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Flexible Manufacturing

The constant change in consumer demand is driving manufacturers to be more agile and produce a wider product portfolio from the same facility. This requires production lines and machines to be more flexible. To achieve this advanced manufacturing technologies, including flexible automation and connected systems, are essential.

Flexibility also means implementing changes is a smooth production process. Risking to introduce disruptions in a process finetuned for the highest efficiency. The question is this how to implement changeovers with minimal cost and fast ROI.

Adaptation of production and supply chains

To achieve an optimal solution with maximum flexibility in production, it is important to consider many different factors. 

A practical approach involves breaking down the workflow into functional levels to ensure agile manufacturing processes.

Flexible manufacturing system: Workflow in three levels

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For the machine
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For the machine and lines we aim to reduce intermediate stock on the shopfloor and enabling flexibility in the production line thanks to just-in-time delivery of consumables, optimizing the transport of goods, boxes, and pallets, as well as managing waste, and unused consumables.

Automating intralogistics to reduce human movement for low-added-value tasks. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from OMRON help create a modern, flexible shop floor.

Safely move pallets to and from the warehouse

Integrating high-end safety solutions without impacting productivity while connecting conveyors with autonomous mobile robots to reduce production footprint.

In the gathering process, a warehouse operator loses lots of time to move around through the warehouse. See how autonomous mobile robots support the operator.

At the machine
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At the machine we’re addressing non-value added tasks by the operator when consumables arrive at the machine. Automating material verification and feeding processes, replacing manual feeding activities with automated ones, conducting quality assurance on packaging materials, and ensuring package integrity after packaging.

Conveyor management

The consistent movement of products requires synchronized production processes. OMRON offers solutions in the form of a library of functional blocks, effectively reducing the time needed for the development of PLC program code.

Recruiting and retaining operators for loading cartons in a carton tray forming machine is quite a challenge for producers in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. See an example of an OMRON partner solution.

Easy to install and configure palletizing solutions. OMRON and its partners offer a complete palletizing solution. Integrating cobot, PLC & HMI with the complete sequencing performed from the PLC.

In the machine
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In the machine itself, all functions such as machine control, motion, robotics, sensing, vision, and safety are automatically aligned. This ensures that tasks like filling, capping, tray loading, seaming, sealing, and labelling are executed as quickly as possible, thereby enhancing overall efficiency.

Repacking from single variety to mixed cases creates several challenges. To handle & optimize the inflow of different goods, OMRON brings together a complete line of robotic automation products into a single, fully integrated packaging system.

Machine builders design their machine modular, allowing for both customization to customer needs (adding options) and easy configuration changes on the shop floor. See how OMRONs Sysmac platform simplifies the customisation process here.

To meet the requirements of consumers, producers provide a growing number of variations in their products & packages. At the same time ensuring zero complaints and zero defects is a must. This requires a dedicated and advanced systems for quality control.

Optimum Flexible Manufacturing ensures

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  • Safe Floorspace

    Autonomous Mobile Robots eliminate the need for as "point-of- use” storage of the different versions of the consumables.

  • Uninterrupted Supply

    Cobot-based automatic feeding of consumables combined with real-time verification of the packaging materials to be used.

  • Smooth Operations

    One controller platform to automatically align all functions such as motion, robotics, sensing, vision, and safety in a smart factory system.

  • Increased Quality

    Automated inspection and verification of the various product & package variations before shipment.

  • Operator support

    The right info to effectively supervise the production or packaging line, reducing downtime to minimum.

Manufacturing technology

Customer References, Examples and Related Articles