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Case Study

Reducing Axle Rework by 65%

Objectives

Improve first time through yield and reduce rework for axle assemblies by leveraging machine learning solutions on complex assembly data.

Challenge

With over 20 operations and 200+ signals per unit, isolating and resolving multiple failure modes in axle assemblies proved difficult without advanced analytics.

Key Results

  • Achieved a 65% reduction in failure and rework rates.
  • Significantly improved FTT yield and overall cost savings.

65%

Reduction in axle failure and rework

$2.5-3

Million dollars saved (estimate)

4%

Resulting rework rate

Background

A leading Dana axle manufacturing plant sought to improve product quality and reduce rework rates on its high-volume axle assembly lines. Despite extensive data collection efforts, they struggled to pinpoint the root causes of critical noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and backlash test failures that impacted First Time Through (FTT) yield and increased rework.

Problem

  • Complex Assemblies: Axle assemblies involved 20+ operations, generating 200+ signals per unit—making it difficult to identify which signals were most critical.
  • Multiple Failure Modes: Backlash and noise issues had diverse underlying causes, each potentially tied to different signals and operations.
  • Scattered Data & Slow Root Cause Analysis: With so many potential factors, narrowing down failure sources manually was slow and resource-intensive.

Solution

Targeted LinePulse Deployment
  • Dana deployed LinePulse on the assembly lines with the lowest FTT rates, where over 10% of parts sometimes required rework.
  • The platform’s root cause analysis module analyzed hundreds of signals to identify the most relevant ones causing backlash failures.
Real-Time Monitoring & Alerts
  • After isolating the key signals, Dana configured custom alerting criteria in LinePulse.
  • Engineers received notifications whenever signals trended abnormally, allowing them to proactively correct the process before failures occurred, even before control limits were breached on the line.
Scalable Global Rollout
  • Encouraged by significant improvements on the initial lines, Dana scaled LinePulse across multiple facilities worldwide.
  • This global deployment continued to improve FTT and reduce failure modes for a variety of products and processes.

Results

  • Deploying LinePulse solved critical backlash and NVH failures at the plant, resulting in a 65% reduction in axle failure and rework rates.
  • By reducing waste in the form of scrap and rework, an estimated $2.5-3 million dollars was saved.
  • This Dana facility’s lines now run consistently at under 4% rework, even in high-volume plants producing over 1 million parts per year.

LinePulse is an important solution in Dana’s digital strategy

LinePulse is an important solution in Dana’s digital strategy and helps our manufacturing teams automate overhead, monitor and manage product quality, and optimize productivity. Due to the success of a multi-year engagement with Acerta, we are deploying the next generation of LinePulse in key driveline and e-Propulsion plants.
Joel Scott
VP, Global Continuous Improvement - Dana

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