Chad
Industries to Provide Additional HarnessMate Systems to
Boeing
The
Systems Help Improve Efficiency of Wire Harness Production
at the Aerospace Company's Electrical Product Center in
Mesa, Ariz.
May
'07, ANAHEIM, CA -Chad
Industries Inc. today announced it has received an order
from Boeing for 10 HarnessMate semi-automated wire insertion
machines.
Boeing
already uses 15 of the portable, laser-guided connector assembly
systems at its Electrical Product Center in Mesa,
Ariz. There, the aerospace company produces wire harnesses
for some of the world’s
most advanced military aircraft including the F-15 Eagle,
F/A-18 Super Hornet, AH-64D Apache
Longbow and the C-17 Globemaster III. Boeing has ordered the
10 additional machines to further support productivity improvements.
“To be effective, Boeing needs to sustain high rates
of production without losing quality,” said Fred Edman,
manager of Manufacturing Research & Development at the
Mesa facility. “Tools that increase throughput without
compromising quality are essential in our increasingly competitive
business environment.”
Boeing was already using Chad Industries bench units in its
wire harness assembly operations, but it needed a more compatible
solution for its Lean moving production line. Several years
ago, Boeing and Chad Industries partnered to develop the portable
HarnessMate unit, which helps operator
s perform their job 30
to 40 percent faster.
Along
with efficiency, the engineers designed HarnessMate with
ergonomics in mind, by providing laser-guided illumination
of the insertion points for the wire assembly connectors. This
feature helps reduce the risk of repetitive motion injuries
from eye, hand, shoulder and back strain that an operator could
experience in performing the precise assembly work, which requires
intense concentration. Boeing has even recognized its engineering
team who helped develop the HarnessMate, with an Environmental,
Safety and Health Innovation Annual Award, for bringing ergonomic
improvements to the wire harness assembly process.
“The
cooperation and creative effort put forth by the Boeing and
Chad Industries engineers who developed HarnessMate
has resulted in an innovative harness assembly tool,” said
Scott Klimczak, president of Chad Industries.
Chad Industries
designs, manufactures and markets automation equipment for
the Circuit Board Assembly, Semiconductor and
the Harness industries. CHAD began operations in 1973 and established
leadership in the electronics assembly for odd-form component
to printed circuit assembly (CHAD IQ™ Product Line),
and has expanded their solutions expertise to include semiconductor,
fiber optics, and life sciences solutions.
