TRANSPORT INDUSTRY: DIGITAL MANUFACTURING
DIGITAL PRODUCTION EXPANSION Between 2017 and 2025,Mercedes-Benz Vans will investmore
than €200million in the expansion of intelligent production. According to Frank
Klein, head of operations atMercedes-Benz Vans, the digitalisation of the
Sprinter plant in Ludwigsfelde near Berlin represents a newmilestone on the road to full connectivity. Klein stated thatMercedes-Benz Vans
Autonomous guided vehicles use RFID transponders (inset) – which form a central part of Mercedes Vans’ production strategy – and optical sensors to navigate the large production facility at Ludwigsfelde
had already accomplished a great deal in recent years with the paperless factory, self-driving transport systems and a host of other projects. “As part of our ‘IntelligentProduction@VANS’ strategy, we are now setting anothermilestone on the road to the fully connected ‘factory of the future’ formore efficiency and flexibility,” he says. “We want to realise potentials throughout the entire production process with technology such as RFID. Our production operations around the world are to be fully digitalised by 2025.”
Smart factory for smart vans
Mercedes-Benz takes a new approach to manufacturing for the production of its latest range of electrified Sprinter vans
M
ercedes-Benz Vans is no stranger to the intelligent production of light commercial vehicles, as it has been employing the latest in
digital manufacturing at its van product plants for a number of years already. Now, the van division of the Daimler brand is taking digitalisation to the next stage. For the forthcoming start of
production of the new model of the popular Sprinter van,Mercedes-Benz is bringing new connected series-
production technologies online. The reasons behind this are increasing requirements on flexibility and efficiency. One aspect of this decision is the
increased number of variants available of the Sprinter as a result of the demand for electrified models. In addition, the global production network ofMercedes-Benz Vans has been utilised near capacity for years and sales are rising continuously. Finally, employees also benefit from the increasing digitalisation in production by being relieved of routine tasks. This gives them more time for higher-end tasks.
RFID TECHNOLOGY For employees in logistics and production, it has been a long-pursued goal to know exactly where a particular component is at any given time. The benefits are obvious: such information allows themto respond flexibly to changes in the sequence, such as those caused by delays in certain areas. In addition, they always know the current warehouse stock. Quality assurance employees are
consequently also always informed whether the right component was installed in the right vehicle. All that is already a reality in theMercedes-Benz Ludwigsfelde plant. As part of a pilot phase, contactless
RFID technology (radio-frequency identification) is used to track and identify the doormirrors and seats automatically wirelessly. This happens fromthemoment they are received to the time the Sprinter rolls off the lines. The project is being implemented in
close co-operation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF). The goal in Ludwigsfelde is to digitally connect up to 40 parts with the production systemvia RFID in the next few years.With the ramp-up of the new Sprinter, the technology will become an integral part of series production in Ludwigsfelde. Other locations ofMercedes-Benz Vans are also to be equipped with this technology.
December 2017 /// Environmental Engineering /// 37
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