EDITOR’S CHOICE
INDUSTRY 4.0
RITTAL
RITTAL UNVEILS NEW AX AND KX ENCLOSURE RANGES
Rittal showcased its new AX compact and KX
small enclosures at the Hanover Trade Fair
2019 (Hannover Messe).
The AX and KX enclosures are both
embedded with digital processes, delivering
simpler, faster assembly and component
installation, greater flexibility and enhanced
safety. In other words, Rittal has rethought
and redesigned the two enclosures inline
with the principles of Industry 4.0.
Digital transformation brings new challenges
for products, their operating environment
and their operational availability. This launch
marks a transformation of AE - a standardised
product made by Rittal for more than 50
years. More than 35 million AE enclosures
have been manufactured making it the most
popular compact enclosure in the world.
at Rittal with responsibility for the IT and
Industry Business Units and Marketing.
The digital age is increasingly making its
presence felt in switchgear workshops with
a growing need for automation, greater
flexibility and product availability.
DIGITAL CHAIN “FROM CUSTOMER
TO CUSTOMER”
Rittal provides effective support for the entire
value chain surrounding the production of
panels and switchgear - from engineering to
ordering to automation.
The data can also be uploaded to EPLAN
software engineering software and used
for downstream tasks, complete with any
modifications. This substantially cuts the
time and effort needed for the engineering
process.
Once the customer order is received by the
Rittal Global Distribution Centre (GDC), it is
shipped directly to the customer. The GDC is
seamlessly integrated with the nearby, highly
automated manufacturing plant, ensuring the
timely and reliable shipping of the required
items. As a result, all standard products can,
where required, be sent to customers based
in Germany within 24 hours.
Digitalization and automation in the era
of Industry 4.0 are creating new enclosure
challenges. Its digital product twin delivers high-quality
data for the entire design, configuration
and manufacturing process. QR codes
allow all parts to be precisely identified and
assigned. The launch of the AX and KX, brings
compact and small enclosures inline with this
approach. The two latest additions to the Rittal
enclosure portfolio contain improved
features, along with new opportunities for
value creation.
“We understand the principles behind
digitalized industry and we have developed
a new generation of compact and small
enclosures in response. In conjunction with
the introduction of our Blue e+ range and
the VX25 large enclosure system, this means
all our core products have been entirely
redesigned, and are fit for Industry 4.0,”
explains Uwe Scharf, Managing Director For example, the Rittal Configuration
System (RiCS) provides customers with
a fast and simple system for configuring
enclosures, accessories and modifications
and an automatic plausibility check helps
prevent erroneous choices. The results can
be transferred directly to Rittal’s online shop,
and this then gives the customer immediate
access to both price and delivery date. The time-savings start at the point of delivery
to the customer: panels can be removed
individually because there is no need for the
usual disassembly work. Doors and cam locks
are easier to install, typically without the need
for tools. The wall mounting bracket can be
quickly screwed into place from the outside
of the enclosure, without impacting the
enclosure’s protection rating.
Simple
◾ Digital configuration
◾ Consistent data quality
◾ Intelligent engineering
6
PECM Issue 42
SIMPLE, FAST, FLEXIBLE AND SAFE