of members was 6 to 8 per-sons. The following persons have been members of the management group during the life of the programme:

Antti Hovi, Tekes

Markku Jokela, PMJ automec Oyj Mika Kallioniemi, JOT Robotics Oy,

JOT Automation Oyj

Tauno Kavén, Oras Oy

Jarmo Kulppi, JOT Robotics Oy

Juha Kyllönen, FlexLink Automation Oy Olavi Meriläinen, GWS Systems Oy Kari Muuronen, PMJ automec Oyj Jari Partanen, Pro Electronica,

JOT Automation Oyj

Tapio Poranen, ProElectronica,

ABB Corporate Research Oy

Jarmo Raittila, Tekes

Miiro Ryyppö, ABB Corporate Research Oy Risto Saarisalo, Oras Oy

Henrik Wikström, Mechanical Assembly

(10)

3 Scope of the Evaluation

An on-site review of the LASSI technology pro-gram was conducted during the period of January 10, 2000 to February 25, 2000. The LASSI part-ners that were visited, along with their corre-sponding representatives, are listed in Appendix B. A questionnaire, listed in Appendix E, was pre-pared and submitted to the partners. The evalua-tion is based on the on-site review of the individual projects, the responses to the questionnaires, and the information contained in the final project re-ports. The key points of this evaluation are sum-marised below.

a. The evaluation is performed on the program as a whole. Key aspects of the evaluation include the relevance of the program and its use of re-sources.

b. The evaluation also examined the research and development projects. Specifically, aspects of research and excellence in innovation were as-sessed in all projects. The scientific value of the projects is examined because it reflects the im-portance of the work performed. The strength of technological edge gained by the LASSI partners depends on the degree of innovation in the research and development. Some com-ments are directed towards individual projects.

c. The evaluation assesses the impact of the pro-gram on the Finnish economy. The economic returns to the public and private sectors were assessed. Also, its relevance towards improv-ing the competitive edge of the Finnish indus-try and its state of co-operation with foreign or-ganisations is also investigated.

d. The LASSI program evaluation allows for comments and conclusions regarding future programmes. These comments may reflect on the funding process, the quality criteria and general policies.

(11)

4 Program Relevance

The program structure and its original goals are stated in sections 2 and 1 of this report respec-tively.

In general, the LASSI program, which includes Tekes and its partners, has identified an area with significant relevance to the Finnish economy and its international context. Two important steps taken before the initiation of LASSI were the pre-studies of 1994 and 1995. They focused on de-termining the state of automatisation, robotisation and expected needs in assembly production, equipment, Research and Development. In addi-tion to the Finnish mechanical engineering related industry, which retains a strong position in Fin-land’s economy, one needs to consider the fast growing high-tech and electronics industry. These industries have attained new important growth po-tential and credibility. The assembly production in these industries features lightweight mechanical products with higher production volumes, and thus raises new challenges. In general, production is now diversified and technology-intensive. Spe-cifically, the electronics and communication dustry sectors have grown significantly and in-volve high volume production. These facts emphasise the importance and necessary support of the light assembly industry program.

The Nokia expansion factor has important impli-cations on new technologies. The rapid growth of Nokia Mobile Phones and Nokia Telecommunica-tions (today Nokia Networks) resulted in a posi-tive impact on the Finnish light assembly industry. Nokia, being an important exporter of telecommu-nication devices and equipment, has entrained other industries. Such industries include plastics, light mechanical, and electrotechnical. In addi-tion, issues relating diversity of products and time to market are crucial for today’s competitiveness. And indeed, they are factors addressed by the light assembly industry program.

The academic and research institutions have en-gaged in working hand in hand with industrial partners. The industrial partners cover all ranges; small, medium and large. The academic and re-search institutions have presented a balance be-tween theoretical and practical problems attempt-ing at the same time to maintain excellence. Ma-chine vision problems addressed by VTT and Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic are typical examples. LASSI industrial partners have engaged with full strength in achieving new high goals. It is interest-ing to note that several industries have addressed new ideas either in a product, production line or enabling technology. Examples include Nokia Mobile Phones (development and implementa-tion of a semi-automatic assembly concept), Pla-nar (improvement of productivity and quality of the assembly process of flat panel displays), ABB Fläkt (developing the fan products and modernis-ing their production line gained significant com-petitive edge) and Tampere University of Tech-nology (PC-based Device and System Control (SoftPLC)).

The program coordination has been set up with a semi formal structure. The program management group held about 20 meetings during the life of the program. In addition, annual seminars were also held were participants present their works and can benefit from interacting with others. The partners unanimously stated that the program was run in an effective way. Other major programs in the United States of America are run a bit differently. An in-dependent review committee is selected by the funding agency, and assigned to the project. At a review meeting, all participants attend and present their progress and achievement to date. The mem-bers of the review committee scrutinise the contri-bution of each team member. This process is re-peated a few times a year. This process assures

(12)

that there are checks at specific times and also the committee gives feedback to the team.

In general, the program is given a positive assess-ment. However, as has been seen in a previous pro-gram, the issue of state-of-the-art surveys and state of the competitors was not addressed seri-ously during the projects. The evaluators suggest that comparative surveys be conducted based on scientific, technological and commercial litera-ture. These studies ought to be included in the re-port. Competitive methods, products and technol-ogies should spell out. The evaluators are not aware of any patent searches that were conducted either prior to the start of the project or during the project.

(13)

5 Economic Impact

In this report, human resources, product innova-tion/improvement, and productivity measure the economic impact of the program. One can exam-ine the partners and their financial improvement during the 3-year period of the program. However, it seems more appropriate to assess how the pro-gram affected the appropriate elements in a posi-tive way.

5.1 Human Resources

The program improved both academic standing and industrial competitiveness as reported in Ap-pendix E. Indeed, 56% of the partners indicated that their academic and research and development standing had definitely improved. In addition, an-other 12% of the partners felt that the improve-ment may come in the future. Most partners indi-cated that their overall academic and/or research and development standing has improved due to the projects. Some state that they now have a better understanding. Several solutions were generated for industrial cases and new methods for planning assembly systems. Experience using several soft-ware packages in real industrial cases was reward-ing. Some feel they are the leaders in their field. The LASSI program has essentially improved the circumstances to increase research and research resources in the field, and to improve quality of re-search. In addition, international benchmarking has helped in positioning the LASSI partners in the scientific community.

Programs, such as LASSI, are important to both research institutions and industries. They provide an opportunity for conducting research and devel-opment. Raising the standing and skills of engi-neers and specialists in the field is one important aspect of the program. However, a project needs to be structured appropriately so that its goals are achieved. Due to the theme and/or the length of the

program, the benefit could be limited to raising skills and offering experience. On the other hand, the project could result in a significant contribu-tion in science or technology. In general, a pro-gram length of about 3 years may not be sufficient to gauge the complete economic impact. About 20% of the partners stated that their academic standing did not improve. Three partners stated that their improvement was limited in a focused area and one partner was not sure if there was any improvement in their standing.

The program has fostered both new national and international collaborations. 60% of the partners that responded to the questionnaire indicated that a new national collaboration has resulted from LASSI. Of course, such collaborations strengthen the co-operation between research institutes, uni-versities and equipment suppliers. These collabo-rations include e.g. University-university or ex-perts-suppliers-research institute. Others were project oriented and include themes on injection moulding, and simulation clinic service for the in-dustry. But about 28% of the responders reported either no national collaboration or were not sure. New international collaborations have been re-ported by 32% of the responders, see Appendix F. The program has raised its profile and conse-quently it will help securing skilful human re-sources for the development of the field. The Pro-gram has also established a basis for the work of

common ‘standardisation’ and influencing the global development. The program offered other

activities, which include international

bench-marking (e.g. the LASSI Summit Seminars and the LASSI Technical Tours). These have enhanced the

effectiveness of the program and promoted the achievement of the objectives in upgrading the ex-pertise. It has also helped in positioning the Finns in international cooperation and networking. These foundations will help improve the

(14)

interna-tional research cooperation. See Appendix C for further details on the activities.

A follow up to the program needs to be consid-ered. The program has provided opportunities for the participants to succeed in research and devel-opment. In fact, several have gained experience and learned new skills. Appropriate mechanisms need to be established to sustain and/or strengthen the skills gained. In addition, some projects had generated important results and a follow up is nec-essary. Workshops and special programs with the LASSI Clinic and research institutions may be av-enues to consider. It is however the responsibility of the partners to determine the appropriate mea-sure. The proposed work can be presented to Tekes for support consideration. The partnerships that have been established may be maintained through exchange programs between research in-stitutes and industries.

5.2 Product Innovation/

Improvement

Indeed, the program improved both academic standing and industrial competitiveness as stated by the LASSI partners. LASSI has essentially set the circumstances to expand research resources and improve the betterment quality of research. Almost all partners indicated a positive impact to their organisation. The program has allowed for the improvement of the ability to compete. The de-livery promptness reached 99% for one partner, and the production costs were significantly re-duced for another. A competitive advantage for a third was achieved by using new technology for assembly operations. This resulted in a leading product with much improved features. The pro-gram has even facilitated the establishment of a new start-up company. The continuation of re-search, development and implementations were facilitated. The program has affected significantly the aspect of teaching and cooperation with indus-try, and allowed gaining experience with design tools and learning new methods, and created new opportunities to future projects. International

benchmarking has helped in positioning some LASSI partners in the scientific community. Most partners indicated that knowledge and/or new technical results were achieved as compared to the state-of-the-art. The responses claim that some products and/or prototypes are state of the art and there exists interest from some potential end users. Other partners gained practical experi-ence and learned new practical methods. In addi-tion, concepts of semi-automatic final assembly were implemented resulting in two new flexible assembly lines. There was however, a case where new technical results were achieved but the devel-opment was fast and new commercial tools and concepts had to be introduced during the project. A partner stated that a limited achievement was realised in the field of simulation, but new ideas resulted on how to expand the use of simulation to cover the whole assembly life cycle. Another ex-pects improved integrability of products, stand-ardised interfaces between modules from differ-ent suppliers. Thus, some partners that did not see a concrete achievement benefited from gaining new ideas and new ways to work and improve their products. Another benefit is the ability to conduct a comprehensive study of many different system concepts, and having the opportunity to combine existing technologies for assembly pur-poses.

The following entrepreneurial technology trans-fer mechanisms could demonstrate a significant economic impact,

H Identify a niche area, collaborate with an end user, and develop an innovative product or pro-duction line: Examples in the LASSI program include the DFA software project, SoftPLC, and the semi-automatic final assembly (SEMI).

H Develop a solution to a specific application: The VISAP project can focus on developing so-lutions to machine vision problems in assem-bly. Examples may include identification, mea-suring and qualify objects, etc.

H Improve a niche product: The program has pro-vided the support so that a partner can develop and/or acquire new technology for the purpose of improving a product.

(15)

H Exploit technology development to create new activities or companies.

Although a significant amount of experience and skills have been gained through the projects, the following technology transfer mechanisms may not demonstrate a significant economic impact,

H The simulation projects with no new technol-ogy development in mind or new product. Sim-ulating processes and production lines can re-veal important information. Some tasks could have been accomplished by engineers of the company assisted partly by experts from the re-search institutions. Otherwise the study can take a long time and tie up substantial re-sources.

H The “study” types of projects were the investi-gators set out to learn a given technology. The information sought could have been obtained from leading manufacturers. In a project sup-ported by the Finnish government, the impor-tant point is to start from the “state-of-the-art” and build up. The work needed to get to this stage should be completed before the proposal is submitted to Tekes.

The program has also resulted in by-products. 44% of the partners that responded to the ques-tionnaire indicated that their projects led to some unplanned results. This is an indication of the in-novative approach of the teams. These by-prod-ucts fall into four categories: new conceptual de-signs, use of the technology in different problems, know-how, and publications. Only 12% of the re-sponders indicated new concepts and /or designs resulted from their LASSI project. These include a new concept for palletising and packing of com-ponents, ideas for mould design, and design of a new series of fans. Another 12% of the responders revealed that the technology was used or can be used in other application problems. These areas include robotics problems of eye and hand con-trol, production, and layout planning of automa-tion factories. But 40% of the responders indi-cated that they gained experience, or created a web site or publications, or no by-products.

5.3 Productivity

The outcome of a project is an indication of pro-ductivity. This is measured by whether there was a new or improved product or service, or new ways to operate etc…

33% of the companies that responded indicated that a new product, new product line, or a new start-up company resulted out of the LASSI pro-gram. Examples of these accomplishments in-clude the implementation of several production lines and the development of new assembly mod-ules. The lines and modules are of the automatic type, semi-automatic final assembly, configurable automation platforms, automation cell and other transfer or buffer elements, flexible assembly line with better material flow. LASSI partner compa-nies indicated that improved product model and improved flexibility in final assembly were achieved. 16% have improved one or more of their existing products or production lines. Replace-ment of traditional PLC based controllers, for ex-ample, with new SoftPLC architectures has taken place in a few real industrial settings. Another ex-ample indicates that the assembly time of a prod-uct was reduced by 40% with improved prodprod-uct quality. However, 52% fell in the category of case studies, applied research, evaluations and support to other partners of the program. See Appendix F. The content of these projects includes

H Development of concept for designing assem-bly systems,

H Feasibility studies for system requirements and specifications,

H Performance evaluation between old and new designs,

H Generation of specifications for PC-Based con-trol systems implementation,

H Demonstration of practicality and functional-ity of modules and tools,

H Support end users and suppliers in implement-ing existimplement-ing or new technology,

H Understanding of technology and its applica-bility to LASSI,

(16)

Tekes ought to identify the “wining” teams and support their activities further.

There was a very limited information about the ef-fect of the program on employment. A fact though is that electronic and telecommunication compa-nies dominate the hire process in Finland at this time, and consequently other industries have a limited pool.

(17)

6 Research and Innovation

The Light Assembly Industry program has gener-ated, directly or indirectly, a number of promising research results and innovations. A potential ex-ists for utilising such findings and development to further other research or generate intellectual property. Some examples include:

H Semi-automatic final assembly lines and asso-ciated modules

H High speed and high accuracy flexible assem-bly cells

H Measurement, control and inspection

H Flexible assembly lines for high volume appli-cations.

H DFA and DFM software tools

H PC-based control systems

H Linear motor technologies

The contributions have been in software, devises and components, and in production lines. An im-portant point to make is that the projects are con-nected to a specific application. This can lead to not only relevant publications but also intellectual property protection. Appendix D presents an im-pressive list of publications. Several are in Finn-ish. A suggestion is for the publications to be in reputable journals. Also, there are many confer-ences but not many have a strict review process. As for patents, it seems that there were none gen-erated in the program, or a very limited number. The evaluators understand that the projects were application oriented but nevertheless the devel-oped technology ought to be protected!

An essential element of the Finnish economy is technology. The national technology policy has continued to sustain its active role in supporting industries and research institutions. In fact, an in-crease in R&D investments reached 2.9% of GDP in 1998. Indicators point to an increase in the number of Finnish patent applications. This is an indication of fruitful R&D investments made in technology and an increase in productivity. For this, the Program structure must include a proce-dure for intellectual property rights and technol-ogy licensing. This is especially important when there are multiple partners in a joint research pro-gram. Such a procedure may encourage the team members to be innovative. Tekes, or the Finnish Government, is a partner in a sense, and so the pat-ent formula should consider this aspect.

Another issue concerns the sharing of information between team members. The information can in-clude intellectual properties such as source code, details of a design, manufacturing know-how, etc… Such information may be considered for a product, for a non-product, or for a non-compet-ing application. These intellectual property issues require some guidelines to be established.

(18)

7 Recommendations

This Tekes program has involved research institu-tions and industrial companies in the area of light assembly. In this section, a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the program are pre-sented. Finally, recommendations are given.

7.1 Strengths

H The program identified the light assembly in-dustry as a key area.

H The program was operated in an efficient man-ner.

H The program involved a variety of companies, small, medium to large companies. Especially the large successful companies that might set a trend and a high bar for other companies to fol-low.

H A competitive level has, in general, been achieved by the Finnish LASSI Industry

H Academic institutions and research institutes were involved in the program. This created teams consisting of industrial, university and research institute partners. Each team may fo-cus on a given need and develop appropriate technologies.

H The program has generated some new and im-proved products, new and imim-proved production assembly lines, and at least one Start-up Com-pany. Most of the projects were goal oriented and practices. Most of the companies have im-proved their research and development stand-ing and gained high business visibility.

H The program is another learning experience for academicians, researchers and businessmen es-pecially on coordinating talents, appropriate use of available resources, and targeting on in-dustry oriented goals.

H The program has helped in the development of technology expertise in the light assembly in-dustry. It has set the base for reaching interna-tional levels.

H To bring out the importance of light assembly production and its development potential

H Scientific and operational networks have been established both at the national and interna-tional levels.

H The program offered an opportunity to compa-nies to seek and assess new assembly methods and technologies.

H The program allowed a better preparation for international operations and business and re-search cooperation, and for utilising interna-tional research funding

H The major players in highly competitive elec-tronic assembly were collected in co-ordination group and the work there helped them to better understand each other and seek common areas that need to be strengthened.

H The program made the competitors discuss and collaborate.

H There has also been a positive development in the networking of company with company, and company with research institute. Through the research projects it has been possible to raise

the level of research and education in the field

and a significant increase in resources for

re-search has been achieved.

H The program has affected significantly the as-pect of teaching and cooperation with industry, allowed gaining an experience with design tools and learning new methods, and created new opportunities to future projects.

7.2 Weaknesses

H Even though the program organised many highly appreciated tours in foreign industries and re-search laboratories, the program didn’t use the possibility to have project partners from lead-ing organisations abroad.

H This limited the international benchmarking of the program.

(19)

H The industrial projects didn’t have an informa-tion disseminainforma-tion requirement and policies in place and therefore their input to the program it-self remained marginal.

H More open discussions would have benefited all partners.

H The projects have not produced a significant number of patents. The programme has been

biased towards industry, thus R&D projects of

companies have carried a great deal of weight in the Programme.

H The projects did not have an independent re-view committee that follows the project from beginning to end.

H The impact of the program on employment was not clear from the available information. The LASSI program seems to have improved the employment possibilities in some companies. The signs indicating this improvement are re-ported in Chapter 1 of the LASSI Final Report. However, one needs to study the data and cir-cumstances in order to determine the actual LASSI impact regarding employment.

H The co-operation between universities, re-search institutions and industries could have been better in some cases.

H This may be an oversight, but issues regarding patents searches, licensing, patent applications were not raised.

H The program and the partners of the program did not elucidate the steps to follow upon com-pletion of the project.

H The program did not furnish explicit goals and well defined tasks especially to the members of a given team. The international benchmarking for light assembly production was set as a goal, and the LASSI Summit seminars and LASSI technical tours were used as tools to conduct benchmarking, but perhaps, additional mecha-nisms may be thought of for future programs.

H About 56.5% of the LASSI works fell in the cat-egory of case studies, applied research, evalua-tions and support to other partners. This is good from the point of view of interaction between the members of the program and have given a great deal of experience to the organisations in-volved, but this represented more than half of the work. Perhaps the fruits of these works will show up later.

7.3 Recommendations

General Comments

H Future activities require proper planning and coordination. Globalisation and a more com-plex research and development environment necessitate close co-operation and communica-tion with relevant parties. In addicommunica-tion, a strong science and technology base is essential.

H Consider mechanisms that deal with rapid pace of development. The members acquire ability to conduct a comprehensive study of many dif-ferent system concepts, and having the oppor-tunity to combine existing technologies for as-sembly purposes.

Projects

H Research and development proposals must be detailed and specific. It ought to describe the problem and explain why it is an important problem. Technical issues should be raised along with a discussion on the state-of-the-art in the area. The method(s) of solution need to be presented and supported by preliminary data and/or results.

H Proposal involving more than one organisation should specify how the members complement each other, how the project management is or-ganised, how the responsibilities and authori-ties are defined and consistent with the projects’ objectives, how the financing is set.

H The program period should be long enough to generate new ideas and conduct research.

H Each project should have a review committee whose members are not associated with the companies making up the team. The member of the committee and the team members hold a re-view meeting. The team members present their findings, schedule, etc…

H Proprietary information should be labelled as such in the reports and presentations. The mem-bers of the review committee sign a non-disclo-sure agreement. This allows the objective feed-back to the researchers in the project.

H A needed technology or enabling technology is identified. Teams will then form. Each team consists of industrial companies and research institution(s). One company is designated as the Leader Company. The teams will compete

(20)

in winning the program. Each team submits de-tailed proposal. The funding agency will estab-lish a review committee that follows the pro-gram from beginning to end.

H High end products and competitiveness may lead to “resident employees”. In this set-up the Client Company places a select number of its engineers at its supplier. These engineers are the “resident employees” and are paid by the Client Company. The engineers observe how the supplier is progressing in generating solu-tions to meet the specificasolu-tions set by the Client Company. They will set new specification for future products.

H The program structure must include a proce-dure for intellectual property rights and tech-nology licensing. This is especially important when there are multiple partners in a joint re-search program. Such a procedure may encour-age the team members to be innovative. Tekes, or the Finnish Government, is a partner in a sense, and so the patent formula should con-sider this aspect.

Co-operation

H The future programs should have strong con-nections to leading technology research organi-sations and companies abroad to guarantee world class research and development.

H International co-operation is essential in the fu-ture. This was a clear indication from the parti-cipants. Industry should be encouraged to go into this direction with the help of the research institutes.

Dissemination of results

H Dissemination and exploitation of the results and best practices could have more attention to benefit the industry more extensively.

H Partners have benefited from the program, es-pecially the LASSI Club. Ways of continuous communication should be in place for the mem-bers.

(21)

8 Conclusion

The Tekes Light Assembly Industry Program has been a well-focused set of projects. The results in-clude software, devices and components, prod-ucts, flexible cells and assembly lines. Teams in-volving industrial partners and academic groups contributed these. The evaluators believe that the program was successful since the knowledge base has been raised and basis for progress has been es-tablished. In addition, the program has strength-ened the human resource. Future Programs should continue to involve both industries and academic research groups.

(22)

Appendix A

LASSI-projects

Industry Projects

Development of Assembly Logistics (Allocation EUR 190.000)

In the transportation unit the pallet solutions for the logistic delivery chain concentrated on parts manufacturing, assembly, packaging and distribu-tion. In addition manufacturing techniques of pal-lets and development of pallet handling machin-ery. The transportation unit goals: robustness, suitability for automatic handling, accurate posi-tioning, better suitability for stacking, dustproof, and ESD protection.

H Deltratron Oy

H Eimo Oyi

H JOT Robotics Oy

H Nokia Mobile Phones

Semiautomatic Final Assembly (SEMI) (Allocation EUR 2 M)

The semiautomatic final assembly strategy works on the development of concept, road map for semiautomatic solutions and the development of automation modules for semiautomatic final as-sembly.

H GWS Systems Oy (Automation Platform)

H VTT Manufacturing Technology (Tested and evaluated semiautomatic production)

(Semiautomation final assembly strategy, concept, and implanted)

Development of Assembly Technology of Small and Micromechanical Products (Allocation EUR 1,3M)

This development program was focused on in-creasing the efficiency and productivity of the flexible HiSac (High-Speed Assembly Cell) con-cept. During development project the HiSac fam-ily was upgraded and new famfam-ily members were created.

H PMJ Automec Oyj

H Tampere University of Technology

H Other partners

Development of Assembly Production of Flat Panel Displays (ELKOK)

(Allocation EUR 0,6M)

The main goal is to improve productivity and quality of the assembly process of flat panel dis-plays. The development includes improvement of present methods and products and further devel-opment of product structures adapted to needs and chances of new assembly techniques.

H GWS Systems Oy

H Helsinki University of Technology

H Image Soft Oy

H Tamglass Ltd. Oy

H Laserplus Oy

H Mikromet Oy H VTT Automation H Orbis Oy H Valmet Automotive H Pelloplast Oy H Planar System

(23)

Development of Assemblability and Assembly of a Ventilation Fan Product Family (SUPERFAN)

The target of this project is to become leading manufacturer of centrifugal ventilation fans in Eu-rope year 2000, and to have the best product line at the lowest manufacturing cost. By repositioning the Superfan into technically leading product with best features compared with competition will im-prove upon profitability during decreasing prices.

H ABB Fläkt Oy

H Partners

Flexible Assembly Cell for Ventilation Valves

The purpose of the project is to create a flexible sembly cell for ventilation valves. The whole as-sembly production process is changed from stor-age-based to an order-based system.

H ABB Fläkt OY, Lapinleimu division

H ABB PTO

H Ensto Automation

H JLK-logistics Oy

H Other partners

Productive Assembly System (PROASSY)

(Allocated EUR 1,1M)

In the project a concept to design assembly sys-tems was developed. The purpose of this concept was to create a practical quide for planning assem-bly systems. It contains a method for planning as-sembly systems, related work phases and their re-spective orders. Various planning methods and tools were tested during the project in industry cases that were including assembly system plan-ning, workplace design, factory layout and mate-rial handling chain planning.

H Oras Oy

H VTT Manufacturing Technology

H Neles Controls Oy

Information System for Assembly and Disassembly (ISAD)

The purpose of the ISAD project is to define, de-velop, realize and analyze a modular software package for a modern, flexible assembly system consisting of both automatic and manual work-stations.

H GWS Systems

H Helsinki University of Technology

H Arrow Engineering Oy

H Festo Oy

Development of Assembly of Injection Moulded Parts (PEST)

The pest project main objectives are reducing the internal and external defects and minimize the cost of the manual quality inspection of the assem-bly products. H Eimo Oyj H Salcomp Oy H RTS Pretech Oy H Others Development of a Flexible Production Cell

This project design the flexible production cell has to be changeable for different customer needs (assembling, packing, handling, soldering, cut-ting, tescut-ting, etc.) with minimal time and work re-sources.

H JOT Automation Oyj

(24)

Flexible Assembly Concept for Contract Manufacturing (Allocated EUR 0,67M)

The purpose of this project is to develop a highly flexible, high volume assembly concept, suitable especially for contract manufacturing purpose.

H Mechanical Assembly and Consulting MAC Oy

H SMC Pneumatiikka Oy

H VCH Engineering Oy

H Orbis Oy

H Epson Deutchland GmbH

H Festo Oy

DFA-Tool for Product Assemblability Analysis

(Allocated EUR 135 000)

DFA tool is a general software tool for product assemblability analysis based on industrial expe-riences.

H Deltatron Oy

H Partners

Automatization of Assembly of Ferrite Transformers

The goal is to create a concrete, low-cost process for gluing assembly of ferrite transformers.

H Trafocomp Oy

H Other partners

H TUT/Institute of Production Engineering

Lassi -Research Projects

Plastic Parts in Design for Assembly (MUKSU) (Allocated EUR 0,26)

This project has increase knowledge in design and design for assembly of plastic parts and products for high volume production. On the practical level of production this means higher production speed by having the production running uninterrupted. This can be achieved by having all the parts of the product designed in a way that allows maximum efficiency of the assembling techniques.

H Tampere University of Technology, Plastics Technology

H Nokia Mobile Phone

H ABB Control Oy

H Nokia Research Center

H ABB Tools Oy

H Perlos Oy Technical Plastics

H Ensto Saloplast Oy

H Salcomp Oy

DFA-100 - Application of DFA in Product Design - Analysis and Results of

100 Success Stories (Allocated EUR 118 000)

The produced multimedia CD-ROM presents a set of hundred product development cases where assemblability has been improved.

H HUT Machine Design

H Lappi University

(25)

Low-Cost Techniques in Assembly and Disassembly (LOCOTEQ) - Application of Servo Pneumatics in Automatic Assembly

The servo pneumatics in automatic assembly and disassembly developed a gripper with program-mable position control and tactile sensing.

H Institute of Production Engineering

H PMJ automec Oyj

H Festo Oy

H Rexroth Mecman Oy

Machine Vision in Assembly Process (VISAP)

Machine Vision focused on improving the knowl-edge of automation professionals on machine vi-sion systems in assembly processes and to give new ideas on how to use different machine vision techniques.

H VTT Automation

H Orbis Oy

H Institute of Production Engineering

H Perlos Oyj Automation

H Festo Oy

H Planar Systems Oy

H PMJ automec Oyj

H Kyrel EMS Oy

H Salcomp Oy

H Mechanical Automation MCA Oy

H Vision Systems Oy

Accurate Optical 3D Measurement for Light Assembly Applications

3D optical measurement system will be used on the production site.

H Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic

H Polar Electro Oy

H Cimteam Oy

H Suomen Optomekaniikka Oy

H Nokia Networks Oy

H ZET Plastics Engineering Oy

H Perlos Oy

Development of Management of Change in Production Systems (Change 2000) (Allocated EUR 252 000)

Change management developed and tested meth-ods for measuring change project management in manufacturing processes when applying simula-tion games as developmental tool.

H Sako Oy

H Ahlström Electronics Oy

H Pilkington Lamino Oy

H Incap Electronics Oyj

PC-based Device and System Control (SoftPLC)

During the last years a large number of different Control Software Applications (Soft PLCs) and related products - actually around 60 - have been marketed under the umbrella of Open Control Systems. The purpose of the project is to produce independent data which would help the end-user to select the right solution and choose a product which is ideally suited to an actual practical appli-cation. The project includes comparison of differ-ent systems architectures, including an evaluation of the alternative systems and products.

H TUT/Institute of Production Engineering

H TUT / Institute of Hydraulics and Automation

H Cimcorp Oy

H FastemsOy Ab

H FlexLink Automation Oy

H Kamewa Finland Ltd

H LillbackaOy

H PCE Engineering Oy

H PMJ Automec Oyj

(26)

Linear Servo Drives in Automatic Assembly (LINSERVO)

The goals of Linservo-project were to increase knowledge of linear servomotors and associated techniques: high-speed (DSP) controllers, ampli-fiers, linear encoders etc.

H Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Production Engineering

H PMJ automec Oyj

H Mechanical Assembly and Consulting MAC Oy

Systematic Design of Assembly Systems Based on Modular Product Structures (MODSYS) (Allocated EUR 205 000 FIM)

Systematic design of assembly systems based on Modular Product Structures (MODSYS) focused on adapting of modularization method’s and tools in four case companies. Development of system-atic design tools and processes for designing prod-ucts and assembly systems as a parallel process based on a modular structure.

H ABB Corporate Research Oy

H Nokia Networks

H GWS Systems Oy

H Oras Oy

H Mechanical Assembly and Consulting MAC Oy H PMJ automec Oyj H Modular Management Ab H Projekti-insinöörit Oy H Neles Automation Oy H Stonesoft Oyj

Specification of New Open Control Systems for Light Assembly Applications (SpecOpen) (Allocated EUR 130 000)

Produce a specification for implementation of new open PC-based control systems in light as-sembly applications for the electronics production and prove the functionality and practicability of the developed specification by means of a pilot system based on machines and equipment of dif-ferent suppliers.

H Deltatron Oy

H Elcoteq Lohja Oy

H FlexLink Automation Oy

H GWS Systems Oy

H JOT Automation Oy

H Nokia Networks

H PMJ Automec Oyj

H Salcomp Oy

VINE - Virtual Network Window for Product and Production Simulation (Allocated EUR 84 000)

Study of the current status of virtual design tech-niques for the electronics and electromechanical industry. Production simulation, virtual manufac-turing and virtual assembly applications are to be considered as an input for proper product and pro-duction process design together with concurrent engineering principle, modularization and re-us-ability in all levels of development and documen-tation.

H Nokia Networks

H ABB Corporate Research

(27)

Lassi Technology Transfer Clinic

DFA Technology Transfer Clinic (Design For Assembly)

(Allocated 5 000 - 15 000 EUR per project)

Design for assembly analyzes the assembly opera-tions, equipment and systems. Also provides solu-tions for problems in assembly methods and tech-nologies and predicts and estimates of product costs prior the production of prototype is initiated. Also makes benchmarking of competing prod-ucts.

H HUT/ Department of Machine Design

H Tuotekehitys Oy Tamlink

H Five Pii Consulting Oy

H Deltatron Oy Ltd.

H Fentec Assembly Oy

Lassi-Pre-Studies

Servo Pneumatic Linear Units in Automatic Assembly (PAKO)

Study of applicability of servo pneumatics in auto-matic assembly and materials handling at a gen-eral level.

H Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Hydraulics and Automation

H Festo Oy

H PMJ Automec Oyj

H Cimcorp Oy

H Rexroth Mecman Oy

Utilization of Modularization and Modularity in Light Assembly Industry (MODULA)

Study of design practice and application of sys-tematic methods in design and development of as-sembly systems in Finland and some reference countries. State of application of modularization methods and tools used for development and man-agement of modular product families and assem-bly processes. Need for application and develop-ment of more effective methods and tools in con-ceptual design phase of products and assembly systems.

H Tampere University of Technology, Institute of Hydraulics and Automation

H Industrial partners

New projects

BEAM - Cooperative Industrial

Development of Assembly Technology

(28)

Appendix B

1. Program Participants, which were met by the evaluators

ABB Fläkt Oy, Division Lapinleimu, Toijala:

Seppo Virtanen

ABB Fläkt Oy, Turku:

Martti Ranki

Arrow Engineering Oy, Jyväskylä:

Harri Jenberg

Deltatron Oy, Helsinki,

Juhani Lempiäinen

Fentec Assembly Oy, Espoo:

Jari Nokkala

Five Pii Consulting Oy, Tampere:

Ahti Koivunen

FlexLink Automation Oy, Jyväskylä:

Juha Kyllönen

GWS Systems Oy, Muurame:

Olavi Meriläinen

Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo:

Kalevi Ekman Jyrki Kasvi Niklas Lindfors

JOT Automation Oyj, Oulunsalo:

Jari Partanen Mika Kallioniemi Jarmo Kulppi

Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic, Kemi:

Markku Manninen

LASSI Management Group Meeting:

Risto Hirvonen Antti Hovi Juha Kyllönen Olavi Meriläinen Mika Kallioniemi Jari Partanen Risto Saarisalo Reijo Tuokko

Mechanical Assembly and Consulting MAC Oy, Espoo:

Henrik Wikström

Neles Automation Oy, Helsinki:

Timi Nieminen Håkan Renlund

Nokia Mobile Phones (NMP), Salo:

Risto Hirvonen Juha Kemiläinen Lassi Lahti

Nokia Networks, Oulu:

Jukka Vanhanen

Oras Oy, Rauma:

Risto Saarisalo

PMJ automec Oyj, Virkkala:

Tapio Lindevall

Planar Systems Oy, Espoo:

Seppo Hotakainen Timo Gröndahl Kyösti Rantakokski

Tamlink Oy, Tampere:

Jari Erkkilä

Tampere University of Technology, Tampere:

Pentti Järvelä Petri Ihalainen Jose Lastra Ilpo Karjalainen Olli Uuttu VTT Automation, Tampere: Jouko Viitanen Juha Korpinen Jani Uusitalo Matti Kutila

VTT Manufacturing Technology, Espoo:

Paavo Voho Juhani Heilala Timo Salmi Tapani Taskinen

(29)

2. LASSI Partners

An alphabetical list of the major partners, organi-zational support and the boards involved:

ABB Control Oy Nokia Display Products Oy

ABB Corporate Research Oy Nokia Mobile Phones

ABB Flakt Oy Nokia Research Center

ABB Industry Oy Nokia Networks

ABB Service Oy Oras Oy

ABB Tools Oy Orbis Oy

Arrow Engineering Oy Pelloplast Oy

Deltatron Oy Perlos Oyj

Eimo Oyj Perlos Oyi Automation

Elcoteq Oyj PI-Consulting Oyi

Enermet Oy Planar Systems Oy

Ensto Automaatio Oy PMJ automec Oyj

Ensto Saloplast Oy PreCAD Ab

Fentec Oy Pro Electronica

Festo Oy Rexroth Mecman Oy

Five Pii Consulting Oy RTS Pretech Oy

FlexLink Automation Oy Salcomp Oy

GWS Systems Oy Stonesoft Oyj

HUT1Machine Design Suunto Oyj

HUT1Work Psychology and Leadership Tamlink Oy

Idman Oy Tehdasmallit Oy

Image Soft Oy Trafocomp Oy

JOT Automation Oyi TUT2Hydraulics and Automation Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic TUT2_{Plastics Technology}

Kemppi Oy TUT2_{Production Engineering}

Kyrel Ems Oy University of Lapland

Lappeenranta University of Technology University of Oulu

Laserplus Oy VCH Engineering Oy

MAC Oy Vision Systems Oy

Mechanical Automation MCA Oy VTT3Automation

Mikromet Oy VTT3_Electronics

Modular Management Ab VTT3_{Manufacturing Technology}

Nekomat Oy Others

Neles Automation Oy

1_{HUT Helsinki University of Technology} 2_{TUT Tampere University of Technology} 3_{VTT Technical Research Center of Finland} Major LASSI Partners

(30)

3. Members of LASSI Club

Companies

1. ABB Control Oy

2. ABB Corporate Research Oy 3. ABB Fläkt Oy 4. ABB Industry Oy 5. Arrow Engineering Oy 6. Deltatron Oy 7. Eimo Oyj 8. Festo Oy 9. FlexLink Automation Oy 10. GWS Systems Oy 11. JOT Automation Oy 12. Mechanical Assembly and

Consulting MAC Oy 13. Neles Automatin Oy 14. Nokia Mobile Phones 15. Nokia Research Center 16. Nokia Networks 17. Oras Oy 18. Orbis Oy 19. Perlos Oyj

20. Perlos Oyj Automation 21. Planar Systems Oy 22. PMJ automec Oyj 23. Pro Electronica 24. Salcomp Oy 25. Suunto Oyj 26. Tamlink Oy Research Institutes

27. HUT Machine Design

28. HUT Work Psychology and Leadership 29. Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic

30. TUT Hydraulics and Automation 31. TUT Plastics Technology 32. TUT Production Engineering 33. VTT Automation

(31)

4. Participants and partners of the LASSI Technology Program

and Projects

1. ABB Control Oy 43. Mikromet Oy

2. ABB Corporate Research Oy 44. Mishigang

3. ABB Fläkt Oy 45. Modular Management Ab

4. ABB Industry Oy 46. Nekomat Oy

5. ABB Service Oy 47. Neles Automation Oy

6. ABB Tools Oy 48. Nokia Display Products Oy

7. Abbot Laboratories 49. Nokia Mobile Phones 8. Ahlstrom Electronics Oy 50. Nokia Research Center

9. Arrow Engineerng Oy 51. Nokia Networks

10. Checkmark Oy 52. Oras Oy

11. Cimcorp Oy 53. Orbis Oy

12. Cimteam Oy 54. PCE Engineering Oy

13. Cortex Oy 55. Pelloplast Oy

14. Deltatron Oy 56. Perlos Oyj

15. Deltmar Oy 57. Perlos Oyj Automation

16. Eimo Oyj 58. PI-Consulting Oyj

17. Elcoteq Oyj 59. Planar Systems Oy

18. Enermet Oy 60. PMJ automec Oyj

19. Ensto Automaatio Oy 61. Polar Elector Oy

20. Ensto Saloplast Oy 62. PreCAD Ab

21. Epson Deutschland GmbH 63. Pretech Oy

22. Fastems Oy 64. Pro Electronica

23. Fentec Oy 65. Projecta Oyj

24. Festo Oy 66. Rexroth Mecman Oy

25. Five Pii Consulting Oy 67. Salcomp Oy

26. FlexLink Automation Oy 68. Sako Oy

27. GWS Systems Oy 69. Saunatec Oy

28. Idman Oy 70. Schenk GmbH

29. Image Soft Oy 71. SMC Pneumatiikka Oy

30. Incap Electronics Oyj 72. Stonesoft Oyj

31. Informa Oy 73. Sunds Defibrator Panelhandling Oy

32. JET Plastics Engineering Oy 74. Suunto Oyi

33. JKL-logistics Oy 75. Sähkö-Toleva Oy

34. JOT Automation Oy 76. Tamglass Ltd. Oy

35. Kamewa Finland Oy 77. Tamlink Oy

36. Kaso Oy 78. Tehdasmallit Oy

37. Kemppi Oy 79. Texas Instruments Inc.

38. Kyrel EMS Oy 80. Valmet Automotive

39. Laserplus Oy 81. VCH Engineering Oy

40. Lillbacka Oy 82. Vision Systems Oy

41. Mechanical Assembly and Consulting MAC Oy 83. Walki Pack 42. Mechanical Automation MCA Oy 84. Other companies Companies

(32)

85. Helsinki University of Technology, Machine Design

86. Helsinki University of Technology, Work Psychology and Leadership 87. Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic

88. Lappeenranta Univeristy of Technology

89. Tampere University of Technology, Hydraulics and Automation 90. Tampere University of Technology, Plastics Technology 91. Tampere University ofTechnology, production Engineering 92. University of Lapland

93. University of Oulu 94. VTT Automation 95. VTT Electornics

96. VTT Manufacturing Technology 97. Other research institutes Research Institutes

(33)

5. LASSI Technology Program 1996-1999

Program management

The LASSI-program has been coordinated by Tamlink Ltd., with Prof. Reijo Tuokko as the pro-gram manager. The management group consisted of members from industry representing different expertise in the field of light assembly production.

Chairman

1996-3/1998

Pentti Ahlgren

Nokia Research Center 4/1998-1999

Risto Hirvonen

Nokia Mobile Phones

Seretary

Reijo Tuokko

Tamlink Oy

Members

Typical number of members has been 6-8 persons. During the years following persons have been members of the management group:

Antti Hovi Tekes

Markku Jokela PMJ automec Oyj

Mika Kallioniemi JOT Robotics Oy,

JOT Automation Oyj

Tauno Kavén Oras Oy

Jarmo Kulppi JOT Robotics Oy

Juha Kyllönen FlexLink Automation OY

Olavi Meriläinen GWS Systems Oy Kari Muuronen PMJ automec Oyj

Jari Partanen Pro Electronica, JOT Automation Oyj

Tapio Poranen Pro Electronica,

ABB Corporate Research Oy

Jarmo Raittila Tekes

Miiro Ryyppö ABB Corporate Research Oy,

Risto Saarisalo Oras Oy

Henrik Wikström Mechanical Assembly and

Consulting MAC Oy

Meeting of the management group

The management group has had 20 meetings dur-ing the program. Attendance in the meetdur-ings has been exceptionally high. Meetings have been or-ganized normally in different companies repre-senting comprehensively the field.

(34)

Appendix C

Co-operation and Networking

This appendix summarizes the LASSI tours and seminars.

LASSI Technical Tours

Statistics 1997-1999

10 tours, 8 countries: USA (3), Germany (4), Japan (2), South-Korea (1), Taiwan (1), Singapore (1), Italy (1), Switzerland (1)

60 companies, 10 research institutions, 9 expos, 12 seminars total number of participants 295 persons

number of hosts appr. 150

number of contact persons appr. 230 number of travelling days 60

Goals of LASSI Technical Tours

Benchmarking of the state-of-the-art in technologies and management in field of light assembly production

Discussions and exhange of knowledge and experiences with the host organisations about key technologies

Making new international contacts

Establishing and strengthening of the basis for future cooperation, research projects and strategic alliances

Promoting internal discussion within LASSI and among LASSI-Club members

LASSI Seminars

Annual LASSI seminars

Annual LASSI-seminar 1997, 8.12.1997, Vantaa Morning: 8 presentations

Afternoon: Workshop on How to improve cooperation in the LASSI programme 90 participants

Annual LASSI-seminar 1998, 7.12.1998, Espoo 17 presentations (Keynote speaker: Mr. Pertti Korhonen,

Nokia Mobile Phones) 142 participants

Annual LASSI-seminar 1999, 26.8.1999, Espoo Morning: Workshop on Modularisation (Keynote speaker:

Mr. Alex von Yxkull, Modular Management Ab, Sweden) Afternoon: 13 presentations

(35)

LASSI Summit Seminars

Assembly Systems and Technologies - State-of-the Art in Europe, 30.1.1997, Espoo

6 invited speakers from Holland, Germany and Sweden 110 participants

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), 22.4.1997, Espoo Morning: DFMA Workshop (Keynote speaker: Mr. Mark Curtis, Design IV, UK) Afternoon: 3 invited speakers from Germany, Sweden and UK)

Exhibition 120 participants

World Class Assembly Production, 27.5.1998, Helsinki 6 invited speakers from Germany, Sweden, UK and USA Exhibition

100 participants

International Assembly Seminar, 9.9.1998, Helsinki

Invited keynote speaker: Prof. Klaus Feldmann, FAPS, Germany Speakers from Finland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden 70 participants

International Symposium on Open Control Systems

- Soft PLCs and Related Technologies, 30.5.-1.6.1999, Tampere 36 speakers and panelists (Germany: 15, Finland: 10, USA: 8, Sweden: 1,

France: 1, UK: 1) Exhibition

160 symposium participants (50 foreign participants)

Scandinavian Symposium on Robotics, Track 1: Assembly Robotics, 14.-15.10.1999, Oulu

7 invited speakers from Germany, Sweden and Switzerland 13 presentations

70 participants

LASSI Technical Tours

LASSI Technical Tour in USA 1997, 8.-15.6.1997, USA DFMA Forum97, NEPCON East97, Motorola, MIT, DEC, Osram 16 participants

MOTEK97, 24.-26.9.1997, Germany

MOTEK97, Fachseminar, Braun, Bosch (Leinfelden ja Feuerbach), IPA 50 participants

Hannover98, 24.4.1998, Germany Lenze

(36)

LASSI Technical Tour in USA 1998, 6.-14.6.1998, USA

DFMA Forum98, NEPCON East98, Motorola University, Honeywell, Adept, SGI, HMT Technology, Trend Plastics, RSVP Packaging, Intel 18 participants

MOTEK98, 23.-25.9.1998,

Light Assembly Industry LASSI

Light Assembly Industry LASSI 1996–1999

Foreword

Contents

1 LASSI Technology Programme

1.2 Goals

2 Program Structure

a. Assembly Cells and Systems

b. Assembly Technologies and Methods

c. DFMA and Concurrent Engineering

2.2 Co-operation

Chairman

3 Scope of the Evaluation

4 Program Relevance

5 Economic Impact

5.2 Product Innovation/

5.3 Productivity

6 Research and Innovation

7 Recommendations

7.2 Weaknesses

7.3 Recommendations

Projects

Co-operation

8 Conclusion

H ABB PTO

Lassi -Research Projects

Lassi Technology Transfer Clinic

Lassi-Pre-Studies

New projects

2. LASSI Partners

3. Members of LASSI Club

4. Participants and partners of the LASSI Technology Program

5. LASSI Technology Program 1996-1999

Appendix C

Goals of LASSI Technical Tours

LASSI Seminars

LASSI Technical Tours