Smart logistics is the basis for economic success: Interconnected and automated processes can significantly reduce downtime and costs while simultaneously increasing reliability for end customers. There are a number of ways to make adjustments throughout the supply chain to optimize efficiency. At this year’s Hannover Messe, ZF will show how the Group’s various intelligent mechanical systems ensure maximum output by interacting within a comprehensive connected supply chain.
“If you want to optimize logistics in a sustainable manner, you have to take the entire supply chain into consideration. This starts with production, includes internal and external delivery processes and finally concludes with the end customer,” says Wilhelm Rehm, member of the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG responsible for Commercial Vehicle and Industrial Technology. “We at ZF are ideally positioned in all areas of mobility thanks to our comprehensive systems competence, which enables us to offer smart solutions for each step of a comprehensively interconnected supply chain.”
Digital twinning and big data for optimized production processes
At this year’s Hannover Messe, ZF will demonstrate optimized and connected supply chains. At the same time, the technology company is pursuing its goal of emission-free logistics: The ZF trade fair booth follows the lifecycle of the electric axle drive eVD2, which will go into volume production this year for an international premium passenger car manufacturer. The starting point is a test bench for electric drives, which has been newly developed by the Group.
High-value test results contribute to continuous optimization of the production process. Using big data approaches, areas in production that are potentially problematic can be identified and eliminated or optimized promptly, before major costs from rejects ever arise. A digital twin, in which test results are stored, is simultaneously created in the ZF Cloud from the data obtained for each electric drive produced. This “digital birth certificate” provides relevant logistics and customer information for the associated drive module. Provided with a tag from asset tracking solution deTAGtive, which digitally tracks location and condition, the electric drive is now ready for further transport.
In an Industry 4.0 environment, our vision is that this would be automated: A robot arm loads the drive from the test bench onto the ZF Innovation Forklift, which has been informed previously via the cloud. Thanks to interlinking with the goods receipt system, the forklift truck knows the destination of its delivery and independently navigates to the correct loading bay. On its way, it can recognize and avoid any pedestrians or obstacles thanks to its comprehensive sensor technology, controlled by the most powerful supercomputer control box in the industry, the ZF ProAI.
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SOURCE: ZF
