A case study involving Continental and eMoldino, a provider of applications for managing the automotive tooling supply chain, as told by Marllon Kopelvski, supplier quality manager with Continental, and Gabriel Tejada, senior project manager with eMoldino.

The automotive sector of Continental had a problem with tooling management. It was unable to efficiently track tooling throughout its supply chain — an essential capability, given the multiple challenges that global auto manufacturers are facing today.

Kopelvski says Continental was immediately drawn to eMoldino’s technology, which uses sensors linked to the internet of things as part of a digital platform for monitoring and processing tooling production data. “We were observing eMoldino for a long time,” he says, “waiting for a good opportunity to invest in this kind of technology. It matched with our needs.”

EMoldino first connected with Continental about two years ago, Tejada says, taking time to validate the customer’s investment and ensure that the system for tracking tooling, both inside and outside the company, worked properly. “It made implementation really smooth,” Kopelvski says.

Implementing a new control system in an ongoing manufacturing environment can be extremely challenging. Kopelvski says Continental started small, implementing the technology with one major supplier. The goal, he says, was “to learn and understand how the system works,” before moving ahead to extend the application to other suppliers and regions.

“Everyone wants data on demand,” says Tejada. “They want to know that parts will be coming in time to make cars. Once they realized how powerful [the system was], they made it a priority, and are deploying it on a big scale.”

Kopelvski says the application allows for better quality control, relying on artificial intelligence so analyze critical data about demand, production and cycle times.

“Anytime Continental wants information, they can go into the system, and with a few clicks get all that they need,” Tejada says.