Waldkirch/Hannover, April 2017 – With the theme of “Driving your industry 4ward”, SICK is presenting its own smart factory for the efficient production of batch size 1 at the Hannover Messe 2017 and demonstrating what can be achieved today in the field of Industry 4.0. The future is already here with programmable cameras, intelligent sensors, RFID read/write devices and intelligent security solutions that are linked together via the cloud and apps.
The SICK intelligent factory uses decentralized intelligence (edge computing) together with additional cloud intelligence to enable devices to learn and adapt. A number of screens and dashboards will give visitors to the exhibition an in-depth insight into the data and cloud operations. The highlights of the smart factory are a robot and an automated guided cart (AGC).
Cameras that can be programmed directly via SICK AppSpace will be able to expand their range of functions automatically as a result of self-learning apps. The results of their activities can be made available to other sensors via a global network. Production programs will be adapted on the basis of incoming orders and compared against inventory levels. Sensors will document all the relevant incidents to ensure transparency and security on all levels.
Using this smart factory, SICK will demonstrate how the challenges of Industry 4.0 can already be overcome with intelligent, reliable sensor data and how this data can be put to practical use in different areas. SICK sensor solutions will enable customers to capture real-life scenarios in data form and then make targeted use of this data in their applications.
Driving your industry 4ward
Industrial automation is changing at an extremely rapid pace. SICK plays an innovative and pioneering role in the development of cutting-edge sensor technology and offers solutions today that can overcome the challenges of tomorrow. Intelligent sensor systems collect data, evaluate it in real time, adapt to their environment and communicate across a network. This allows for a new type of flexibility, networked intelligence for efficient processes and reliable cooperation between people and machines.
SICK is one of the world’s leading producers of sensors and sensor solutions for industrial applications. The company, which was founded in 1946 by Dr Erwin Sick and has its headquarters in Waldkirch im Breisgau near Freiburg in Germany, is among the technology market leaders. With more than 50 subsidiaries and equity investments as well as many agencies, SICK has a presence all over the world. In the fiscal year 2016, SICK had more than 8,000 employees worldwide and a group revenue of just under EUR 1.4 billion.
More information about SICK is available on the Internet at http://www.sick.com or by phone on +49 (0) 7681 202 4183.