Wilo Production System: Dubai wins the Success Story Competition 2024

Wilo Production System: Dubai wins the Success Story Competition 2024

Each year, Wilo’s global production sites participate in an internal competition, showcasing their most impactful Wilo Production System (WPS) initiatives. For this year’s challenge, the focus was on "Smart Automation," with sites invited to submit success stories demonstrating how intelligent automation has enhanced productivity. A total of nine production sites submitted their implemented projects under this theme.

As Wilo continues to expand its global presence, automation is becoming an increasingly critical factor in maintaining our competitive edge. However, automation alone does not guarantee improved performance. For it to deliver real value, it must also be flexible and seamlessly integrated with human workflows. True success lies in the synergy between humans and machines—where automation relieves employees of repetitive or ergonomically demanding tasks, enabling a more efficient and sustainable production process. Notably, the integration of automation with artificial intelligence, such as automated image recognition, has shown particularly promising advancements.

The submitted projects were presented virtually via Microsoft Teams and evaluated collaboratively by all Kaizen managers. The outcome was a decisive win for Wilo’s Dubai site. Hof secured second place, while Dortmund and Laval shared third.

The winning entry from Dubai, titled "Assembly Co-Pilot," is a largely self-developed worker assistance system. At its core, the system integrates visual component recognition based on the bill of materials with an additional camera system used during assembly. By identifying deviations from the standard in real time, the system ensures that workers use the correct components in the correct positions and at the required quality. This innovation not only supports accuracy but also enhances the confidence and efficiency of the assembly team.