Automation blog
Powering through the energy and fuel crisis with automation
7 december 2022 To counter rising prices and meet environmental targets, industrial enterprises should explore how automation technologies from a single source might help contribute to their sustainability strategy.High energy and fuel prices are putting a strain on both households and industry. Not only is the situation negatively impacting financial plans and wallets, but the excessive prices are forcing some companies to cease production. According to Make UK 42% of manufacturers surveyed said that their electricity bills have increased by 100% in the past 12 months and 32% said that gas prices have increased by over 100% in the past year. A worrying 12% of manufacturers have already made job cuts as a direct result of increased energy bills.The war in Ukraine, Covid-19 pandemic, and gas pricing are only a few of the causes of the crisis, which impacts all sectors and has an impact on everything from power prices to supply chains. What should manufacturing companies consider now? Comprehensive automation strategies are essential for greater flexibility and energy efficiency. This includes innovative robotics paired with sensor and vision technology as well as artificial intelligence – AI at the Edge. In addition, real-time data from production plants can assist with detecting anomalies and improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
Riders of the storm: navigating economic uncertainty by turning social challenges into tech opportunities
6 december 2022 One of the questions I am often asked is what our strategy is, as an industrial automation business, for maintaining stable growth in a volatile and increasingly unpredictable global economy. My answer, as you might imagine, is not one sentence, although it is rooted in one concept: SINIC. SINIC stands for ‘Seed-Innovation to Need-Impetus Cyclic Evolution’ and is a theory that was developed by OMRON's founder, Dr. Kazuma Tateisi, in 1970. According to this philosophy, science, technology and society share a cyclical relationship, mutually impacting and influencing each other. Scientific breakthroughs help society to advance and social needs spur on technological development. OMRON Europe has always followed this philosophy, and has spent the last decade laying the foundations for creating value-adding solutions to present day social and economic challenges.
Four Automation Tips for SMEs
25 november 2022 Corporate leaders around the world are currently facing one challenge after another: In addition to the exploding costs caused by the energy crisis, there are supply chain problems, a shortage of skilled workers, sustainability requirements, and advancing digitization issues. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) need to quickly find ways to address these hurdles. Automation provides a remedy – this includes robotics such as cobots and AMR (autonomous mobile robots), as well as sensors, vision, and AI technology. While companies are well aware of the benefits of such technologies, studies also show that many remain skeptical of their actual use.Especially companies without application experience fear that the use of robots could be accompanied by high costs. So if you are currently wondering whether the purchase of a collaborative or mobile robot is worthwhile for your own business, OMRON's new ROI calculator will help. It provides a quick overview of the return on investment and shows when a robotics investment will cover its costs.
Where is the future heading, intralogistics? Tips for more efficiency
15 november 2022 Sometimes we focus so much on the big picture that we forget the smaller and yet so important processes that characterize smart production. One example is intralogistics, i.e. the flows of materials and goods that take place on a company's premises or in a production hall. A recent study found that more than 80 percent of the companies surveyed consider the increased use of AI and automation in intralogistics to be necessary to meet challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers or growth plans.Automotive companies that want to meet market and customer requirements, increase efficiency and become more sustainable must come up with new ideas. Energy costs, the gas crisis, and rising inflation make this task even more difficult. Smart factory concepts that combine innovative automation, digitalization, and smart intralogistics approaches can provide valuable support. Some speak of Industry 4.0 in this context, others of the “factory of the future”, still others prefer Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). But no matter which term you favor: The most important thing is to become active now and to rely on reliable partners. Intralogistics is a good starting point for quickly initiating change. Because action is urgently needed: many companies are currently severely limited due to the shortage of skilled workers. Modern technologies such as mobile robots can provide a remedy.
Digitalization in the automotive industry: Seven tips for smart production
2 november 2022 If you want to grow and master crises, you have to be digitally fit – this also applies to the important automotive sector. There is no way around digital tools for addressing customers or productivity. Artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability are key drivers and focus topics, as a study by Capgemini shows. Experts from Gartner point out the importance of open-source collaboration approaches, holistic ecosystems, and technology partnerships. But what should we look out for in digitalization and intralogistics in the production of the future? We want to answer this question in two parts. We start with tips on digitization in the smart factory. As an automation expert, OMRON has been accompanying manufacturers and suppliers on their way to more digitalization sophistication for many years.
How can adaptive AI inspection contribute to flexible manufacturing?
4 oktober 2022 Consumers today demand customized products to meet their personal needs and tastes. Instead of producing items that are ‘made to shelve’ and ‘sent to stock’, manufacturers must personalize products that are ‘made for me’ and ‘sent to me’. This is revolutionizing production and forcing companies to rethink their processes. At the same time, ensuring zero complaints and zero defects is a must.The trained eye of an experienced vision inspector is quick to spot errors, but a routine task like this is tiring, and cannot be carried out at each step of the production, especially due to the current labor shortages in many industries. But could this task be automated also in high-mix low-volume production? Could a smart vision system or an ‘electronic eye’ replicate the discernment of the human eye, with the added benefit of repeatability and robustness? The latest AI-enabled adaptive inspection can overcome the challenges of automated quality inspection, with improved flexibility, productivity, and adaptability.
Artificial Intelligence: hope, hype and FOMO
22 september 2022 Ten years ago when we received enquiries about AI-based projects, they were mainly driven by hype or FOMO. When I asked why they wanted to get into AI, the answer, more often than not, was either ‘because my boss asked me to’, ‘because we have a lot of data’ or ‘because it seems like an interesting area’. None of these were particularly solid reasons and certainly didn’t justify the hefty investment that AI applications would have required at that time.That is changing, and hope, rather than hype or ‘FOMO’, is the driver. Customers don’t ask whether we can help them with AI anymore. They ask us whether we can help with predictive maintenance, quality control or process optimisation. They come to us with a problem that they want us to help solve. The adoption of AI is no longer a motive or an aim in itself. Instead, AI has become an ‘enabler’.Whatever the industry - whether food & drink, pharmaceutical, electronics or automotive - the end goal is the same: producing high quality, defect-free products at a lower cost, using less energy and less labour. And AI can be one of a suite of solutions for achieving those objectives.
Automation adapts to sustainable packaging
16 augusti 2022 Have you ever ordered a small item online, and then felt incensed when it arrived in an oversized box packed out with bubble wrap, air-filled cushions or paper inserts?
Flexible Manufacturing Roadshow: Taking the factory of the future across Europe
16 juni 2022 What if you could see, feel and touch the factory of the future? What does it take to realize flexible, efficient, and sustainable production? This is the idea behind OMRON’s unique Flexible Manufacturing Roadshow travelling across Europe this year. The roadshow features exclusive demonstrations of human-machine collaborative solutions not usually seen outside of a factory setting due to their size and scale.
Building the Factory of the Future together
16 juni 2022 As one of the largest business units at OMRON, we aim to further develop the Den Bosch plant to serve the needs in the EMEA region.
Traceability in Automotive: What decision-makers and experts should look out for now
23 maj 2022 From e-mobility to autonomous driving, from skills shortages to digitalization: The automotive industry is undergoing a profound change, marked, for example, by a shift to globalized platforms and standardized vehicle architectures. On the one hand, production is becoming increasingly efficient, but on the other, even a single faulty part can have more far-reaching effects than ever before. Faced with costly recalls, automotive manufacturers are confronted with increasingly complex requirements and stricter specifications. Is the effort of traceability worth it if it means labeling up to 20,000 parts per vehicle? Yes, it is, but powerful reading and verification technologies along with powerful software is needed to make sense of all the data.There are several reasons why manufacturers need to keep accurate records of the parts and components that make up a new car. From a quality perspective, for example, barcode tracking helps to ensure that the right parts are put together. Even more important, however, is the ability to trace each car part back to its original supplier. In the event of a recall or the discovery of a faulty part, manufacturers have to be able to quickly and comprehensively find out where each part came from. This is complemented by information such as batch number, date of manufacture and other important information to identify which vehicles are affected by a defective part. Recommendations and standards from AIAG, VDA, ANSI and ISO specify the details. As the automotive industry globalizes, worldwide production of light vehicles is expected to reach around 96 million units by 2023. This means that even a single faulty part can have an enormous impact, and therefore must be prevented at all costs.
Lights out? Still unlikely with Industry 4.0
21 april 2022 For many manufacturers, the prospect of a fully automated, human-free factory feels light years away. When, they ask, is the 4th Industrial revolution coming to us and what can we expect? In this blog, we look at the realities of (fully-/semi-)automated manufacturing, what robots can and can’t do, and why the human touch is still (mostly) irreplaceable.
Powering through the energy and fuel crisis with automation
7 december 2022 To counter rising prices and meet environmental targets, industrial enterprises should explore how automation technologies from a single source might help contribute to their sustainability strategy.High energy and fuel prices are putting a strain on both households and industry. Not only is the situation negatively impacting financial plans and wallets, but the excessive prices are forcing some companies to cease production. According to Make UK 42% of manufacturers surveyed said that their electricity bills have increased by 100% in the past 12 months and 32% said that gas prices have increased by over 100% in the past year. A worrying 12% of manufacturers have already made job cuts as a direct result of increased energy bills.The war in Ukraine, Covid-19 pandemic, and gas pricing are only a few of the causes of the crisis, which impacts all sectors and has an impact on everything from power prices to supply chains. What should manufacturing companies consider now? Comprehensive automation strategies are essential for greater flexibility and energy efficiency. This includes innovative robotics paired with sensor and vision technology as well as artificial intelligence – AI at the Edge. In addition, real-time data from production plants can assist with detecting anomalies and improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
Where is the future heading, intralogistics? Tips for more efficiency
15 november 2022 Sometimes we focus so much on the big picture that we forget the smaller and yet so important processes that characterize smart production. One example is intralogistics, i.e. the flows of materials and goods that take place on a company's premises or in a production hall. A recent study found that more than 80 percent of the companies surveyed consider the increased use of AI and automation in intralogistics to be necessary to meet challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers or growth plans.Automotive companies that want to meet market and customer requirements, increase efficiency and become more sustainable must come up with new ideas. Energy costs, the gas crisis, and rising inflation make this task even more difficult. Smart factory concepts that combine innovative automation, digitalization, and smart intralogistics approaches can provide valuable support. Some speak of Industry 4.0 in this context, others of the “factory of the future”, still others prefer Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). But no matter which term you favor: The most important thing is to become active now and to rely on reliable partners. Intralogistics is a good starting point for quickly initiating change. Because action is urgently needed: many companies are currently severely limited due to the shortage of skilled workers. Modern technologies such as mobile robots can provide a remedy.
How can adaptive AI inspection contribute to flexible manufacturing?
4 oktober 2022 Consumers today demand customized products to meet their personal needs and tastes. Instead of producing items that are ‘made to shelve’ and ‘sent to stock’, manufacturers must personalize products that are ‘made for me’ and ‘sent to me’. This is revolutionizing production and forcing companies to rethink their processes. At the same time, ensuring zero complaints and zero defects is a must.The trained eye of an experienced vision inspector is quick to spot errors, but a routine task like this is tiring, and cannot be carried out at each step of the production, especially due to the current labor shortages in many industries. But could this task be automated also in high-mix low-volume production? Could a smart vision system or an ‘electronic eye’ replicate the discernment of the human eye, with the added benefit of repeatability and robustness? The latest AI-enabled adaptive inspection can overcome the challenges of automated quality inspection, with improved flexibility, productivity, and adaptability.
Artificial Intelligence: hope, hype and FOMO
22 september 2022 Ten years ago when we received enquiries about AI-based projects, they were mainly driven by hype or FOMO. When I asked why they wanted to get into AI, the answer, more often than not, was either ‘because my boss asked me to’, ‘because we have a lot of data’ or ‘because it seems like an interesting area’. None of these were particularly solid reasons and certainly didn’t justify the hefty investment that AI applications would have required at that time.That is changing, and hope, rather than hype or ‘FOMO’, is the driver. Customers don’t ask whether we can help them with AI anymore. They ask us whether we can help with predictive maintenance, quality control or process optimisation. They come to us with a problem that they want us to help solve. The adoption of AI is no longer a motive or an aim in itself. Instead, AI has become an ‘enabler’.Whatever the industry - whether food & drink, pharmaceutical, electronics or automotive - the end goal is the same: producing high quality, defect-free products at a lower cost, using less energy and less labour. And AI can be one of a suite of solutions for achieving those objectives.
Automation adapts to sustainable packaging
16 augusti 2022 Have you ever ordered a small item online, and then felt incensed when it arrived in an oversized box packed out with bubble wrap, air-filled cushions or paper inserts?
Powering the European automotive industry
29 januari 2021 The European automotive industry is facing strong competition from Asia, as well as the economic challenges of the pandemic. It needs to develop innovative, future-proof strategies and technologies that will boost both efficiency and sustainability. Tony Seba from Stanford University believes that by 2025, no more new vehicles with (pure) combustion engines will be sold and there will be a move towards battery or hydrogen-powered fuel cells. Meanwhile, the industry faces falling sales, increasingly strict emissions regulations, new technologies, digitisation and changing consumer needs. Companies must respond by converting their production lines; becoming more agile; and introducing innovations that provide a competitive edge.
Data paradise factory floor: get more out of your machine and production information
25 september 2020 Strategic Data Science is an essential pillar of every Industry 4.0 scenario. A four-step data mining approach based on CRISP-DM supports successful projects.
Get the full value from your factory floor data with data sciences
19 juni 2020 Industry 4.0 and IIoT have been buzz words for several years and these concepts are actually implemented on more and more machines. A huge amount of data becomes available: machine data, data of the production process and data regarding the manufactured product. Big Data has entered the factory floor.
Energizing European battery cell production
1 maj 2020 What can European automotive companies do to future-proof their production lines, especially in relation to battery manufacturing? Robotics, automated quality control and artificial intelligence (AI) can help companies to tackle the strong competition they are facing from Asia.
How industrial companies are catching up in the AI race
16 december 2019 Artificial intelligence (AI) is achieving breakthroughs in the industrial sector. McKinsey recently forecasted that the global market for AI-based services, software and hardware will grow by up to 25% annually and will be worth around US$130 billion by 2025. But AI also represents a major challenge for industries in Europe, which are lagging behind the US and China. So, how can we start putting AI into action? Predictive maintenance is one area that demonstrates its advantages and potential.
Smart machines: laying the golden egg?
16 oktober 2019 Greater manufacturing efficiency: it’s the golden egg we’re all looking for. But it’s getting increasingly hard to find. The solution could be smarter automation, which involves lots and lots of data (‘big data’) and data collection and data-driven modelling. The smart machine then uses the models to automatically adjust its own behaviour (i.e. machine learning).
Improve OEE with Artificial Intelligence at the Edge in Food Manufacturing
16 oktober 2019 Implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in food manufacturing is picking up speed. Many F&B companies are realizing that AI presents an opportunity to increase not only the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) – and therefore combine reduced costs with increased productivity – but also to improve the analysis of data to support continuous improvement programs such as reducing waste or process operations variability.
Riders of the storm: navigating economic uncertainty by turning social challenges into tech opportunities
6 december 2022 One of the questions I am often asked is what our strategy is, as an industrial automation business, for maintaining stable growth in a volatile and increasingly unpredictable global economy. My answer, as you might imagine, is not one sentence, although it is rooted in one concept: SINIC. SINIC stands for ‘Seed-Innovation to Need-Impetus Cyclic Evolution’ and is a theory that was developed by OMRON's founder, Dr. Kazuma Tateisi, in 1970. According to this philosophy, science, technology and society share a cyclical relationship, mutually impacting and influencing each other. Scientific breakthroughs help society to advance and social needs spur on technological development. OMRON Europe has always followed this philosophy, and has spent the last decade laying the foundations for creating value-adding solutions to present day social and economic challenges.
Four Automation Tips for SMEs
25 november 2022 Corporate leaders around the world are currently facing one challenge after another: In addition to the exploding costs caused by the energy crisis, there are supply chain problems, a shortage of skilled workers, sustainability requirements, and advancing digitization issues. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) need to quickly find ways to address these hurdles. Automation provides a remedy – this includes robotics such as cobots and AMR (autonomous mobile robots), as well as sensors, vision, and AI technology. While companies are well aware of the benefits of such technologies, studies also show that many remain skeptical of their actual use.Especially companies without application experience fear that the use of robots could be accompanied by high costs. So if you are currently wondering whether the purchase of a collaborative or mobile robot is worthwhile for your own business, OMRON's new ROI calculator will help. It provides a quick overview of the return on investment and shows when a robotics investment will cover its costs.
Digitalization in the automotive industry: Seven tips for smart production
2 november 2022 If you want to grow and master crises, you have to be digitally fit – this also applies to the important automotive sector. There is no way around digital tools for addressing customers or productivity. Artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability are key drivers and focus topics, as a study by Capgemini shows. Experts from Gartner point out the importance of open-source collaboration approaches, holistic ecosystems, and technology partnerships. But what should we look out for in digitalization and intralogistics in the production of the future? We want to answer this question in two parts. We start with tips on digitization in the smart factory. As an automation expert, OMRON has been accompanying manufacturers and suppliers on their way to more digitalization sophistication for many years.
Flexible Manufacturing Roadshow: Taking the factory of the future across Europe
16 juni 2022 What if you could see, feel and touch the factory of the future? What does it take to realize flexible, efficient, and sustainable production? This is the idea behind OMRON’s unique Flexible Manufacturing Roadshow travelling across Europe this year. The roadshow features exclusive demonstrations of human-machine collaborative solutions not usually seen outside of a factory setting due to their size and scale.
Building the Factory of the Future together
16 juni 2022 As one of the largest business units at OMRON, we aim to further develop the Den Bosch plant to serve the needs in the EMEA region.
Traceability in Automotive: What decision-makers and experts should look out for now
23 maj 2022 From e-mobility to autonomous driving, from skills shortages to digitalization: The automotive industry is undergoing a profound change, marked, for example, by a shift to globalized platforms and standardized vehicle architectures. On the one hand, production is becoming increasingly efficient, but on the other, even a single faulty part can have more far-reaching effects than ever before. Faced with costly recalls, automotive manufacturers are confronted with increasingly complex requirements and stricter specifications. Is the effort of traceability worth it if it means labeling up to 20,000 parts per vehicle? Yes, it is, but powerful reading and verification technologies along with powerful software is needed to make sense of all the data.There are several reasons why manufacturers need to keep accurate records of the parts and components that make up a new car. From a quality perspective, for example, barcode tracking helps to ensure that the right parts are put together. Even more important, however, is the ability to trace each car part back to its original supplier. In the event of a recall or the discovery of a faulty part, manufacturers have to be able to quickly and comprehensively find out where each part came from. This is complemented by information such as batch number, date of manufacture and other important information to identify which vehicles are affected by a defective part. Recommendations and standards from AIAG, VDA, ANSI and ISO specify the details. As the automotive industry globalizes, worldwide production of light vehicles is expected to reach around 96 million units by 2023. This means that even a single faulty part can have an enormous impact, and therefore must be prevented at all costs.
Mastering packaging and intralogistics challenges in eCommerce
24 februari 2022 Robot-assisted packaging enables fast and cost-efficient scalability upward and downward to handle swings in demands from the supply chain.
Hanover Displays automates PCBA testing with cobots
31 januari 2022 UK-based Hanover Displays Limited needed a new system for testing printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) and selected OMRON TM cobots for the job, supplied and installed by Absolute Robotics, part of the Absolute Automation Group.
Five challenges in High-Mix, Low-Volume (HMLV) packaging and palletizing processes
21 december 2021 The new product has just left the factory, in a shelf-ready package in the specified mixed ratio to meet customer needs. The packaging has actually been handled by another company: a co-packer. Co-packing can be found in all Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) markets, but especially in the higher-priced product segments such as personal care or confectionery, to name a few examples. It is a fast-growing activity to satisfy the consumer demand for more variety.
Finished seals in less than 10 seconds: Robotics Integrated Controller ensures harmonious control
24 november 2021 Trelleborg Livorno has updated a robotic cell for the finishing of polyurethane gaskets for the sustainable wind energy market. The cornerstone of the solution is OMRON's Robotics Integrated Controller that ensures integration and synchronization of all automation components, including robots, logic, motion, safety and user interface.
FasThink optimizes Garnet's intralogistics with mobile robots
2 november 2021 Garnet relies on FasThink to innovate its logistics and production processes.
Intelligent System Solutions with Autonomous Mobile Robot: AM-Flow and OMRON
27 oktober 2021 Industry 4.0 brings the promise of streamlined processes, big data insights and production lines running 24/7 with zero downtime. Unlike historical ‘industrial revolutions,’ this one offers the luxury of time and choice for manufacturers. That’s because the benefits of automation can be embraced incrementally or fully, whether it’s a new state-of-the-art facility or something retrofit-installed into a more traditional production setup. Making it easier to make the move is AM-Flow, an entrepreneurial start-up currently making waves in providing its solutions to the new tide of producers coming ashore in the world of additive manufacturing.
Powering through the energy and fuel crisis with automation
7 december 2022 To counter rising prices and meet environmental targets, industrial enterprises should explore how automation technologies from a single source might help contribute to their sustainability strategy.High energy and fuel prices are putting a strain on both households and industry. Not only is the situation negatively impacting financial plans and wallets, but the excessive prices are forcing some companies to cease production. According to Make UK 42% of manufacturers surveyed said that their electricity bills have increased by 100% in the past 12 months and 32% said that gas prices have increased by over 100% in the past year. A worrying 12% of manufacturers have already made job cuts as a direct result of increased energy bills.The war in Ukraine, Covid-19 pandemic, and gas pricing are only a few of the causes of the crisis, which impacts all sectors and has an impact on everything from power prices to supply chains. What should manufacturing companies consider now? Comprehensive automation strategies are essential for greater flexibility and energy efficiency. This includes innovative robotics paired with sensor and vision technology as well as artificial intelligence – AI at the Edge. In addition, real-time data from production plants can assist with detecting anomalies and improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
Riders of the storm: navigating economic uncertainty by turning social challenges into tech opportunities
6 december 2022 One of the questions I am often asked is what our strategy is, as an industrial automation business, for maintaining stable growth in a volatile and increasingly unpredictable global economy. My answer, as you might imagine, is not one sentence, although it is rooted in one concept: SINIC. SINIC stands for ‘Seed-Innovation to Need-Impetus Cyclic Evolution’ and is a theory that was developed by OMRON's founder, Dr. Kazuma Tateisi, in 1970. According to this philosophy, science, technology and society share a cyclical relationship, mutually impacting and influencing each other. Scientific breakthroughs help society to advance and social needs spur on technological development. OMRON Europe has always followed this philosophy, and has spent the last decade laying the foundations for creating value-adding solutions to present day social and economic challenges.
Where is the future heading, intralogistics? Tips for more efficiency
15 november 2022 Sometimes we focus so much on the big picture that we forget the smaller and yet so important processes that characterize smart production. One example is intralogistics, i.e. the flows of materials and goods that take place on a company's premises or in a production hall. A recent study found that more than 80 percent of the companies surveyed consider the increased use of AI and automation in intralogistics to be necessary to meet challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers or growth plans.Automotive companies that want to meet market and customer requirements, increase efficiency and become more sustainable must come up with new ideas. Energy costs, the gas crisis, and rising inflation make this task even more difficult. Smart factory concepts that combine innovative automation, digitalization, and smart intralogistics approaches can provide valuable support. Some speak of Industry 4.0 in this context, others of the “factory of the future”, still others prefer Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). But no matter which term you favor: The most important thing is to become active now and to rely on reliable partners. Intralogistics is a good starting point for quickly initiating change. Because action is urgently needed: many companies are currently severely limited due to the shortage of skilled workers. Modern technologies such as mobile robots can provide a remedy.
Digitalization in the automotive industry: Seven tips for smart production
2 november 2022 If you want to grow and master crises, you have to be digitally fit – this also applies to the important automotive sector. There is no way around digital tools for addressing customers or productivity. Artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability are key drivers and focus topics, as a study by Capgemini shows. Experts from Gartner point out the importance of open-source collaboration approaches, holistic ecosystems, and technology partnerships. But what should we look out for in digitalization and intralogistics in the production of the future? We want to answer this question in two parts. We start with tips on digitization in the smart factory. As an automation expert, OMRON has been accompanying manufacturers and suppliers on their way to more digitalization sophistication for many years.
Artificial Intelligence: hope, hype and FOMO
22 september 2022 Ten years ago when we received enquiries about AI-based projects, they were mainly driven by hype or FOMO. When I asked why they wanted to get into AI, the answer, more often than not, was either ‘because my boss asked me to’, ‘because we have a lot of data’ or ‘because it seems like an interesting area’. None of these were particularly solid reasons and certainly didn’t justify the hefty investment that AI applications would have required at that time.That is changing, and hope, rather than hype or ‘FOMO’, is the driver. Customers don’t ask whether we can help them with AI anymore. They ask us whether we can help with predictive maintenance, quality control or process optimisation. They come to us with a problem that they want us to help solve. The adoption of AI is no longer a motive or an aim in itself. Instead, AI has become an ‘enabler’.Whatever the industry - whether food & drink, pharmaceutical, electronics or automotive - the end goal is the same: producing high quality, defect-free products at a lower cost, using less energy and less labour. And AI can be one of a suite of solutions for achieving those objectives.
Automation adapts to sustainable packaging
16 augusti 2022 Have you ever ordered a small item online, and then felt incensed when it arrived in an oversized box packed out with bubble wrap, air-filled cushions or paper inserts?
Building the Factory of the Future together
16 juni 2022 As one of the largest business units at OMRON, we aim to further develop the Den Bosch plant to serve the needs in the EMEA region.
Lights out? Still unlikely with Industry 4.0
21 april 2022 For many manufacturers, the prospect of a fully automated, human-free factory feels light years away. When, they ask, is the 4th Industrial revolution coming to us and what can we expect? In this blog, we look at the realities of (fully-/semi-)automated manufacturing, what robots can and can’t do, and why the human touch is still (mostly) irreplaceable.
Traditional factories have data needs too
18 mars 2022 The right tools and tech can enable advanced predictive maintenance, bottleneck prevention and optimization. Find out how digitalization is bridging the gap between legacy systems and Industry 4.0.
Productivity Peaks: Moving Maintenance From Preventive to Predictive
17 december 2021 Maintenance is a vital key to a thriving business, especially in manufacturing where 24/7 plant equipment uptime is often expected as standard. As any established enterprise knows, keeping production lines and systems running optimally requires more than a skilled maintenance team. It also involves careful planning, tight scheduling, constant vigilance, a willingness to change out unworn parts, and a readiness to respond to unplanned events. At least, it used to.
Developing digital capability: how any factory can be smart
16 september 2021 Thankfully, the headline-grabbing ‘Industry 4.0’ isn’t reserved exclusively for the high-tech giants that span the globe, nor is the term ‘smart factory’ applied only to brand-new installations. In truth, any traditional factory can in principle take steps on the smart factory journey, by applying modularity to the existing installation.
Monitor machine stability with data science
16 juli 2021 Do you have a machine with no problems? You’re probably already collecting production and machine data, but not using it. With a quick scan of your data, it is possible to judge the usability and quality of the data and start using the value inside the data. This will help you define the first or next step towards a data enabled organization.
Vadain automates the inspection of curtain fabrics with machine vision
8 april 2022 Vadain, the market leader in custom curtains in the Netherlands, needed a solution to detect errors as early as possible in kilometers of curtain fabrics. Together with software developers from Sycade, OMRON machine vision technology, and machine builder Eisenkolb, they developed an automated solution to detect and analyze errors in curtain fabrics, making the time-consuming manual inspection process a thing of the past.
Factory automation: four tips for the future of food & beverage manufacturing
16 juli 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has posed major challenges to organisations of all types and sizes. In the food and commodity industry, companies have faced significantly reduced consumption and disrupted supply chains, while at-home consumption increased, and out-of-home consumption came near to a standstill. But how can manufacturers adapt their business strategies and production processes both now and in the longer term? The pandemic may provide an opportunity for rethinking outdated processes and procedures and enhancing them with concepts such as innovative robotics, sensor technology and holistic automation strategies.
Six challenges for brand protection
19 november 2019 Brand protection is an important topic for any business. But as industrial companies invest in new technology, such as smart robotics, artificial intelligence and vision systems, are they aware of the key challenges that could affect their brand?
Legacy of machine vision
16 oktober 2019 Did you know that for more than 40 years, Omron has developed vision sensing technologies for factory automation, surveillance and transport systems, and more recently for facial recognition and image processing for mobile phones, and even driver monitoring for autonomous driving?
Late-stage customization in pharmaceutical manufacturing
16 oktober 2019 As a result of serialization legislation, pharmaceutical manufacturers must now ensure that labels printed at a late stage contain all of the data required for compliance. This includes customizing product labels for certain markets, customers or products by adding variable data to labels or packaging. This avoids the need to stock individual packaging materials for each variant.
How to secure FMCG supply chains with traceability?
2 oktober 2019 The traceability of food and drink products throughout the production and distribution process can be a complex issue. For example, alcoholic drink producers need systems that enable them to comply with local regulations regarding food traceability, as well as tax legislation.
Barcodes: keeping track of product quality
2 oktober 2019 For many years, barcode technology has proved to be an economical and flexible identification technology. It has continued to develop and as a result, 1D and 2D codes (such as Datamatrix) are now used almost universally. Their versatility have made them a popular choice for streamlining many key supply chain processes, including production, logistics and item traceability.
Is your production line ready for inspection?
12 september 2019 Quality inspections are a critical requirement for all manufacturing and packaging lines. Being able to identify defective products before they are shipped to customers can bring significant savings in both time and money. It prevents costly product recalls, wasted production and potentially expensive legal costs.For perishable products – from food to pharmaceuticals – quality inspection of the packaging is also vital. An unreadable barcode or a wrong expiry date could lead to perfectly good products being discarded. And increasingly strict legislation is making clear marking a top priority for all types of products.
Where is the future heading, intralogistics? Tips for more efficiency
15 november 2022 Sometimes we focus so much on the big picture that we forget the smaller and yet so important processes that characterize smart production. One example is intralogistics, i.e. the flows of materials and goods that take place on a company's premises or in a production hall. A recent study found that more than 80 percent of the companies surveyed consider the increased use of AI and automation in intralogistics to be necessary to meet challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers or growth plans.Automotive companies that want to meet market and customer requirements, increase efficiency and become more sustainable must come up with new ideas. Energy costs, the gas crisis, and rising inflation make this task even more difficult. Smart factory concepts that combine innovative automation, digitalization, and smart intralogistics approaches can provide valuable support. Some speak of Industry 4.0 in this context, others of the “factory of the future”, still others prefer Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). But no matter which term you favor: The most important thing is to become active now and to rely on reliable partners. Intralogistics is a good starting point for quickly initiating change. Because action is urgently needed: many companies are currently severely limited due to the shortage of skilled workers. Modern technologies such as mobile robots can provide a remedy.
Artificial Intelligence: hope, hype and FOMO
22 september 2022 Ten years ago when we received enquiries about AI-based projects, they were mainly driven by hype or FOMO. When I asked why they wanted to get into AI, the answer, more often than not, was either ‘because my boss asked me to’, ‘because we have a lot of data’ or ‘because it seems like an interesting area’. None of these were particularly solid reasons and certainly didn’t justify the hefty investment that AI applications would have required at that time.That is changing, and hope, rather than hype or ‘FOMO’, is the driver. Customers don’t ask whether we can help them with AI anymore. They ask us whether we can help with predictive maintenance, quality control or process optimisation. They come to us with a problem that they want us to help solve. The adoption of AI is no longer a motive or an aim in itself. Instead, AI has become an ‘enabler’.Whatever the industry - whether food & drink, pharmaceutical, electronics or automotive - the end goal is the same: producing high quality, defect-free products at a lower cost, using less energy and less labour. And AI can be one of a suite of solutions for achieving those objectives.
Mastering packaging and intralogistics challenges in eCommerce
24 februari 2022 Robot-assisted packaging enables fast and cost-efficient scalability upward and downward to handle swings in demands from the supply chain.
Five challenges in High-Mix, Low-Volume (HMLV) packaging and palletizing processes
21 december 2021 The new product has just left the factory, in a shelf-ready package in the specified mixed ratio to meet customer needs. The packaging has actually been handled by another company: a co-packer. Co-packing can be found in all Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) markets, but especially in the higher-priced product segments such as personal care or confectionery, to name a few examples. It is a fast-growing activity to satisfy the consumer demand for more variety.
Productivity Peaks: Moving Maintenance From Preventive to Predictive
17 december 2021 Maintenance is a vital key to a thriving business, especially in manufacturing where 24/7 plant equipment uptime is often expected as standard. As any established enterprise knows, keeping production lines and systems running optimally requires more than a skilled maintenance team. It also involves careful planning, tight scheduling, constant vigilance, a willingness to change out unworn parts, and a readiness to respond to unplanned events. At least, it used to.
Finished seals in less than 10 seconds: Robotics Integrated Controller ensures harmonious control
24 november 2021 Trelleborg Livorno has updated a robotic cell for the finishing of polyurethane gaskets for the sustainable wind energy market. The cornerstone of the solution is OMRON's Robotics Integrated Controller that ensures integration and synchronization of all automation components, including robots, logic, motion, safety and user interface.
Plastics in consumer goods manufacturing: Seven automation tips for greener packaging
29 april 2021 Hygiene or environmental protection? Preferably both! Companies in the consumer goods industry are increasingly asking themselves what alternatives they have to plastic packaging and how they can act greener, more efficiently, and yet still safely. Innovative packaging lines, robotics and artificial intelligence offer support.
Cobot Dashboard: How to visualize data for OEE improvement the smart way
16 mars 2021 The factory of the future is not only based on a well-orchestrated interaction of the most diverse machines, robots, sensors, and AI technologies. Entrepreneurs and decision-makers are also increasingly faced with the challenge of reconciling the vast amounts of data collected by the various production lines and making the best possible use of it to support their decisions. Not only does a comprehensive data strategy need to be developed. There are also technologies required that process and present the data in such a way that issues are immediately identified before major problems occur.
Four top tips for automation projects in the food and beverage industry
22 februari 2021 A challenge accelerated by the Coronavirus pandemic has seen producers having to juggle between longer term range proliferation centred on consumer demands, and range (SKU’s) reduction caused by retailers and consumers rapidly changing buying habits. Companies that break new ground by using innovative technologies not only gain agility but also reduce scrap, contamination risk, waste and losses.
Factory automation: four tips for the future of food & beverage manufacturing
16 juli 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has posed major challenges to organisations of all types and sizes. In the food and commodity industry, companies have faced significantly reduced consumption and disrupted supply chains, while at-home consumption increased, and out-of-home consumption came near to a standstill. But how can manufacturers adapt their business strategies and production processes both now and in the longer term? The pandemic may provide an opportunity for rethinking outdated processes and procedures and enhancing them with concepts such as innovative robotics, sensor technology and holistic automation strategies.
Improve OEE with Artificial Intelligence at the Edge in Food Manufacturing
16 oktober 2019 Implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in food manufacturing is picking up speed. Many F&B companies are realizing that AI presents an opportunity to increase not only the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) – and therefore combine reduced costs with increased productivity – but also to improve the analysis of data to support continuous improvement programs such as reducing waste or process operations variability.
3 Steps to Optimize Operational Efficiency for the Future of Manufacturing
2 oktober 2019 Operational Excellence is required to maximize capital expenditures. But at the same time manufacturers are challenged to move away from traditional high volume, low mix production runs, to more complex high mix, low volume production with consumer demand linked directly with production. How to optimize operational efficiency to be ready for the future of manufacturing?
Riders of the storm: navigating economic uncertainty by turning social challenges into tech opportunities
6 december 2022 One of the questions I am often asked is what our strategy is, as an industrial automation business, for maintaining stable growth in a volatile and increasingly unpredictable global economy. My answer, as you might imagine, is not one sentence, although it is rooted in one concept: SINIC. SINIC stands for ‘Seed-Innovation to Need-Impetus Cyclic Evolution’ and is a theory that was developed by OMRON's founder, Dr. Kazuma Tateisi, in 1970. According to this philosophy, science, technology and society share a cyclical relationship, mutually impacting and influencing each other. Scientific breakthroughs help society to advance and social needs spur on technological development. OMRON Europe has always followed this philosophy, and has spent the last decade laying the foundations for creating value-adding solutions to present day social and economic challenges.
Digitalization in the automotive industry: Seven tips for smart production
2 november 2022 If you want to grow and master crises, you have to be digitally fit – this also applies to the important automotive sector. There is no way around digital tools for addressing customers or productivity. Artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability are key drivers and focus topics, as a study by Capgemini shows. Experts from Gartner point out the importance of open-source collaboration approaches, holistic ecosystems, and technology partnerships. But what should we look out for in digitalization and intralogistics in the production of the future? We want to answer this question in two parts. We start with tips on digitization in the smart factory. As an automation expert, OMRON has been accompanying manufacturers and suppliers on their way to more digitalization sophistication for many years.
Fuel for the future: What to look out for in fuel cell production
10 mars 2022 When people talk about sustainable mobility, the first thing that comes to mind is battery-powered e-cars. Fuel cells or direct hydrogen burners are complementary technologies that often fade into the background, yet have a lot to offer when it comes to CO₂ reduction and market options.
Green packaging industry: How to achieve sustainable manufacturing
9 februari 2022 Sustainability in the packaging industry is one of the key aspects in fighting the plastic waste issue and ultimately climate change. The challenges that this presents, require flexible and powerful automation technology.
Fuelling the success of local battery cell production
20 september 2021 Expert and automotive manufacturers alike agree that e-mobility is the future. Batteries and battery manufacturing are central to this development. In this context, the global market for lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow from 44.2 billion US dollars (2020) to 94.4 billion dollars (2025). The transformation of the automotive industry from internal combustion engines to battery or hydrogen-powered fuel cells is presenting companies with immense challenges.
Plastics in consumer goods manufacturing: Seven automation tips for greener packaging
29 april 2021 Hygiene or environmental protection? Preferably both! Companies in the consumer goods industry are increasingly asking themselves what alternatives they have to plastic packaging and how they can act greener, more efficiently, and yet still safely. Innovative packaging lines, robotics and artificial intelligence offer support.
Powering the European automotive industry
29 januari 2021 The European automotive industry is facing strong competition from Asia, as well as the economic challenges of the pandemic. It needs to develop innovative, future-proof strategies and technologies that will boost both efficiency and sustainability. Tony Seba from Stanford University believes that by 2025, no more new vehicles with (pure) combustion engines will be sold and there will be a move towards battery or hydrogen-powered fuel cells. Meanwhile, the industry faces falling sales, increasingly strict emissions regulations, new technologies, digitisation and changing consumer needs. Companies must respond by converting their production lines; becoming more agile; and introducing innovations that provide a competitive edge.
Moving to e-mobility: seven tips for success
8 september 2020 The automotive industry throughout Europe is changing. It’s been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated declining sales. And there have been other problems. For instance, the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) forecasts that German vehicle manufacturers and suppliers could lose a quarter of their total workforce by 2030. A similarly gloomy picture is also emerging in the UK. Offsetting this is a growing demand for electric cars, which could lead to many new jobs being created.
Zero-defect philosophy helps resolve the world’s future issues
5 juni 2020 Imagine the city center of a modern metropolis in 2030: a multitude of unmanned, electrically-powered vehicles driving swiftly and silently through the streets. These vehicles sense traffic lights and other road signs and make decisions using artificial intelligence. They avoid people, who unexpectedly cross their path. They detect and avoid dangerous situations before they occur. And they contribute to everyone’s health and safety. But what happens if the associated electrical systems fail? Omron is already addressing this problem today.
Energizing European battery cell production
1 maj 2020 What can European automotive companies do to future-proof their production lines, especially in relation to battery manufacturing? Robotics, automated quality control and artificial intelligence (AI) can help companies to tackle the strong competition they are facing from Asia.
Integrated data control, motion control and machine vision for next-generation automotive production line
24 april 2020 The Mexican regional headquarters of a leading manufacturer of premium air brake actuators for global on-highway and specialty markets required a new automated production assembly line. One of the company’s key performance indicators is to deliver a fully assembled product every 30 seconds, and it is with this end goal at the forefront that the team started the process of automating the production line.