When Eaton Inoac added a new type of manufacturing intelligence to its painting operations, the automotive trim supplier beefed up its bottom line in a variety of ways.
The Eaton Inoac plant in the northern Ohio town of Fremont is an automotive Class A trim supplier. The company's two paint lines use more than 250 different colors to supply components for about 35 car models. To better manage the extensive painting operations, Eaton Inoac installed a manufacturing intelligence system that has helped it boost productivity and cut costs.
The company blow molds and paints various trim pieces, including spoilers, ground-effects packages, wind deflectors, body side moldings and mudguards for nearly every major auto manufacturer with operations in the United States. With a special emphasis on spoilers, the company's 400 employees annually produce 750,000 to 850,000 of them-about 70% of the spoilers produced in North America.