IAC, Låssby

In 2011 IAC installed an Eton 5000 system with a custom-made product carrier. The system has 20 workstations and 15 feeding buffer stations which gives the Eton software complete control of sequencing in the production. This has helped IAC secure and optimize their delivery performance to Volvo. IAC also experienced diminished overproduction and work in progress due to real-time information about all units in production.

Since the Eton System now manages all material transportation, manual handling of products has been reduced dramatically. This has led to less damage to products and lower cost of quality.

The Eton System is mounted in the ceiling. This has made about 300m2 of floor space available and reduced the need for forklifts. In the long run, IAC has seen a great reduction in work-related injuries and absence from work. Today all material is delivered to workstations that are ergonomically optimized. Providing a better working environment for employees.

Why the Eton System?

IAC’s previous production system was very traditional. Manual packing of panels in pallets and transportation with forklifts between workstations. With this type of production, there are a number of typical challenges. The biggest issue for IAC was first of all that it required a lot of manpower. Secondly, the cost of quality was high due to damages to materials caused by manual handling. Thirdly, the production system brought difficulties in sequencing the panels because it was hard to track and trace every single panel throughout all processes. All these challenges could be solved with the Eton 5000 system.

Company information

Outside Gothenburg, Sweden, IAC Group has a factory that supplies Volvo with instrument panels to the models XC90, XC60, S90, and V60. On a yearly basis, IAC Låssby supplies Volvo with parts to roughly 200.000 cars.

IAC produces details for 54-58 cars/hour in two shifts. From the moment an order is placed by Volvo, IAC has 4 hours to deliver the right panel in the right sequence. In total there are about 400 variations due to the different car models and extra features available.