Nokia-led group of 12 electronics industry players have
unveiled the ‘factory
in a box’ concept, to simplify how manufacturers could stay ahead of industry
demands 4.0 through agile production that could be packed, transported and
brought back into service in a matter of hours, reports ITRealms.
The
group, ITRealms gathered, started
working on the concept in the summer of 2017, aimed at building a single
electronics manufacturing line using cargo containers that can be moved to
locations as demand dictates.
Collaboration,
ITRealms
reports, was driven by the expected changes in manufacturing sparked by
Industry 4.0, including cloud-based solutions, robotics and new electronic
manufacturing IoT solutions, all of which will demand greater agility and
flexibility from manufacturers.
Potential
use cases include but not limited to building
for 'country of origin' requirements - The container can be driven
to a location, build the required volume, and then be moved again as needed.
The
new product introduction -
With new products, time to market is a competitive advantage. By moving the
"factory in a box" to partners, prototyping can be quickly done and
fixes quickly performed and tested.
And
disaster recovery - When a
site is hit by a natural disaster, business continuity plans kick in but can
take time. With a spare portable factory, critical customer orders can still be
achieved in a timely manner.
In
late 2017, the project took a step forward at Nokia's Digital Creativity Lab opening
in Munich, where a cargo container with a collaborative robot assembly station
was packed, moved to a new location by truck, then restarted within hours at
the new location where small Lego cars were assembled, proving the precision of
the machines.
The
final step in the proof of concept was achieved on February 9, 2018, when full
electronic manufacturing of a printed circuit board and robotic assembly and
testing took place.
The
group - Nokia, Beta Layout, DHL, Fuji, HARTING, Isel, isoloc, MTEK Consulting,
Mycronic, Rehm Thermal Systems, Viscom, and 42Q - now plans to demonstrate this
full capability at the Hanover Messe in April 2018.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
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