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Digitising production Digitising production Paperless manufacturing with Paperless manufacturing with the SOMA factory assistance system the SOMA factory assistance system
DISCOVER / KOSTAL INDUSTRIE ELEKTRIK / Worker assistance minimises errors in assembly Successful implementation of paperless manufacturing in the assembly process at KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik GmbH & Co.KG, founded improved traceability of production data, lower in 1995 under the umbrella of the KOSTAL Group, operating costs and faster responsiveness to makes its extensive expertise in the automotive changing market requirements. sector available to other markets such as drive technology. The leading power electronics com- pany employs over 520 people in development, production and administration at its Hagen site. To strengthen international sales in the photovoltaic sector, the subsidiary KOSTAL Solar Electric GmbH was founded in Freiburg in 2006. At the Hagen site, SOMA GmbH and KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik successfully introduced the flexAssistant® worker assistance system in a joint project to support employees on the INVEOR assembly line for the KOSTAL Drives Technology business unit. The highlight: the entire assembly line is now paperless and less prone to errors. Paperless manufacturing enables faster production and assembly, improved quality control and increa- sed flexibility in business processes. It also allows KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik to respond even more effectively to customer requirements and increase its competitiveness. By implementing paperless manufacturing, the company increased its efficiency through automa- ted processes, benefiting from reduced error rates, Digitising production: Fewer human errors through paper- less manufacturing with the factory assistance system Digitisation is leading to profound change in indu- stry, increasing the need for paperless manufactu- ring, production and assembly. In numerous manufacturing companies, such as KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik, the switch to paperless manufac- turing is a pioneering step towards a digitised future. However, effective digital production requires much more than just scanning and electronically capturing documents. It involves the provision of information and data in Real-time information directly at the assembly workstation and the option of electronic feedback and documentation. 66
The SOMA flexAssistant® guides employees through the individual work steps on screen. This not only reduces the training time for new employees, but also lowers the error rate. KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik recognised this and without the need for physical documents or paper implemented SOMA‘s digital worker assistance records. The SOMA flexAssistant® worker system – the flexAssistant® – at its site in Hagen. assistance system thus enables an efficient manu- The flexAssistant® provides work instructions and facturing process through digital work instructions. assistance in real time directly at the workstation 7
DISCOVER / KOSTAL INDUSTRIE ELEKTRIK / Top: Assembly workers can always see the next step on the screen, along with the materials and tools they need to complete it. This approach speeds up training and reduces the error rate. Bottom: With the help of digital assembly instruc- tions, workers can quickly and easily find the right materials in the warehouse. Once they have found the right part, they can quickly and easily note this on their handheld device. 8
The main objective of the project was to create a digital representation of the work instructions with the specified sequence of work steps for the majo- rity of the manufacturing processes at the Hagen plant. The flexAssistant® was initially installed and used in frequency converter assembly. This modern and flexible assembly solution is a significant step towards contemporary and flexible production at KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik. Advantages of digital production and manufacturing in companies Holistic automation is crucial to the success of paperless manufacturing. Companies should not only digitise individual process steps, but also digitally transform their entire manufacturing and assembly processes. Use of flexAssistant® at KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik By using flexAssistant® at KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik, By linking ERP systems, document management systems and other digital components, companies can ensure efficient and transparent production, manufacturing and semi-automated and manual assembly across different departments. planned production targets can be achieved even with a large number of variants. All processing steps This results in a number of advantages for compa- are now transmitted directly from SAP as production nies, including a greater contribution to sustainability, orders to flexAssistant®, which automatically con- cost savings, greater flexibility, shorter throughput verts them into efficient workflows for employees. times, traceability of individual process steps, quality assurance, faster adaptation of production The elimination of the need to search for order-related documents, constantly updated product and process documents such as drawings, work plans and pro- changes, avoidance of delays, and faster responsive- duction documents leads to increased efficiency in ness. order processing. By digitising documents and work instructions, employees in Hagen can access the information they need more quickly and easily, saving time and minimising errors. For example, they can digitally display and monitor the progress of orders and any remaining work at their workstation. Overall, paperless processes and digital instructions contribute to higher quality work in the production process and improved employee motivation and satisfaction. In addition, new emplo- yees can be trained and familiarised with their tasks more quickly thanks to digital access to all necessary information directly at the assembly site. 9
DISCOVER / KOSTAL INDUSTRIE ELEKTRIK / flexassistant.de/entdecken/ Experience flexAssistant in action 10
KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik With the founding of KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik in 1995 under the umbrella of the KOSTAL Group, the conditions were created to make the broad expertise from the automotive sector available to other markets such as drive technology. The leading power electronics company employs over 520 people in development, production and administration at its Hagen site. To streng- then international sales in the photovoltaic sector, the subsidiary KOSTAL Solar Electric GmbH was founded in 2006 with its headquarters in Freiburg. As a family-owned company, we are committed to operating sustainably and for the long term. One of our corporate values is: ‘We shape the future today.’ Because we know that the future will only be worth living if we treat our environment with care and use our resources sparingly and carefully. At KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik, however, we don’t just talk about it, we act on it, because our products are used to generate clean, renewable energy on the one hand and to use energy efficiently and in a resource-saving manner on the other. KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG An der Bellmerei 10 58513 Lüdenscheid Deutschland Telefon: +49 2351 16 – 0 WILO SE Wilo-Park 1, 44263 Dortmund Tel.: 0231 4102-0 Fax: 0231 4102-7666 E-Mail: wilo@wilo.com Internet: www.wilo.com Telefax: +49 2351 16 – 2400 E-Mail: info-industrie@kostal.com Internet: www.kostal-industrie-elektrik.com 11
Have your hands full? Our worker assistance division is aimed at anyone who has big plans for production and is planning to make the leap to digital manufacturing. Our digital worker assistance system flexAssistant offers everything you need for production, testing, packaging, documentation and other specialised tasks in your company. 13
Philosophy Individual requirements call for individual solutions: as your partner and source of ideas, we implement your investment in a future-proof manner. Our goal: to tailor the digitalisation of your manual production perfectly to your individual processes – from the initial idea to the produc- tive overall solution..
ABOUT / SOMA IN NUMBERS SOMA in numbers 50 years of mechanical engineering More than 200 feasibility analyses Over 2,500 applications Countless customised special solutions and complete systems Thousands of hours of development and support Thousands of kilometres travelled to reach you Partners all over the world 3 business areas We are here for you. 16
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