Assembly in Action: Robotic Welding Cell Keeps Shop on Top
"We’ve always considered ourselves a value-added supplier," says Royal Clippert, tooling manager. "We provide quality, processes and services outside the boundaries of the typical stamping supplier classification. Early on, we began offering assembly processes for many of the components we stamped. And today, in addition to production stampings and assemblies, the Schaller Group has been formed and has become a source for a broad range of stamping services, including development of prototype parts, and tool and die building."
This value-added aspect also extends to the company’s ongoing goal to continuously improve. One example of process improvement is the acquisition and installation of two robotic welding cells at the company. The cells were engineered and built by Custom Machines Inc. (CMI, Adrian, MI), specialists in the manufacture and integration of custom assembly machines and complete turnkey systems. The new cells have replaced older systems that were a combination of automation and manual operations. These systems were made virtually obsolete by part changes for the 2002 vehicle model year.