Weidmüller, Komax, Zuken and Armbruster Engineering launch the "Smart Cabinet Building" initiative

The following joint press release from Zuken, Weidmüller, Komax and Armbruster Engineering was published on the Weidmüller website on 20 April 2020

Networking of technology and expertise for smart cabinet building

Weidmüller, Komax, Zuken and Armbruster Engineering set up the “Smart Cabinet Building” initiative for new solutions in the field of cabinet building

Detmold, 20. April 2020. Increasing the potential of digitalization in cabinet building processes with tailored, consistent solutions. To this end, the companies Weidmüller, Komax, Zuken, and Armbruster Engineering founded the “Smart Cabinet Building” initiative in April.  These companies are technology leaders in various sectors of cabinet building, who are now bundling their competencies and know-how for the very first time. “The aim is to provide integrated solutions for current and future challenges in the area of cabinet building by networking technology and expertise across all process steps”, explains Volker Bibelhausen, CTO and Speaker of the Executive Board at Weidmüller.

Our aim is to provide integrated solutions for current and future challenges in the area of cabinet building by networking technology and expertise across all process steps.

Volker Bibelhausen CTO and Speaker of the Executive Board at Weidmüller

Holistic approach to the value-added process

Digitalisation offers many levers for optimising production processes. However, productivity can only be successfully increased by taking a comprehensive view to the individual aspects of the value-added process. Huge efficiency increases can be achieved taking advantage of the optimisation potential that exists in the interfaces between the individual process steps. “Cabinet building in particular, with its still high proportion of manual activities, offers very promising approaches here. This ranges from component selection to the pre-assembly of cord sets, equipment and enclosures, right through to assisted final assembly and testing prior to commissioning”, explains Matijas Meyer, CEO of the Komax Group.

Cabinet building in particular, with its still high proportion of manual activities, offers very promising approaches here. This ranges from component selection to the pre-assembly of cord sets, equipment and enclosures, right through to assisted final assembly and testing prior to commissioning.

Matijas Meyer EO of the Komax Group

Perfect complementary expertise

Weidmüller is incorporating its expertise in the automatic assembly and marking of terminal blocks, as well as in manual tasks. Zuken is contributing its competence in digital development data that is provided for automatic processing and used on Komax machines for fully automatic wire processing, while Armbruster Engineering complements the initiative with its long-standing expertise in assisted assembly.

Perfect interaction of product, process and production equipment

“Panel building is situated in a pronounced field of conflict: An almost unmanageable number of technical features in the face of fast-changing customer requirements, high cost and price pressure with tight deadlines. This can only succeed if the possibilities opened up by automation and digitalization are adopted to create a perfect interaction between product, process and production equipment. Especially the combination of fully automated solutions and digital assistance systems that guide the employee during manual installation as well as control and monitor the tools being used is a key factor for success factor in practice”, explains Henning Vogler, Managing Director at Armbruster Engineering.

The combination of fully automated solutions and digital assistance systems that guide the employee during manual installation as well as control and monitor the tools being used is a key factor for success factor in practice.

Henning Vogler Managing Director at Armbruster Engineering

The digital twin as the basis

The foundation for networking the process steps is the digital twin, a complete digital description of the cabinet and its components that can be used to control the various process steps. Joachim Frank, Managing Director at Zuken E3 GmbH, adds: “Through our strategic partnership in the ‘Smart Cabinet Building’ initiative, we want to make our contribution to developing substantial optimization potential in cabinet building based on the digital twin.”

Through our strategic partnership in the ‘Smart Cabinet Building’ initiative, we want to make our contribution to developing substantial optimization potential in cabinet building based on the digital twin.

Joachim Frank Managing Director, Zuken E3 GmbH

For more information on the complete portfolio of solutions, more information on the Smart Cabinet Building initiative and news, please visit: www.smart-cabinet-building.com