Industry 4.0: Just a model or real-world practice?

At HANNOVER MESSE 2019, from 1er to 5 April 2019 [Hall 9 / Stand F18], SICK AG will demonstrate how sensor intelligence and data transparency are used to optimize the entire value chain. Under the theme ?4.0 NOW?, visitors will be able to experience intelligent production at SICK's site in Freiburg. How can goods and products be located inside and outside organizations? How can data transparency be achieved through granular intelligence in factories? How is artificial intelligence already being used in the industrial landscape today? SICK shows you how it's done.

The growing demand for dynamic production is leading to an increasingly significant shift between lot size 1 and mass production. End customers need fast, punctual and correct deliveries. These requirements constantly drive the intelligent networking of individual production processes as well as the integration of goods movements. This means that generating data is not enough. The data must also be made usable to optimize the value chain. This is one of the main challenges in implementing Industry 4.0. As a sensor manufacturer, SICK AG has for decades provided the foundations for data generation through its innovative solutions and services based on sensor data. ?We want to show our visitors at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 how production and logistics can be networked and how data transparency can increase the potential for value creation. And it all happens in real time,? says Bernhard Müller, Senior Vice President of Industry 4.0 at SICK AG.

Companies of all sizes can benefit from the new technologies. This includes accelerating production, streamlining the material flow, optimizing capacity utilization, responding flexibly to customer priorities and carrying out proactive equipment maintenance. ?The future of industry is on its way. Thanks to intelligent data exchange, it is possible right now and on demand. Our slogan ?4.0 NOW? highlights the solutions and technologies we use to advance Industry 4.0 and the benefits it brings. This fosters new and flexible value creation here and now and encourages direct interaction with the technology,? adds Mr. Müller.

Live stream of the smart factory
SICK achieves this by opening the doors of its production site in Freiburg for the first time and presenting this production at the trade fair stand in Hanover. The 4.0 NOW factory showcases highly efficient production. The live stream allows visitors to watch the automated mobile platforms (AGC) as they make their rounds to supply the production robots and carry away the finished products. The key figures of this site can be viewed on a dashboard in Hanover, more than 600 km away. ?It seems so simple, but it is the result of concentrated development and networking efforts. All our vehicles, components and production cells are connected to one another and upload data to a cloud. Production can be scaled according to the order situation and requirements. Automated operations run in parallel with manual work. The advantages of both methods are combined to make production efficient,? explains Mr. Müller.

The BOSCH Production Performance Management (PPM) in the 4.0 NOW factory offers an exclusive insight into the world of production data analysis for processes and sensors. On the one hand, it uses analyses to show where process efficiency can be optimized further. On the other hand, it shows how machine failures can be prevented using predictive maintenance analyses and how maintenance activities can be planned and carried out efficiently.

Localization
Localization technology is one of the key factors for achieving the type of networked production and logistics needed for Industry 4.0. It can be used to increase the optimization potential in several areas by enabling agile planning of production and logistics processes. Localization data provide a high level of transparency and understanding of all production-related assets, load carriers and loading equipment. The reward: routes can be optimized and dynamically adapted. Preparation times can be prepared or rescheduled flexibly. The flow of items can be planned and controlled according to consumption. All of this improves delivery quality and adherence to delivery deadlines. And all of this is fully automated. ?By offering this solution, we are not just answering the question of how to make I4.0 a reality. We are delivering high-performance logistics and production that meet the requirements of customers and the constantly changing market,? explains Müller.

Artificial intelligence in real-world applications
SICK also brings the future to ?the here and now? through its exemplary use of AI. ?We will show how we can start using artificial intelligence right now to gain efficiency in industrial applications,? says Mr. Müller. ?This new technology prepares us to meet our customers' challenges. At Hannover Messe, we will present the first solutions resulting from joint projects,? Mr. Müller continues. Visitors to the stand can see the application of artificial intelligence for themselves. A fun application will let them experience AI live.