OPTIMA MODULINE at the shareholders’ meeting
Siemens Chairman, Joe Kaeser, presented the newest results at the shareholders’ meeting in Munich at the end of January. An Optima machine known as the “MODULINE” was among the invited guests. This machine is part of the Munich based group’s new international “Ingenuity for Life” campaign. The first of three key topics is the digitalization of mechanical engineering.
Both companies received a large amount of attention at last year’s Hannover Messe trade show. While taking her traditional tour of the trade show last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a personalized perfume with her name, fresh from an OPTIMA MODULINE machine. A few months later in September, Siemens made the decision to launch a new campaign and Optima was to be a part of it.
The campaign depicts the company’s new direction in an informative and emotional manner. Steffen Weber, Head of Mechanical Engineering Marketing at Siemens, explains, “We want to strengthen the Siemens brand through testimonials.” For the “Future of the industry”, this is an Optima machine that has been in operation at cosmetics manufacturer Dr. Kurt Wolff, in Bielefeld Germany since October. Its distinguishing characteristic is its combination of high performance and a high level of flexibility. Several methods, including use of the new multi-carrier system, are implemented to achieve this. This system allows processing stations to be moved as necessary, and the machine calls up any required information at the point of connection — an important step in being able to implement customers’ needs in mass production for Dr. Kurt Wolff’s particularly well known Plantur and Alpecin shampoo brands.
Multiple videos have been recorded about the machine and its development and Rainer Feuchter, CEO of Optima Consumer, has also been interviewed. The film and photo shoots took place mainly in Bielefeld, Germany over the course of five days.
Since the shareholders’ meeting at the end of January, the pictures and videos have been integrated as a part of the international “Ingenuity for Life” campaign: These include advertisements in major daily newspapers and digital news portals, billboards at airports as well as a TV commercial. The expanded Siemens website went online and also featured the OPTIMA MODULINE.
As the icing on the cake, an OPTIMA MODULINE has also been displayed at the shareholders’ meeting in Munich. This gave the Siemens shareholders an opportunity to experience the multi-carrier system up close and personal.
MODULINE from OPTIMA
Customized individual products or large batches: MODULINE offers fully automated processes for any situation. Format changeovers are triggered by an RFID tag which is integrated into the transport puck. The RFID tag sends a signal to the machine in the form of a code, indicating which functions and corresponding parameters are to be available for processing the individual containers. The format changeover occurs without the need for any manual mechanical adjustments to the system or operator intervention on the screen. The output performance remains at a high level.
In the newest generation of MODULINE, the containers to be filled move independently on self-propelled carriers. These carriers are suitable for multiple formats, are individually controlled and driven by linear motors. To prevent excess accumulation in the system and to keep buffers to a minimum, the carriers operate on the principle of swarm behavior, either individually or in groups, but are always entirely synchronous with the process. Thanks to the seamless connection to the existing intralogistics system, the carriers can easily be fed into and out of the system. As a result, the machine can quickly be set up for different formats, product types or seasonal requirements.
MODULINE’s design is also extremely flexible. By changing or expanding modules, the equipment and its’ performance and can be adjusted at any time. With minimal effort, output can be increased from 60 pieces/min to 120 pieces/min or, just as easily, the system can be adjusted to process liquid, viscous or powdery substances.
MODULINE handles various types of containers and closures: Bottles, jars, sticks and tubes or plugs, droppers, spray pumps, sealing film and much more. No less than six different dosing modules ensure that the design is suitable for the product characteristics. The list of available functions is long: purging, punching, stacking, heat-sealing, monitoring, labeling, pre-capping and re-capping, weighing (with tendency control), laser engraving, etc. Clean-in-place and robotics functions can be perfect add-ons, which are integrated just as easily.
