Autoliv Electronics America upgrades to Mentor Graphics' Valor vPlan software for machine programming

WILSONVILLE, USA: The Valor Division of Mentor Graphics Corp. announced that Autoliv Electronics America has upgraded to the Valor vPlan process engineering tools.

Autoliv Electronics America, based in Southfield, Michigan, is a provider of automotive electronics parts and supplies.

The Valor vPlan product is a single solution that drives the manufacturing process by delivering a complete, seamless engineering flow from CAD to machine, covering surface mount technology (SMT,) through-hole technology (THT), and manual assembly. It delivers comprehensive and synchronized manufacturing process definitions (MPD) to the production floor.

Autoliv has implemented the Valor vPlan software for machine programming and related process documentation. The company will use the software to create programs and manage shape data for its Siemens pick-and-place machines globally.

“Valor’s vPlan removes the NPI bottleneck, increases asset performance, both human and capital, and increases customer confidence,” stated Joe Borland, engineering services and software applications manager at Autoliv Electronics America. “This leads to more business and higher revenue, all while simultaneously driving down the cost per unit.

With the vPlan solution, Autoliv can access the Virtual Sticky Tape functionality offered by Valor to perform offline program validation for component off-set and rotations prior to sending a program to the Siemens SiPlace Pro product for manufacturing. Additionally, Autoliv now will have the ability to create template-based documentation tied directly to the manufacturing process as defined by the vPlan product.

The vPlan solution delivers a managed approach to the chaotic world of SMT planning and programming by providing better control and visibility of the engineering process with all key functionality available in one centralized solution.

Engineers benefit from the ease and flexibility to provide innovative solutions to daily problems, improved product quality and performance created by the programs they generate, and faster response time needed to react to changing demands from customers. The vPlan technology uniquely allows engineers to focus on added-value tasks they are trained for, rather than chasing persistent and often repetitive problems.

“The Valor Division of Mentor Graphics is pleased that Autoliv elected to upgrade to vPlan, our latest software for assembly line process preparation,” said Dan Weitzman, regional business manager, Americas, for the Valor Division of Mentor Graphics. “With the implementation of vPlan, Autoliv will gain competitive advantages accelerating the new product introduction process, increasing the quality and accuracy of data sent to their Siemens assembly lines, and enabling complete template-based process documentation delivery to the factory floor.”