VoltaDrive Motors: from reactive firefighting to predictive operations
A mid-volume EV startup with 1 plant, 3 assembly lines, and a battery module line. They needed real-time visibility and engineering change control — fast.
67%
Reduction in unplanned downtime
4 days
ECO cycle time (was 21 days)
100%
Serial-level traceability on battery modules
120
Assets monitored in real time
The challenge
VoltaDrive was producing their V1 Compact EV sedan at a single plant in Suzhou. With 3 assembly lines and a dedicated battery module line, the factory ran 450 production employees across two shifts.
Three problems were slowing them down:
- 112% unplanned downtime on the battery module line. The electrode stacker motor had failed twice in one month. Maintenance was entirely reactive — they found problems after breakdowns, not before.
- 2BOM changes took 3 weeks to reach production. Engineering changes were tracked in Excel and emailed between the design team in Shanghai and the factory in Suzhou. Version conflicts were routine.
- 3No traceability for warranty claims. When a field issue was reported on a battery module, the quality team couldn't trace which cell lots, busbar batches, or BMS boards went into that specific unit.
The solution
VoltaDrive deployed DFI Digital Twin on 120 assets across all lines, integrating with their existing Siemens S7-1500 PLCs via OPC UA. They simultaneously rolled out DFI PLM for BOM management and engineering change control.
Deployment timeline
Connected 120 assets across 3 assembly lines and 1 battery module line via OPC UA and MQTT.
Configured alarm thresholds based on historical data. Trained operations team on the Digital Twin Console.
Migrated BOM and ECO processes from Excel/email into DFI PLM. Imported 2,400 parts.
Full go-live. First ECO (cell spacer material change) completed through the system in 4 days.
The results
Unplanned downtime reduced from 12% to 4%
The Digital Twin's alarm engine detected vibration trending on the electrode stacker motor 48 hours before failure. Maintenance replaced the bearing during a planned changeover. Three similar early detections followed in the first quarter.
ECO cycle time reduced from 21 days to 4 days
The first ECO through DFI PLM was a cell spacer material change (PA66-GF30 to PPA-GF35). The system auto-identified affected BOMs and lines. Parallel review by manufacturing and quality engineers completed in 2 days. Production release followed 2 days later.
Full serial-level traceability for battery modules
Every cell lot, busbar batch, BMS board, and thermal pad is linked to the module's serial number. When a field issue is reported, quality can pull the complete genealogy in under 2 minutes.
“We finally have one version of the truth — from the designer's BOM to the operator's work instruction. No more emailing spreadsheets between Shanghai and Suzhou.”
VP Manufacturing, VoltaDrive Motors
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