Production throughput 80x improvement & Cycle Time Optimization (Valeo)
Reducing production bottleneck & new test station expense
The Critical Challenge: Reduce production bottleneck & new test station expense
Valeo, a major automotive component manufacturer faced a critical production bottleneck in their high-volume line involving camera alignment. The existing test process, which utilized resource-intensive image analysis to verify alignment, was critically slow, consuming approximately 600 to 800 milliseconds per image capture analysis and on a given test there could be 10-20 analysis yielding to easily 8-15 seconds just for a simple analysis.
This latency prevented the production line from meeting high throughput quotas.To resolve the capacity issue, the client's immediate plan involved a massive capital expenditure to purchase and integrate a second, duplicate test infrastructure at it’s CapEx price.Problem: Slow image analysis preventing throughput goals.Risk: Forced investment in a second test lineGoal: Optimize cycle time to defer or eliminate the need for new infrastructure.
The Makkal Solution: The Binary Logic Breakthrough
Makkal was engaged to perform forensic software analysis, drilling down into the most time-intensive process: image inspection. We determined that the bottleneck was caused by unnecessary overhead inherent in high-level image processing libraries.
Technical Approach | Strategic Implementation | Value Delivered |
Forensic Software Analysis | We bypassed high-level, slow image processing libraries entirely and focused on the core data change, not the rendered image. | Identified the exact function responsible for the 600 to 800 ms bottleneck. |
Binary Logic Breakthrough | Implemented a highly specialized, low-level direct binary value check to detect the required anomaly or change on the frame grabber data. | Achieved processing speeds of 5-10 ms per check—an 80X to 100X speed increase over the original method. |
Cycle Time Optimization | The optimization was applied across every check in the alignment sequence, transforming the entire test step’s duration. | Eliminated the production bottleneck and guaranteed the required throughput target using the existing hardware. |
Financial Impact | The optimization was a purely software-based improvement, leveraging current infrastructure to meet future demand. | Avoided the planned tens of thousands of dollar capital expenditure for a second test line. |
Key Results: 80X Speed Increase and Guaranteed Capacity
This single, strategically targeted software optimization transformed the production capacity and immediately eliminated the capital expenditure threat, providing lasting strategic value.
Massive Cycle Time Reduction: Achieved an 80x to 100x reduction in the critical alignment test time by replacing complex analysis with direct binary logic.
Capital Expenditure Avoidance: The increased throughput capacity eliminated the need for the unnecessary CapEx and duplication test infrastructure, saving tens of thousands of dollars in capital investment and associated operational overhead.
Guaranteed Sustained Capacity: The system now operates efficiently with significant built-in headroom, ensuring the current test line can manage projected increases in demand for the next 3 to 5 years without further investment.
By applying specialized, low-level forensic software analysis, Makkal delivered a breakthrough that solved a critical production bottleneck, proving that architectural optimization is the most cost-effective and fastest path to scale manufacturing throughput