The first of Beckhoff Automation Journey, a series of events dedicated to automation solutions applied in various sectors, was successfully presented on October 7.
The opening meeting focused on the woodworking industry, the automation technologies used in manufacturing processes and Beckhoff PC-based systems as a convergence link between Operational Technology and Information Technology, from sensor to Cloud, meeting the essential requirements of Smart Manufacturing in Industry 4.0 optics.
One example is the case of Nobilia, Europe’s largest kitchen manufacturer, which, with the implementation of Beckhoff technology, has increased production efficiency by 15%. The production of modular kitchens is extremely complex, with hundreds of different elements (frames, doors, handles and accessories) to be combined according to customer requirements. Nobilia, in its plants in Verl, produces 2,600 kitchens per day, of various different models, with lot-size 1 production, for 580,000 customized kitchens per year.
The longstanding collaboration with Beckhoff has allowed Nobilia to achieve the desired levels of efficiency and a prompt availability of information to effectively manage the entire production process, from the connection of different machines to interfacing with factory IT systems, from machine data analysis to the harmonization of the various production units within the factory.
The implementation of ‘intelligent’ transport systems, which connect the different handling and storage areas in a coordinated way with production, has made the warehouse of semi-finished products perfectly integrated into the entire production process. Tracking, acquisition, analysis and processing of data in real-time are the basis for the optimization of a process within a Smart Factory. Each machine automatically identifies the product to be processed and retrieves the associated processing data from the central database or web services. Through real-time tracking, the exact position of each workpiece along the production line is known and the production batch can be reliably recognized. The processed parts are then routed to the various logistics units with all the information related to final transport, such as delivery points and lead times required.
In addition to reducing time to market, higher quality, maximizing productivity and efficiency, Beckhoff solutions have enabled Nobilia to become more competitive in the global market.
All this is possible thanks to Beckhoff PC-based solutions that allow the entire automation pyramid to be integrated openly and flexibly into a factory. From standard networks and fieldbuses for connecting devices in the field to open protocols for connecting different machines to IoT solutions and convergence with IT and cloud computing systems in total security. Many solutions discussed in detail in the Beckhoff Automation Journey dedicated to the Woodworking Industry and which you can review on website in the Webinar Archive section.