What Is a Smart Factory?
A Smart Factory as the backbone of 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 Atlas Copco Smart Integrated Assembly, the gateway to Smart Factory, combining innovative tools, automation, software, and services into a unified, scalable solution.
Agility to sustainability
Why Transition to a Smart Factory? The opportunities that can make all the difference to your customers and profitability.
Flexibility for 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.
Managing 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 are critical to maintain quality control and uptime in production.
Controlling the human factor
Operators remain vital in achieving the industry quality standards. With new technologies emerging in a fast pace, systems must be user friendly and intelligent data processing needs to provide clear, actionable insights to the operator.
Journey to 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.
Smart factory solutions for everything under the sun
From the automotive on the ground to the skies of the aerospace, all industries are implementing Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory manufacturing. And saving money and the environment in the process.
The Atlas Copco roadmap to the Smart Factory
Smart Integrated Assembly is our comprehensive approach for industrial manufacturers looking to transform into a Smart Factory of the future. 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 ensures quality-assured, ergonomic, operator-friendly, and efficient production, all 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
Challenge
Challenges related to different tools needed for different tasks in one assembly station, manual reporting and quality issues…
Solution
…that are addressed by enabling different torque settings per tool, full process control and ergonomic assembly processes …
Benefit
…in order to achieve fewer tools per station, reduced paperwork and less work-related injuries with higher productivity.
Challenge
Challenges related to costly and time-consuming training of operators that still are not empowered to complete complex operations in a reliable way causing rework and recalls…
Solution
…that are addressed by implementing an error-proofing system with plug and play capabilities…
Benefit
…in order to achieve lower costs for quality assurance and operator training while reducing the number of reworks caused by operator error.
Challenge
Challenges related to a growing complexity driven by mixed production and product variance with an increased risk of human error resulting in costly rework and recalls…
Solution
…that are addressed by implementing proven modular and standardized solutions and platforms that automate manufacturing production…
Benefit
…in order to achieve scalable solutions and processes that increase flexibility and productivity and shorten time to adapt to product mix changes while supporting a more sustainable and safe workplace for operators.
Challenge
Challenges related to difficulties in pinpointing where in the production line errors occur leading to time consuming investigations and lack of traceability when configurations are changed…
Solution
…that are addressed by making data available, visible and easy to analyse from anywhere in the manufacturing process thereby enabling full traceability…
Benefit
…in order to achieve improved productivity and simplified re-balancing resulting in reduced number of recalls and less downtime.
Challenge
Challenges related to changing product variants that create the need for more flexible and adaptable production lines and lack of competence and experience to fully utilize operational data from multiple systems…
Solution
…that are addressed by implementing a fully integrated technology ecosystem based on industry standard protocols and data analysis solutions that offer automated and easy comprehendible insights with notifications bringing potential issues to early attention…
Benefit
…in order to achieve rebalancing of production line in real-time, improved uptime and quality and make workflows and processes more productive and efficient.
An assembly process starts with that first fastening and getting the tightening right the very first time.
Challenge
Challenges related to different tools needed for different tasks in one assembly station, manual reporting and quality issues…
Solution
…that are addressed by enabling different torque settings per tool, full process control and ergonomic assembly processes …
Benefit
…in order to achieve fewer tools per station, reduced paperwork and less work-related injuries with higher productivity.
Ensure an operator-friendly operator station that is controlled, monitored, and error-proofed
Challenge
Challenges related to costly and time-consuming training of operators that still are not empowered to complete complex operations in a reliable way causing rework and recalls…
Solution
…that are addressed by implementing an error-proofing system with plug and play capabilities…
Benefit
…in order to achieve lower costs for quality assurance and operator training while reducing the number of reworks caused by operator error.
Automation allows for the greatest level of assembly line control increasing efficiency and cutting costs.
Challenge
Challenges related to a growing complexity driven by mixed production and product variance with an increased risk of human error resulting in costly rework and recalls…
Solution
…that are addressed by implementing proven modular and standardized solutions and platforms that automate manufacturing production…
Benefit
…in order to achieve scalable solutions and processes that increase flexibility and productivity and shorten time to adapt to product mix changes while supporting a more sustainable and safe workplace for operators.
Connecting all operator stations providing visibility, traceability and the possibility to collect data.
Challenge
Challenges related to difficulties in pinpointing where in the production line errors occur leading to time consuming investigations and lack of traceability when configurations are changed…
Solution
…that are addressed by making data available, visible and easy to analyse from anywhere in the manufacturing process thereby enabling full traceability…
Benefit
…in order to achieve improved productivity and simplified re-balancing resulting in reduced number of recalls and less downtime.
Creating an end-to-end, fully integrated, manufacturing and assembly line on a factory level scale.
Challenge
Challenges related to changing product variants that create the need for more flexible and adaptable production lines and lack of competence and experience to fully utilize operational data from multiple systems…
Solution
…that are addressed by implementing a fully integrated technology ecosystem based on industry standard protocols and data analysis solutions that offer automated and easy comprehendible insights with notifications bringing potential issues to early attention…
Benefit
…in order to achieve rebalancing of production line in real-time, improved uptime and quality and make workflows and processes more productive and efficient.
An Industry 4.0 partner with a vision
Atlas Copco is leading the market of industrial manufacturing in developing and adapting new Smart Factory technologies. As an integrated partner, we offer businesses a comprehensive pathway in their transformation to Industry 4.0 and fully connected Smart Factories. By combining smart tools, automation, software, and data analytics, Atlas Copco delivers a measurable impact.
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.
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