company
Siemens Appliance Factory Erlangen
industry
Electronics and technology
country
Germany
staff
1000+
Why does Siemens use cobots?
As a pioneer in digitalization, Siemens' Erlangen plant (GWE) uses collaborative robots from Universal Robots to automate repetitive and tiring tasks. Today, more than 70 cobots relieve the workforce in various production areas. The goal is to increase productivity, improve the cost position, and at the same time boost employee motivation with state-of-the-art workstations. Thanks to close cooperation between humans and machines, automation has arrived directly at the employees' workstations.
What challenges had to be overcome?
Like many industrial companies, GWE faces challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers and rising cost pressures. However, conventional industrial robots were not cost-effective for the production of small to medium quantities. The plant needed an alternative solution that was compact, versatile, and, above all, easy to operate. Siemens wanted to design the processes itself and use its own technical expertise to respond flexibly to market requirements.
What does Universal Robots' solution look like?
Siemens relies on consistent planning using digital twins to simulate every step of the value chain virtually in advance and ensure smooth integration.
Virtual commissioning
Each application is planned and simulated in advance in the VR lab to rule out planning errors.
Employee onboarding
Information days allowed employees to test the cobots in advance, which led to a high level of acceptance and close identification with the technology.
in-house implementation
Our own specialists from the fields of engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance carry out the implementation of the robot stations.
Versatile areas of application
The cobots take on tasks ranging from assembly, palletizing, and quality control to dosing and gluing.
Why the UR10e was the ideal choice for Siemens
Compactness & versatility
The robots are extremely space-saving and can be flexibly integrated into existing production lines.
Intuitive operation
Thanks to the simple programming, Siemens can develop and customize the applications independently in-house.
economic efficiency
The UR10e enables profitable automation even for small and medium batch sizes.
Do you have any questions about our cobots?
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Precise automation through digital twins
The e-series from Universal Robots forms the basis for high-precision manufacturing at the Siemens plant in Erlangen. By combining robots with digital twins, Siemens ensures excellent process and product quality. Simulations carried out in advance enable precise planning of start-up phases and minimize downtime during installation. This guarantees a stable production flow and ensures that innovative automation solutions can be operated safely right next to employees on the shop floor.
The key to success was that we carried out the planning and implementation with our own specialists from engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance. Today, other Siemens locations are benefiting from our experience with cobots.
Michael Brucksch
Head of Automation Implementation at Siemens GWE
