July 2019

| 44 | July 2019 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | APPLICATIONS | predictive maintenance, preventing faults from occurring and minimising downtime. Automated order management and fulfilment will guarantee the ongoing availability of standard products and accessories in the nearby global distribution centre, creating an end-to- end digital process chain - from configuration and engineering on the part of the customer, to shipment of the end-product. A new world of work The new era of industrial manufacturing will also usher in major changes for the associated manpower. There will be fewer strenuous manual tasks, such as lifting and carrying; instead, the focus will shift to controlling, monitoring and fine-tuning processes. “The expertise and capabilities of experienced employees are one of the keys to the success of smart factories: systems can only learn and gain intelligence if they are taught systematically by humans,” explains Professor Loh. Rittal highlights that it proactively develops the digital skills of its workforce through training courses held at the Loh Academy. The new technologies will bring improvements to the working environment as a whole. The Haiger facility will be quiet, clean and energy- efficient. For example, waste heat from the new paint shop will be recovered and reused, e.g. for degreasing components or for heating the factory halls. Efficient use of water is also a high priority. Process water is managed within a closed-loop system, where it is cleaned and reused. Digital value creation Rittal will be manufacturing its new AX compact and KX small enclosures at the new plant. Digital transformation has created new challenges in terms of the products themselves, the operating environment, and its availability. Rittal has therefore rethought and redesigned this offering inline with the imperatives of Industry 4.0. The company provides effective support for the entire value chain for the production of panels and switchgear, from engineering to ordering to automation. Its digital product twin delivers high-quality data for the entire design, configuration and manufacturing process. This approach for the new AX and KX range echoes the successful launches of the Blue e+ cooling units and VX25 large baying enclosures. Digital transformation The Haiger facility is a pilot for the real- world implementation of Industry 4.0 and will act as a role model for Rittal’s international operations. The company says it will also be a pioneer and reference for its own products and services in terms of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Blue e+ cooling units further increase energy efficiency and are integrated into the monitoring and energy management systems via the IIoT interface. The entire machine park permanently provides data from the control system and the current operating states. Production systems in the new factory deliver an on-going source of actionable data on their operational status. In future, this information will be collected by an on-site edge data centre and analysed using powerful applications developed by sister company Innovo. For further information please visit: www.rittal.co.uk www.friedhelm-loh-group.com  Screens instead of welding goggles Highly automated and seamlessly connected: Welding robots at the Haiger factory.