With frequent changes of products and its packaging manufacturing lines have to be more adaptable than ever. A common task for operators is changing form parts to get existing machinery ready for new or altered tasks. Until recently, machine builder Schubert manufactured form and spare parts at its headquarters and shipped them to its customers all over the world. Thanks to a combination of various technologies – like additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing platforms – that’s changing.
Now, form and spare parts can be printed at the customer’s site. That slashes lead times by 90 percent and logistics-related greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent. And for Schubert, storage costs are greatly reduced.
What this means in practice: The new business model from Schubert is explained below in a use case with its customer Börlind. Nestled in Germany’s Black Forest, Börlind produces high-quality natural cosmetics and ships them to customers worldwide. A common issue facing the company’s manufacturing team is how to quickly and economically adjust production lines for new product designs. The solution was created within the Siemens industrial partner ecosystem, which brings people and technology together to solve real-life problems.