Client : Toyota
Duration : 24 Months
Budget : R2,300,000
With the introduction of the new Hilux range of utility vehicles in 2005, Toyota SA needed to upgrade their Hilux line to accommodate the new vehicle as it was a lot bigger than the previous model. In addition to that they were awarded the export contract for the vehicle and had to increase production speed drastically to keep up with demand. All of this had to be done during shorts shutdowns as production had to continue on the all vehicle until final changeovers in April 2005.
For the replacement of the control system Toyota needed a company that was both reliable and experienced enough to handle such a large scale automation project.
CSS was awarded the project for implementing the Control system. This included automation of all lift stations and DSB rails. Careful planning and input from everyone involved made this one of Toyota's most reliable manufacturing lines to date.
Challenges faced were among the following:
- Interaction of Dan Foss Drive and PLC, for precise lift station movement.
- The amount of IO handled
- Timeframe and short shutdowns
TSX Momentum PLC's were used as controllers with distributed I/O and because of the user friendliness of the software Technicians were quick to fault find on the system.
