Faurecia China required integration of production management software with assembly-line equipment - torque sensors used to ensure correct bolt tightening. Each sensor is a complex electronic tool that communicates tightening results via TCP/IP utilizing a proprietary protocol. The integration requirement became clear very late in the overall project. Fusion Systems was engaged to provide a protocol implementation for the sensors, to permit the production management software to capture tightening results from the assembly line. The Fusion Systems solution had to be developed, tested and integrated under tight deadline pressure for the go-live date.

In order to implement the solution, Fusion Systems obtained a test system, attached a computer and began protocol analysis immediately. Fusion Systems overcame numerous configuration and interfacing obstacles achieve successful communication with the device. Following several days of rapid prototyping, tightening results were being reliably captured, and development efforts switched to developing a production-quality solution for integration with the production management software.

For the software library Fusion Systems implemented a Windows DLL with a specific API tailored for the use by the production management software. Fusion Systems consultants applied our proprietary methodologies to perform correctness, performance and stress testing of the implementation.

Following delivery of the protocol library, Fusion Systems worked closely with the Faurecia engineers to ensure a successful integration, including providing development assistance for Faurecia's own software application.

As in all projects, Fusion Systems did not arbitrarily limit the scope of our involvement - we get involved with whatever we need to in order to solve the customer's production problem.