Manufacturing with a smaller footprint
Automation and the rise of the microfactory
Since the time of Henry Ford , the consensus among manufacturers has been that bigger is better . Economies of scale would provide increasing profits , and this necessitated ever larger manufacturing facilities . For some , the emergence of automation technology will power ever larger factories , or gigafactories as Elon Musk called them . For others though , automation opens the opportunity to do things in a radically different way . Here Stephen Hayes , managing director of Beckhoff Automation UK , explains why some manufacturers are using automation to operate on a smaller footprint .
FROM FORD TO MUSK
A long-standing staple of economic thinking is the benefits of economies of scale . Put simply , this refers to the idea that when you scale up production , the cost of each unit of production comes down . In laymen ’ s terms , bigger is better .
Despite its association with innovation and ‘ breaking things ’, Tesla has not strayed too far from Ford ’ s original method . The company ’ s approach retains the production line , it simply relies on much higher levels of automation , with robots working around the clock .
As for the mantra that bigger is better , Tesla ’ s celebrated gigafactory in the Nevada desert is clear evidence that Musk subscribes to this maxim . It is expected that , once completed , Tesla Giga Nevada , or Gigafactory 1 , will have the largest footprint in the world .
A NEW ARRIVAL ?
However , for many manufacturers , greater automation is offering the benefits of operating with a smaller footprint . This is especially so for those embracing the microfactory concept . At its heart , this approach dispenses with the traditional production line , using automation to underpin a modular approach on a much smaller footprint .
British EV start up Arrival has quickly emerged as the standard bearer for the microfactory . Like Tesla , the company is an innovative EV maker whose production processes involve high levels of automation . However , whereas Tesla is building ever larger production facilities , for Arrival the answer is manufacturing on a smaller footprint , with multiple microfactories deployed closer to the markets the company will serve .
An Arrival microfactory can be built in a standard 200,000 sq ft warehouse . It can be up and running in a matter of months , and in contrast to the extortionate capital costs of gigafactories , it costs a mere £ 38 million . For Arrival CEO Mike Abelson , this will be key to the company ’ s success and will mean greater flexibility in reacting to market changes . With such a vast reduction in capital costs and the ability to deploy rapidly , those adopting the microfactory approach will not need to plan ahead years in advance .
AUTOMATION WITHOUT CABINETS
It ’ s interesting that automation is paving the path for both gigafactories and microfactories , given the two concepts are polar opposites . At Beckhoff UK , we ’ re happy to cheer on both approaches , given the obvious benefits to mankind of increasing manufacturing efficiency .
However , even if you own a large facility , we ’ ve been working on solutions that allow manufacturers to take advantage of automation without having to sacrifice excessive space in their existing facility . Our automation without cabinets technology is intended to make automation on a smaller footprint possible .
Traditionally , new machines required control cabinets to house cabling and control systems , increasing the overall footprint of the machine . By reducing the cabling commitments via our automation without cabinets , we can deliver products and solutions that are inherently more mobile and suitable for relocation in comparison to cabinet-reliant counterparts . Other benefits include reduced shipping costs and installation times , as well as higher output per square meter of production space .
Will automation lead to the largest building in the world , or will it lead to a factory in a box ? So far , it looks like the answer will be both . The beauty of automation is its power to unlock different paths to more efficient and sustainable approaches to manufacturing . At Beckhoff UK , our solutions are designed to support this goal , whether your factories are micro or giga , we believe automation should be as simple as possible .
To find out more about automation without cabinets , check out Beckhoff ’ s website here https :// www . beckhoff . com / en-gb /
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