Autoliv 是全球汽车安全系统的领导者，其产品供给各大汽车制造商。Autoliv 通过其子公司为全球 100 个汽车品牌开发、制造和销售各类保护系统，如安全气囊、安全带、方向盘和行人保护系统。该公司在 27 个国家拥有超过 65,000 名员工，并运营着 14 个技术中心和 20 个测试跑道。该公司的产品每年拯救 30,000 多人的生命。
Loftware has worked with various divisions in Autoliv since 2018. Currently, Autoliv is implementing Loftware's label management system for two specific use cases: homologation and prototyping.
认证标签是安全带的一种非常特殊的应用。无论是在欧洲、美国、中国还是世界其他地区，Autoliv 都必须对其产品进行特定地区的公告认证，才能在该地区进行运输和销售。每个地区都对产品上的特定标记有自己的规定和要求。这些规范可以是 Logo、唯一标识符、序列号、条形码、左右指示或特定文本等等。认证标签的制作形式多种多样，包括缝制标签、粘贴标签和在安全带上进行激光蚀刻。
Prior to Loftware, the Engineering department used CATIA, a 3D CAD software to define the label layouts. They sent these files to the Manufacturing department, who then converted the information into the label design software of their choice. However, the process of converting the files from one software to another, called translation, created inefficiencies and increased the likelihood of errors or misinterpretations. “Errors on homologation labels are a recallable offense,” explains David Srugis, Global Director Product Definition & GPM at Autoliv. “While it’s not a product safety issue, you’re still non-compliant with a federal regulation.” Any products with label errors had to be quarantined, a consequence Autoliv clearly wanted to avoid.
除了出错风险外，使用 CAD 软件设计标签也并非理想的解决方案。举例来说，该软件并不是为定义二维(2D)条形码而设计的，因此其功能并没有针对这种使用情况进行优化。在 CATIA 软件中定义认证标签内容的效率低下，且还需转换设计来源，以便打印机能够打印。这增加了一倍的工作量来创造标签。
由于没有全球性的标签解决方案，每个区域甚至每座设施都使用不同的软件和工具，以不同的方式进行标签作业。例如，当转换 CATIA 文件时，Autoliv 的制造部门有超过1000人在进行标签设计。
2018年，工程集团专门成立了一个任务小组，负责减少质量问题。其主要任务之一便是需要引入标准化标签解决方案。他们希望实施一种标签解决方案，使工程师能够控制标签设计、创建 PLM 连接以连接标签内容并减少不同软件文件之间的转换。
The Engineering team implemented Loftware Label Management System for their labeling needs. They’ve trained a specific team of 10–15 users who are responsible for designing labels in the software. The team has set up libraries so the commonly used objects are stored in one location. They use their PLM system for change management and as the master source of label information.
The main benefit David’s team has experienced since implementing Loftware is a significant reduction in quality issues. They’ve also seen a 50% reduction in the time needed to create and define a label design. Autoliv also realized the potential of the Loftware platform. What started out as a quest to find a label design tool, ended up revealing the potential for a global application that could help other departments improve their labeling processes.
