Stefan Knauf: There is an awareness of the need for digitalization. But what are the levers to actually start this process? What employee skills, hardware and software tools and, above all, what budgets are required for this?  There are many open questions, and most companies lack clear answers.

My conclusion is: a smart factory can only succeed if there is a comprehensive strategy, clear process steps, measurable goals, the necessary resources and expertise available, with active support from management.

With the Smart Manufacturing Kaizen Level concept - SMKL for short -, you've committed to helping companies advance their digitalization in small, efficient steps. What exactly is behind this abbreviation, and what does the specific approach look like?

Our concept is designed to support companies with digitalization through targeted steps. The approach is based on the Kaizen philosophy, i.e. continuous improvement, which we have adapted for digital transformation.

The basic idea is scalability from small to large: from data collection to visualization, analysis, and finally, process optimization. This applies from individual machines all the way to the entire supply chain. The concept helps companies analyze their existing infrastructure and pinpoint specific processes that can be efficiently digitalized. This allows them to advance digitalization gradually and as needed. At each phase, we work together to assess which technologies or automation solutions make sense to achieve efficiency gains.

We support this with a range of solutions, such as our automation, control and robotics systems, along with software tools such as the Melsoft Gemini 3D simulator for virtual pre-verification and Melsoft Vixio for visual inspections.

Can you already point to any successes? What do these look like?

We developed and rolled out the concept in our own factories.
Through the visualization of our workflows and the introduction of tools directly at the assembly workstation, we managed to increase overall production efficiency by 30%. At the same time, we reduced the training time for new employees by 65%, which significantly sped up our onboarding process. Additionally, changeovers between different models are now 18% faster, and average assembly time has been reduced by 12%. Given these positive results, we are expanding this model across the entire factory to achieve general and long-term cost savings.

What can visitors expect to see about SMKL at your booth?

We are showcasing the individual steps of the concept along with our competence partners, with practical implementations and a variety of software solutions.

This includes the Melsoft Gemini 3D simulator, which enables virtual factory simulations, significantly reducing development time and costs. The AI-powered Vixio software allows for visual inspections, while Iconics Genesis offers real-time monitoring and alarm management to minimize downtime. Partner companies such as Takebishi and Mesalogic are presenting additional IoT and SCADA solutions, supporting Mitsubishi Electric's range of industrial automation platforms.

Mitsubishi Electric at SPS 2024: Hall 6, Stand 348