The process offers potential

Matthias Schüler, Director Value Chain Consulting at Rittal, has facts and figures at his fingertips that reveal the huge potential improvements automation can bring. A study was carried out during which a pre-defined enclosure was designed and manufactured on a manual, semi-automated and then fully automated basis. Production without any aids took 58 hours from receipt of the order through to completion, while simple automation solutions helped reduce that production time to 34 hours. The fully automated process was able to produce a completed enclosure in just 24 hours – two and a half times faster than the manual process. Schüler’s opinion on the outcome is clear: “The real potential lies in the process, not in the materials! The manual process always gets more labour-intensive towards the end because you’re spending less time on engineering and on creating digital data, of course. By contrast, automated processes require a lot more preparation but take up less time as you move through process – preparation pays off, in other words.” The actual creation of digital data can also be optimised in this process step, for instance by using data from the Eplan Data Portal during 3D layout planning in Eplan Pro Panel, instead of referring back to STEP data from the manufacturer. Although STEP data includes precise geometries for the components that are to be positioned on the mounting plate, they don’t offer anything else. The data set for a component in the Eplan Data Portal includes not just the outer geometry, but also the position and importance of the connections, the position and type of fastening points and additional information such as a thermal analysis of the enclosure.

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  Workshop-Layouts: Looking for advice?

  When it comes to workshop Rittal Value Chain Consulting can see the bigger picture in panel building and switchgear manufacturing.

  Leveraging experience gained from numerous projects, Rittal consultants analyse pre-existing and planned production facilities to help ensure individual components are arranged perfectly. Transport routes are optimised and minimised, and processes are streamlined for maximum efficiency. Concepts are developed based on the typical product range, unit numbers, batch sizes, and the workshop areas then evaluated using software.