How do I produce different components on one system? How can I increase production at short notice? How can I manage a type change within a short time on the same system? Kuka 's answer to these questions is matrix production instead of rigidly interlinked processes. This means: Controlled by the new SmartProduction_control software, which is based on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) pick up tools from a tool store and then transport them to the production cells to be set up. At the same time, the AGVs drive to the centralized material warehouse, which is decoupled from production, to transport the components held centrally for the production process to the cells. In a nutshell: the matrix production concept decouples production from intralogistics.

In order to demonstrate the principle of matrix production, a pilot plant was set up at the Augsburg site, on which car doors and wheel arch bridges from various OEMs are manufactured on one and the same system. This is based on standardized production cells, which are all equipped with product-neutral basic functionalities and can be easily expanded with product-specific tools depending on the order situation and batch size. Robots pick up the component supplied by the AGV and join it using the appropriate technology. The SmartProduction_control software is aware of all activities at all times, controls them proactively and thus has an overview of the AGVs' movements, their battery status or the respective status of the production cells.

"The adaptability of the system is the most decisive criterion," says Larry Drake, CEO of Kuka's Automotive Division. Compared to the previous rigidly interlinked production, production requires the same amount of space, but can be optimally distributed. Centralized logistics means that fewer personnel are tied up directly at the plant and in logistics. In addition, there is no longer any need for intermediate storage and the provision of materials at the plant. Another advantage is that the entire value chain is networked, which enables holistic optimization of the system.