As the oldest continuously operating manufacturer of fire apparatus, Seagrave Fire Apparatus has a reputation for delivering products with the industry’s best lifetime value. Seagrave takes a single source manufacturing approach that integrates design, construction, and assembly. They deliver highly engineered products that, in combination with a relentless focus on quality, has earned them a sterling reputation for manufacturing high quality fire apparatus.
Growing Demand Meets Increasing Complexity
Customers not only come to Seagrave for the quality and durability of their products, but also for the amazing levels of customization. The Seagrave team meticulously hand crafts the components for every apparatus. From the steel frame up, there are over 2,000,000 parts and components that can make up an apparatus in a myriad of configurations. Experience on the frontline is critical to keep up with growing demand, but like many manufacturers, Seagrave saw the exit of experienced workers during the pandemic. It became clear to Seagrave that relying on the tribal knowledge of their experienced workers would eventually cause issues. In addition, Seagrave determined that the paper systems used on the manufacturing line for quality inspections and the defect to repair processes would only heighten potential risks.
Digitalizing Quality on the Frontline
The Seagrave team knew that digitalizing the frontline would address these challenges. Their vision was not only to replace the paper capture of quality data, but to automate the defect to repair processes and increase both quality and productivity. Digitalizing inspections was also the way to upskill workers by delivering guidance and ensuring that every required item was checked at the appropriate point and time, thereby minimizing rework and delays. In addition, Seagrave wanted to categorize quality data more effectively for analysis and automate the creation of apparatus history by creating records of all inspections, issues, verified fixes and component serial numbers.
Leading with Quality to Empower the Workforce
Seagrave began their ROO.AI digital journey with a focus on quality processes. From the digitalization of department level and pre-shipment checks, Seagrave moved to in-process inspections with the capability to digitally convey defects for the production team to repair. Digital records of every inspection, issues and resolutions are being automatically added to asset records for each apparatus going through the process. By looking to the future, the Seagrave team saw next-step opportunities to leverage ROO.AI to help onboard and upskill workers by providing on-the-spot work instruction and a program for workers and supervisors to certify specific skills and job criteria in order to continue to improve product quality and operational efficiency.
