An automotive stamping, body-in-white, and paint-shop complex operates hundreds of compressed-air receivers, hydraulic accumulators, die-cushion pressure vessels, overhead bridge cranes, and regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTOs), all inside a production environment governed by IATF 16949 and OSHA 1910.179 / NBIC NB-23 rules.
Current state before intelliSPEC
- Plant utility vessels overlooked until insurer visits: Air receivers and die-cushion vessels tucked inside stamping pits and mezzanines were tracked on static maintenance lists without ultrasonic wall-thickness trends or PRV test links.
- Disconnected 8D problem solving: When a weld fixture, crane hook, or paint-shop oven failed an inspection, the D1 to D8 corrective action lived in a quality spreadsheet disconnected from the physical asset record.
- Weekend outage crunch: All internal inspections and magnetic-particle crane-hook checks had to happen during short weekend maintenance windows or summer/winter shutdowns.
Configured path
The plant implemented intelliVISION, intelliEDGE, intelliINSPECT, intelliNDT, intelliPROJECTS, and intelliCOMPLY.
- Pit-to-penthouse asset register: Stamping press cushions, air receivers, bridge cranes, monorails, and paint-shop abatement vessels were mapped in
by line and bay. - Offline weekend inspection blitzes: Reliability and NDE crews used
in deep press pits to capture NBIC vessel visuals, UT thickness readings, and OSHA 1910.179 crane hook MT/PT results. - Integrated 8D workflow: Any non-conformance or equipment defect triggered a structured D1 to D8 containment and root-cause record in
tied directly to the equipment tag.
Measured outcome
- Complete NBIC and insurer readiness: Every air receiver and pressure vessel has current UT thickness, internal borescope media, and PRV status ready for the jurisdictional inspector.
- Auditable IATF 16949 corrective actions: Customer SQEs and third-party auditors trace any equipment-related 8D from initial field finding through root cause and verification.
- Tighter weekend shutdowns:
tracks every weekend and holiday shutdown work package to completion before the Monday morning shift starts.