Schneider Electric starts smart factory using solutions of EcoStruxure in Lexington

2019

Opening of the smart enterprise in the territory of Lexington

On August 9, 2019 it became known that Schneider Electric, the company in the field of energy management and automation, opened the smart enterprise in the territory of Lexington (USA) founded on technologies of industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). It will allow to show performance of the EcoStruxure platform and the related solution package which helps to reduce costs and also increases overall effectiveness of the equipment. Applying the most modern and perspective technologies together with advantages of IIoT, Schneider Electric was succeeded not only to optimize production processes, but also to show examination in the field of industrial Internet of Things and intellectual technologies in general. The company also expressed readiness to share the practices as with customers, and partners from the most different industries.

At factory in Lexington exclusively smart technologies are applied: for example, augmented reality (AR) which allows employees to enjoy visual support at hardware maintenance, that reducing average time by repair for 20%. Moreover, the absolute majority of processes at the enterprise passed into online that, in turn, liquidated 90% of paper work.

To the project in Lexington the Schneider Electric company already opened the similar smart plants in Mexico, China, France, India, Indonesia and on Philippines. They play a key role in global digital transformation of network of suppliers of Tailored Sustainable Connected 4.0 which already provides seamless integration and the high level of transparency of deliveries, at the same time increasing their efficiency.

Innovations and digitalization which are realized by IIoT, positively influence business processes. We observe the greatest efficiency of these technologies during the work with network of suppliers. The striking example of how EcoStruxure does lives of our customers better, can be considered the fact that Schneider Electric shares that knowledge and advantages which managed to be purchased for operating time of the company. Thanks to the solution Smart Factory, we managed not just to show the smart enterprise in operation, but also to point out all its advantages which we could achieve for the investment account in IIoT and the accelerated adoption of policy "the Industry 4.0",

Upgrade outdated, but at the same time still working object – extremely difficult task. Unlike the new enterprise which from the very beginning is under construction using modern technologies projects with old factories are complicated by need to integrate solutions and at the same time not to be beyond the set budget. Many faced such problem, and in Schneider Electric a command on upgrade in Lexington – not an exception. However already at the current stage it is possible to tell that digital conversions took place successfully — point integration of EcoStruxure technologies and their consolidation into the existing equipment was carried out.

Within the Smart Factory program specialists of Schneider Electric offer the strategy of implementation of the similar project, paying special attention to possible difficulties at IIoT implementation. Allows clients to see experiment of use of EcoStruxure technologies how outdated enterprise can be improved and as far as it can increase efficiency in the future.

The factory in Lexington is almost completely the automated Schneider Electric object. In addition to the basic functions it will execute a role of a demonstration sample both for customers, and for partners. They will be able visually to see results of digital transformation so and approach more consciously upgrade of the enterprises which will allow to increase their efficiency and profitability, having saved security and flexibility of industrial transactions.

The solutions Schneider Electric showed the value even at the time of the first implementation:

• EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor allowed to reduce time necessary on repair of the crucial equipment, to 20%.
• EcoStruxure Resource Advisor and Power Monitoring Expert provided economy of an annual expense of the electric power at the enterprise in Lexington in the amount of 3.5%. Besides, the plant since 2012 helped to reduce regional power expenses on 6.6 million US dollars.
• AVEVA Indusoft Web Studio due to connection to cloud computing reduced paper work by 90% and also provided access to crucial information in real time.
• RFID OsiSense reduced distance which is daily passed by fork loaders on 128 miles and also allowed to save about half a million dollars on service of stocks of work in progress.
• AVEVA Insight Data showed possibilities of mobile data and reduced a downtime of the most important equipment by 5%, at the same time the investment payback made less than 6 months.
• Magelis GTU/GTUX HMI provided the deepest and flexible management with production processes and also provided their visualization by means of mobile devices.

Start of factory in Mexico

On July 26, 2019 the Schneider Electric company announced opening of "smart factory" in Mexico. This enterprise will show to customers and partners as modern digital technologies give the chance to make competent decisions on the basis of exact data and by that they help to increase profitability, efficiency of assets and operation, employees productivity and also provide reliability, adaptivity and ecological sustainability of production, consider in Schneider Electric.

Schneider Electric integrates the connected solutions of EcoStruxure in the technology processes to provide advantages of transition to the concept of "smart factory" and also to show how just to take the first step to digitalization.

Smart factories — a key component of the specialized steady connected supply chain 4.0 in a global network of deliveries of Schneider Electric. In this chain digital technologies are used for ensuring seamless integration and visibility of all processes and increase in overall performance.

"The Schneider Electric company continues to introduce digital conversions to economy of Mexico, and the "smart" factory in Monterrey equipped with the latest technology is an example of how to make production more effective, profitable and steady using innovations. This enterprise — an opportunity to glance in the future and to get acquainted with the concept "the Industry 4.0", noted Enrique Gonsalez Haas, the president of regional division of Schneider Electric in Mexico and Central America

According to the statement of Schneider Electric, at "smart factory" in Monterrey five EcoStruxure components, an open compatible system architecture and the Schneider Electric platform for IoT are implemented:

• EcoStruxure Building is the engineering solution for buildings including design, integration and balancing and commissioning. In combination with services of asset management and energy efficiency this platform provides high efficiency of buildings and comfort for residents during all life.
• EcoStruxure Power is the architecture intended for low and medium voltage. It increases quality of communications and reliability of operation and also supports collecting of the valuable analytical data.
• EcoStruxure Data Center — provides fast adaptation physical infrastructures DPCs customers to future requirements both in cloud, and on the periphery, with the caused development and application of IoT, without prejudice to availability and efficiency of operation.
• EcoStruxure Plant and EcoStruxure Machine. Technologies of industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Schneider Electric with the integrated software — the ready-made solution for the organization of smart productions. These technologies offer ample commercial opportunities for the plants and the enterprises of mechanical engineering.

As of July, 2019 the Schneider Electric command in Monterrey carried out successful tests of several digital solutions, trained the staff of factory for work with IIoT and extended the received results to a global factory area network of the company. On two production lines of 1,100 workers make management systems for electric motors, the closed drives, control panels for lighting and emergency switches.

The smart factory Schneider Electric cooperates with the Autonomous university of the State of Nuevo Leon, the Tekmilenio university, the Monterrey Institute of Technology and the Valye De Mejico university within training programs and programs of advanced training. For July, 2019 the factory underwent certification on ISO9000 and ISO14000 standards and Asociación de Maquiladoras y Manufactureras de Exportación de Nuevo León is a member of Association of foreign producers and exporters.

"We understand that it is difficult to enterprises to take the first step to IIoT use therefore we hope that the smart factory Schneider Electric in Monterrey will become a bright example of advantages of digital conversions in power management and automation for our customers from the processing industry. Thanks to our experience we can help such organizations to start process of implementation of digital technologies", noted Miguel Servando, the vice president for industrial production of division of Schneider Electric in North America

Schneider Electric noted that thanks to EcoStruxure in real time it is possible to control the capacity of machines, their need for preventive maintenance, quality control process observance, energy management and many other things. These are core activities which are on production. Such digital transformation is profitable to all staff of Schneider Electric factories. Thanks to it they can focus on accomplishment of strategic tasks in support of development of the company, increase in efficiency and improvement of working conditions. The quality of solutions also increased — they are accepted on the basis of the data of analytics arriving in real time. Investments in modern technologies pay off from 6 months to 2 years in time.

Schneider Electric expects that after implementation of the EcoStruxure components "the smart factory" in Monterrey will receive:

• Cost reduction on maintenance for 20% with simultaneous increase in overall effectiveness of the equipment by 7%;
• Adaptive control, process optimization and, as a result, investment payback within one year;
• Increase in transparency of all processes of the plant;
• Increase in process performance more than for 10%.
• Upgrade of the major devices, including the systems of coloring, welding the robot, production lines of control panels where control of crucial parameters is required; tracking of alarms and data collection for prevention of unforeseen breakdowns;
• Reduction of time for maintenance;
• Increase in bezopasnostitekhnichesky service and repair thanks to the solution Augmented Operator Advisor;
• Energy efficiency — additional economy of energy in 10% at already optimized consumption level;
• Reduction of a carbon trace on 377 tons;
• Performance and reliability of assets. Optimization of management and maintenance of an object with reduction of labor costs and expenses on spare parts on 10%;
• Increase in a share of preventive maintenance in comparison with adjusting.