Data-driven and automized wire processing with 4WIRE CAO from DiIT

With its Smart Factory Solutions, the Komax Group is bundling its digital expertise along the entire wire processing value chain. The aim is to seamlessly network manufacturing processes, create transparency, and ensure data-based quality. From order preparation to final delivery. The Smart Factory Solutions product division includes software systems for data preparation and process optimization, digital tools and interfaces from various Komax Group companies, and, of course, the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) 4WIRE CAO from DiIT.

Efficiency, quality, and full traceability
4WIRE CAO (Cutting Area Optimization) enables the complete digitization of entire value chains in the automotive industry and other industrial environments. The production control system allows the optimization of machine and workstation utilization in the cutting and pre-assembly area, which is characterized by manual and semi-automated work steps, resulting in increased efficiency and transparency. Planning and scheduling algorithms ensure that order sequences are automatically optimized, enabling demand-driven production according to Kanban. The result: a significant improvement in Overall Equipment Effectiveness and substantial savings.

4WIRE CAO is modular, scalable, and also embeds real-time quality assurance that captures machine feedback to ensure consistent standards. Production, tool usage, quality metrics, and traceability are meticulously documented.

Smart Factory Solutions live at productronica
At productronica in Munich, the Komax Group is presenting its Smart Factory Solutions as an integral part of a digitalized manufacturing landscape. Visitors are able to experience how production processes can be intelligently networked and controlled end-to-end with the help of 4WIRE CAO and other software solutions from the Komax Group – from order placement and production scheduling to the traceability of each individual wire.

We asked Olaf Hermann, Head of Sales & Branch Office Manager Berlin at DiIT, at productronica what customers notice immediately after implementing 4WIRE CAO, how integration into existing production environments works, and what misconceptions there are about Smart Factory Solutions.

Olaf Hermann, what is the biggest misconception about Smart Factory Solutions?
That they are only suitable for large factories. In reality, small production lines also benefit from automation and data-driven processes, because small customers in particular have small batch sizes, many different articles, and have to keep an eye on costs in order to work efficiently and generate profits. Of course, this also requires a suitable pricing model. We have numerous customers with very few machines, in some cases only one, who use our Smart Factory Solution 4WIRE CAO and are very satisfied with it.

What is the first thing customers notice after implementing 4WIRE CAO?
They immediately notice that a lot of paper and manual work is eliminated. In addition, changeover times are reduced, machine utilization is increased, and the efficiency of the machines and associated processes in production is improved. Thanks to traceability, they have full control over every wire produced. They know who produced the order, when, on which machine, with which materials and tools, and what measurements were taken. We have received feedback from customers who have recorded a production increase of up to 35 percent six months after introducing 4WIRE CAO.

How does 4WIRE CAO contribute to process optimization and quality improvement in wire harness manufacturing?
In 4WIRE CAO, customers can define very flexibly and in accordance with their own quality requirements which process parameters need to be measured, when, and how often. The order is only released after the specified quality parameters have been successfully measured. Even measurements outside the tolerance range are stored in order to enable traceability of errors and analysis of their causes.

How does the integration of 4WIRE CAO into existing production environments work, especially in the case of machines that are already in operation?
As a MES system, 4WIRE CAO has an open interface for various ERP systems and also a standard interface for connection to SAP. The connection on the machine side is achieved through deep, online-based integration via various machine interfaces, allowing a wide range of machines from different manufacturers to be integrated. Anyone who purchases machines from the Komax Group does not need to worry about integrating them into their production, as they are already integrated into the system.

What challenges currently exist in the further digitization of manual or semi-automated work steps, and how does DiIT provide support in this area?
After installing 4WIRE CAO in the first production stage, the cutting area with fully automated machines (P1), our customers are now increasingly deciding to also integrate manual and semi-automated work steps (P2), in order to reap the benefits of digitalization there as well. Since 4WIRE CAO covers both P1 and P2 in a single system and database, there are no new installation costs for customers. There is no need for a separate infrastructure, and they benefit from complete data integration. In contrast to the classic area of fully automated machines with only one work step, many different work steps and processes occur in the area of semi-automated production.