Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 23

This concept will be gradually implemented throughout
the Mercedes-Benz global production network. Numerous
smart-factory elements have also been incorporated into
manufacturing processes since the E-Class production
launch.
TecFactory: new technologies for series production
Daimler is also setting the pace for innovative manufactur-
ing concepts. Such new processes are extensively tested
in the TecFactory before they make their way into series
production operations. For example, we were the first
automaker to recognize the potential offered by sensitive
robots and we are now testing such machines in the
Mercedes-Benz TecFactory.
Robots as colleagues: people and machines
working hand in hand
State-of-the-art lightweight robots are enabling cooper-
ation between workers and machines — without any
protective barriers between them. The robots use
sensors to scan the immediate area, and they stop their
work whenever a person enters their radius of action.
Sometimes, direct contact between people and robots
is actually part of the system. For example, some robots
need to be tapped or have their arms moved in order to get
them to start working. Staff at the Mercedes-Benz plant
in Untertürkheim are already being assisted by the latest
generation of robots in the series production of dual-clutch
transmissions.
“With our vision of Industry 4.0, we are digitizing
the entire value creation process — from design
and development to production, sales and service.”
The “InCarRob” sits in the vehicle and
reduces the amount of strenuous overhead
work the employees have to do.