Fast and safe transport
on the factory floor
Improved efficiency and seamless material
supply: in Austria, Philips is automating material
transport by
using autonomous mobile robots
from OMRON.
Jaqueline, Chiara and Sepp have been helping Philips
Austria GmbH in Klagenfurt, Austria, with the internal
transport of materials for the past two years. They are
very special colleagues because they are autonomous
mobile robots (AMRs). To increase the acceptance of
these new robot colleagues, the employees at the plant
gave them their names. The LD mobile robots from
OMRON are used in combination with solutions from an
OMRON partner, EM Technologies.
The migration from manual transport processes to mobile
robots is part of a broad modernisation project at Philips.
In its move towards Factory 4.0, the group relies step
by step on LEAN mechanisation; digitisation tools in
production and the offi ce; predictive maintenance and
quality; and automated workfl ows. The primary goal of all
of these individual projects is Smart Manufacturing.
Philips is automating material transport by using autonomous mobile robots.
Personal care with hair and beard trimmers
Founded in 1881 in the Netherlands, Philips employs more
than 73,000 people worldwide, some 300 of whom work
in Klagenfurt, Austria. This is the location of one of fi ve
worldwide Philips competence centres for personal care.
The Philips site in Klagenfurt produces, among other items,
over 23 million linear cutting elements for hair and beard
trimmers each year. These beard trimmers have lift-andtrim technology: the beard hair is fi rst lifted with the help
of special trimming attachments and then evenly cut off
by the double-acting stainless steel blades.
The migration from manual transport processes to mobile robots is part of a broad modernisation project at Philips.
Project goals: save time, increase eciency, and make
better use of employee skills
The transportation of these cutting elements in the
Klagenfurt plant was carried out for many years by
machine operators. This was a time-consuming and
inefficient process that needed to be automated in order
to relieve the burden on employees and optimise Overall
Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). This would free employees
so that they would have more time to use their skills on
other, more creative and demanding tasks.
The Future Factory programme at Philips started in 2017.
“Back then, we wanted to show our colours very quickly
and initiate the first smart manufacturing projects. The
AMRs fit well here because they can be implemented
quickly,” reports Siegfried Seufzer, Operations Manager,
Production Personal Care at Philips Klagenfurt.
Autonomous system
When choosing the right robots, the project team
compared different providers, but quickly decided on
OMRON. “The dimensions of the robot had to be small,
and that‘s where their devices fit best. We wanted a system
without tracks because it takes up less space. In addition,
the AMR can easily be linked to SAP, which was another
of our requirements. The interfaces were all there. We also
already knew OMRON. We were able to build on that,”
Seufzer comments.
Further advantages in favour of the OMRON robots
included their ease of use, the relatively high transport
speeds, and their functional reliability in confined areas.
If an AMR ever comes across an employee who is in its
way, the robot can warn them. This never involves loud
beeps or a warning tone. The OMRON devices have voice
functions; their voices are similar to those in a navigation
system.
AMRs can transport up to 70 kilos per trip
The material transport by the employees previously took
about 15 minutes a day: “Valuable time that can be used
far more sensibly,“ says Seufzer. In this context, calculations
have shown that the use of an AMR can increase the OEE
by 3%.
The safety of the robots is another aspect that was
considered. In an emergency, for example, the OMRON
AMR can drive to a place where it is out of the way of
any emergency teams. Today the robots transport 500 to
1,000 cutting elements per carrier. Each AMR can carry up
to ten containers; there are 10,000 elements with a total
weight of 60 to 70 kg. The robot colleagues, Jaqueline,
Chiara and Sepp, drive every half hour. A single round trip
covers about 400m. In the future, the aim is to transport
significantly heavier materials with mobile robots to further
relieve the burden on employees.
Two robots drive while one is being charged
There are other positive effects that the project team
hadn’t even considered beforehand. For instance, the
quality of the transported parts has improved. The flow of
material was previously disjointed, and this led to product
damage on the tightly packed transport trolleys. Now
that the flow of material is continuous, more journeys are
made, but the items are handled more gently. Transport
damage is a thing of the past. There are always two robots
on the move while the third unit is being charged.
The robot announces departures
Communication takes place not only between the
machine and the AMR but also between the AMR and the
employee. For safety reasons, departures are announced
in advance and the employee is informed about the
prevailing situation. Any obstacles can be recognised
by the robots at lightning speed and can be avoided
by using alternative routes. The coordination of several
AMRs, including charging management, is also done
autonomously.
Mobile robotics as the beginning of the factory of the
future
The migration from manual transport to automated
processes, supported by AMRs, is a good entry point for
many companies that are moving towards Factory 4.0 including Philips. This is partly because their introduction
can take place in an easily understandable and tangible
way. “An MES system is nice and has great graphics and
more. However, an AMR is much easier to personalise that‘s why our devices also have names,” says Production
Manager, Sigh. An OMRON LD mobile robot can be
integrated into the production environment within three
hours.
Time and packaging saved
In addition to the 3% improvement in the OEE values
of the assembly lines due to automated supply, the
Philips project team has noticed other positive effects.
The company saves up to 500 containers, due to the
continuous material transport. If the work-in-progress
(WIP) previously took several days, it could be reduced to a
few hours by automated continuous material supply.
“This is an enormous advantage that is difficult to assess
financially, but it is still a great improvement. It no longer
collects dust, and a reliable overview is guaranteed at
all times if, for example, quality defects should occur,”
explains Seufzer. The AMRs immediately send back items
that don’t meet the specifications.
Outlook: mobile robots should get smarter and smarter
In the next step, an AMR will be actively integrated into
the production process in cooperation with OMRON’s
partners. In addition to transport functions, the mobile
robot can also take on the independent activation of
systems; the completion of process steps; and the booking
of orders via QR codes. Fully automatic booking in the
SAP system is also planned. The AMR can communicate
independently with the machine.
The AMRs are currently operating the cleaning machine
at the Philips plant in Klagenfurt, which removes dirt and
grinding dust from the cutting elements. In the future, a
combination of the MES system and AMRs is also planned.
This means, for example, that if the supply of a material is
running low, this can be communicated in advance - so
the material supply is controlled by the systems.
Jürgen Holzapfel-Epstein, Business Development Manager,
Robotics at OMRON Industrial Automation, concludes:
“The use of autonomous mobile robots at Philips Austria
is a prime example of how digitisation and automation
can be advanced step by step, but still holistically, in the
factory of the future. The cooperation between Philips,
OMRON and EM Technologie was easy and we can always
see eye to eye, which is of great importance for the
success of such a project.“
About Philips Austria GmbH
For further information, please visit www.philips.at.
About OMRON Corporation
OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation based on its core technology of „Sensing & Control + Think.“
OMRON‘s business fields cover a broad spectrum, ranging from industrial automation and electronic components to social
infrastructure systems, healthcare, and environmental solutions. Established in 1933, OMRON has about 30,000 employees worldwide,
working to provide products and services in around 120 countries and regions. In the field of industrial automation, OMRON supports
manufacturing innovation by providing advanced automation technologies and products, as well as through extensive customer
support, to help create a better society. For more information, visit OMRON‘s website at: indusrtrial.omron.eu.
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