Sun Hung Kai and Fastems jointly build high-end flexible production line to set a new benchmark in the industry

Fastems, a leading global supplier of flexible automation solutions, announced that it has officially established a strategic partnership with Suzhou Sun Hung Kai Precision Parts Co., Ltd. (Sun Hung Kai) and signed a purchase and implementation agreement for two phases of high-end customized FMS production lines. The two parties began to negotiate strategic cooperation matters in 2019, and conducted multi-dimensional and multi-level discussions on helping Sun Hung Kai optimize and improve machining operations, deep integration of production lines, and expansion of smart factories. The achievement of this cooperation has laid a solid foundation for Sun Hung Kai to accelerate the realization of intelligent manufacturing, allowing Fastems to achieve leapfrog development in China, and also set another industry benchmark for flexible manufacturing in the machining field.

"Sun Hung Kai is a typical multi-variety, small-batch precision parts manufacturer that regards innovation as its life. Its leadership team has a clearer understanding of intelligent manufacturing than its peers. In order to truly realize planning automation, transmission automation and monitoring automation, we have conducted systematic and in-depth discussions and prospects together, especially in the automation of central tools. After the production line is completed, Sun Hung Kai will be able to achieve 24-hour unmanned operation and the simultaneous production of dozens of products." said Ding Yongping, general manager of Fenfa Automation Shanghai Co., Ltd.

According to the agreement, Sun Hung Kai will use Fastems' high-end customized FMS production line, which integrates 2 four-axis horizontal machining centers, 4 five-axis machining centers, more than 100 material pallets and more than 100 machined pallets, with ultra-high and large storage capacity and efficient stackers with a speed of 150 meters per minute, and is equipped with Fastems production management software MMS. All pallets, fixtures, materials/blanks, and work-in-progress will be centrally stored in the stereoscopic warehouse. When clamping is required, the fixtures and their matching materials will be automatically sent to the loading station for clamping, thereby reducing manual dependence and reducing the risk of manual errors. During production, the forklift traffic is greatly reduced or eliminated, which further ensures the safety and efficiency of factory operation.

The central tool library with 1,000 tools is the biggest highlight of this production line. The central tool library is built above the machine tool to avoid occupying floor space. At the same time, the tool library of the machine tool can be reduced to further save floor space. The robot arranges and places all the tools, and automatically sends the tools and tool information to the corresponding machine tool when processing is required. Tool sharing reduces the use of sister tools and optimizes tool life management. Each tool is equipped with a chip, and all tool information is automatically transmitted by the network to avoid errors caused by manual input.

"Tool management is often the most troublesome part of machining management. We use robots for automatic transmission and automation software for real-time management and monitoring, hoping to truly achieve zero errors in tool management. Through the integration of the flexible line central tool library, our goal is to solve the fundamental downtime problem of machine tools and achieve a machine tool processing efficiency of more than 92%." said Li Jian, general manager of Suzhou Sun Hung Kai Precision Parts Co., Ltd.

In the 28 years since its establishment, Sun Hung Kai has strong engineering technology and mechanical manufacturing capabilities in the production of precision parts, optical lens barrels and medical parts, and has always been in the leading position in the industry in terms of processing capabilities for thin-walled and easily deformed parts. On this solid foundation, by introducing the Fastems high-end FMS production line, Sun Hung Kai will become a company with truly high-flexible processing capabilities in the industry, and is expected to demonstrate obvious differentiated advantages in market competition and better adapt to the future market's increasing requirements for safety, reliability and intelligent digitalization.

"How can we engage in machining manufacturing in Suzhou, where land is scarce and labor costs are high? Automation is the only way out. How can we make a company sustainable? Continuous optimization of management is the key. Facts have proved that the introduction of FMS helps solve internal management problems, promote and facilitate the optimization and improvement of the company's internal process management, and thus achieve efficient production. Fastems is a company with the most successful cases of flexible manufacturing in the world. We trust its professionalism and hope to learn from its rich experience and customized services to cultivate an international operation talent team and further enhance Sun Hung Kai's management and international operation capabilities and levels." Li Jian said, "In the near future, we plan to build another FMS line that is exactly the same as the current production line, and connect the two lines through a truss robot to realize the sharing of tools within the two lines. Through process reengineering, the pace of intelligent manufacturing will be accelerated."

Ding Yongping said with emotion: "To convey the quality of Made in China to the world, we need innovative companies like Sun Hung Kai that have forward-looking thinking, international vision, and courage and hard work. The cooperation with Sun Hung Kai will make us more confident in supporting China's smart manufacturing. From design to implementation to reporting, from hardware to software, we are ready to meet this growth momentum and help accelerate China's smart manufacturing process."

Figure 1: Sun Hung Kai will adopt Fastems high-end customized FMS production line, integrating 2 four-axis horizontal machining centers, 4 five-axis machining centers, and more than 100 material pallets and more than 100 machined pallets.

Figure 2: By introducing the Fastems high-end FMS production line, Sun Hung Kai will become a company in the industry that truly possesses high-flexible processing capabilities, and is expected to demonstrate clear differentiated advantages in market competition.