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New tire and wheel conveyor trailers are helping mounted and inflated tires and wheels roll more smoothly into GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck , MI assembly plant. Ultimation recently began deliveries of all-new tire and wheel trailer conveyors for the plant which will help ensure the assembly line has parts available at all times. Detroit-Hamtramck (D-HAM) is among General Motors’ most complex Manufacturing Assembly facilities in North America building four vehicles on one production line. Detroit-Hamtramck is also the epicenter of electric vehicle production producing all of GM’s extended-range electric vehicles.

Each of the four tire and wheel conveyor trailers built by Ultimation feature a 7-level roller conveyor system. These trailers can thereby transport up to 240 mounted and inflated wheel and tire assemblies. Wheels and tires are mounted in an off-site location and supplied “just in time” to the GM assembly plant. The trailers feature the well-proven Itoh Denki motor driven roller (MDR) technology. Instead of traditional motors with chain drives, the trailers feature a conveyor system with several hundred motorized conveyor rollers. The unique and compact power transmission system has proven remarkably durable in tire and wheel delivery applications. This includes various applications in Michigan’s severe climate conditions. Everything that moves on the trailer is accessible via an innovative design. The design features side opening curtains and a front access door. Any motor on the system can be accessed within seconds. Each motor has a rated life of more than 10,000 hours.

“Ultimation has a growing business in the tire and wheel trailer conveyor segment and we are an emerging leader in this field” said CEO Jacqueline Canny. “Our fully integrated design and build process enabled us to achieve a tight timeline and deliver one new trailer every 3 weeks.”

“An increasing number of automotive plants have outsourced their wheel and tire assembly processes. The most important attribute for the OEM is to ensure that not only is the tire and wheel delivery process maintained on schedule, we have to be sure the right tire and wheel is delivered in the right sequence.  Ultimation’s trailers have a single, spiral conveyor path from the top entry point to the bottom discharge point to ensure that the production build sequence is correct. The tires can’t get mixed up like they can using other tire delivery systems.”

Tire and wheel conveyor trailer design process

Many of the components in the tire and wheel trailer conveyor system are produced using CAD-CAM technology. The design process starts using a 3D CAD design process. Once prototypes are built and tested, the production components are created using computer controlled laser cutting and forming technology for the conveyor frames. Final assembly involves assembling the many thousands of components at Ultimation’s Roseville, MI facility, followed by testing on-site and at the customer locations.

 

 

 

Ultimation announced today it has been named to Corp! Magazine’s annual Salute to Diversity list, which recognizes organizations and business leaders in Michigan that have instilled diversity and multiculturalism into the very core of their business strategy.

“As we grow, our focus is finding the right people for the right positions to build the best highly functioning, in-tune workforce that we can,” said CEO Jacqueline Canny. “Our customers’ needs are supported through teamwork and cooperation, which is a fundamental part of our culture. We try to make it a fun environment, and although we’re not a large company we try to take advantage of that by being more flexible than larger companies.”

As technologies continue to change and evolve, younger people are key to future growth, Canny said. “We are able to provide an inclusive, upbeat office environment through a combination of our cohesive team members and our physical facilities,” she said. “The automation and machinery industry is going to see a lot of talent retiring in the next 10 to 15 years, and we want to work on growing our younger team members to help fill those gaps.”

 

Ultimation was honored, along with other winners, at the magazine’s Salute to Diversity event on September 10^th at the MGM Grand Detroit and profiled in Corp! Magazine . Representing Ultimation in accepting the award was CEO Jacqueline Canny, Purchasing Manager Dawn Milot and Accounting and Administration Manager, Carol Barker. Canny is among a growing group of Michigan Diversity Business Leaders who are demonstrating the business value of diversity and inclusion.