AKE Deploys FANUC Robots to Steer Success at Nexteer

Nexteer Automotive is an intuitive motion control technology company that helps accelerate mobility towards a safe, green and exciting future. The company has 27 manufacturing plants worldwide, including Nexteer Automotive Poland. Serving global blue-chip automotive customers, Nexteer must select technology suppliers able to mirror the high-productivity, high-quality ethos of the industry. For this reason, the company uses FANUC products and the system integration services of AKE Robotics.

“We supplement our automation services with mechanical and electrical construction, software, and computer simulations in order to provide our automotive and manufacturing customers with a ready-to-use turnkey solution,” explains Jacek Wylężek, Manager of the Electrical Construction Department at AKE Robotics.

“We supplement our automation services with mechanical and electrical construction, software, and computer simulations in order to provide our automotive and manufacturing customers with a ready-to-use turnkey solution,” explains Jacek Wylężek, Manager of the Electrical Construction Department at AKE Robotics.

In an era that is shifting towards the digitalisation of manufacturing and ongoing difficulties recruiting skilled employees, increasing numbers of manufacturers, particularly those in the automotive sector, are searching for solutions based on robotisation.

“At present, avoiding robots in industrial production seems to be impossible,” states Piotr Dembiński, Communications Manager, at Nexteer Automotive Poland. “With the emergence of Industry 4.0, where process optimisation is key, robots are among the most important solutions. In addition, they are the perfect answer for ongoing problems we see in Poland, such as the lack of qualified workers, especially within the automotive industry.”

These problems evaporate with the introduction of robots, as exemplified at Nexteer Automotive, which is now using six FANUC M-10 and three FANUC LR Mate 200𝑖D robots to pick, place and handle steering gear components for the BMW 3 Series.

Adds Dembiński: “Saving time and money are the most crucial factors for us. Automation also provides better flow of process materials, as well as repeatability in transportation and stable takt time. In addition, our operators can focus on quality, which is essential.”

The new automated line at Nexteer Automotive allowed the company to move operators to a different area of the factory where they can add more value.