Hokotu Guangzhou uses the portable FaroArm mainly for the inspection of single components and finished products, as well as for the testing and calibration of fixtures and check fixtures. A fixed coordinate measuring machine (CMM) has many limitations – including the difficulty in establishing reference points, sampling, and aligning.
On the other hand, the FaroArm offers high precision, high repeatability, ease of use, and portability. The device reportedly according to Faro, effectively eliminates the need to move large objects to the fixed CMM, which affords the team significant savings in time and energy thus improving efficiency.
Hokotu Guangzhou is a Sino-Japanese joint venture that specialises in the design, development, production, and sales of high performance robotic systems, automated automotive production lines, high-efficiency welding equipment, automotive fixtures (e.g. welding assembly, check fixtures), and related parts.
As part of the Chinese equipment industry, the company advocates industry-wide development through providing quality service, possessing an innovative spirit, and operating with a high sense of responsibility. Earlier, the company set its sights on achieving international standards and becoming a premier provider by offering products and services of reportedly superior quality.
This simple mantra has propelled the company to achieve a significant jump in sales turnover in the last 30 months. Since its establishment, the company has laid what it sees as solid foundations for its design and manufacturing capabilities, and accumulated a wide range of major client accounts as a result.
Hokotu Guangzhou has stated that it follows the globally unified standards in system design and specifications employed across the group. Even in the selection of equipment, the process is heavily influenced by the high standards set by the Hokuto Group in Japan.
When Hokotu purchased its first Faro device, it was based on a recommendation from its sister company, Hokotu Tianjin, another international company under the Hokuto Corporation. Since then, it has invested in several devices, and it currently owns five units of FaroArm and a Faro Laser Tracker Vantage.
A production and measurement engineers at the company was quoted as saying, “We rely on Faro’s solutions here at the headquarters, as well as at several other manufacturing sites. This has greatly facilitated the exchange of knowledge in measurement applications and methodologies.”
The Ability To Grow Together
When the company was first established, it invested in one unit of the FaroArm. In the years that followed, the company purchased three additional units, as well as the Vantage in 2013, to cater to the company’s business objectives.
According to one of the measurement engineers, Faro’s devices satisfy all of their measurement needs – whether in the early stages of design, production, installation of single components and finished products, or in the installation and commissioning of automated production lines – providing higher than satisfactory results on each of these tasks.
Precision, Efficiency, and Cost-Performance Ratio
In line with the company’s rapid developments, Hokotu Guangzhou strives to continuously improve its product quality and service levels. The demand for better standards arises from its larger client accounts, projects of higher standards, as well as C-level management’s expectations. Given that the team needs to deliver zero failure rates, all products undergo a rigorous quality test before they leave the facility.
The FaroArm displays a definite advantage in acquiring measurements of complex components that feature curved surfaces, irregular arcs, or multiple angles. Separately, the Vantage is used to obtain measurements in the assembly of automated production lines and large volume integrated fixtures, as well as to make offset adjustments during actual installations, based on 3D robot simulation data.
By measuring the distance and angle of various components, the Vantage computes and provides a comparative analysis of actual and theoretical values. The Vantage’s compact size, lightweight form, large measuring volume, high precision, and ease of use have satisfied the daily measurement needs.
Hokotu uses the FaroArm around eight hours a day, five days a week. The company expects to recover its investment in approximately one and a half years, which implies that the device would generate benefits far beyond the initial investment in its lifetime. In contrast, the Vantage is also used at production sites of automotive manufacturers for technical servicing purposes, apart from being deployed at Hokotu’s own facilities. A positive return of investment (ROI) for the Vantage is expected in around three years into its service.
Catering To The Needs Of Customers
As a result of Hokotu Guangzhou’s project requirements, the team often brings its Faro devices along to its clients’ production sites. One of the measurement engineers expressed of the need of the device to be compact and portable he said that he “Cannot emphasise enough how important that is to us.” He mentioned that at the point of delivery, they need to carry out another round of inspections, especially in the installation of automated production lines.
The inspection of a product at the final stage of delivery is an essential step to round out any project properly. In this case not only do Faro’s solutions allow Hokotu Guangzhou to provide highly consistent measurements to its clients onsite, the devices also enable the team to effortlessly generate the necessary data reports required by clients, facilitating the delivery process.
