19.03.2024
Dortmund. The Wilo Group has received the prestigious Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA).
A jury of leading experts from industry and science have recognized the multinational technology group in the “Add Value!” category for the adaptive worker assistance that has been deployed in the Smart Factory at the Wilopark in Dortmund. The prize is awarded by Microsoft Germany and the management consultants Roland Berger.
“Digital transformation offers many opportunities. It’s a key factor that helps us meet the challenges related to the big megatrends of our times”, says Oliver Hermes, President & CEO of the Wilo Group. “We are the digital pioneer in our industry. That’s why we’re driving this transformation forward proactively – in our state-of-the-art production site too, of course. The MIMA is a welcome acknowledgment of our work.”
The adaptive worker assistance provides production employees with step-by-step instructions via a screen to assemble the approximately 12,000 product variants. The system adapts to the individual skills and experience of each and every employee. As their expertise increases, the instructions are shown in a more compact form. The integration of augmented reality technology simplifies operation and usability.
The adaptive worker assistance has significant advantages over traditional, non-adaptive systems. These include shorter onboarding times, the possibility to deploy employees in different workplaces flexibly as well as improved quality and greater productivity. “The worker assistance exemplifies how digitalization creates tangible added value in the industry – without neglecting people in the process”, explains Georg Weber, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Wilo Group.
The Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award was called to life to honour companies that deploy technologies to transform their production processes. With the MIMA, Wilo has won its second prestigious industry prize of late. Only last year, the Smart Factory in Dortmund was named “Factory of the year 2022” in the “Excellent transformation: digitalization” category.
The adaptive worker assistance is to be deployed in other factories soon as well. “The system is already actively used in Dortmund. Adopting it in Wilo’s other state-of-the-art production facilities is a matter of sustainability”, Hermes continues. “As it is, Wilo is convinced: the smartest solution is always the most sustainable one.”
