Production environments are becoming increasingly flexible and complex, while at the same time the costs of production downtime are rising. These challenges demand innovative solutions in building services engineering. One example of Germany's often invisible industrial expertise is SEW-Eurodrive's ‚Halle Nord‘ in Graben-Neudorf, which recently received the ‚Factory of the Year‘ award in the ‚Outstanding Series Production‘ category.
The ‚Halle Nord‘ impresses not only with its production capacities but also with the state-of-the-art electrical infrastructure developed by the Big.Bechtold Group. This includes the high and low-voltage technology for the flexible Smart Factory, as well as communication interfaces in the conveyor technology. A key component is also the photovoltaic system, which allows for an annual CO2 reduction of over 1,550 tonnes.
Security of supply and flexibility
A particular feature of ‚Halle Nord‘ is its security of supply. Over 700 kilometres of power lines and 10 kilometres of high-current busbars have been laid to supply the factory with energy. 15 transformers with a total output of up to 24 MW ensure the energy supply. This infrastructure allows production to react flexibly to changes in the process layout and guarantees high availability of network communication, which is crucial for IT systems, machine controls, and building automation.
Intelligent building automation
The building automation in ‚Halle Nord‘ (North Hall) is another example of the innovative technology used in the factory. A programmable logic controller (PLC) controls the lighting and blinds, adapting them to brightness, solar radiation, wind, and temperature. This automation simplifies maintenance, as service measures can be carried out during ongoing operations. The system statuses are visualised, allowing for quick fault localisation.
SourceSEW-Eurodrive
