Industrialization of a new battery pack for LCVs: preventive PFMEA of the pack assembly line

With the expected increase in demand for electric vehicles on the European market, automotive manufacturers are preparing to meet the demand through the launch of new vehicles or the renewal of existing models. Currently, there are several car manufacturers that forge collaborations with cell manufacturers to speed up the development of vehicles, relying on expert companies in the sector. FPT Industrial, a brand of the CNH Industrial group, in the wake of its European competitors, has launched a series of projects that will lead to the production of e-axles and battery packs dedicated to customers in the automotive sector. One of these projects concerns the assembly of battery packs for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and buses, thanks to the agreement with a leading company in the production of cells and modules. The thesis analyzes the industrialization of the assembly line for battery packs, contributing to one of the phases necessary for its definition: the preventive Process Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (PFMEA). Following the description of the company, development process and product, the European market is analyzed by benchmarking the electric LCV sector. Subsequently, the assembly line developed in collaboration with the manufacturer, is described. Finally, the PFMEA is introduced and the failure modes detected for each operation are analyzed. For the drafting, the company rules were followed, accompanied by the observation of the assembly procedures and the experience gained by the members of the Manufacturing department. The analysis will make it possible, through simultaneous engineering with the entities involved, to reduce the risk index of out-of-threshold failure modes, by means of the recommended actions.