NeoMatrix and Lucid Motors: A Digital Transformation Journey with Ignition
NeoMatrix was honored to receive the Inductive Automation 2024 Firebrand Award for our efforts in aiding Lucid Motors along its digital transformation journey leveraging Ignition.
The Lucid Motors Challenge
Lucid Motors is known for building the fastest, longest-range, and fastest-charging electric vehicles in the industry. The company’s collaboration with NeoMatrix aimed to implement a system that provided real-time and historical data in an easily digestible format for both floor operators and office engineers. Lucid’s two primary goals were:
- Display real-time information on Andon boards across the plant and office.
- Ensure the data is easily understandable by operators, team leaders, and supervisors.
Project Implementation and Goals
Lucid’s asset performance monitoring system (APM) was designed to monitor cell and line states, track production output, and provide tools for data analysis. The company initially needed Andon boards to monitor the state of cells and lines throughout the manufacturing floor.
The project heavily relied on Ignition’s flexibility. The licensing model allowed NeoMatrix to deploy solutions enterprise-wide and we utilized several key modules, including:
- Sepasoft OEE Module: For collecting and analyzing production data.<
- Perspective Module: For data visualization and interaction.
- ApexChart: For charting and visual analytics.
Andon Boards: The Heart of Real-Time Data
The project started in the fall of 2020, focusing on building Andon boards for phase one of the Lucid Motors construction in Arizona. These boards display real-time information such as job starts, production targets, cell states, and alarms. Our design process involved storyboarding multiple Andon board concepts before finalizing the solution.
Scalability and Security
Scalability was a critical aspect of the project. As Lucid expands, more tag gateways can be added, and Perspective gateways behind load balancers ensure the system remains robust. Security for corporate users is managed by a third-party identity provider, while no security was applied to content displayed on smart TVs.
Development Environment
Our development setup included an unlicensed development server and a QA server, with up to six developers working concurrently. Good communication was key, and we are exploring moving our development server to a Git server for better process management.
User Engagement and Accessibility
Everyone at Lucid Motors, from operators to the CEO, uses the system. Screens are available in offices and on the manufacturing floor, providing accessible data insights for decision-making at all levels.
Supervisor Tools
After observing supervisor interactions with Andon boards, we built a dedicated supervisor project within the Lucid Manufacturing System (LMS). This system allows supervisors to assign causes, enter notes for various states, and navigate through both historical and current data.
“With NeoMatrix we were looking for a system that could provide real-time and historical data and present it in a way that is easily digestible by our people out on the floor and the engineers in the office.”
Art Schlaud, Director of Manufacturing, Lucid Motors
The digital transformation journey at Lucid Motors, facilitated by NeoMatrix and powered by Ignition, has set a robust foundation for future expansion. As Lucid prepares for new model production in Arizona and Saudi Arabia, the established systems will continue to support their growth, limited only by their imagination.
