Feature

Dancing robots are a reality at Rittal’s Manufacturing Plant in Germany

High-tech production plants that “think for themselves”, that plan things automatically and that optimise maintenance work through artificial intelligence, might sound like a futuristic sci-fi film, but it is fast becoming a reality at Rittal’s manufacturing plant in Rittershausen, Germany.

04/02/2019 10:10:00

To produce its new VX25 large enclosure system, Rittal is transforming its production plant “on the fly” into a highly-advanced enclosures factory, populated by welding and handling robots. Half the conversion work has already been completed and the Industry 4.0 manufacturing unit is expected to be finished by 2020. The total investment involved has reached €120 million.

“In eighteen months’ time, nothing will look as it does now,” explains Carsten Röttchen, Managing Director International Production at Rittal.

The reason is the new VX25 large enclosure system, which is replacing the TS 8 – an enclosure which had long enjoyed worldwide success. Even so, the VX25 is a far superior enclosure. It was developed following countless discussions with customers, plus a large-scale scientific user study in Germany, the USA and China, as well as five years’ of development work.

In the process, the VX25 has been refined into a far simpler product, offering its users significant time savings. It is also extremely stable; it accommodates the tightly packed control and switchgear that governs the production of cars or heavy-duty energy storage units for wind turbines.

Read the full article in the February issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.