Challenges Facing Adaptable Production
Consumer behavior has definitely changed. Goods custom-made for the individual buyer, while once considered as rather a luxury, are now simply expected. And the consequences for production? It must keep pace, so continually shrinking batch sizes can still be manufactured profitably. New production structures are called for, along with a new approach in mechanical and plant engineering.
The DIMA concept (Decentralized Intelligence for Modular Applications) that WAGO introduced in 2014 was the impetus for the NAMUR recommendation NE 148, followed by the standard VDI/VDE/NAMUR 2658. This is the basis for MTP (Module Type Package), which enables modern production design.