In-depth Coverage | STEP Robots Break Through Capacity Bottlenecks in Elevator Door Panels
2019-12-31
Among the world’s top 10 elevator manufacturers, KONE Elevator is leveraging STEP robots to build an automated production line for elevator door panels, taking production speed and efficiency to a whole new level.
Tracking and Visiting, Stop Three: Suzhou Kangli Elevator Door Panel Workshop
STEP Robot Workstation: Elevator Door Panel WEMO Line
Number of STEP robots: 4 units
Robot deployment start date: February 2017
Production line features: high takt time, high stability
Suzhou Kangli Elevator Door Panel WEMO Line
Robots tackle high-beat production lines.
12 seconds! The robot’s maximum travel distance exceeds 5 meters! Challenging the WEMO line—known for its high beat rate and exceptional stability—STEP Robotics has proven its capabilities through time.
Coming back from Kangli Elevator, I can’t help but think of the process—from the thunderous stamping and forming to the lightning-fast spot welding of reinforcing ribs—each step a fierce forging that seems as intense as fire refining pure gold. Then there’s the robot, with its supple, ape-like arm precisely hanging door panels onto their brackets, and later gently removing those panels from the brackets and setting them down—with a tenderness no less delicate than cradling an infant in swaddling clothes. From an ordinary steel plate to the elevator door panel that greets and sees us off every day—along the way lies a fusion of iron and fire, a refinement forged through both wisdom and strength.
After undergoing nine production processes, a door panel comes off the assembly line every 12 seconds. At the production line, Xinshi Da robots are busily engaged in tasks such as material handling, reinforcing rib feeding, door-panel loading, and door-panel removal. Each shift involves four production-line workers who can produce 2,400 door panels. With operations running for more than 300 days each year, it is precisely this speed and efficiency that have helped Kangli Elevator rise to become one of the top ten elevator manufacturers worldwide.
Reducing headcount is not our goal; improving quality and boosting efficiency is our objective.
“Globally, the elevator market is in a phase of rapid growth, and a trend is emerging toward concentration of production capacity among leading companies. Kangli’s current production capacity bottleneck urgently needs to be overcome. For standardized, high-volume products like elevator door panels, it’s essential to introduce high-throughput, high-quality, intelligent, and automated production lines. Pointing to the long line of trucks waiting in the shipping area, Department Head Qie from the door-panel workshop said, ‘This year—’” Orders increased by 40%. We expect further growth next year. The robotic door panel line, which was deployed three years ago, is now being used with great proficiency in the workshop, and we’re ready to take on new challenges.
Minister Zhe also pointed out that compared to before the introduction of automated production lines, the total number of workers in the door panel workshop has basically remained unchanged. However, both production capacity and product quality have improved significantly, while the intensity of workers' labor has decreased, leading to higher employee satisfaction and a stronger sense of fulfillment. In particular, the painting stations—where workers used to face extreme heat—now see temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius near the ovens during summer, severely reducing worker efficiency. Things are different now: orders have been digitized, greatly improving order accuracy. As soon as a button is pressed, forklifts automatically deliver materials, making the work much easier for workshop employees. In short, reducing the workforce is not our goal; rather, our ultimate aim is to enhance quality and boost efficiency.
November 2019 on-site video
About Kangli. Kangli Elevator Co., Ltd. is a modern, specialized elevator company integrating design, R&D, manufacturing, sales, installation, and maintenance. In 2019, Kangli became one of the top 10 global elevator manufacturers—a truly national brand. Taking it as its mission to build a renowned national brand, Kangli Elevator has steadily advanced in corporate, product, and technological development, reaching leading domestic levels and even attaining some internationally advanced standards. Its product lineup covers a wide variety of elevator types, including passenger elevators, residential elevators, high-speed passenger elevators, medical elevators, sightseeing elevators, machine-room-less elevators, freight elevators, hydraulic elevators, and car lifts; as well as commercial escalators, public transportation escalators, inclined moving walkways, and horizontal moving walkways—all of which have earned Kangli worldwide acclaim.
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