Manufacturing Technology

Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai expands robotic deployments with Geek+ for lean production via smart automation

Siemens Switchgear news
Geekplus, the global leader in autonomous mobile robots, has expanded collaboration with electronic components manufacturer Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai with the second phase of a smart manufacturing automation project. The expansion introduces more of Geekplus's goods-to-person picking and materials handling robots to the multi-robot configuration and opens up a further 3000m2 of automated warehousing space. The system achieved a delivery accuracy rate of 100%, with materials accuracy of over 99.98% in the production line.

Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai first joined forces with Geekplus in 2019 and successfully built a full-process flexible automated intelligent logistics factory using four types of Geekplus robots: P800R goods-to-person picking robots, MP1000R moving robots, RS2 tote-to-person robots, and X-series four-way shuttles for high-density storage. The entire manufacturing process is now automated with robots, from inbound receiving, to in-store stock management, outbound stock collection, and production line delivery.

"We are very proud of this end-to-end automation success with Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai. The company makes cutting-edge electronics technology, and Geekplus uses robotics technology to power their operations. The result is a beautiful example of how well smart intralogistics can function."

-Junzhe Yang, Vice President of China Region at Geekplus.

With the growth of Siemens Switchgear's business, new demands for storage capacity, material informatization, distribution timeliness, and accuracy have arisen. The implementation of a Plan For Every Part (PFEP) logistics model is a key step for Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai to react to this new reality. Entrusting the running of the site to Geekplus's smart technology and sophisticated software provides the 360° inventory oversight that this strategy requires. Geekplus has created a fully automated, flexible, multi-robot solution that represents a breathrough in intelligent manufacturing.

In this second phase of the project, Geekplus added more MP1000R moving robots equipped with laser-guided simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) capabilities to the production line without interrupting operations. Managed by Geekplus's warehouse management system, these robots autonomously carry out on-time delivery of raw materials to where they are needed in the production line. This precise matching of required materials and delivery times reduces line side warehouse space requirements by half and yields a material handling accuracy rate of over 99.98%.

In realizing this expansion, Geekplus engineers listened to Siemens Switchgear's experiences with the first-phase configuration. To better meet the client's needs, the Geekplus team optimized the paths layout of the four-way shuttle storage system and the layout of the picking workstations. The outbound throughput rate has increased from 500 pallets per day to 1000 pallets per day. They also added a steel platform to create a second storage level operated by the original P800R fleet, with a new cluster of P800Rs equipped with square pallet docking with low-level hoists in the materials receiving area on the ground floor. These additions, along with more MP1000R moving robots, have been seamlessly integrated into Siemens Switchgear's fully automated facility and freed up an additional 3000m2 of storage space. 

Geekplus and Siemens Switchgear Ltd., Shanghai will further deepen their cooperation, expand application scenarios, explore innovative solutions, and continue to lead the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry.

About Geekplus:
Geek+ is a global technology company leading the intelligent logistics revolution. We apply advanced robotics and AI technologies to realize flexible, reliable, and highly efficient solutions for warehouses and supply chain management. Geek+ is trusted by over 500 global industry leaders and has been recognized as the world leader in autonomous mobile robots. Founded in 2015, Geek+ has over 1500 employees, with offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore.

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MaxLinear Launches Product Design Kit for Active Electrical Cables Using Keystone PAM4 DSP

MaxLinear | February 02, 2024

MaxLinear, Inc. a leading provider of high-speed interconnect ICs enabling data center, metro, and wireless transport networks, announced the availability of a comprehensive product design kit (PDK) to optimize performance and accelerate the time to market for high-speed Active Electrical Cables (AEC) using MaxLinear’s 5nm PAM4 DSP, Keystone. The PDK is a cost-cutting and time-saving tool for cable manufacturers who want to quickly integrate Keystone into their active electrical cables. MaxLinear’s Keystone PAM4 DSP offers a significant power advantage in AEC applications, which is increasingly becoming a critical factor for hyperscale data centers. The use of 5nm CMOS technology enables designers and manufacturers to build high-speed cables that meet the need for low power, highly integrated, high performance interconnect solutions that will drive the next generation of hyperscale cloud networks. Manufacturers taking advantage of MaxLinear’s PDK to optimize cable designs using Keystone PAM4 DSP will gain a distinct advantage over competitor solutions when trying to maximize reach and minimize power consumption. The PDK makes Keystone easy to integrate with strong applications support, multiple tools to optimize and monitor performance, and reference designs (SW and HW) to accelerate integration. Sophisticated software allows for quick design optimization for the lowest possible power consumption and maximizing cable reach. Cable designers can constantly monitor performance, route signals from any port to any port, and take advantage of hitless firmware upgrades. “MaxLinear is focused on providing not only industry-leading interconnect technologies but also a comprehensive suite of tools to support our manufacturing and design partners,” said Drew Guckenberger, Vice President of High Speed Interconnect at MaxLinear. “Our development kit for our Keystone products provides them with a path to take products to market more quickly and more cost-effectively.” Active electrical cables (AECs) are revolutionizing data center connections. Unlike passive cables, they actively boost signals, allowing for longer distances (up to 7 meters for 400G), higher bandwidth, and thinner, lighter cables. This makes them ideal for high-speed applications like top-of-rack connections (connecting switches to servers within the same rack); direct digital control (enabling flexible interconnectivity within racks and across rows); and breakout solutions (splitting high-speed connections into multiple lower-speed channels). The high-speed interconnect market – which includes active optical cables, active electrical cables, direct attach copper cables, and others – is expected to grow to $17.1B by 2028, up from $10.7B in 2021 according to a market forecast report from The Insight Partners. The Keystone Family The Keystone 5nm DSP family caters to 400G and 800G applications, featuring a groundbreaking 106.25Gbps host side electrical I/O, aligning with the line side interface rate. Available variants support single-mode optics (EML and SiPh), multimode optics and Active Electrical Cables (AECs), offering comprehensive solutions with companion TIAs. Host side interfaces cover ethernet rates of 25G, 50G, and 100G per lane over C2M, MR, and LR host channels. The line side interfaces, tailored for 100G/λ DR, FR, and LR applications, also support these rates. These devices boast extensive DSP functionality, encompassing line-side transmitter DPD, TX FIR, receiver FFE, and DFE. With exceptional performance and signal integrity, these DSPs occupy a compact footprint (12mm x 13mm), ideal for next-gen module form-factors like QSFP-DD800 and OSFP800. Additionally, they are available as Known Good Die (KGD) for denser applications, such as OSFP-XD. About MaxLinear, Inc. MaxLinear, Inc. is a leading provider of radio frequency (RF), analog, digital, and mixed-signal integrated circuits for access and connectivity, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multimarket applications. MaxLinear is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. MaxLinear, the MaxLinear logo, any other MaxLinear trademarks are all property of MaxLinear, Inc. or one of MaxLinear's subsidiaries in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved.

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