Picture PM1716-1
From the individual lubrication-free bearing to
the complex, individually configured energy chain system with over 500
components – igus has the aim of concretely implementing the automated process
from online configuration to digitally supported manufacturing and delivery for
all product categories in three years. As a result, the customer will be able
to obtain his individual motion plastics product even more easily, more
reliably and, of course, much faster. (Source: igus GmbH)
In the last fiscal year, igus GmbH was able to
increase its sales considerably – namely, by around 18 per cent to a total of
552 million euros. More and more companies around the world are placing their
trust in plastic solutions for moving applications because they lower costs and
increase service life. To make it even easier for customers to retain their
individual motion plastics product anywhere in the world, igus is investing
considerable funds in the digitisation and intelligent networking of products,
servicing and logistics.
In 2015, igus achieved sales of 552 million euros with
its motion plastics, an around 18 per cent rise compared to the preceding year.
Out of the total sales, 55 per cent was achieved in Europe, 27 per cent in Asia
and 18 per cent in America and Africa. The reason is that high-performance
plastics for motion continue to be in great demand all over the world.
Guarantees of growth continue to be e-chains, cables and bearing technology but
relatively new ball bearing and low-cost automation products are also acquiring
increasingly greater significance. "The era of plastics for motion has
begun", says Frank Blase, CEO of igus GmbH. "motion plastics are
lubrication-free and corrosion-free, while requiring very little maintenance,
and are proving their worth in more and more applications due to their low
weight, durability and energy efficiency, especially compared to conventional
metal solutions." The more than 100,000 motion plastics products include
individual parts such as bearings among other things. However, the great
majority of orders are for individually configured modules such as an assembled
energy chain with 500 individual components and more. Every one of the daily
7,000 orders is different. A complicated challenge – particularly since igus
delivers the goods so quickly (at least 24 after receipt of order).
Finding and configuring online made easy
Last year, igus invested heavily in product
innovations as well as in servicing and logistics – and the company is
continuing along this path in 2016. On all levels, the extension of digital
processes is of central importance. "In future, an igus product will not
be an igus product until it can be configured and calculated online and then
goes through the entire process chain automatically with digital support - from
order processing and production to servicing and services. Important initial steps in this direction
have already been taken. Even now, customers have access to more than 30 freely
available online tools for configuration and calculation as well as 16 mobile
apps. The basis for this consists of the data obtained from the industry's
largest test laboratory, the size of which has now been increased to 2,750 m².
Having invested in the digital infrastructure, igus is also able to carry out
calculation and configuration, make an offer, order the product and have it
delivered very quickly - all of which can be done directly on site on the
customer's premises. To this end, the field staff have all been equipped with
tablets and the company's own engineering software. Moreover, teams
specialising in the 16 product segments as well as consultants with expertise
in 13 branches of industry are also available – from automotive manufacturing
and ship-building to the agricultural or food industry. Altogether, the number
of employees rose by 9 per cent to 2,950, whereby the number of field staff for
local personal support and consultation increased by 17 per cent.
Logistics: Ordered quickly, delivered quickly
In order to ensure speedy and individual delivery,
igus has considerably expanded its worldwide production and storage capacity in
North America, Asia and Europe. The customer therefore receives exactly the
product he needs for his application from 14 storage and assembly/installation
centres worldwide: as a single component or as a complete system, also
installed or assembled on site on request. Every day, around 20,000 different
product versions and configurations are dispatched to customers.
Digitisation driving product development forwards
In addition to servicing and logistics, digitisation
is also enabling new approaches in product development. The smart plastics
presented at Hannover Messe enhance the availability of the customer's
equipment due to their integration into a network. The intelligent cable,
energy chain and linear guide monitor their own condition during use and open
up new possibilities of anticipatory maintenance. The user is therefore never
unexpectedly confronted with a problem in his application but can plan replacement
of a component well in advance. In the
area of low-cost automation as well, digitisation is opening up new
possibilities. The robolink D online configurator enables easy configuration
and ordering of low-cost robot components from the modular joint construction
kit. Robot manufacturers and mechanical engineering companies can therefore
build inexpensive robot arms and users can automate simple tasks. At Hannover
Messe, igus is showing a complete 6-axis-arm robot with a new type of plastic
wave gear as an example.
3D printing: Innovation in the areas of products,
servicing and logistics
How digitisation creates
benefits for the customer is being shown by igus with the example of 3D
printing especially. Design engineers can now make use of six different igus
Tribo-Filaments and an SLS material for cost-effective lubrication and
maintenance-free prototypes, special parts and small product batches. Thanks to
the new online ordering website for the 3D printing service of igus, customers
can now order their printed plastic parts even more easily than before. Just a
few mouse clicks are needed to upload CAD data, select the right material, view
prices and directly order the products required. The online tool is available
internationally, as a result of which users all over the world can obtain their
highly abrasion-resistant parts quickly and inexpensively. For this purpose,
eleven branch offices were equipped with their own 3D printers last year. A
first step, as Frank Blase emphasises. "Our clear objective in the coming
three years is to concretely implement the automated process that ranges from
online configuration to digitally supported manufacturing for all product
categories. This is a difficult path to
take because ready-made solutions cannot be bought - they usually have to be
developed by oneself. We have already made enormous progress and know that we
will succeed." Due to this perfected form of individual mass production,
customers all over the world will be able to obtain any motion plastics product
they need even quicker, more reliably and in a significantly reduced time and
will undoubtedly keep on using the product far into the future.
About igus® India
igus®
operations in India started in the year 1998 with head quarters in Bangalore.
igus offers widest range of products that includes polymer bearings, igubal®
Spherical Bearings Plain Bearings and Bushing
Accessories etc. which enable them to
serve the whole industrial establishments in India from a small work shop to
huge industrial establishments.
