Digitally Transforming Quality Assurance in Automotive Manufacturing

Background

One of the leading automotive manufacturers in India renowned for its two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and more recently, EV vehicles, struggled with fragmented processes and growing complexity in its Quality Assurance Department (QAD). Operating across multiple labs—Engine, Mechanical, Electrical, EV, Material, and Vehicle Testing, they encountered delays, inefficiencies, and limited visibility in test scheduling, result reporting, rig utilization, and work-order tracking.

To streamline operations, build resilience in low-connectivity environments, and enable future MES/PLM integration, they partnered with Tata Elxsi to design a hybrid digital Quality Assurance (QA) platform—aligning QA workflows with global operational, hybrid architectures and sustainability benchmarks.

Challenges

• Fragmented Processes & Delayed Visibility: Manual scheduling, scattered data, and siloed reporting slowed approvals, tracking, and decision-making.
• Lack of Real-Time Monitoring: Resource and rig utilization metrics were unavailable in real time; test instrument data had to be captured manually.
• Connectivity & Infrastructure Issues: Plants spread across multiple geographies required a hybrid approach that combines local edge data capture with centralized oversight.
• UI & Usability Constraints: Legacy interfaces were unintuitive, slowing adoption among operators, engineers, and lab technicians.
• Workforce Upskilling: Moving from paper and manual entry to digital HMI and dashboards required change management and training.

Solutions

Tata Elxsi implemented a hybrid, modular QA Management System with edge-based HMIs for reliable real-time capture, centralized dashboards for plant-wide visibility, and cloud-ready design for future MES/PLM integration.

Key Modules Delivered

• Requestor Module – Supports R&D, Engineering, and Production teams by enabling product test request initiation, tracking, real-time status monitoring, push-pull notifications, and summary dashboards for quick decision-making.
• Scheduler Module – Empowers QA supervisors to automate scheduling based on machine test capability matrix, manage rescheduling, and monitor planned vs actual execution (DVP tables) for efficient resource and rig utilization.
• Edge HMI Module – Provides QA operators with operator-friendly interfaces for parameter entry, data validation, direct instrument connectivity, and real-time graphing—ensuring seamless and accurate data capture.
• Report Module – Delivers QA teams, requestors, and department heads automated part-wise, test-wise, as well as a consolidated report with real-time graphs, auto-fetch features, and instant notifications for timely insights.

Impact

Tata Elxsi’s collaboration transformed the company’s Quality Assurance into a fully digital, hybrid-enabled ecosystem. It enabled:

• Complete visibility – Unified dashboards across labs, rigs, and plants provided real-time oversight.
• Hybrid resilience – QA operations continued seamlessly, even in labs with limited connectivity.
• Optimized inventory usage – AI-enabled tracking minimized waste and improved material efficiency.
• Sustainability gains – Paper-based workflows were eliminated, energy wastage reduced, and smarter resource planning enabled.

This transformation not only enhanced decision-making but also elevated Quality Assurance into a strategic driver of operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Services Rendered

• Industry 4.0
• Digital Platform & Application Development
• Edge-Cloud Migration
• IoT Integration
• Machine Connectivity
• UI/UX & HMI Design
• Systems Integration
• Data Analytics & Real-Time Dashboards