Ranked among the plant's Top 10 failures, 42 KEBA Kemro K2-700 units caused repeated downtime and ongoing production issues in the Ram ProMaster paint shop at Stellantis in Saltillo, Mexico.
Replacement presented a significant challenge, with a lead time of 4–6 months from the OEM in Germany.
While Dürr EcoRPC and SERCOS III upgrades were planned for six units, Stellantis required an immediate solution for the remaining 36.
Provide an immediate, local solution that extends the product lifecycle and delays—or even avoids—next year's CapEx upgrades. Eliminate dependence on slow, production-disrupting international support 5,968 miles away.
Investigations uncovered several contributing factors to failure and underperformance.
• Unbootable hard drive
• Faulty PC Card slots
• Outdated PCMCIA driver
• Missing subsystems
To restore functionality to the controllers, the following actions were taken:
Migrated data from the old drive to a new one by creating a disk image and cloning it, with no data lost.
Identified and replaced common failure parts as a preventive measure.
Replaced broken fan units to restore cooling and prevent system overheating.
Replaced the PCMCIA and updated drivers, fixed detection and data access issues, and stabilized the system.
The project was completed on time and within budget, meeting all requirements. The work resulted in faster system startup and glitch-free performance, with seamless integration into the existing setup.
OEM replacement costs approximately $100,000 per unit, with a lead time of 4 to 6 months. Repairing instead saved $90,200–$93,125 per controller, totaling over $3.2 million in avoided CapEx.
Established in 1992, ICR delivers full-service MRO solutions to help manufacturers achieve world-class OEE.
ICR Services, a recipient of the prestigious Chrysler Gold Award for Enterprise Asset Management, operates in North America and South Africa, serving clients worldwide.
Stellantis opened the 2.8 million-square-foot Saltillo Van Assembly Plant in 2013. It produces the Ram ProMaster, based on the Fiat Ducato, for the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Stellantis is the world’s third-largest automotive company by volume, selling millions of vehicles globally each year.