Industry 4.0 is developing in practice at Rittal: the system provider for enclosures, power distribution, climate control, IT infrastructure and software & service is creating a smart factory in its new plant - a modern production facility for compact enclosures and small enclosures. "The plant will be fully aligned with highly efficient Industry 4.0 structures," says Prof. Friedhelm Loh, owner and CEO of the Friedhelm Loh Group. "The total investment of 250 million euros not only stands for the prospects of the Central Hesse site and the 290 jobs at the Haiger plant. We have made a conscious decision to move into the future with the people with whom we have grown up."

In the new factory halls, around 9,000 AX compact enclosures and KX small enclosures per day will soon be manufactured in a highly automated process on 24,000 square meters using more than 100 new high-tech machines and system components. The plant will process around 35,000 tons of steel per year.

Industrial production in the smart factory
In the production process, the machinery in Haiger is increasingly automated to adapt to the workpieces and assemblies to be produced. Whereas previously the individual production processes of cutting, edging, welding and painting were carried out transactionally, sequentially and independently of each other, in the new plant all people and objects are increasingly integrated into the manufacturing execution system. The individual assemblies are automatically brought together at the end to form the finished product and provided with a QR code, which also enables identification during subsequent further processing by the customer.

The machines and handling systems communicate with each other and with higher-level control systems via modern Industry 4.0-compatible communication networks. 20 driverless transport systems automatically handle transportation in the factory. Packaging, labeling and onward transport to distribution are also automated. With the help of knowledge-based systems that continuously "learn", downtimes are reduced, maintenance is planned with foresight and disruptions to the sophisticated production process are minimized.

Digitized order processing thus becomes a guarantee for the constant availability of the series portfolio with accessories in the Global Distribution Center, which closes the digital chain from configuration and engineering at the customer's premises to delivery.

New world of work in Haiger
The new type of industrial production is also changing the role of employees. Demanding manual activities such as material transportation are being reduced or eliminated. Instead, employees are increasingly involved in controlling, monitoring and optimizing processes. "The expertise and skills of experienced employees are also a key to the smart factory: only with people as systematic 'trainers' will the systems become learning and later intelligent systems," explains Prof. Loh. Rittal also provides future-proof knowledge about digitalization through training courses for employees at its own Loh Academy.

The new technology also improves the working environment. It makes the plant quiet, clean and energy-efficient. For example, the waste heat generated in the new paint shop is consistently reused - for example for degreasing components or heating the halls. Efficiency was also taken into account when it came to water consumption: The process water is purified in a closed circuit and recycled.

Smart factory for digital added value for customers
Rittal produces the new AX compact enclosures and KX small enclosures at the factory. Digitalization is changing the demands placed on the product, its environment and its availability. Rittal has therefore developed the new series into a system solution for Industry 4.0. From engineering and ordering through to automation - Rittal offers end-to-end solutions along the entire value chain in control and switchgear manufacturing and supplies high-quality digital data for the entire design and machining process in the form of a digital product twin. Following on from the Blue e+ cooling units and the VX25 large enclosures, the new compact enclosures and small enclosures are now also integrated into this modern system environment with AX and KX.

Networking determines economic success
The plant in Haiger is a pilot project for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in practice, which will also serve as a model for Rittal internationally. In future, it will increasingly serve as a pioneer and reference for the potential of Rittal's own products and services relating to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Blue e+ cooling units increase energy efficiency and are integrated into the monitoring and energy management systems via the IIoT interface. The entire machine fleet permanently supplies data on the control system and current operating statuses. In future, this data will be collected in an Edge Data Center at the plant and evaluated using applications from sister company Innovo. This will form the basis for industrial analytics. as