Hannover Messe 2022: KUKA and SAP successfully connect manufacturing cell

The main advantage of digital transformation in industry? Manufacturing companies can access the data of their production facilities regardless of location – whether they are sitting in a meeting room with colleagues, working from their home office, or talking to potential customers at a trade fair booth. That’s already possible today. With overarching systems such as SAP Asset Intelligent Network (AIN) and digital KUKA Services.

An industrial robot will be at the SAP trade fair booth in Hanover this year. Built as hardware from orange castings. What is not obvious at first glance, however, is that the partnership between KUKA and SAP is primarily about software. It is about connecting manufacturing cells together. SAP is the software system provider and KUKA is the automation professional with expertise under the roofs of global production halls.

Project robot data onto monitors

Once a production cell has been successfully digitized, the data flow starts. Monitors can be used to track whether production is currently running smoothly or whether there are any error messages. In the case of the production cell connected by KUKA and SAP as an example, it does not stop there. Error messages can often be corrected quickly and independently with the help of the KUKA knowledge database “KUKA Xpert“, and any spare parts required can be easily ordered from the KUKA Marketplace.

Connecting entire production plants

If the goal is to connect an entire plant, Device Insight comes into play. The Munich-based IoT specialist is part of the KUKA Group and specializes in connecting machines and systems to the Industrial Internet of Things. It is possible to view the machine movements in the cell in real time – thanks to the digital twin.