Interview CC-Link Partner Association & FAW Car Co., Ltd. Part 2 | Vol.1 CC-Link and CC-Link IE The Most Widely-Used Networks in Asia | CLPA Global Activity Report

Vol.1 CC-Link and CC-Link IE The Most Widely-Used Networks in Asia

Interview

CC-Link Partner Association & FAW Car Co., Ltd. Part 2

Reliability is important for industrial networks.
New technology designed for integration with information systems looks promising

This is the second interview with FAW Car Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese automobile manufacturer. Ms. Naomi Nakamura, the global director of the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA), interviewed Mr. Gang Chen, who is a manufacturing technology department researcher involved in production line design for FAW. Ms. Nakamura asked him about his thoughts on automation systems for factories and the reason why FAW had introduced the industrial network CC-Link as the base for their automation systems. Mr. Gang, who regards "reliability" as the most important factor for automation, said that he highly valued the basic design of CC-Link.

Ms. Nakamura (hereafter: N )I understand FAW Car is one of the automobile manufacturers that has been aggressively automating its production lines? Mr. Chen (hereafter: C )Sure, we are. We have been focusing on automation technologies since they are important to ensure both high quality and high productivity. I think our automation level is the highest in China. There are lots of automobile manufacturers in China, however, few of them have world-class automation. Only a few companies such as FAW, Shanghai GM, and Guangzhou Honda have the system equivalent to those of the leading companies in the world, I think. NCan you please tell me about the current automation situation at FAW Car? CWe have now three assembly factories; the 1st factory, the 2nd factory, and the factory dedicated to the highest-class model "Hongqi". We also have an engine manufacturing factory and a transmission manufacturing factory. The automated production system in the 1st factory is no longer the state-of-the-art. However, we employed the latest automated system in the 2nd factory, which was built in 2010, and the Hongqi-dedicated factory. For instance, we use the world's latest manufacturing equipment in most of the main production processes. We are using 400 or more robots.

Most important point for selection, "Reliability"

NI have heard that some management issues about production bases are getting raised in China, such as increasing staff cost especially in urban areas. Do you think automation technologies are getting more important in solving these issues? CChinese automobile manufacturers face many problems, such as ensuring both productivity and quality while reducing production costs, as they expand their production volumes. Without automation technologies, those problems would not be solved. To solve the problems which are becoming ever more complicated, automobile manufacturers need to cooperate with solution vendors strategically.
I think industrial networks have much to contribute to develop automated systems. Various industrial network standards have already been established. As we create a system, we must consider which standard we should select or which standards we should combine from them. We pay attention to five points when comparing standards, which are 1) reliability, 2) openness, 3) availability and usability, 4) high market share, and 5) initial cost. NThese five points are exactly what we emphasize when promoting CC-Link. We especially put a great value on "reliability". Specifically, the CC-Link Partner Association has worked to ensure the interoperability between devices of different vendors. For example, we have conducted strict conformance testing. Today more than 1200 CC-Link-compatible devices are on the market, and all of them have passed the strict conformance test which we administer. Therefore, devices of various manufacturers can work properly in any combination. I believe that these activities are important for users to establish a highly reliable system.
In fact, as a result of our activities, more and more companies have adopted CC-Link, especially in Asia. In Japan, CC-Link commands about 60% of the market for industrial networks. CC-Link commands nearly 50% in South Korea and Taiwan.

CI agree that the technology of CC-Link is excellent. So far, we have adopted industrial networks of various standards, however, nowadays we are adopting CC-Link more widely. NIn what kind of processes is CC-Link used? CIn the 1st factory, for example, CC-Link is used in the welding line, all assembly and the conveyor system. Only a few processes, such as painting and pressing, use networks of other standards because of the specifications of the devices installed on the lines. Since the equipment in the painting and the pressing processes is imported mainly from Europe, we have adopted western industrial networks.

CC-Link contributes to "Informatization"

NCC-Link has evolved constantly and stably. For example, the Ethernet-based network "CC-Link IE", which was based on the technology of CC-Link, was launched in 2007. CC-Link IE can connect information systems and factory floors seamlessly, which helps optimize the whole production system. I would like to ask your opinion about such technologies. CI think the Ethernet-based industrial network can handle a very large amount of information. This will be a help to computerize production systems. It is getting more complicated than ever to manage the production system recently. For example, to respond to consumers' diversifying needs, automobile manufacturers have developed more and more brands and models. This trend requires a production line to manufacture more varieties of models, and the amount of information the production system needs to handle keeps increasing. As this trend continues, the need for an industrial network capable of handling a large amount of information like CC-Link IE will increase. NThe CLPA willingly helps manufacture.