RUAG Australia's hydraulic actuator manufacturing Centre of Excellence is leveraging Industry 4.0 standards to position the business for continued and sustainable growth. Recent capital investments and the fresh implementation of Industry 4.0 has optimised manufacturing processes, delivered an increase in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and reduced production lead times by 8%.

The implementation of state-of-the-art machine monitoring technology, integrated in RUAG Australia's transition to Industry 4.0, is enabling data driven decision-making to optimise OEE and continue to satisfy customer demands. Improved visual real-time data enables operators to respond promptly to any production issues, ensuring timely and high-quality outcomes. As a result of using 4.0 and monitoring technology, RUAG Australia has realised 4 consecutive months of increasing OEE and a reduction in lead times of 8% throughout the Centre of Excellence.

Real-time visibility of each machine, its performance, including operating mode, machine speed and the interaction between operator and machine is available. The improvements experienced by RUAG have resulted in load balancing by increasing the level of 'pull' and reducing push via optimised batch sizes and a higher level of transparency through to staged deliveries.

RUAG's system approach to integrating 4.0 and monitoring technology involved looking at the interaction between components of the system as an opportunity for operators to create ideas for improvement through participation and common understanding. Visually displaying real-time data of each machine directly to the shop floor allowed the team to physically view - at any point in time – the performance of their work cell and to drive improvement ideas as a culture of continuous improvement. The COE manufacturing team produce reports for each machining centre, generate improvement initiatives to streamline processes even further, and are able to make smarter data-driven decisions leading to increased productivity.

"Connected manufacturing equipment enables centralised real-time data in a live schedule, delivering reduced lead-time through improved productivity directly benefiting our global supply chain customers," says Terry Miles, General Manager, RUAG Australia.

"These innovative steps to improve productivity are crucial for RUAG Australia to position in the highly competitive export market and global environment," says