October 2019

| 40 | October 2019 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | SMART INDUSTRY CONFERENCE PREVIEW | Fully integrated Smart Connected Assembly solution T evva, being both a developer and manufacturer of eTrucks, eTruck technologies and a bespoke battery pack and battery management system, has highlighted that as safety- critical components, batteries demand a robust and error-free assembly process that is fully traceable. The company’s precision engineering approach to the development and manufacture of these components belies its relatively humble operation and is more akin to that of a major OEM. Demonstrating the viability, safety, reliability and durability of every electric commercial vehicle and technology that leaves Tevva HQ, the company’s batteries meet the stringent requirements for the safety standard UNECE Reg 100 Rev2 Part 2. To support this objective, Tevva called on Atlas Copco Tools and Industrial Assembly Solutions to review the company’s existing battery assembly process and identify areas where enhancements could be implemented in line with Tevva’s philosophy of continuous improvement to deliver high quality solutions for its expanding customer base. Tevva’s operations director, Richard Lidstone-Scott, commented: “Tevva’s business model and design, manufacture and precision engineering ethos is mirrored by Atlas Copco’s approach and their Smart Connected Assembly ethos which is particularly important to us. Total quality and error- proofing are crucial to us in areas such as battery pack assembly where Atlas Copco has taken a key role in developing an assembly solution that helps us to achieve these goals.” Working in close collaboration with Tevva, Atlas Copco’s engineers identified various potential quality issues due to the use of hand tools with limited calibration for the manual application of fasteners in the battery assembly process. Operator guidance to ensure Atlas Copco has designed and installed a fully integrated Smart Connected Assembly solution at leading eTruck manufacturer, Tevva Motors, for error-proof battery pack production. Smart Machines & Factories reports. Tevva Motors Chelmsford-based Tevva Motors is a leading innovator in eTruck technology which enables fleet operators to autonomously switch their urban delivery vehicles from diesel to electric to meet the requirements for ultra-low emission zones. Tevva focuses solely on the medium duty commercial vehicle sector (7.5t to 14t range) with a view to tackling the urban distribution industry, which is in most urgent need of more environmentally sensitive solutions. As such, Tevva’s eTruck technologies are at the forefront of the now inevitable electrification of the sector, whereas the economics, timescale and ambition of other companies is still unclear. Tevva Motors Ltd was established in September 2013, by Israeli entrepreneur Asher Bennett. A former Israeli Navy submarine officer, Bennett realised that the problems he grappled with on the diesel- electric hybrid subs mirrored the issues suffered by the medium duty, urban distribution industry. Range, payload and cost efficiency are the same challenges in both sectors, where safety, reliability and durability of the product are also of paramount importance.