Sunrise Medical Case

Leading power chair manufacturer utilized data from i-5O’s traceability system for manufacturing to effectively manage capacity constraints and extended backorders, increasing capacity by 25% through continuous visibility into process efficiency and 100% traceability on the production floor.

Overview

Sunrise Medical

Sunrise Medical is a world leader in the development, design, manufacturing, and distribution of manual and powered wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and standard and customized seating and positioning systems. Headquartered in Malsch, Germany, Sunrise Medical has manufacturing sites in 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, and distribution across 130 countries. The i-5O Computer Vision System is deployed in Sunrise Medical's power chair manufacturing facility in Helmand, Netherlands. The video data generated by the i-5O has helped the team with root cause analysis, process validation, and labor optimization, reducing cycle time by 25%.

Problem

Sunrise Medical experienced significant capacity constraints resulting in extended back orders, due to a lack of visibility into operations and the inability to identify the root causes of production issues.

Power chair manufacturing involves a complex series of manual processes with each unit requiring individual attention. To gain visibility into their operations, Sunrise Medical relied on manual time studies and partial machine data to assess efficiency on the production floor. Due to the limitations of manual time studies, this led to incomplete and outdated results. With limited traceability in manufacturing, Sunrise Medical was unable to accurately identify the root cause. This lack of operational insight and visibility led to significant capacity constraints, resulting in extended backorders, and a decrease in the overall profitability of the company.

Solution

Implementation of i-5O’s manufacturing traceability system to uncover inefficiencies through enhanced visibility and real-time production metrics.

i-5O’s traceability system for manufacturing was deployed to monitor the Sunrise Medical assembly line for Q-series production effectively. Installation of cameras and the i-5O Cerberus device gave unprecedented access to automated time study data and real-time insights into the manual work processes on the production line. Through the implementation of the AI manufacturing traceability system, not only did they gain unmatched traceability in manufacturing, but also for the first time Sunrise Medical was able to eliminate production delays with real-time processing time metrics for dynamic bottlenecks, ensuring smooth workflow and on-time delivery, resulting in a 25% increase in capacity. Additionally, i-5O’s AI manufacturing traceability system allowed Sunrise Medical to gain access to video data on the i-5O portal, a crucial component for conducting effective root cause analysis, something they had been previously blind on. Uncovering the reasons for production issues has enhanced production efficiency and prepared the company for increased order volumes.

Our Results

Realtime productivity tracking

100% traceability via video data for root cause analysis

25% increase in capacity

“During the pilot phase, we were able to achieve the fastest cycle time out of all our plants thanks to the video data from i-5O. My colleagues are jealous”.

Sunrise Medical, NL
Operations Director