CASE STUDIES
Developing and Scaling Up Robotic Solutions for Brompton Bicycle Factory
Development of a digital model and factory blueprint for how newly developed robotic solutions will look scaled up and how they integrate into the overall volume production environments for Greenford and the future Ashford site.
WHO WAS THE CUSTOMER & WHAT IS THEIR BACKGROUND?
Brompton bikes are the UK’s largest bicycle manufacturer and famed for their compact folding bicycles designed for urban commuting. The bike has become a British design icon, owing this to its durable and functional design which has remained largely unchanged since the company was founded in 1975 by Andrew Ritchie. The brand has amassed a huge global following, and to support increased worldwide demand for their bicycle, Brompton are looking to build a brand new facility in Ashford, Kent. This will see them grow production from ~70k bikes / year to ~140k bikes / year. To support the increase in scale, Brompton are exploring how robotics and advanced automation solutions can be developed to enable production at the required throughput. This is part of an Innovate UK funded, Made Smarter project called Brom-bot.
WHAT WAS THE BRIEF & WHY WERE HSSMI BROUGHT IN?
The Brom-bot project concentrates on the development and demonstration of industrially ready robotic and automation solutions to optimise bicycle production at pilot scale before they can be confidently deployed at Brompton’s future factory. Project partners include: ABB Robotics and EKC Group and includes support from Gema Group. The project will establish a ‘Robot sandpit/playground’ at Brompton’s site in Greenford and will make use of the project partners’ existing facilities and equipment to test the viability of integrating robots across key operations.
HSSMI supported Brompton and the partners to secure the project and have been commissioned to deliver the future factory design support. This involves the virtual commissioning of the proposed solutions in a scaled-up model to support with the Greenford and Ashford robotic roll out plan. HSSMI are experienced in designing and optimising manufacturing facilities using a suite of digital tools. This approach will enable Brompton to de-risk the expansion of robotics on the shopfloor.
WHAT DID HSSMI DO TO DELIVER THE RESULTS?
At the time of writing, the Brom-bot project is still in progress and will be delivered by the end of January 2025.
One of the first activities has been to conduct 3D scans of the existing Greenford facility using specialist equipment to generate a rich, detailed 3D model of the existing facility and assets within them. This was done as limited CAD assets were available to support the modelling for how the newly developed robotic solutions would fit in the target space. The scan produces a 3D point cloud, which is taken into 3D studio max software to produce solid surfaces, and subsequently pulled into an overall 2D and 3D model to optimise layout and detect potential clashes. The resultant models are produced to very high tolerances (within 1mm) and have proved vital when adjusting the design of the robotic solutions.
The next phase of activities will include:
-
- Production strategy definition – what is the targeted throughput, how does that scale over time and how does that affect the planned robotic production line?
- Enhancement of 2D and 3D models of targeted lines in Greenford / Ashford with new robotic equipment installed
- 3D simulation of robotic lines and virtual commissioning support – adjusting robotic arm movement to feed PLC code in the virtual world before it is trialled in the physical world
WHAT WERE THE FINAL OUTPUTS & WHAT IMPACT HAS THIS MADE?
The work so far has illustrated the power of using factory scanning equipment to create dimensionally accurate representations of physical facilities and processes in the absence of having original CAD available. This is the reality for many manufacturers across multiple sectors and can create potential barriers when planning process upgrades or in launching new products or production lines.
On this project, the scans and subsequent models generated are being used for making sure that the robotic solutions fit the spatial constraints they will be met with when integrated into the existing Greenford facility. Beyond this, the approach we’ve taken and the resultant models have created interest from the wider organization to extent the scans and modelling to other parts of the plant to support with future layout changes, production planning as well as for marketing purposes.
At project close, the team will hand over the final outputs from our support which will include a Digital model of the developed solutions integrated into the full volume environments and a formalized manufacturing strategy document for integrating the robotic solutions at Greenford and Ashford. This will allow Brompton to design and commission the facility in the virtual world first, to pre-empt and head off potential challenges that might emerge in the real world, thus reducing risk of needing to perform expensive design changes.
Brompton Case StudySend download link to: |
For all press, media or general enquiries, please contact David Stewart on david.stewart@hssmi.com
CONTACT US
Contact us today for a short initial conversation on how HSSMI can help your organisation achieve its strategic goals.
