Time to embrace a digital mindset

Comau’s E-Mobility segment leader, Andrew Lloyd discusses the company’s role in Industry 4.0 and how it represents the next step toward excellence in manufacturing.

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) promises to revolutionise and transform the manufacturing sector. As one of the leading automation companies in this arena, Comau provides state-of-the-art technology, products, solutions and services to a vast range of clients.

Conformance with the principles of I4.0 can be considered an entry requirement into the aerospace sector. Comau detects wide-ranging adoption associated with automation projects - both inside and outside the manufacturing process. Many of its aerospace clients are very data-orientated, utilising state-of-the-art technology instruments to validate and verify all processes through simulation based on the data captured by the system. Comau prides itself on the ability to leverage this data to support its customers’ operational needs - sometimes even before we industrialise the product or solution.

Q) Is Industry 4.0 making you look at some of the new innovations fuelling our industry with a different (digital) mindset?

We are continuously developing our portfolio of products, solutions and services to support our customers throughout their product lifecycles. For example, we’re working with a variety of partners and developing concepts to advance the robotisation of additive manufacturing processes. Materials development and product development are the two principle areas of our focus in this regard. We utilise a wide variety of simulation tools, including augmented reality, to support our automation projects, regardless of the explicit end user requirements, and we have also developed a portfolio of digital tools to support our client operations. Generally speaking, we see the aerospace industry as an early adopter of current state-of-the-art techniques, yet we also believe it is possible to accelerate this adoption through a wider use of automation in the future.

Q) What do you say to the naysayers that think there’s a lot of hype, around I4.0, and can’t see how it will deliver a return on investment?

We strongly believe that digitalisation and the technologies that support it represent the next step toward excellence in manufacturing. To use a concrete example, digitisation can provide 360° visibility over the entire operation. Combined with the interconnectivity of Industry 4.0, it means that issues can be detected and addressed in real-time, reducing the cost of poor quality. Access to interconnected, real-time data where and when it is needed also improves process controls and delivers a more complete vision of actual production flows, which can increase forecasting accuracy and improve logistics efficiency.

Q) It can be argued that previous industrial revolutions have increased employment as well as productivity, so will the Fourth industrial revolution be any different?

In our view, technology is at the service of humans; not to replace workers, but to make them work they do more efficient and more secure. To address issues of ergonomics of repetitive tasks and activities that require raised arms, we developed an innovative wearable exoskeleton. The use of robotics can remove workers from enduring dangerous, heavy and low value-add tasks, allowing them to focus on process control, quality and more. Similarly, we recently designed MI.RA/Dexter, a collaborative robotic solution with metalanguage control that allows the operator to sit alongside the robot and control its movements with simple, human-language commands. In the same way, we are working with companies such as Rockwell Automation and Siemens to ensure that automation is easy and accessible to everyone, even with no specific robotic training.

Q) What do you feel are the most important assets of a company?

Great companies are created by the people who work in them, and we recognise the significant value around the skills, commitment and dedication of our people. As the market evolves, so do the required skills and competencies. This is where Comau’s heavy investment in people and skills-building comes in. Through our Comau Academy and consulting services, we help companies and individuals acquire competencies and build the necessary skills to face the challenges posed by I4.0. Innovation and the ability to solve compelling problems are also important. We’ve developed several technology ‘firsts’ over the years, including digital, robotics, assembly and machining solutions. 

Q) What differentiates your company from the competition and why should a customer use you over your nearest rival?

The biggest difference stems from our scope of business and our depth of experience. We understand the smart factory under multiple points of view – Comau is not only robotics, only assembly, only machining. We have a 360° vision and experience ranging from body shop, powertrain, machining, digital and electrification all the way to robotics for school with our e.DO educational robot, and wearable robotics with our MATE-XT exoskeleton for indoor, outdoor, manufacturing and general industry use.

Furthermore, our depth of experience allows us to respond to the adaptable technology required by emerging market contexts. This level of innovation is the direct result of our commitment to creating always new customer-centric solutions, aimed at solving their needs and challenges.

Comau’s global presence and interconnection between our worldwide structures is another advantage, as we are able to make everything everywhere. It is not uncommon to have a project benefiting from direct support from multiple countries in EMEA, such as Italy, France, Germany, UK, Romania - North America, China, or Brazil. In this way, we optimise our specialised global expertise in automation, digitalisation and advanced robotics to ensure better efficiency and a faster response at a local level.

Q) What kind of industry landscape are we facing now that everything is getting back to normal?

We’re living in exciting times as many industries are undergoing a radical and pronounced transformation in terms of digitisation, electrification and intelligent technologies. One of the things the global health emergency has taught us is the importance of digitalisation. It enables real-time communication between operators and the manufacturing system, and can facilitate remote monitoring and control of processes, equipment and systems. Applied to a single machine, line or an entire factory, targeted sensorisation and advanced analytics can also allow us to implement virtual environments that simulate line modifications or batch manufacturing parameters.

At the same time, there is increasing momentum toward new, sustainable technology models. We are highly focused on delivering problem-centric solutions across a wide variety of traditional and emerging industries by creating and sharing value with our customers. Leveraging our size, competencies and commitment to becoming a leading enabler of sustainable automation, which includes offer project management, consultancy services and training for a wide range of industrial segments, I feel Comau is well-positioned to respond to this evolving market.

www.comau.com