Siemens takes over ownership of Chemnitz, Germany-based Agilion GmbH, a supplier of industrial real-time locating systems (RTLS) focusing on applications in production, logistics and maintenance. The company is reportedly viewed as a pioneer in the field of RTLS in the ultra wide band (UWB) frequency spectrum. The technology enables highly precise localization, tracking of a large number of different assets and easy commissioning, according to Siemens, which may enable manufacturers to optimize their production and logistics processes.
"RTLS is an essential key technology and a new step on the road towards flexible automation in production, for instance, by providing dynamic self-organizing production concepts in the assembly of large-scale products,” says Herbert Wegmann, head of Siemens’ Industrial Communication and Identification business segment. “Real-time locating also enables the safe, efficient use of collaborative mobile robots."
In manufacturing, RTLS reportedly enables precise monitoring of the production process and a transparent material flow. Real-time data made available using RTLS about the location and status of assets forms the basis for networking involved players and logistical processes along the value chain. This allows users to continuously and automatically compare the position of every production asset with the 3D model of the product or production environment. Evaluation and combination of this "digital twin" with other information – for instance using apps in the open IoT operating system MindSphere – permit dynamic optimization of production and logistics processes. As a result, processes can be more efficiently controlled, downtimes minimized and the risk of errors reduced, according to Siemens. RTLS also provides the foundation for new workflows in production, material flow control and logistics, for instance, in conjunction with automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) or mobile robots.
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