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deployed at major FCA plants worldwide. NPL employs advanced ICT solutions to help achieve high standards of quality in manufacturing and assembly processes.NPL supports rapid decision-making at all levels of the value chain through:real-time data for quality control processes as well as vehicle tracking and supplier component traceability;improved logistics and optimized layout of the production line, saving space and reducing the plant’s overall carbon footprint. In other words, NPL enables FCA plants to take advantage of so-called ‘Digital Twins’. Digital Twins means that data from sensors installed on physical objects are used to represent their near real-time status, working condition or position through digital simulation. Pairing the virtual and physical worlds enables predictive maintenance through analysis of manufacturing data and monitoring of systems to avoid issues before they occur, preventing downtime and boosting development of new opportunities by using simulations. One of FCA’s most advanced examples today is the Cassino assembly plant in Italy, where the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Alfa Romeo Stelvio are manufactured. The Cassino plant figures speak for themselves: over 11,000 part numbers, an automation level assured by more than 1,400 robots, and more than 6,000 connected devices, including smartphones and smartwatches that connect the worker to the interconnected experience of manufacturing a vehicle. The plant offers high standards of efficiency, workforce ergonomics and eco-sustainability. It has sent zero industrial waste to landfill since 2000. It has a zero-carbon footprint: 100 per cent of electricity used in industrial processes comes from renewable sources, including on-site solar power generation. The plant also plans to be fully self-sufficient in terms of water usage; through innovations such as dry scrubbing technology, in the paint shop zero water is withdrawn from local resources for industrial purposes.ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING The need for flexible manufacturing is addressed within the I4.0 approach through another technology that FCA uses to create on-demand parts for prototyping: industrial 3D printing, also referred to as Additive Manufacturing.Compared with conventional manufacturing, where machining is subtractive, meaning that material is gradually removed in shaping a component, this technology shapes them by adding layers of material. 3D printing:permits much greater complexity when shaping and opening up new possibilities in areas such as aerodynamic design; improves time-to-market, by enhancing speed to production and prototyping; significantly reduces material use, waste generation and energy consumption associated with these activities.‘Less is better’ is not simply a lifestyle trend that is becoming increasingly relevant for customers – and millennials in particular. It is becoming the paradigm for the hard manufacturing industry as well. The adoption of 3D printing is a clear example of an innovation that is revolutionary and sustainable at the same time. In recent years, FCA has continued to develop its know-how and technological capabilities in this area. The Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy, hosts the FCA Center of Competence for Additive Manufacturing that supports product development from design to testing, with a total of more than 14,000 components produced in 2016. The Center works closely with Italian and international universities and experts to spread the technical know-how globally across the Group. This technology was applied for the creation of a few thousand prototype parts during development of the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Right: Operators during the assembly stage have direct access to real-time manufacturing data through wearable devicesTRANSPORT AND MOBILITY 103
