The Argo Tractors plants underwent thorough renovation, with sweeping changes including the restructuring of manufacturing halls and the introduction of new digital equipment. These changes served a twofold objective: to increase efficiency and create an increasingly comfortable working environment.
Restructuring of the manufacturing halls
Renovation was mainly focused on the machining shop, which saw the introduction of state-of-the-art machining centres capable of machining components in a semi-automatic process. Each of these centres is equipped with feeding systems to load cast-iron castings. The semi-finished workpiece undergoes all the different processes until it is converted into the finished component, ready for assembly.
Workers’ comfort was enhanced by installing resin flooring and new LED lights.
In addition, floor layout was optimised by introducing new machinery with smaller footprints. This freed up space for a new area dedicated to logistics, while a direct access was introduced from the machining shop to the tractor assembly department.
This made it easier to go from one plant to the next and manage factory tours– the revised floor layout includes an ad hoc route for visitors to view the production lines. Visitors can walk through the lines and stop safely in the vicinity of the machining centres, and enjoy a tidy, comfortable space.
Digital Transformation
Digital innovation swept through all areas of the company, including manufacture, improving the quality of work. The WiFi antennas installed on machining centres, which enable the machines to communicate with the computers controlling them, rank among the most significant new additions. Using a dedicated server, manufacturing processes can be controlled more accurately as machines are managed centrally.
Workstations are equipped with PC Panel touch screens that display the technical documentation needed by operators to carry out dimensional checks on components. The new panels also give access to special tutorials showing how to position workpieces properly in the machining centres and directly acquire daily production data for each operator.
This is a significant step forward in terms of technology and manufacture for Argo Tractors, and gives evidence of the company’s relentless commitment to innovate by optimising efficiency and performance and improving the experience of all those who channel their passion into building our tractors every day in the factory.