Oct 8, 2017
Engineering has been working together with Siemens on an exciting and challenging project for the MxD (Manufacturing x Digital) in Chicago. Our team of consultants is helping to design and implement a fully automated, digitally integrated production line for a Fortune 500 American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware.
The project involves an area of focus at MxD’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that has been named the “Factory of the Future,” an adaptive workspace where technology partners can demonstrate and train manufacturing companies in the digital manufacturing process. By allowing them to see the capabilities of digital tools live on a replica of their actual factory line, the initiative enables manufacturers to better visualize the immense possibilities and impact that digital transformation could have on their processes and performance.
Given Engineering’s unique experience implementing and integrating the entire spectrum of Siemens digital tools for digital manufacturing – Opcenter Execution (SIMATIC IT) for MES, Teamcenter for PLM/Manufacturing, and Tecnomatix Plant and Process Simulation – our team was brought in to support this project as the solution experts for MES and Simulation, as well as the system integrators for all the systems involved in achieving the ambitious project.
Once completed, the customer’s Factory of the Future will be a lean, mean, fully-automated machine. The software and hardware involved in achieving this goal will cover the entire lifecycle of the manufacturing of their product, from product design, to production planning and process simulation, to production execution, to tool and resource management, all the way to the monitoring and integration of hardware and equipment on the actual shop floor:
- Teamcenter for Manufacturing
- Opcenter Execution (SIMATIC IT) MES Suite
- Tecnomatix Plant Simulation and Process Simulate
- Light Guide Systems Display Hardware
- Upskill Wearables Platform and Vuzix Smart Glasses
- Manufacturing Hardware PLC Integration
The goal is to create a closed Digital Thread of technology across the entire manufacturing process, from start to finish. With a common mission of providing manufacturers opportunities to harness technology and data to make products better, faster and more cost-competitive, Engineering is proud to have contributed our skills and resources to this ground-breaking initiative. We look forward to bringing the vision of the Digital Thread for Industry 4.0 to the physical production floor for this customer in the coming months, as well as to delivering the power of the Digital Thread to many other manufacturers across all industry sectors in the future.
About MxD
MxD (previously called Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, DMDII) is a world-class, first-of-its-kind manufacturing hub headquartered in Chicago. As a unique public-private partnership, MxD has the capabilities, innovative spirit, and collaborative expertise to transform American manufacturing by ushering in the digital revolution. It is a proud member of the Manufacturing USA network of Institutes.
