Case Study: Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corporation achieves increased production output and faster part‑scanning with RUCKUS Networks smart Wi‑Fi

Kawasaki Motors Increases Production Output With Smart Wi-Fi and Continues to let the Good Times Roll

Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A., a subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries that builds Teryx®, Mules™, Jet Skis® and trains in a two‑million‑square‑foot Lincoln, NE facility, was struggling with a legacy Cisco Wi‑Fi network. Hundreds of mobile devices — iPads, iPhones, Motorola/Symbol scanners, Data Logic ELF PDAs and Siemens WL2 VoIP phones — experienced weak signals, capacity limits and frequent drops, which harmed production and inventory workflows.

Kawasaki deployed Ruckus ZoneFlex 7982 APs with a redundant ZoneDirector 3000 controller using BeamFlex, BeamFlex+ and ChannelFly technologies to improve coverage, capacity, handheld mobility and VoIP. The new network eliminated many dead spots, supported more clients with fewer APs, extended device battery life and enabled reliable roaming; Kawasaki saw inventory scanning speeds improve up to four‑fold (reports of scanning up to 5:1 faster and PDAs operating five times faster), helping the plant meet just‑in‑time goals and lower supply‑chain costs.

Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corporation

Paul Kramer

IT Manager