Eaton Modernizes Its Manufacturing Footprint With Two New Smart Factories
12 Febbraio 2024 - 10:05PM
Business Wire
- A newly built and a legacy Eaton site have embraced Industry
4.0 technology to digitalize operations.
- Best practices and learnings from the smart factories will
help accelerate the implementation of Industry 4.0 technology at
other Eaton sites.
- Three additional regional sites, including one in the United
States, are planned to go live as smart factories by the end of
2024.
Intelligent power management company Eaton (NYSE: ETN) announced
today its continued commitment to modernizing the company’s
manufacturing footprint with smart factories in Juarez, Mexico, and
Changzhou, China. As both a new build and legacy site,
respectively, these electrical manufacturing sites have embraced
Industry 4.0 technology and its benefits to digitalize operations.
Juarez and Changzhou will serve as models for other Eaton plants,
to help accelerate the implementation of advanced digital
technologies.
Known as the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0
leverages automation of traditional manufacturing practices using
digital technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics,
additive manufacturing, factory simulation and augmented and
virtual reality to adapt, predict and optimize factory performance.
These technologies improve the efficiency of plants, leading to
higher product quality, increased speed-to-market, a reduced
environmental footprint and a safer and more productive
workforce.
“Now, more than ever, there’s an expectation for manufacturers
to optimize production, enhance customer experience, and enable
innovation, driving the need for the benefits of Industry 4.0
solutions,” said Craig Sutton, vice president, Industry 4.0 at
Eaton. “Our plants in Juarez and Changzhou have worked tirelessly
to implement the advanced technologies needed to create smart and
connected manufacturing environments that will help meet
demand.”
Built with Industry 4.0 in mind
Juarez began operations less than two years ago, built from the
ground up with Industry 4.0 in mind. Today, this smart and
connected manufacturing site employs more than 500 people and has
implemented 10 Industry 4.0 technologies. Connected equipment spans
every corner of the facility, including molding, stamping,
automated feeder lines, manual and automated assembly, subassembly,
and facilities equipment. This connectivity has led to an 18
percent improvement in on-time delivery. Digital work instructions
provide updates in real-time based on production and design
changes, creating an almost paperless environment.
The site also utilizes Eaton’s Asset Performance Management
solution, part of the Brightlayer Industrial suite, to track and
analyze energy usage, resulting in increased energy efficiency,
reduced energy consumption and early identification of significant
energy users to reduce emissions and help meet the plant’s
sustainability goals. The site has been certified as LEED Gold by
the U.S. Green Building Council – recognized globally as a symbol
of sustainability achievement – and recycles or reuses 99.8% of all
waste.
Digitalizing a legacy site
Operating for nearly two decades and employing more than 370
people, the Changzhou site has implemented advanced technologies
including additive manufacturing, factory simulation, autonomous
robots, and augmented reality, among others, to digitalize its
operations and realize a 26% increase in overall factory
efficiency. A connected learning center provides employees with an
immersive learning experience before they enter the factory
floor.
Eaton’s Intelligent Energy Management solution (available in
APAC only) integrates digital and intelligent solutions at the site
to optimize power supply from utilities, Photovoltaic solar panels,
and an energy storage battery based on the most economical choice.
The solution monitors all electrical power usage at the site in
real time and reports any abnormalities, allowing for early
identification and detection of energy-saving opportunities. Since
2018, Changzhou has decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 50%.
The company continues to invest in its manufacturing, planning
to go live with three additional smart factories by the end of
2024, including locations in Austria, Brazil, and the United
States. This further investment in North American manufacturing
complements the almost $750 million announced in 2023.
Learn more about Industry 4.0 at Eaton here.
Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to
improving the quality of life and protecting the environment for
people everywhere. We are guided by our commitment to do business
right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers manage
power ─ today and well into the future. By capitalizing on the
global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, we’re
accelerating the planet’s transition to renewable energy, helping
to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges, and
doing what’s best for our stakeholders and all of society.
Eaton was founded in 1911 and has been listed on the New York
Stock Exchange for more than a century. We reported revenues of
$20.8 billion in 2022 and serve customers in more than 170
countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com. Follow us on
LinkedIn.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240212371314/en/
Ashley O’Connell +1 216 990-5682 ashleynoconnell@eaton.com
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