Intelligentization has become a key global trend in every industry. AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), a company that has thrived for many years in the field of optoelectronics, recently hosted the "AUO Tech Forum 2020" which invited experts from industry, academia, and government to speak about exciting developments in 4 major fields of intelligentization.
In terms of smart manufacturing, Wang Shou-tian, Director of AI Platform at Edgetech, a subsidiary of AUO, gave a talk on "Smart Industry Services Under an Oasis Sky" and introduced AUO Group's current deployment and solutions in the field. He pointed out that AUO established subsidiaries Mega Insight and Edgetech to assist manufacturers in taking the first successful step towards intelligentization by providing comprehensive AIoT solutions for smart factories.
Both of the companies have defined positions within smart manufacturing. Mega Insight is a company built to help the industry sustainably develop self-driven smart ecosystems, integration methods, and industrial software that provide indispensable smart manufacturing services. Edgetech's vision is to implement AI technology solutions that are innovative, practical, and competitive by fully integrating technologies and platforms to assist businesses in building an all-encompassing manufacturing platform.
Based on the goals and visions above, both companies each released smart manufacturing solutions. Mega Insight's industrial AIoT platform integrates the maturation levels of various industries with industrial software and provides professional consulting to assist manufacturers in building optimized smart manufacturing systems. Edgetech focuses on AI, allowing manufacturers to build self-learning, self-training AI systems. Combining the platforms of Mega Insight and Edgetech enables manufacturers with a comprehensive smart manufacturing architecture from cloud to edge that successfully activates their digital transformation.
In order to realize the visions of intelligentization, it's imperative to identify pain points to pinpoint a company's requirements and build suitable systems. During the topic of "Next Gen Smart Factory," ADLINK IoT Solution & Technology Director Yang Jia-wei spoke about the necessary concepts needed by manufacturers in the smart era. He mentioned that 3 major factors are critical in building smart systems, including equipment data, professionalism in the manufacturing industry, and field of manufacturing; once these 3 requirements are met, it's possible to select functions according to requirements. Based on the experience of ADLINK, the basic smart manufacturing functions currently available in the market include the 5 aspects of AI imaging, inspection robots, connected equipment, advanced diagnosis for equipment, and virtual repair. These technologies are mature with many application scenarios and are suitable as the basic system for manufacturers looking to take the first step towards their smart transformation. A method that caters both stability and innovation is expanding with additional systems once the foundation is stable and benefits are observable.
In addition to visions and platforms, another major issue is how to assist clients achieve smart manufacturing. During his talk on "Ubiquitous Edge AI", Vincent Tseng, General Manager of APAC Region at ADLINK shared many successful cases including details on how their company helped partners integrate software and hardware to help land smart manufacturing. For instance, designing non-invasive systems to reduce the rate of erroneous reports. By adding plug-ins to existing AOI systems, solutions can be rapidly implemented and used while also protecting a company's previous investments. The result is effectively reducing more than 90% of erroneous reports, shortening processes, and improving unit production capacity. Vincent Tseng also introduced AI anomaly detection software and a smart hearthstone vibration monitoring platform. Both systems were smart manufacturing solutions built in collaboration between ADLINK and partners that allowed existing production systems to generate significant benefits.
Robotic arms have long been viewed as the representative technology in automation. Based on their long years of experience in collaborative robots, Techman Robot has risen to the world's second largest brand in industrial cobots. During the forum, Techman Robot Director Hsiao Yi-lung spoke at length on the "Vision of Robotic Manufacturing". He points out that the manufacturing industry has changed from mass production to a production model with high variation and low volume. Due to this trend, traditional robotic arms can no longer satisfy the flexibility requirements of manufacturing systems. This will give rise to cobots that are lightweight, allow human collaboration, can be used across production lines, and are simple to control; these robots will play a key role in future production lines. At the same time, he expressed that robotic arms will transform from being hardware oriented to focus on hardware software integration in the smart era to expand the diversity and value of equipment.
MIRLE is one of the leading domestic companies in the field of automation; over the recent years, the company has been assertive in promoting smart manufacturing strategies. During his talk on "Intelligentization, New Logistics - Smart Factory Solutions", Marketing Director Chen Jian-sheng of MIRLE pointed out that their company began in the production of traditional manufacturing equipment before pivoting and launching excellent products in the 3 major fields of semiconductors, optoelectronics, and new logistics. In terms of logistics, he introduced the company's "Automatic Material Handling System" (AHMS) which is widely implemented in semiconductor manufacturing by assisting clients in building a material transport system that maximizes the use of space. Due to the fact that this system is closely related to the design of manufacturing sites, MIRLE provides a detailed assessment plan to help clients successfully implement the system to maximum efficiency and gain a stable foothold in their highly competitive markets.
Edgetech Director of AI Platform Wang Shou-tian gave his talk "Smart Industry Services under an Oasis Sky" at AUO Tech Forum
AUO subsidiaries Mega Insight and Edgetech provide comprehensive AIoT smart factory solutions
ADLINK and partners demonstrate various smart manufacturing solutions
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