Co-creation for digitalization at automotive supplier
Case in Point: Co-creation for digitalization at automotive supplier
At a glance
Focus: Co-creation for digitalization at automotive supplier.
Challenge: The customer faced the challenge of delivering automotive closure assembly line in a very short time span with their existing limited setup
Approach: The solution proposed from Siemens was based on combination of automation
Impact: The customer was able to save 10% development time, 15% Engineering costs and 20% faster creation of HMI screens due to Automatic Execution of Engineering Task and Integrated Automation
Siemens India
Siemens India manufactures steam turbines, turbo compressors, high-voltage switchgear (circuit breakers, disconnectors and gas-insulated switchgear), switchboards, remote monitoring systems (RMS), fire detectors and suppression systems, motors and generators, relays and Smart Grid systems, transformers, and advanced medical imaging equipment. The factories replicate global, best-in-class manufacturing systems and practices, with a facility to overhaul and repair gas turbines, compressor blades and rotors.
Siemens India is a leader in technology solutions for intelligent (smart), sustainable cities, smart grid, building technologies, mobility and power distribution. Siemens is involved in the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) of the Government of India for installing Smart Grid solutions in many cities in India. Siemens India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to be the Lead Industry Partner in a consortium for the conceptualization and development of Smart Cities in India.
For over six decades, Siemens India has been the preferred technology solutions provider, conceptualizing and implementing various flagship projects in Mobility, Energy Management, Power and Gas, Smart Cities, Intelligent Infrastructure, Industrial Applications, Healthcare and Smart Financing. Siemens India is also strengthening its digitalization portfolio and working on select applications in the country.
Siemens India develops skills with Corporate Citizenship initiatives like ITI upgradation, faculty development, Technical Skills Development Centre and Scholarship Programs for meritorious Engineering students. The company has signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Government of Gujarat and Steel Authority of India, and works with industry bodies, such as Automation Industry Association, Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association and CII, to impart technical education. Siemens also has initiatives for sustainable and integrated community development in rural areas.
Co-creation for digitalization at automotive supplier
The customer supplies “Closure assembly and Hemming technology” to the automotive industry in India and internationally. Headquartered in the US and Japan, Hirotec is an international reputed OEM in this field; a supplier to all Japanese Auto Giants, Renault, etc
Business challenge
The customer faced the challenge of delivering automotive closure assembly line in a very short time span with their existing limited setup
The customer faced the challenge of delivering automotive closure assembly line in a very short time span with their existing limited setup and manpower
The customer also looking for an integrated solution which could comply to safety functionalities as per IEC 61508 standards (SIL 3) in the closure assembly line for the project, ensuring safety of the personnel.
The customer also felt the need to standardize Engineering workflow, thereby minimize errors, reduce manual intervention, shorten execution times and efficiently deliver an Industry 4.0 based Solution
Industry 4.0 solution
The solution proposed from Siemens was based on combination of automation and software.
We proposed 5 different Use Cases and integration possibilities of existing automation with the Siemens software thereby addressing exactly those challenges that the customer faced
The following 5 different use cases were offered to the customer, plotted into various stages of the Value Chain
Automatic Execution of Engineering Task
Virtual Commissioning
Integrated Energy Management
Cloud Based Engineering
PLM Integration to Automation Engineering
This also created a “Value” for the customer over the solutions offered by competition. The biggest advantage with all the Use cases was that it aided Speed, Efficiency, Flexibility, Security and Standardization which is the key to Industry 4.0
Key benefits
| Area | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Energy & Sustainability | The customer was able to save 10% development time, 15% Engineering costs and 20% faster creation of HMI screens due to Automatic Execution of Engineering Task and Integrated Energy Management and Safety Functionality. |
| Time & Speed | With Virtual Commissioning as the Use case, customer was able to simulate machines in a virtual world, leading to a 10% reduction in development time. Engineering time was further reduced due to Automatic Execution of Engineering Task as the Use case, which allowed the customer to become 20% faster in creating HMI screens with typical faceplates. The time required for Prove out of Automation was cut by half. Instead of ten days in engineering, only five days were needed for completion of the logic |
| Time & Speed | The Cloud Based Engineering Use case allowed multiple users to work on a project together and simultaneously. By processing different objects in parallel, the project planning and commissioning times can be significantly shortened. Customer’s engineering timeline was reduced from 30 working days to just 12. |
| Cost Savings | Safety for Personnel and Machine is the top priority for manufactures. Strict Regulations are observed to ensure safety at all times in the production process, It is hence required that the corresponding protective functions are seamlessly integrated into the engineering system. Safety integration meant one controller, one engineering and one communication for standard and fail safe automation. This functionality from Siemens was inbuilt in our failsafe controller and TIA portal which enabled customer to achieve 15% reduction in costs while maintaining safety standards at all levels |
| Operational Benefit | We mapped each of the 5 use cases with the corresponding challenge it can address to, as well as co-createsd an offering which not only addressed the immediate challenges of the customer but also showed them the Bigger Picture i.e. the Future of Automation comprising of Industry 4.0,Cloud, Edge, AI, Block Chain and So on |
Technologies used
Change management and implementation
We are creating value by addressing the challenges of Indian manufacturers with an integrated DE approach. We formed a cross functional team cutting across verticals and ensure that all our projects are agile and customer centric. The Siemens’ team stepped in to enable the customer vision of digitalization and drive the transformation for Indian manufacturers by kickstarting their i4.0 journey.
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