Golf Cart Assembly Plant Excels using Ingersoll Rand® QX Series™ Tools

The primary function of a manufacturing facility is to produce high-quality product, every time. To maintain continuous improvement, manufacturers need to consider quality, cost, productivity and safety.

Club Car is a business unit of Ingersoll Rand® that produces 40 models of golf, utility and transportation vehicles. The company is continuously on the lookout for new and better ways to build its products to meet customer expectations. A cornerstone of Club Car’s success is its passion for superior quality and productivity.

For decades, Club Car manufacturing employees have successfully used pneumatic and direct current (DC) power tools to tighten the thousands of fasteners of various sizes and types that are used to assemble a typical vehicle. However, pneumatic and DC tools are not right for every application. While pneumatic tools are powerful, cords can be cumbersome, and DC tools can use a lot of energy.

Club Car manufacturing leaders began exploring new options for assembly tools. The company decided to purchase Ingersoll Rand QX Series™ cordless electric power tools to address various challenges in the manufacturing process. The QX Series is an innovative line of cordless fastening tools that collect data while providing torque, angle and speed (RPM) control.

One of the main challenges Club Car previously experienced was accessing joints in tight spaces. Manufacturers had difficulty reaching fasteners due to air hoses and electrical cords getting in the way. This was particularly true for two-handed tasks, which requires the operator to hold the power tool in one hand and a wrench in the other to install a fastener.

The Ingersoll Rand Power Tools team worked closely with Club Car to conduct a wide-ranging evaluation of the company’s manufacturing operation and help the team decide where to introduce the new tools for maximum operational impact. The first tools were introduced in the staging area for completed cars and on the powertrain feeder line. Today, approximately 50 Ingersoll Rand QX Series tools are used throughout Club Car’s assembly plant.

Club Car operators have especially benefited from the cordless tools. The battery tools enable them to work without the inconvenience of cumbersome air hoses and power cords, and the cordless feature reduces the possibility of injuries by eliminating the overhead hazards of hanging air tools.

The QX Series line is designed to help users improve productivity, lower operating costs and increase quality. The tools include unique technological features in an affordable package that provide manufacturers with simple insights to achieve continuous improvement efforts. The family of tools includes precision screwdrivers, “haz tools” (tools that can safely be used in hazardous environments), and angle wrenches.