Investigating and installing new technologies to improve production operations

By Gary S. Vasilash

Chances are, when you think of a corporate venture startup fund focused on early and later-stage startup companies, a multi-million fund, you probably don’t think “auto industry.”

Yet they exist. While like those firms you think about they invest in AI, new battery chemistries and other advances, at Stellantis Ventures the team is looking for ways for the parent company’s factories to work more efficiently and effectively.

Realize that in North America alone Stellantis has 31 manufacturing operations, 18 in the U.S., seven in Mexico and six in Canada, so making improvements can have significant effects on the bottom line.

To say nothing of the fact that the company also operates plants in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, UK, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, etc.

Tim Fallon, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Stellantis Production Way, said that an objective that he and his team have is to assure that production systems around the world are setup so that benefits realized in one facility can be shared with others so the whole system is continuously improved. Among the areas focused on are quality, efficiency and sustainability.

And one of the ways there is improvement is through the implementation of new technologies. One of the ways this is being achieved is through the discovery of new tech, something that Anna Valeria Anllo, Head of Global Innovation for Vehicle Process Engineering, said Stellantis Ventures helps the manufacturing team discover.

In addition, there is an on-going compilation of a list of potential suppliers that can help advance the manufacturing process.

Stellantis recently held what it calls its “Factory Booster Day,” an annual event that is attended by Stellantis personnel as well as 80 suppliers—traditional suppliers and startups.

The event was held at the company’s Conner Center in Detroit.

Fallon said there were some 700 people on site as well as an additional 1,200 on-line.

While there is an abundance of advanced technology showcased, the objective is to make this tech operational in Stellantis factories.

For example, at the 2024 Factory Booster Day a firm named KCF Technologies worked with Stellantis personnel on an AI-powered predictive maintenance (PM) system that is being used in North American paint shops. The system collects sensor data from various systems within the paint shop (e.g., pumps, fans, exhaust systems) and then makes a determination as to when PM is necessary.

Fallon said that unlike systems identify problems, this AI system learns and, as a result, uptime is maximized in the paint shops, which are a highly critical part of any assembly plant.

Another example is a camera system that uses AI to perform 100 inspections per vehicle at the Detroit Assembly Complex—Jefferson (where the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango are produced). The KEYENCE IV4 camera system—it features built-in lighting, lenses, and AI-powered inspection functions—provides real-time feedback to operators and automated repair alerts.

Supplementing this is a Stellantis-developed AI Agent Tracker that provides daily performance analytics.

Although the Factory Booster Days are annual events, Anllo said they are consistently looking for the ways and means to improve operations: “We believe in the fast and the furious.”