Bosch Rexroth has launched a new interactive communications platform, which has been designed to play a key role in the adoption of smart manufacturing in the UK.
As part of the company’s Industry 4.0-ready products, ActiveCockpit collates, filters and visualises data continuously, enabling operators to react quickly to any changes to the production process.
Transparency is a key element of ActiveCockpit. The industrial software provides a digital connection between operator, product, workstation and process, collating data on a touchscreen whiteboard located close to production processes. The whiteboard displays key production data live, in both stationary and mobile forms, seamlessly integrating the virtual world of order planning and production control.
Digitisation of key data enables connectivity to MES, ERP and DB systems, which can be accessed on-site in digital form and via an app platform too. The user-friendly system translates data into status charts, annotation, notes and ‘to do lists’ which is easy to digest and available to all staff members. The latest figures are displayed in real-time on the interactive touchscreen and can be directly analysed through annotation functionalities.
Key benefits include automatic creation of reports, which reduces preparation time for meetings, and improved communication of malfunctions and effective diagnosis, facilitating an immediate response. ActiveCockpit not only saves time and costs, but also increases productivity and competitiveness.
“Industry 4.0 in the factory will see an increased dialogue between users, machines and products. The visualisation of key data is vitally important to make smart decisions based on real-time data and so ActiveCockpit will play an important role in this,” said Andrew Minturn, business development and strategic product manager at Bosch Rexroth. “ActiveCockpit brings together the digital and manufacturing spheres, enabling simplified manufacturing processes, improving decision-making and increasing workflow efficiency. Essentially, ActiveCockpit will eliminate time and error waste in manufacturing operations and transform the way the industry works for the better.”
For some time now Bosch Rexroth has been employing a dual strategy, which sees the company develop Industry 4.0 technologies in its own factories, before rolling out them out to industry. Currently, ActiveCockpit is being used in locations around the globe – from China to Sweden, with plans for adoption within Rexroth’s Glenrothes plant in the coming months.
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