Pepperl+Fuchs Asia combines mobile collaborative robots and PXL+ sensors in new business unit at Changi Business Park

With the combination of these two technologies, Pepperl+Fuchs VA is able to create new applications. The flexible measurement tasks for large workpieces (like airplanes) where different sensor principles are combined to measure from large (>100m) to small (<1μm) scale. This method is already used by Pepperl+Fuchs VA in the aerospace industry to carry out a range of assembly and inspection steps.

Another application is the cost effective Mobile Collaborative Robots that can be efficiently utilized in production areas by using advanced 2D- and 3D-sensors and advanced processing to manipulate, inspect and process objects in the electronics and mechanical manufacturing industry, to automate manual processes where automation was not feasible before.

"With more than five years in the industry, Pepperl+Fuchs in particular, is promoting products and services that fit into the overall Industry 4.0 concept, by offering connectivity and data models - such as the Asset Administration Shell - to enable digitalization in the factories of the future. As such, we decided to also modernize our own factories and deploy the latest digital technology," said Dr. Gunther Kegel, CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs Group. "This plant modernization will support three major goals:

• We will realize cost savings and efficiency gains in manufacturing and become more competitive.
• We showcase our own digital sensors, systems and solution and collect more user experience.
• We learn how to successfully deploy new digital technology and how to feed back this information into R&D.

The inauguration of our Singapore based Vision Applications Center is therefore another important milestone of the Pepperl+Fuchs Digital Agenda."

Further development of these innovative systems to implement Industry 4.0 solutions is done both in Germany and Singapore and will cover the South-East Asia region. Pepperl+Fuchs will invest 3 million Euros for the next 3 years into this new department while creating high qualification workplaces.

"Pepperl+Fuchs’ decision to develop innovative Industry 4.0 solutions in Singapore is testament to the growing need for such services and solutions in the region," said Mr. Tan Kong Hwee, Executive Director (Capital Goods), Singapore Economic Development Board. "We are pleased that Pepperl+Fuchs has chosen to tap on Singapore’s advanced manufacturing capabilities to serve the needs of its customers in Singapore and across South-east Asia. We congratulate Pepperl+Fuchs on the opening of Pepperl+Fuchs VA, and look forward to a stronger partnership with the company."

Pepperl+Fuchs has been a pioneer in industrial sensor technology and explosion protection for more than 70 years. The company offers a unique range of components and solutions that support conventional and Industry 4.0-capable applications. A current topic is industrial communication—Pepperl+Fuchs' comprehensive IO-Link portfolio combined with innovative Sensorik4.0® technology enables data flow from field devices to control systems and to the cloud.

With the aim of opening up Industry 4.0 to the process industry, Pepperl+Fuchs is part of a consortium that is working to make Ethernet available in this market.

This will bring Industry 4.0 to the entire automation industry.