Comau

Working With the Future of the Automotive Industry

Comau’s working relationship with Tesla started a few years ago when the Model X was in early development stages. Tesla, like Comau, understands the changes the industry is going through, and is triumphing at adapting and setting the trends.

The close, collaborative partnership means that much of the machinery on Tesla’s floors is provided by Comau and has been designed simultaneously with the development of the vehicle. Each Tesla vehicle is designed to combine high tech with functional features, and Comau’s ability to deliver machinery that is customizable to Tesla’s needs has set the foundation for a strong, effective relationship well into the future.

Tesla isn’t just known as a car manufacturer, the company produces knowledge and innovative ideas as well. Comau is able to validate their manufacturing solutions, and through this Comau became an integral part of their development plan which has extended to the manufacturing floor.

Of course, a major piece of both companies’ strategies is innovation; for Comau, this means innovating not just in car manufacturing machinery, but in other industries as well.

Committing to Continuing Innovation

While car manufacturing drives a lot of Comau’s business, the company is also successfully involved in a number of other markets.

For example, the company is supplying the aircraft’s main assembly and test stations for Airbus’s final assembly line at its new plant in Mobile, Alabama.

Comau is also looking to break into wearables, which would provide a way to use robotics close to other workers with the potential to avoid major safety concerns. It’s a growing trend in healthcare, a field Comau is looking to enter.

Comau’s most significant contribution to the continuous innovation of its products, however, is the amount of customization it allows for its clients.

Comau’s Client Relationships

Comau works with the largest car brand names in the world, which means its relationships with its clients have to be top-notch. Forty-plus years of factory-proven experience combined with its technological excellence places Comau in a position to provide superior services to a host of major players in the industry. “We pass along a culture of automation to our customers,” said Fenzi. “It’s a true partnership between our team at Comau and the client. We can leverage our automotive skills and deliver what our clients need in a shorter time frame than many of our competitors.”

Comau is the provider of manufacturing floor technology for one-third of the world’s car producers, and customization has been the key to many of these working relationships. This is largely because Comau delivers highly specialized machinery that has to be modular and flexible to fit each company’s distinct wants and needs.

The client’s requirements are often for very specific, accurate machinery, so Comau’s designs for its Powertrain solutions are based on a standard feature that constitutes 70 percent of the final solution, a tailorable 20 percent, and 10 percent which can be completely custom-related to a specific project. In simpler terms, a majority of each machine is standard from one to the next, but there are general adaptations that can be made for a small part of the machine’s operations, and further specific customizations if they are called for.

“Each product can address unique requirements,” said Maurizio Cremonini, Head of Marketing. “The customization allows us to ensure the highest level of productivity for the client. Each robot we make tends to have standard ties that can be used for just about any customer, but the customization option means they don’t have to adapt to us.

“Our welding machines as well as body assembling lines offer the highest level of customization, but also have standard ties that could be applied for any customer use.”

Building a Robust Supply Chain

Automotive manufacturing is an incredibly complex industry—one where there are a number of constraints, especially at the supply chain level. There is little consistency with the level of supply. Timing is a huge factor. Customers want to standardize across factories and have consistency with their commodities, which creates issues through the traditional purchasing aspect.

“If we can manage to negotiate most of the commercial aspects of our scope in advance of project commencement, we can execute our commitments in a swifter manner,” said Brad Pelachyk, Head of Purchasing for Comau. “This permits us to drastically reduce the back office work through the execution phase of the project.”

Comau’s partnership with their strategic supply base allows them to co-manage objectives, optimizing the supply base and the value brought to both organizations. This also creates more opportunities for suppliers to work with Comau when new products and solutions need to be developed.

“These are unique partnerships and advanced supply chain processes that enable us to improve our performance and solutions over time,” said Pelachyk.

And although clients are on the front end of the process, Comau’s relationship with its client base sets the foundation for the company’s supply chain relationships.

Comau works with its customers at a business unit level to understand their needs better, and at a portfolio level, to understand what programs are forecasted so it can capture accurate volumes to communicate aggregate demands to suppliers. This equates to clearer production demands and reduced lead times, leading to improvements in Comau’s delivery performance.

Comau’s Global Footprint

Comau has a large supply base of 9,000 suppliers made up mostly of small-to-midsize companies. The larger suppliers offer the company more strategic options—with the opportunity to work more dynamically on a global scale—while the smaller suppliers fill gaps and offer more specialized products necessary for Comau’s machinery.

What Comau’s global network of numerous suppliers— especially smaller suppliers—offer the company is a tremendous amount of flexibility.

“Our global footprint gives us suppliers all over the world, so when specific regions may be at capacity at some point, we can go deeper in our supply chain and still have the right options for our clients,” said Pelachyk.

“We have a diverse customer base across several industries with unique needs and specifications which is reflected in our supply base.”

Comau’s involvement in the construction of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) new Brazilian Factory in Pernambuco demonstrates the strength of the company’s global footprint. FCA is one of the top-selling car manufacturers in the region, and wanted to bring a plant to Latin America to capitalize more on the popularity of their brands.

“The region is not an extensive industrialized area, it lacked resources and a supply chain, and was difficult to access” shared Pelachyk. “We really had to dig deep on a global scale. We utilized experts from all around: geometry tools were manufactured in Mexico, design came from the U.S. and Italy, open gate framers came from China. There really was a multinational approach to the execution of this job, which was reflected in our chosen suppliers.

“They had to establish themselves in the region in order to support us. It’s a flagship example of how a global organization like Comau can optimize its footprint and have the comparative advantage.”

An Industry Standout

Comau provides a collection of machinery to several industries that drive life as we know it. This collection, when depicted as separate pieces, can demonstrate just how strong and dominant the company is.

But when you look at the company as a whole, there is no comparison.

“We truly believe we can be the leaders— in conceptualization, in production, in the client’s final product,” said Cremonini. “We’re a different type of player. Our innovative design philosophy and the unique needs of our customers come together in a culture of automation that we are committed to sharing with the industry.”