Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution, is profoundly changing the way companies manufacture, improve, and distribute their products. By integrating new data-driven technologies manufacturers are digitizing, automating and creating Smart Factories that are more productive, operator-friendly and material and energy efficient. Or in other words, a major leap forward in the transition to more sustainable industrial manufacturing.
Welcome to the era of Industry 4.0, Smart Factories and Atlas Copco Smart Integrated Assembly!
Agility to sustainability
The opportunities that can make all the difference to your customers and profitability.
Product mix
In the new and future factories, flexibility is becoming a key factor. The need of producing multiple product variants in the same assembly line create demands for quick re-balancing of the factory to adapt to the new products.
System complexity
Production systems are constantly becoming more complex, and as a result production critical operations depend on networked systems. The importance of managing configuration, software versioning, and access control will be vital to maintain quality control and uptime in production.
Human factor
There is a high dependency on operators to achieve the industry quality standards. With new technologies emerging in a fast pace, adoption goal to leverage the potential, systems must be user friendly and the vast amount of data created in the assembly process needs to be processed with the most important information presented to the operator.
Sustainability
Sustainability matters to your customers, employees, partners and stakeholders and is quickly becoming a question of survival. The answer is to do more with less by implementing more resource efficient manufacturing processes. But time is running out.
Everything under the sun
From the automotive industry on the ground to the skies of the aerospace industry.
Industrial manufacturers are implementing Industry 4.0 and the Smart Factory. And saving money and the environment in the process.
- Increased passenger traffic and need to modernize aircraft is driving the Aerospace industry to implement efficient digitalized Smart Factories.
- Driven by market demand, the Automotive industry is leading the development of smarter and more sustainable assembly processes.
- To quickly adapt to consumer demands, the Electronic industry is embracing Industry 4.0 to be more flexible, agile and competitive.
- With increased energy demand and environmental concerns, the Energy industry is shifting to sustainable fuels, securing supply chains and automation.
- Operator-friendly and smart connected assembly stations where multiple operations are performed with maintained quality are essential for Home Appliances, Power Equipment, Recreational Vehicles, among other assembly industries.
- Manufacturers of Heavy Equipment such as tractors, harvesters vehicles need to ensure flexible assembly processes to meet growing product complexity and customization.
The Atlas Copco roadmap to the Smart Factory
Smart Integrated Assembly is our concept for industrial manufacturers looking to transform and implement Smart Factories. An offering including smart connected assembly tools for factories and field operations, fully integrated assembly line solutions from design to production, as well as a unique set of data driven services.
This unique holistic approach helps businesses develop quality assured and ergonomic operator-friendly production while minimizing waste, materials and energy consumption. Cutting costs while reducing climate changing emissions.
From the very first joint to the entire factory, here are the 1 to 5 steps in our Smart Integrated Assembly offering.
Smart Integrated Assembly ecosystem
Joint Fastened
Manual processes always comes the risk of work-related injuries and quality issues, causing downtime, reworks and recalls that in turn consume more material and energy. Ensure your assembly process starts by getting the tightening right the very first time.
Station Controlled
Human errors and associated quality issues caused by increased complexity are a major challenge at the operator assembly station. With the scarcity of highly skilled and experienced operators, you must ensure you are equipped with operator-friendly stations that is controlled, monitored, and error-proofed.
Station Automated
Intense competition, rapid change, and growing difficulties in recruiting the right expertise mean that automated manufacturing has gone from a beneficial luxury to an essential strategic necessity. Ensure you reduce callbacks and line stops while enhance quality, traceability, and sustainability.
Line Connected
It's always a challenge to pinpoint where in the production line errors occur, leading to time consuming investigation and lack of traceability when configurations are changed. Ensure you make best use of the data you collect to get advantages in the production process to improve operational quality, productivity, and efficiency.
Factory Integrated
With multiple software and IT platforms dispersed across multiple locations, you need to get integrations to be agile and competitive. A fully integrated ecosystem based on industry standards protocols and data that makes it easier to adjust to customer and market demands, allowing you to have an end-to-end and fully integrated manufacturing process
A partner with a vision
Atlas Copco is leading the market of industrial manufacturing in developing and adapting new technologies. As an integrated partner we offer businesses a comprehensive pathway in their transformation to Industry 4.0 and fully connected Smart Factories.
Our understanding of manufacturing and assembly processes starts with us but we take this a step further. Our fully integrated solutions are in turn closely integrated with the equipment and processes of our customers. Working together towards a common set of objectives and business goals.
Industry 4.0 is upon us. Let’s make it happen.
