Undertaking a digital transformation

Hirata Corporation (Hirata), headquartered in Kumamoto, Japan, is a global leader in constructing production lines. It has locations throughout Japan as well as plants in North America, Europe and across Asia, providing production equipment to automotive and semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.

Hirata provides transmission assembly lines, engine assembly lines, electrical vehicle (EV) and other automotive production equipment to numerous manufacturers.

When the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes damaged the company’s plants, Hirata decided to contribute to the reconstruction effort by relocating its headquarters to Kumamoto City.

As sales increased, the company’s newly built plant was expanded to provide space for adjusting equipment test runs and enabling customers to conduct inspections inside the plant. Hirata has integrated design, manufacturing, assembly, electrical work and adjustment test runs. As the company constructed and subsequently expanded its plant, it also started a large-scale digital transformation.

After evaluating several simulation solutions, Hirata chose Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Process Simulate in the Tecnomatix® portfolio. It also decided to work with Siemens as its strategic partner to promote digital transformation, and as part of that initiative introduced the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services to the company.

Strategically promoting digital transformation

By embracing digital transformation, Hirata has been able to shorten the time it takes to go from product design to manufacturing. Hirata has front-loaded its investment in resources early in the product development process, bringing forward work that was previously done in later stages.

As Hirata’s customers began to face shorter production times, they focused on how to compress the time between new products, handle low-volume, high-mix production and shrink the period required to modify production lines during operation.

Hirata knew the digital transformation would help them, but it was challenging to explain to senior management and on-site personnel what would change and what the simulations with Process Simulate would reveal. Describing the benefits of simulations was particularly difficult at first. Some personnel had the impression that simulations would require twice as much effort. However, as the implementation went ahead, workers were able to see the positive effects and started saying it made sense.

Simulation supports high-quality manufacturing

“Prior to introducing digital simulations, we were able to check for equipment interferences and conduct on-site verifications, but now we were able to teach robots offline,” says Shoichiro Seki, general manager of the engineering departments at Hirata. “Once that data has been downloaded, the robots can immediately be operated on-site, which is a huge advantage.

“Previously, we had to turn on the power, start up the robots and then perform the teaching work to check for interferences, cable twists and other issues. Now all of that can be performed offline, which is incredibly helpful for manufacturing.”

Leveraging Process Simulate

Hirata’s major customers have added 3D model validation to their equipment development process and most of them were using Process Simulate, which is part of Siemens Xcelerator. This also motivated Hirata to select Process Simulate.

“Previously we required three engineers to complete the verification process in three to 10 days, but one engineer using Process Simulate for cable simulation can complete the verification process in approximately two hours,” says Seki. “That reduced man-hours compared to conventional methods by 90 percent and manpower requirements by 66 percent.”

“After a year of simulation experience with Process Simulate, I was able to gain a deeper overall understanding of the work I had been doing for the past five years in my own area of expertise, human machine interface,” says Mami Hayata, chief of the control design group in the engineering department. “This enabled me to receive information from many different fields, including mechanical, control, instrumentation and robotics. The introduction of simulation has allowed me to learn so much more about the world of equipment.”

“I used to only talk to people in control,” says Kosuke Nishi, who is a mechanical design engineer. “But now I have connections with various people in mechanical, control, instrumentation and robotics. Initially, when simulations were introduced, my requests to mechanical designers to provide information for simulation were met with resistance, but now that awareness and demand have increased considerably, I feel that we are able to exchange useful information.”

“Previously, we determined the optimal cable routes and fixing methods by trial and error,” says Ryosei Sekiguchi, manager of the control design group in the engineering department. “With Process Simulate we can use simulations to verify multiple patterns of routes and fixing methods simultaneously, which significantly reduces the time spent on that.”

“Prior to introduction, we used 2D drawings to confirm ergonomic areas and workability based on planar dimensions, which frequently led to insufficient verification of worker postures and product shapes,” says Seki.

“This often resulted in us discovering necessary adjustments only after the completed equipment started being used. However, with the introduction of human machine interface, we can now perform work verifications for various postures in 3D. The results are clear and easy to understand, allowing smooth consensus building with customers.

“We compared simulation software from various manufacturers, but ultimately chose to adopt Process Simulate due to its global market share and especially its widespread use among automotive manufacturers.

“As a result of this evaluation, we chose Siemens as our strategic partner to promote digital transformation. We also introduced Siemens Xcelerator as part of that effort.”

Future of Process Simulate

Hirata is implementing Process Simulate add-on features every year, including modules for robotics, virtual commissioning, safety and cable. They have also introduced Plant Simulation in the Tecnomatix portfolio in various departments.

Leading the world in roll production

Sinosteel Xingtai Machinery and Mill Roll Co., Ltd. (Sinosteel Xingtai) is the world’s largest producer of mill rolls with an annual output of 180,000 tons and a global market share of more than 20 percent. Pursuing the China 2025 national industrial manufacturing strategy, the company began upgrading its plants in 2018. The company moved to the Xingtai economic development zone to build new plants, investing nearly 10 billion RMB. Xingtai Machinery and Mill Roll aims to become the world’s first intelligent digital roll production enterprise.

Implementing Tecnomatix digital manufacturing

In the earliest phase of new plant planning, the company adopted the Tecnomatix® portfolio of digital manufacturing solutions, part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services. With the assistance of IPS, a Siemens Smart Partner consultancy, Xingtai Machinery and Mill Roll collected production and logistics data and imported a new plant blueprint into the Tecnomatix Plant Simulation 2D/3D simulation environment.

Tecnomatix Plant Simulation includes tools for simulating, exploring, and optimizing logistics systems and their processes. The plant models enable analysis of material flow, resource utilization, and logistics for all levels of manufacturing planning, well in advance of production execution. Using these tools, Xingtai Machinery and Mill Roll conducted the plant simulations, verified the layout and logistics, and optimized the total manufacturing plan.

An effective way to discover plan deficiencies after the static design phase

By simulating the production and logistics processes, the Xingtai Machinery and Mill Roll team effectively discovered several problems that are otherwise difficult to detect at the static design phase. For example, the simulation results revealed that the inventory of pig iron and steel scrap was negative when studying the cross-region material distribution. By checking the input data table, the team found that the daily demand for pig iron and steel scrap was greater than the planned capacity of the storage tanks.

In another example, the team used Plant Simulation to discover that a flat car did not return to the waiting position for the next batch of material according to the batching schedule. The flat car was still in the melting span, and the material on the flat car had not been consumed, so the next batch of material could not be distributed on time. The error in the logistics design was easily understood when the team compared the simulation data with the input data table. The problem was finally solved by adding a spare material plate. Simulation has helped to accurately identify and correct other problems, such as the interference of a moving crane with other cranes and equipment. The ability and efficiency of Plant Simulation to help discover problems introduced at the static planning phase is highly valued by the company.

A powerful platform for plan optimization

Using Plant Simulation, Xingtai Machinery and Mill Roll optimized the plant plan. For example, one of the optimization considerations for a steel sand box area was whether to add a flat car track. Plant Simulation helped the team to easily verify the option by running the simulation and comparing the results. The simulation determined that adding a flat car track would reduce the moving distance of the overhead traveling crane by 1,600 meters and reduce working time by 27 minutes per day. Similarly, in a cast crossing and other areas, the team proposed a series of optimization solutions that were quickly verified by the simulation. These optimizations helped eliminate logistics collisions and increase the efficiency and utilization rates of high-value equipment. By the end of the first phase of the plant simulation project, the team had found six important design deficiencies and proposed two important optimization solutions for layout and logistics.

“With the help of Tecnomatix solutions and IPS consultants, we have improved the plan of the new plant in a relatively short time at a limited cost,” says Wang Jingjun, director of information management at Sinosteel Xingtai Machinery and Mill Roll. “The project not only helped avoid several important design deficiencies, but also helped save 100 million RMB in equipment investment by optimizing the layout and logistics.”

Hear from Ondřej Pažout, Benthor head of robotics and simulation, about how the leading automation machinery innovator uses Siemens Process Simulate software to help elevate robotic safety and efficiency. Benthor is a leading innovator in the manufacturing industry, specializing in the design and integration of advanced robotic systems.

Automation solutions for machines and production facilities

Benthor Automation, based in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic, develops automation and information technology (IT) systems for industrial manufacturing. The company’s customers are primarily in the automotive industry and include domestic and foreign car makers. Benthor’s core competencies include automation solutions for machines and production facilities with superior control technology and material flow management, and it offers services throughout the process chain, including consulting, technical solutions, hardware planning, software development, system deployment and after-sales service.

At Benthor, we prioritize the safety of robotic systems, and thanks to our collaboration with safety experts, we are able to design cutting-edge manufacturing equipment with integrated safety elements from the very first concepts of the workstations. This way, we provide our customers with transparency — visualizing the future workstation while eliminating additional costs caused by misinterpretation or misunderstanding of functionality.”Ondřej Pažout, Head of robotics and simulation for Benthor automation s.r.o.

In the industrial automation space and as robotic systems become more prevalent in densely populated automated lines, functional safety remains crucial to prevent human injury and equipment damage. When planning a new robot station or lines, whether implementing changes for new products or layout adjustments, prioritizing robot safety is paramount. The intricacies of addressing robot safety in production systems started only as a discussion between Benthor and Siemens team, and now it has evolved into a strategic business priority for Benthor. That is when the leading automation machinery manufacturer realized the value of using Process Simulate Safety Robots Manager to address the safety of robotic workstations.

Meet the robot safety experts part of this collaboration:

Hear from Ondřej Pažout, Head of robotics and simulation for Benthor

Priority at Benthor

At Benthor, we fully recognize the crucial importance of safety in the integration of robotic systems. We design robotic workstations with the goal of minimizing risks for both  operators and the equipment itself. Our integrations include not only physical barriers, but also sophisticated software tools for simulation and safety management. We address safety right from the start of the project by using simulations that consider all possible scenarios and potential safety incidents arising from risk analysis.

This approach allows us to eliminate potential risks even before the construction of the workstation begins. This helps us avoid costly adjustments to equipment or software during or after deployment. Thanks to our collaboration with the Siemens team responsible for Tecnomatix Process Simulate Safety Robots Manager, Benthor is able to implement advanced simulation technologies and methodologies that ensure detailed analysis and optimization of robotic workstations.

Solution: Process Simulate Safety Robots Manager

One of the key tools we use at Benthor is Process Simulate Safety Robots Manager (SRM). This application enables detailed management of robot safety functions and helps us simulate safety scenarios before physical implementation. With SRM, we can set up safety zones, define allowed movements, and monitor the status of robots in a simulated environment where there is no risk of injury or hardware damage. This allows us to quickly respond to any safety deviations and take appropriate measures during the design or virtual commissioning phase. This approach not only increases safety but also the efficiency, reliability, and profitability of automated systems. 

Robot safety use cases

By utilizing solutions from the Tecnomatix Process Simulate portfolio, we have integrated more than 2,000 robots at Benthor, with nearly half of the installations using Safety Robots Manager to simulate safe robot behavior at the software level. Recently, we successfully implemented a robotic system project for the production of interior textile linings in the automotive industry. The core focus was the safety of operators when handling materials and preventing collisions with pressing tools. This resulted in more than 40 safety zones were successfully deployed and simulated across three robots. Thanks to simulation with SRM, Benthor was able to optimize robot movements and the production cycle without compromising safety standards.Ondřej Pažout, Head of robotics and simulation for Benthor automation s.r.o.

A robust partnership and the future of robot safety

The collaboration between Benthor and Siemens has proven invaluable in advancing the safety and effectiveness of our robotic workstations. By leveraging advanced simulation tools like Process Simulate Safety Robots Manager, Benthor continues to innovate and ensure that its systems meet the highest safety standards. Looking ahead, Siemens and Benthor are excited about future projects and the ongoing improvement of advancing safety protocols, which will further strengthen Benthor’s commitment to providing next-level solutions for its customers.