Internet of Things (IoT) Connectivity Drives Data Sharing, Production Chain Optimization, and Superior Consistency and Quality
Industry 4.0 has improved how parts are made. But it’s done something even more important for MOOG: enabled the production of steering and suspension parts that can be counted on to be safe.
At the heart of Industry 4.0, which MOOG has embraced, are cutting-edge innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). MOOG employs these technologies, along with Poka-Yokes (a Japanese term meaning “error proofing”) and other quality-control processes, at its flagship European facility.
In this facility, through IoT and intelligent automation, interconnected machines and sensors share data in real time. This interconnectivity encompasses electromechanical equipment, industrial PCs, Poka-Yokes, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and other digital sensors.
Not only is this data shared among machines, but also with all the relevant people involved in the production chain, facilitating synchonisation of MOOG’s highly automated assembly lines to avoid production bottlenecks. In addition, it provides the flow of data needed to optimize the production chain by quickly switching over production on a line, from producing one part to another, when needed, to better balance production with demand.
The IoT-enabled interconnectivity and perpetual, real-time monitoring and analysis also makes it possible to quickly identify and correct operator errors. This allows MOOG to produce parts that are highly consistent in their quality.
Consistency is critically important in assuring all parts are made to the most stringent quality and performance standards—and can be counted on to be safe and reliable. MOOG backs up this commitment to quality by offering a 3-year warranty.
The Internet of Things, along with the other technologies and innovations we employ, has helped MOOG realize an incredibly streamlined production process.
Gultekin Hazer, Executive Director Quality EMEA
"More important, we believe, is that MOOG is putting safety first by putting quality first. That’s how we can confidently offer an industry-leading 3-year warranty on all our steering and suspension parts. We’re not only producing parts, but we’re also providing peace of mind."