CASE STUDIES
Readying Electric Motorcycle Company for Global Expansion
Supporting the Industrialisation of Verge Motorcycles’ Innovative Electric Powertrain Through Scaling up Battery Production.
WHO WAS THE CUSTOMER & WHAT IS THEIR BACKGROUND?
Based in Tallin, Estonia, Verge Motorcycles are a pioneering manufacturer of full electric motorcycles. Over the last 6 years, Verge has developed a completely new electric motorcycle system centred around an innovative hub motor design. With minimal moving parts and a low centre of gravity from the battery, the vehicle can deliver 1000nm of torque without compromising handling, reliability, or range. With rapidly growing customer interest, Verge has set its sights on scaling up production.
WHAT WAS THE BRIEF & WHY WERE HSSMI BROUGHT IN?
The key next step in the industrialisation phase is the production ramp up of the powertrain. The battery pack was identified as the bottleneck of the established manufacturing process.
Verge approached HSSMI to support the process development team in optimising the production line and providing a clear pathway on productivity, recruitment, and manufacturing technology as the production volume increased.
WHAT DID HSSMI DO TO DELIVER THE RESULTS?
HSSMI focused on three main goals for this project:
-
- Maximising battery pack production within the existing space.
- Defining a cost-effective manufacturing technology road map through each scale-up step.
- Supporting the transition of pack assembly from process development engineers to a dedicated production team.
The work commenced with mapping the current production process and cycle times. This not only enabled identification of bottle necks at each production volume step but which stations currently had a high level of work content.
For near term production targets, HSSMI identified areas of process simplification, enhanced material handling strategies as well as opportunities to maintain high quality standards through improved layouts and a 5S workshop.
For longer term production targets, it became clear that direct scale up of the current processes would be too space intensive to fit within the facility and labour intensive to maintain quality and cost. HSSMI identified when and where key pieces of production equipment would be required, supporting the case with productivity and payback period metrics. This provided clarity to the manufacturing team and enabled planning for long lead equipment and any associated product design changes.
WHAT WERE THE FINAL OUTPUTS & WHAT IMPACT HAS THIS MADE?
HSSMI played a key role in Verge’s transition to higher volume production. Close collaboration with the Verge team resulted in rapid responses to challenges and implementation of step change innovations. This brought about reductions in process time, elimination of steps and hazards, improved material flow and reduced learning curve for onboarded staff.
The 5S workshop and training marked a pivotal step in the cultural shift to production. The Verge team were encouraged to take the lead on workstation improvements and waste reduction. This resulted in a physical transformation of the line, highlighting a clear vison of quality and repeatability for new staff, management and site visitors.
Verge Case StudySend download link to: |
For all press, media or general enquiries, please contact David Stewart on david.stewart@hssmi.com
CONTACT US
Contact us today for a short initial conversation on how HSSMI can help your organisation achieve its strategic goals.
