Design Elegance vs Line Resilience: A Case Study from an Irish Assembly Line

Posted on , updated on by Tadhg Hurley

A recent project with a US multinational medtech customer highlighted a challenge we see often in Irish manufacturing facilities: the unintended consequences of over-engineering.

Their Irish site had been experiencing chronic downtime on a key assembly line. The root cause wasn’t operator error or poor component quality—it was a mechanism designed overseas that, while technically impressive, couldn’t handle the realities of high-throughput, shift-based production. The system was too delicate. Too tightly integrated. And too difficult to service under real-world factory conditions.

The System: Technically Brilliant, Operationally Brittle

The original mechanism was designed at corporate HQ and rolled out across global sites. From a pure design perspective, it was a work of art—optimised linkages, integrated feedback loops, and minimal wasted motion. But in practice, it was failing frequently, with:

  • Tight tolerances that didn't account for local variation in environment or materials

  • Difficult-to-replace components requiring excessive teardown during faults

  • Complex motion control that left little room for error or minor misalignment

  • Limited modularity, which hampered maintenance response and recovery times

As anyone in maintenance or reliability will know, these issues compound quickly. Line stops. Staff get diverted. Output targets are missed. Meanwhile, pressure builds on both the maintenance team and production management.

Our Approach: Function-First Engineering

When MAAS was engaged, we began by stripping the problem back to its functional requirements. What actually needed to happen? What was failing? Where was the margin for error too thin?

We reverse-engineered the system with the goal of simplifying the mechanical design, increasing robustness, and reducing mean time to repair (MTTR). The solution included:

  • A redesigned mechanism with fewer moving parts and built-in mechanical tolerance

  • Use of off-the-shelf components to allow faster replacement

  • Modular interfaces to isolate failure points and simplify fault diagnostics

  • Prioritisation of durability and ease of maintenance over architectural elegance

The Result: A More Maintainable, More Resilient Line

The redesigned subsystem was installed during a planned maintenance window. Since then, the line has seen:

  • A 47% reduction in unplanned stoppages

  • Quicker recoveries from faults, with faster component swaps and realignment

  • Improved technician confidence, thanks to simpler diagnostics and fewer fragile parts

  • A measurable increase in line availability and throughput

Key Takeaway for Irish Manufacturing Sites

Especially in highly regulated industries like medtech and pharma, it’s tempting to over-engineer in pursuit of precision. But unless a system is built for real-world resilience, it can quickly become a liability.

This case underscores the value of designing (or re-designing) automation not just for functionality, but for serviceability, longevity, and operational uptime.

Need a second opinion on an underperforming system or mechanism?
We’re always happy to take a look—especially where downtime is eating into your throughput or frustrating your teams on the ground.