Siemens. Automating industry for the 21st century

FOR OEMS THE ONLY WAY IS DIGITAL

 

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Times are getting hard for OEMs.

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When customers want it, they want it yesterday. The time to trial new machines in the traditional way is simply no longer there. Yet with demand for customisation also increasing exponentially, an off-the-peg solution won’t suffice.

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Fortunately, the solution could be hiding in plain sight. Let’s take a look at how one small but highly innovative machine builder has risen to the challenge.

 

TrakRap is a packaging solutions provider based in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, UK. Not long ago, it made a breakthrough that has revolutionised packaging in the food and beverage industry.

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Normally, secondary wrapping – wrapping for multiple packs, not the primary wrap which is in contact with the product – involves heating products such as chicken or yogurt in a shrink tunnel. This produces the classic shrink-wrapped package we all know and love. However, it also uses huge amounts of energy and is costly and inefficient.

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TrakRap have pioneered an alternative that uses no heat and creates far less waste. Called ‘orbital wrapping’, it applies an ultra-thin stretch film to specially designed packs. The company has won widespread plaudits for introducing this cold wrap technology, and demand is taking off in a big way. However, one request posed a particular challenge.

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Global courier company DHL had a requirement for wrapping aerosol cannisters. On the face of it, as aerosols are highly inflammable this was an ideal application for cold wrapping. Yet in reality things were not so easy.

It wasn’t so much the content as the aerosol cannisters themselves. Tall and thin, they proved to be very unstable during the packaging process.

Clearly, a new strategy was needed.

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Already some way along their digitalisation journey with Siemens, TrakRap turned to this global leader. They also consulted the Manufacturing Technology Centre, as well as academia in the shape of the University of Bradford.

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Most significantly, a digital twin was created. A fully functioning, 3-D model of the proposed new machine, the twin enabled TrakRap to develop, test and commission  entirely virtually, without any need for a physical asset whatsoever.

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Siemens NX software was used to design the machine, while Simcenter software simulated all scenarios the wrapping process might involve. 

A virtual solution to a physical problem, taking the digital route brought a host of quantifiable benefits. Development costs were reduced by 30%. Time-to-market was slashed by 40%. While the considerable risk normally inherent with new machine development was eliminated.

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Even more important were the insights afforded by the extra data the digital twin generated. Critically, the simulation was able to reveal exactly how much force was needed during the two different wrapping processes, and at what angle.

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Thanks to this understanding, the aerosol cannisters are now stable as they progress through the wrapping process. The project has impressed TrakRap CEO Martin Leeming, who commented:

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‘Our digital twin has been really useful in developing the first machine that we’re now building. We know this machine works in a way that is going to deliver exactly what we want.’

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For such innovations, the sheer flexibility afforded by digitalisation is invaluable. Going forward, it also enables OEMs to handle the low volume, short run, limited production cycles inherent in customised manufacturing.

In fact, for TrakRap digitalisation has done more than change the way they introduce new products. It’s changing the entire way the company does business. The way they monitor machinery. How they support customers. Digitalisation has even prompted them to re-evaluate their charging strategy.  

TrakRap now retain ownership of the machines they produce, and charge customers according to the services they provide. This ‘pay per wrap’ system is provided through Siemens Financial Services. It allows customers to acquire cutting edge technology without making a major upfront investment. Just another way that digitalisation adds value throughout the supply chain.

Nor does a digital twin does ‘collect its P45’ when the physical version is installed on-site. It remains active 24.7, feeding data to MindSphere, Siemens’ IoT platform. Issues can be anticipated before they become ‘issues’, and dreaded downtime avoided throughout the machine life cycle.

 

TrakRap Operations Director, David Robinson asserts:

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‘This means a fundamental difference to the way we operate. In the past we’ve measured the performance of our machines by how often they break. Now we have the power to pre-empt failure. We can schedule maintenance within a window to minimise disruption or provide more focused operator training. At the same time, our customers gain valuable feedback about the performance of their equipment. We can move from a reactive past to a proactive future.’

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Industry experts have predicted one day that every machine on every factory floor will have its own digital twin. I predict that day will not be long in coming.

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To find out more, contact Siemens.

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