47-station engine line —
PPAP on time, zero escapes.
Master controls integration for a Stellantis Tier-1 engine assembly line in Michigan. Six OEM scopes unified into a single Allen-Bradley ControlLogix architecture with GuardLogix safety, Power & Free + floor loop coordination — launched on the contractual PPAP date with 99.2% first-pass yield and zero quality escapes.
Five constraints, one fixed date.
A contractual PPAP date, six OEM scopes, a live adjacent plant and a zero-escape quality bar — the controls scope had to consolidate all of it under one signed package.
Fixed PPAP date
The PPAP date with Stellantis was contractual and immovable. Any slip meant penalties and potential loss of the program.
Six OEM scopes to unify
Equipment shipped from six OEMs with their own PLC code, I/O standards and protocols. Someone had to own the integration.
Zero-escape quality bar
Engine assembly is safety-critical. Every torque spec, fastener sequence and interlock had to be validated — no escapes allowed.
Live-plant integration
Adjacent lines were producing. Cabling, commissioning and cutover had to happen without disturbing existing volume.
Power & Free coordination
Overhead Power & Free + floor loop conveyor required tight carrier tracking, accumulation and recovery sequences.
47-station engine line - top-view layout.
Schematic of the assembly line: overhead Power & Free carrier loop, the four assembly cells (short / long block, head, EOL test) on the floor loop, GuardLogix safety zones and the EtherNet/IP backbone to the master ControlLogix.
Four work-streams, one signed package.
Master PLC, Power & Free, GuardLogix safety and on-site launch were owned end-to-end so the customer signed PPAP against a single integrator — not six.
Master PLC programming
Single-author master logic on Allen-Bradley ControlLogix coordinating all 47 stations and the conveyor systems.
- ▸Station sequencing + interlock logic
- ▸Conveyor zone control + accumulation
- ▸Error handling + recovery routines
- ▸Production tracking + traceability hooks
Power & Free integration
Overhead Power & Free coordinated with the floor loop and station handshakes.
- ▸Carrier tracking + routing logic
- ▸Accumulation zone management
- ▸Auto / manual mode transitions
- ▸Carrier-jam recovery sequences
GuardLogix safety validation
Safety architecture built and signed under GuardLogix with documented function tests.
- ▸E-stop circuits + zone isolation
- ▸Light curtain integration
- ▸Two-hand control stations
- ▸Safety-rated conveyor stops · ISO 13849 PLd
Launch + ramp support
Engineers on-site through SOP and the first 30 days of production.
- ▸Real-time troubleshooting during ramp
- ▸Operator + maintenance training
- ▸IPF mapping + documentation
- ▸30-day post-launch warranty support
Line specification — as released.
The full datasheet as it left FAT and SAT under the Stellantis controls + safety standard. Every line was held through ramp and the first 90 days of production.
From kickoff to signed PPAP.
Five gates, sixteen weeks. Each gate produced a controlled deliverable signed under our QMS — including the safety function-test pack and FPY capability that cleared PPAP.
OEM scope unification
Master PLC architecture
Station + conveyor commissioning
Safety + run-off
PPAP + launch + 30-day support
Launched, ramped, held.
The numbers below are from PPAP and the first 90 days of production — measured on the line, not on a buy-off cell.
- PPAP delivered on the contractual date · week 16
- First-pass yield 99.2 % within month one
- Zero quality escapes across initial production
- Unplanned downtime under 15 min / shift through 90 days
- Six OEM scopes signed off as one master package
"iAutomate consolidated six OEM scopes into one master architecture and held the PPAP date. The line ramped clean and stayed clean."
POWERTRAIN ENGINEERING · TIER-1 · STELLANTIS PROGRAM
What we billed under.
Other signed deliveries.
Need a line launched on
a fixed PPAP date?
Powertrain, BIW or assembly programs where the launch date is contractual and the OEM scopes are scattered. Talk to a master-PLC engineer this week.