As an extension of its recent plant expansion, Australian supplier REDARC is further developing, this time with Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre’s (AMGC) help, to use Industry 4.0 robots and training programs.
Industry 4.0 is a phrase used to describe the fourth industrial revolution, following mechanization, mass production and automation.
“Industry 4.0 is about the adoption of digital technologies in operations to give you a competitive edge,” said Tyson Bowen, AMGC’s manager of PR and communications. AMGC is a federally funded Australian nonprofit that aims to improve manufacturing processes.
“REDARC is developing robotics that work side by side with human staff to take over tasks that would be highly repetitive or strenuous on a human,” Bowen said. Rather than being made redundant, employees are retrained, redeployed at a higher skill level, or have the opportunity to run, program and maintain these robots.
“It is a win-win because you are boosting your outputs, but you are also improving the skill level of your staff across the operation,” Bowen said. “The misunderstanding of robotics is that you lose staff.”
REDARC expects to hire 35 more staff members to handle the Industry 4.0 project and its robotics because of the project’s increased productivity.
“Industry 4.0 is more than a buzzword,” REDARC Manufacturing Engineering Manager Andrew Rogers said. “It represents the next leap in technological prowess and competitiveness.”
The collaborative project is budgeted at a total of $803,540, with AMGC contributing matched funds of $397,770. The reminder matched and in-kind funding is from REDARC partners. AAfter implementing Industry 4.0 with REDARC, AMGC will share Industry 4.0 training modules with the manufacturing community on the company’s online Manufacturing Academy.
“REDARC demonstrates what Australian manufacturers could achieve by investing in the processes, people and equipment which comes before and after assembly,” AMGC Managing Director Dr Jens Goennemann said. “There is a misunderstanding when it comes to the term ‘advanced manufacturing.’ Being advanced is not related to what you make, but how you make it.”
The current wave of cyber-physical systems and networks allows continual improvement in manufacturing processes, skills and products, REDARC stated. Bowen said, “Our role in this particular project was to demonstrate to the rest of Australian manufacturing industry what best practice looks like.”
