Using data loggers for temperature and humidity control in the manufacturing plants helps maintain and verify quality standards for engine production.

Ford European Powertrain Operations has a team of around 250 engineers covering the design and implementation of new engine manufacturing facilities in Europe and Africa. A network of Tinytag radio data loggers is installed in their Dagenham Engine Plant (UK), Craiova Engine Plant (Romania), and Elabuga Engine Plant (Russia) to monitor building temperature and humidity. This helps ensure a controlled environment for CNC machine tools to prevent component expansion and ensure quality.

Each plant has a network of around 30 radio loggers covering large Part Machining and Assembly facilities ranging from production volumes of between 1,300,000 to 250,000 engines per year. The data helps ensure that the building is maintained at the correct working temperature for the CNC machine tools used to produce cylinder blocks, cylinder head and crankshafts which are assembled into completed engines for Ford Vehicle Assembly Plants located across the globe.

The company had previously used standalone Tinytag data loggers for some small monitoring projects. The Radio Data Logging System - with its battery powered units and wireless communications - seemed an ideal solution for the larger sites, as having to use dedicated power supplies and connection cables for a system would have made it financially unfeasible.

Paul Kirk is Senior Engineer for Ford Motor Company Powertrain Operations, Europe, based in Basildon, Essex. He comments, "The Team from Gemini Data Loggers came to our Dagenham site and set up a trial: we were all amazed at the working range achievable within a building full with steel structures, machines tools etc. Due to working across many regions and with differing languages the back-up support is very important to us and this has always been outstanding from the Tinytag Team."