Companies are more concerned with leveraging digital technology to help increase performance and resilience to market fluctuations than ever before. Companies that digitalize their processes can more easily overcome labor shortages while simplifying the manufacturing of custom industrial automation infrastructure.
Digitalizing the industrial enclosure design and modification process can help companies accelerate their speed-to-market and respond to sudden changes in production or design specs without incurring costly downtime. Here, we’ll look at three real-world examples of how digitalization helped deliver a major return on investment across a range of industrial applications.
Optimizing equipment design to streamline the scaling process
A U.S. pump manufacturer faced a significant challenge in quickly scaling their business operations to meet a surge in demand. This rapid increase in demand was also creating production bottlenecks that were threatening their reputation as a reliable pump manufacturer.
The manufacturer recognized the need for an integrated, digitalized planning and design platform to alleviate production bottlenecks and accelerate throughput. However, the hurdle was understanding the right platform for their specific needs, along with how to harness the power of digitalization to create a more efficient, visible equipment design process.
Rittal's modular enclosure systems combined with Eplan’s data-driven engineering offered the flexibility and scalability necessary to support the manufacturer’s growing operations. Designed to streamline assembly processes and enhance efficiency, Rittal enclosures provided an operational foundation for the customer’s new manufacturing processes.
What’s more, Rittal’s Perforex LC 3030 Laser Center and WT Wire Terminal significantly reduced manual labor, improved precision, accelerated production timelines, and improved the efficiency of customization.
Not only did partnering with Rittal help this pump manufacturer optimize enclosure design and modification, it also simplified the process of responding to fluctuations in market demand.
Transforming operational efficiency for productivity and growth
A U.S. systems integrator with more than three decades of experience needed to drastically improve the operational efficiency of their panel building processes to keep pace with their competitors and seize new growth opportunities. What’s more, the systems integrator needed a new approach to panel building to meet stricter delivery deadlines and maintain a high level of precision.
The combination of Rittal’s Perforex panel machining center and Eplan’s CAE design software increased the speed and accuracy with which the systems integrator could execute complex panel building tasks. Pivoting to a fully automated panel modification system also helped the systems integrator incorporate a wide range of modification services, such as the machining of powder-coated sheet steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and plastic.
The results? This systems integrator boosted the efficiency of their panel building operations and solidified their reputation as a reliable, forward-thinking brand that prioritizes on-time delivery. This also helped the company secure new jobs and grow their long-term customer base.
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Increasing throughput and reducing labor costs
A leading manufacturer in the U.S. power distribution solutions market was grappling with a variety of all-too-common operational challenges, some of which included reducing labor costs, boosting throughput, and enhancing safety protocols. The growth in this company’s primary application — plastic enclosures for use as combiner boxes in solar power facilities — heightened the urgency for complete digitalization to increase throughput and reduce labor costs.
With the goal of modifying about 200 enclosures per day, this manufacturer partnered with Rittal on a Perforex MT milling machine, which significantly increased processing speeds. This manufacturer also collaborated with Rittal on a 9X Special Frame Fixture, a specially designed frame capable of holding up to nine enclosures at once, to be used in conjunction with the Perforex machine.
The installation of the Perforex in conjunction with the 9X Special Frame Fixture helped the manufacturer increase throughput by almost 40% while also reducing labor costs. This custom digitalized solution also helped the company enhance the quality of its modifications and custom builds, leading to new customer relationships and increased annual revenue.
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With the Rittal Automation Systems (RAS) suite of products, manufacturers can automate their entire value chain to increase process efficiency, productivity, and flexibility. This helps manufacturers create more flexible, versatile manufacturing programs while simplifying scalability to meet customer demands and create long-term, sustainable growth.