Industry · Automotive
LOTOTO in automotive
Automotive production runs on lines with a large number of similar machines. Maintenance often has only a short window between shifts or during a planned line shutdown. Here, the LOTOTO process has to lead the worker quickly and unambiguously to the right machine, the right isolation points and the current procedure.
LOTOTO in automotive means lockout, tagout and verification of isolation on presses, robot cells, welding lines and assembly lines. The focus is on identifying the right machine without ambiguity and having the right procedure at hand quickly.
Among many similar machines, what matters is locking out the right one.
What makes LOTOTO in automotive specific?
Short answerMany almost identical machines side by side, short maintenance windows and a mix of electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic and stored mechanical energy on a single machine.
Press shops, body shops, paint shops and final assembly are organised into lines where machines of the same type repeat. Robot cells look alike from the outside, but their isolation points may differ. The risk of locking out the wrong machine or the wrong isolation point is therefore a real issue in automotive.
The second challenge is time. Lines have high availability requirements and maintenance is often planned into short windows. That is exactly when preparing a lockout should not begin with searching for a paper procedure and checking which machine is the right one.
Which equipment and energy sources are typically isolated in automotive?
Short answerMainly presses, robot cells, welding lines, paint shops, conveyors and assembly lines. Besides electrical energy, this often means pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical and gravitational energy.
| Equipment / area | Examples of energy sources |
|---|---|
| Presses and press lines | electrical, hydraulic, mechanical, gravitational |
| Robot cells | electrical, pneumatic, mechanical, gravitational |
| Welding lines and fixtures | electrical, pneumatic |
| Paint shops | electrical, pneumatic, thermal |
| Conveyors and handling systems | electrical, mechanical, gravitational, pneumatic |
| Assembly lines | electrical, pneumatic |
These are illustrative examples, not a complete list. The actual energy sources and isolation points come from your equipment register and your plant’s approved procedures.
Particular attention goes to energy that stays in the machine after it is switched off: a raised press ram, a robot axis, a spring, pressure in a pneumatic or hydraulic circuit. In the digital process, each type of energy is recorded separately, with the person who isolated it and the lock number. The machine is shown as locked only once all required energy sources have been confirmed. More on the Energy isolation page.
ReadEnergy isolationHow do you make sure the right machine is locked out?
Short answerWith an unambiguous machine code in the register and a QR label on the machine itself. When creating a lockout, the worker scans the QR code and the system selects the equipment without retyping the code.
The equipment register uses the designations your plant already works with. Each machine can carry a description, its assigned energy types and photos. A photo of the specific machine and its surroundings helps tell apart equipment that looks the same. QR labels can be printed in bulk for a whole line.
If another lockout is already active on the machine, the system flags it. An overview of active lockouts is also available on a wall screen without logging in. Details are on the Lockout tracking page.
A QR code helps select the right record. It does not confirm that the isolation has been physically carried out.
Production lines and robotic cells usually follow an internal scheme for identifying technical units – by line, station or cell. The equipment register can adopt this structure, so the worker at the QR label sees the same identifier they know from the line.
What do maintenance and shutdowns look like in automotive?
Short answerShort jobs between shifts, breakdown maintenance during production and larger work during planned line shutdowns.
Time pressure is highest during a breakdown. That is when it helps to have the machine, its energy sources and the procedure available immediately, without searching. For planned jobs, the lockout record can be prepared in advance and kept as a draft until the maintenance window opens.
During a line shutdown, several machines that belong together are often locked out, such as a whole robot cell with its conveyor. Such equipment can be grouped in advance and the lockout created for the whole group at once.
How can the work instruction be available at the machine?
Short answerWe can digitalise your existing paper or PDF procedures. The worker scans the QR code on the machine and the instruction for that specific machine opens on their phone.
Equipment with a QR code
The label identifies the equipment in the register.
Phone, no installation
Scan with the camera and open in the browser.
Interactive procedure
Instructions, photos and warnings in the right order.
Steps, checks, sign-offs
The worker confirms each step and checkpoint.
For recurring machine types, the structure of an instruction can be reused. Isolation points, photos and warnings must, however, always match the specific machine. The procedure also includes Tryout, the verification that the isolation is effective. How Tryout is recorded is something we design according to your plant’s rules.
We deliver the digitalisation of work instructions as a service. The content of the procedure remains your technical responsibility. More on Digital work instructions and QR work instructions.
How do you coordinate maintenance, setters and technology suppliers?
Short answerEach worker or group joins the lockout. The machine can be unlocked only when none of them is still active.
Maintenance electricians and fitters, setters and technicians from the robot supplier or line integrator may all work on one cell, for instance during a technology modification. The overview shows who has joined the lockout, how to contact them and the status of their work. The requester has to close the work before unlocking can begin.
At shift change, an authorised substitute can take over a task, and the record keeps who actually performed it. How contractors take part in the process is something we design according to your rules.
How are approval and documentation handled?
Short answerThe right to approve can be tied to specific equipment or areas, and a worker can isolate only the energy types they are assigned to.
An operator approves lockouts on the machines they are responsible for. User types are linked to energy types, so an electrician, for example, confirms electrical isolation. If a machine is flagged for high-risk work, such as welding during a technology modification or work at height on a conveyor, the relevant form template is attached to the record and the completed document is uploaded to it.
Who may request, approve and perform each step is configured according to your internal rules. More on Roles and authorisations.
What can a digital LOTOTO process bring to automotive?
No promises in percentages. These are concrete things a digital process changes in day-to-day work:
How do you get started with digital LOTOTO in automotive?
Short answerWe recommend starting with one line or hall, checking the machine register and labelling, and only then expanding.
In this industry, we draw on our experience with LOTOTO processes and on an analysis of your plant. We first go through your existing procedure, permits to work and division of roles. Then we propose what the digital process should look like. The implementation steps are described on the Solution page, the wider context in Digital LOTOTO.
What does digital LOTOTO not replace?
Frequently asked questions
Can we use our existing machine numbering?
Yes. The equipment register works with the codes your plant already uses. Each machine can also have a description, energy types, photos and a QR label.
Do workers need to install an app on their phones?
No. The LOTOTO application runs in a web browser on a computer, tablet or phone. QR codes are scanned with the camera directly in the browser.
Are digital work instructions part of the application?
We deliver the digitalisation of work instructions as a service tailored to the plant. Scope and the link to the LOTOTO process are defined during implementation.
Where is Tryout recorded?
How Tryout is recorded and built into the digital workflow is designed according to your plant’s rules.
Next step
Show us how you lock out your machines.
We go through your LOTOTO procedure, machine labelling and maintenance organisation with you. Then we decide together where digitalisation makes the most sense.