Advanced torque control and management tools from Crane Electronics are helping Johnson Controls Automotive (JCA) to produce seats of the highest quality for the range of Nissan vehicles manufactured in Sunderland, UK.

Johnson Controls Automotive is a major supplier to the automotive industry, specialising in a number of technical areas including the design and manufacture of car seats. As the single most important component in a vehicle for occupant safety and comfort, the car seat represents a vital part of the quality mix. Torque values for their assembly have to be controlled to tight tolerances.

The Nissan plant in Sunderland is a model of modern production and quality values, utilising "just in time" delivery and integrated QA and QC programs to ensure finished car consistency and cost. Supplier partnerships in this environment are fundamental and the relationship between the car maker and JCA is based on trust and performance. JCA operates its manufacturing and assembly as a satellite to the Nissan plant, delivering complete seats to each vehicle as they are needed on the line. Speed is of the essence and DC power tools used in assembly have to be carefully maintained and regularly calibrated for torque values.

When looking for suitable measurement and calibration equipment, JCA quickly settled on Crane Electronics. "Crane has an enviable reputation for quality and producing robust equipment,"� says Neil Farley, Senior Quality Engineer at JCA's Nissan cell. "The company has a great track record in the automotive sector and we knew we could rely on them to provide reliable and effective tooling."

Using Crane's CheckStar dynamic rotary transducers, WrenchMaster wrenches, TorqueStar Opta torque indicators and data collectors, JCA now carries out product audit torque confirmation on a weekly basis to ensure that seats are being produced to the correct specifications.

In the automotive industry a portable SPC tool has to offer complete traceability. Using the TorqueStar Opta, JCA can now produce full documentation of the process capability of every tool. Both DC and impulse tools are checked on the production line with the patented CheckStar that has a proven track record for impulse tool measurement. Set-up errors by the operator are being avoided as Crane's UTA "Plug & Play"� technology ensures automatic recognition between readout and rotary transducer. This saves the JCA operator time and he can concentrate on the actual measurement process.

At JCA a complete list of torque characteristics - also referred to as a round - has been set up for every seat model type. The operator is thus given a measurement routine of which tool to test on which fastening. The reading is then date & time stamped. If the reading is outside of the torque tolerances, the TorqueStar Opta prompts the operator for further action e.g. to remove the tool for recalibration.

The WrenchMaster wrenches are used for confirmation of residual torque with a "move on" test. Again JCA saves time here through the automatic identification of the wrench and the torque characteristics by the TorqueStar Opta readout.

All readings and actions are stored on the TorqueStar Opta and can be downloaded to a PC. This empowers JCA to perform SPC and other advanced routines.

In addition to the suitability and reliability of their instruments, Neil has been impressed by the service and support offered by Crane: "Whenever we need help, Crane staff is there for us; as a result we will shortly be purchasing another batch of Crane instruments."