In a move to streamline its lawn tractor assembly plant in Horicon, Wisconsin, John Deere (www.deere.com) decided in the fall of 2004 to consolidate its three separate product lines into a single, common component platform line.
John Deere has been a part of the Horicon community since 1911. From horse-drawn grain drills to the latest in lawn-care equipment and utility vehicles, Horicon Works has built a reputation for manufacturing durable and reliable products for generations.
The local population comes with a strong work ethic, and employees take great pride in their jobs. On the assembly lines at the Horicon Works John Deere delivers Select Series riding lawn tractors and Gator Utility Vehicles.
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From the stamping of each steel mower deck and frame to the robotic welding done at Horicon Works, John Deere abides by the highest quality assurance standards as a symbol the town and its residents. Even a former mayor of Horicon had worked at John Deere. The first thing visitors see when they drive into town is a John Deere sign.
John Deere is one of the oldest industrial companies in the United States and has a high level of sophistication in the selection and implementation of material handling systems throughout its facilities, having installed a variety of equipment over the years, including roller conveyors, automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), and power and free systems.
The Deere team responsible for evaluating conveyors for use in the Horicon plant put together a matrix that compared the benefits and liabilities of various different systems, considering cost and delivery along with improved workforce ergonomics requirements. After reviewing the option, it selected the SmartCart from Jervis B. Webb (www.jervisbwebb.com).
Prior to implementing the SmartCart, Horicon’s production area had been using a fleet of more than 50 wire-guided AGVs to manufacture several generations of John Deere lawn tractors for about 20 years. Because the AGVs had exceeded their normal useful lives, the additional costs of maintenance prompted Deere analysts to investigate new technology as an alternative.
To see the technology in action, Deere management paid two visits to a JCI automotive interiors facility in Whitby, Ontario, which had several SmartCart lines running. They were impressed by the flexibility of the units, which are guided by removable magnetic tape affixed to the floor. Given the configuration of some of Deere’s production lines, which had to accommodate L-shaped lines, right-angle corners, pallet returns, Smart Cart seemed a viable solution.
The flexibility of SmartCart’s magnetic tape overcame layout obstacles dramatically, says Dave Werkheiser, manufacturing engineer at Horicon. “The advantage of being able to just pick up the magnetic tape and change the layout in a matter of minutes allows us to change an entire line over a weekend,” he explains.