Concept refers to fully automated factories, which use no or little human intervention, thus being able to “operate in the dark”.
*By Nash Chakraborty and Christian Heck
As manufacturing companies imagine what the “factory of the future” will look like, autonomous production within a “lights-out” factory looks set to expand across the industrial spectrum. Light-out manufacturing refers to fully automated factories, which use no or little human intervention, thus being able to “operate in the dark”. This concept is like a unicorn – a wonderful idea, but one that probably won't become a reality anytime soon. However, the digital and automation technologies needed to make this idea a reality are beginning to mature, and companies across all sectors are being challenged to create better, cheaper, more sustainable and faster products despite supply chain issues. of supplies and a reduced workforce. A lights-out factory could help improve not only the sustainability of the product but also its own productivity.
Light-out factories are yet to materialize
Light-out production involves ambitious expectations. Traditionally, this type of factory provides simple mass production on a fixed production line layout. As products become increasingly complex and mass customization/configuration increases the number of product variants, implementing a fully lights-out factory seems even more mythical and out of reach.
While automation and digital manufacturing technologies can help turn myth into reality, changes need to be incremental to reap the benefits (particularly in brownfield infrastructures where large capital investments are already underway).
Near-light-out factories are more economically viable
According to a Gartner study, by 2025, 60% manufacturers will have more than two fully lights-out processes in at least one of their units. Lights-out manufacturing doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” proposition. Instead, manufacturers can identify specific processes or areas within a facility where autonomous production is viable and valuable. This incremental implementation of the lights-out factory, also known as a lights-sparse factory, allows manufacturers to balance the return on investment (ROI) made in automation without the investment typically required to completely transition to a fully automated factory. lights-out.
Essential manufacturing operations software for the lights-sparse factory
The development and maturity of multiple automated machines and robots, in addition to comprehensive and proven manufacturing operations management (MOM) software, are essential to creating these lights-out manufacturing units. New advancements in MOM software enable the seamless orchestration of autonomous production systems using two key capabilities.
The first is the ability to automatically match operations requirements with equipment capabilities. The software should automatically identify available manufacturing resources when a new product is introduced and during an unforeseen event in the factory, such as an equipment failure. The second is the event-based interaction between manufacturing execution, material sourcing, supply chain and scheduling, ensuring not only the perfect execution of the production process, but also continuous optimization and automated measures in case of interruptions.
In addition to these core features, MOM software also provides a new user experience. After all, even in the lights-out factory, people will still play an important role in the future of manufacturing. This new user experience contextualizes information from different sources to enable remote decision-making, which can include adjustments to order scheduling and prioritization and use of alternative supplier strategies.
New approach to manufacturing planning and machine engineering
Lights-out manufacturing involves a more flexible relationship between product, process and resources than traditional manufacturing. As a result, manufacturing engineers need to work more abstractly than before and the way they define constraints will be critical to realizing the full potential of an autonomous production system. Thus, the importance of using simulation at the beginning of the engineering stage to help with the automated generation and validation of scenarios essential for successful implementation increases. Adopting this new approach allows an additional level of flexibility and freedom for the orchestration software to make its own decisions and achieve the level of autonomy necessary for the factory to become lights-out.
Strategic workforce planning
As manufacturers begin to implement lights-out factory concepts, the skills required of the workforce will change in three ways. First, in addition to industry and manufacturing know-how, planning engineers will have to acquire the knowledge necessary to model abstract constraints and dependencies and use simulation tools for validation in their daily work.
Second, factory operators will need knowledge of the latest automation technologies to safely operate autonomous machines and expand their capabilities. Machine and solution providers will also have to transition from expert systems that require specialized knowledge to user-friendly interfaces enabling rapid adaptation and extension of a machine's capabilities. This will include, for example, adapting robots, mapping automatic guided vehicle (AGV) routes, updating materials needed for new products, and much more. Using the latest low-code programming and IT concepts across different automation engineering tasks can enable the broader workforce to contribute to the transition.
Third, job enrichment and continuous learning will help manufacturers remain competitive and profitable in the global economy as they now face issues such as an aging workforce and a shortage of skilled workers.
USE CASE: Testing lights-out production concepts in Fürth
As a software provider and manufacturing company, Siemens recently implemented a self-contained electronic process built in a box equipped with a laser, PXI test, box assembly station and end station. All material transport in the modular factory layout was carried out using AGVs. Each station had its own docking stations for loading and unloading the case conveyors. Machine loading and assembly tasks were performed using universal robots with custom end effectors.
Each autonomous cell has been equipped with the latest PLC technology to perform the equipment's defined functions, including inbound and outbound material handling and synchronization with the AGV fleet management system, as well as safely executing a specific function such as “Assemble the XYZ variant of the product”. Orchestration of all resources and transport was performed by the Siemens Opcenter MES system, including an advanced scheduling algorithm for online optimization.
Key learnings from the test in Fürth
- The experience of the factory workforce is fundamental and must be captured. It is important to include factory operations from the beginning to digitize “traditional” knowledge, including information such as specific constraints, best practices, typical failure scenarios, etc.
- It all starts with material transparency and logistics processes within the factory, which require 100% transparency in materials management; Furthermore, commissioning and preparation in the boxes are fundamental.
- Automated transport of materials, including loading and unloading, tends to be slower; therefore, optimized advanced programming can compensate for this and bring the system to a profitable level.
- An autonomous system requires an abstract machine interface based on a capabilities state machine, so it is important to involve machine suppliers early in the process to ensure a uniform interface of the factory environment.
Building on learnings from the factory in Fürth, Siemens' Xcelerator portfolio has already implemented important features to help customers on their journeys.
Benefits of autonomous production
Most manufacturers pursue autonomous production to increase productivity and reduce labor costs, despite the associated risk of finding skilled professionals at the right time and place to keep up with changing market demands.
Autonomous production concepts can solve these types of challenges, but this is not their only value. The ability to automatically match and validate each new and current product production process – including process requirements – for available equipment can help manufacturers increase key business metrics such as faster time-to-market, sustainability and greater resiliency. It also enables the ability to produce products in different production systems and facilities to help local and sustainable production, as well as providing a way to compensate for supply chain disruptions.
Autonomous production concepts to enable lights-out factories are now available. Siemens' Xcelerator portfolio has already implemented important features to help customers on their journey. Companies that have already taken risks by adopting these concepts early are successfully starting the process with their own workforce, solution partners and suppliers to build the factories of the future today.
*Nash Chakraborty, director of digital manufacturing marketing at Siemens Digital Industries Software, and Christian Heck, technical product manager at Siemens Digital Industries Software
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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