Why manufacturers of wiring harnesses have to break up their silos of data

Krailling, July 15, 2019 – DiIT details three reasons why manufacturers of wiring harnesses should break up the silos of data found in their production processes.

The manufacture of wiring harnesses for vehicles usually involves the three production steps cutting, pre-assembly and final assembly. In terms of data, this leads to extreme silo structures. Each of the three areas creates its own data, between which there is usually no consistent interconnection. With these isolated silos of data, manufacturers of wiring harnesses will no longer be able to cope with future requirements. DiIT – a specialist for integrated software systems used in wiring harness production – explains why these data silos have to be eliminated.

Seamless traceability. Wiring harnesses will play a key role in electrified, self-driving cars. This will then make them into a safety-critical, strategic purchased part for vehicle manufacturers in future. As a result, there will be strict demands when it comes to the traceability of the wiring harnesses. The causes of problems must be quickly identified, rectified, and immediate, targeted product recalls must be possible. As liability in the era of autonomous driving is now shifting from the driver to the vehicle manufacturer and their components in the event of an accident, it must also be possible to clarify liability issues. None of this will be possible without comprehensive production-wide data.

Increased product quality. Interconnection of the individual process steps enables the origins of the individual wiring harnesses to be recorded. Based on this holistic data, manufacturers can carry out in-depth quality analyses with the help of predictive analytics. Machine learning methods allow them to react quickly to error patterns. In this way, manufacturers can not only rectify the uncovered causes of errors but also avoid the errors in the first place. This means that they can continually improve the quality of their products and thus increase their competitive strength.

Cost-optimized production. The first two production steps – cutting the wires and pre-assembly – are usually made entirely in advance, with the utilization of machine capacities kept as high as possible. Final assembly of the wiring harnesses is then made according to the specific customer orders. This process leads to significant amounts of stock being kept in intermediate storage and thus a high capital commitment. Thanks to interconnected data, manufacturers of wiring harnesses have the opportunity of synchronizing pre-production and final production. This means that only a certain percentage of cutting and pre-assembly work has to be made in advance, with the rest made according to specific customer orders. In this way, an optimal balance between keeping machine utilization as high as possible and warehouse stock as low as possible can be achieved.

“Manufacturers of wiring harnesses now have no other choice but to break up their data islands step by step, unite the data in a consistent model and thus establish an integrated overall production process,” explains Bernd Jost, managing director of DiIT GmbH. “However, they should not see this task as a chore that has been set by the OEM. Manufacturers can also profit from this step enormously as a result of the associated quality improvements and cost optimization – and ultimately improved competitiveness and sustainability.”

About DiIT

DiIT GmbH, based in Krailling near Munich, is the world’s leading provider of integrated software solutions for manufacturing execution (MES), customized wire harness production and logistics. DiIT‘s competencies are bundled in the “4Wire Solutions” software suite, which is primarily used for the production of wire harnesses and wiring systems in the automotive industry and other industrial sectors. By digitalizing the value chains, the company‘s innovative software optimizes and controls complex manufacturing and logistics processes and supports quality assurance and traceability. DiIT was founded in 1990 and has a subsidiary in Berlin. DiIT is also represented in the key markets Mexico and China. The company offers a comprehensive services package to both large and small customers which covers consulting, project management and customized implementation and training. The DiIT support line is available during 24 hours and 365 days. DiIT is a wholly-owned, independently managed company of the Schleuniger Group. Schleuniger is a globally active technology company and a leading solution supplier in the wire processing industry.

More information:
Patricia Lange
DiIT GmbH
Justus-von-Liebig-Ring 11a
D-82152 Krailling
Tel.: +49 89 8932500
info@diit.de