Bossard Group: Enabling Smarter and Faster Manufacturing

In the course of his numerous visits to various factories around the globe, Bossard America’s CEO, Steen Hansen noticed a common dilemma affecting the manufacturing industry. “While the factories do have a grasp on their manufacturing processes, they seem to be lacking control down the supply chain,” he says. He discerned a setback in C-parts management—accounts for less than 2 percent of the overall cost— that often contributes to production inefficiencies and ineffectiveness, incurring delays and additional costs in high volume manufacturing. With a focus on optimizing high volume modern manufacturing using the power of data and artificial intelligence (AI), Bossard Group provides a set of Smart Factory Logistics systems that, through proper fastener utilization, reduce overall total cost of ownership (TCO), boost productivity, and gain unparalleled efficiency.

“Despite having a cool design as a prototype, high volume manufacturing can end up with costly assembly solutions. That’s where we come in, as early as the designing process,” states Hansen. With individual customer designs that can require as many as 40 to 60 different suppliers and thousands of parts sourced worldwide, working on the rationalization of the supply chain upstream and simplifying the design and the final assembly process can have a huge impact. Bossard thoroughly investigates the entire production process and helps design the most efficient assembly lines—with a key focus on fasteners— for a faster time to market (TTM). The company then leverages its logistics services to install weight scale systems throughout the factory together data intelligence using their software to help improve the manufacturing efficiencies. Bossard initially establishes parameters for automated reorder points based on the weights in the bins, which reflect an exact number of pieces remaining. This allows Bossard’s customers to operate with leaner inventory levels without the need to physically take an inventory and place orders. “We help clients with measuring manufacturing parts consumption, and ensure that they have the right parts at the right time,” says Hansen. Bossard’s AI-powered Smart Factory Logistics systems allow organizations to carry smaller inventories by tracking accurate information regarding supplies in real-time, in turn, elevates the efficiency.