The World Economic Forum (WEF) has included Arçelik’s Eskişehir refrigerator plant into its “Global Lighthouse Network”, which recognizes leaders in utilizing Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. The site has been considered as one of the world’s most advanced manufacturing plants. “The digital transformation of our Eskişehir factory is an inspiring success story – said Koç Holding CEO Levent Çakıroğlu -. To meet rising consumer demand for its expanding product range, while also meeting all quality expectations, Arçelik created more than 30 use cases. To accomplish this, our company, which develops new ideas and can test them quickly, used in-house innovation and advanced engineering platforms like Atölye 4.0 and The Garage. We also collaborated with SMEs, universities, and start-ups. As a result, digital applications could be implemented at a lower cost. Thanks to the digitalization of operations, our factory was able to quickly adapt to shifts in consumer demand caused by the pandemic. Furthermore, in response to increased demand, we plan to invest in increasing our capacity”. As communicated by the company, the Arçelik Eskişehir refrigerator plant stands out with the following achievements: the manufacturing plant uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and closed-loop feedback control systems to enable artificial intelligence-based decision-making solutions, which has resulted in significant improvements in quality indicators and a 20 percent reduction in customer complaints; the closed-loop feedback control systems were adjusted to the machinery, resulting in a 43 percent capacity increase and a 17 percent reduction in transformation costs; carbon emissions were reduced by 14% thanks to digital solutions. Additionally, Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) were integrated to replace forklifts and automate the material distribution system, resulting in a 7 percent reduction in carbon emissions. The closed-loop feedback control systems improved energy efficiency by 19 percent by optimizing the core production processes. Besides, 11 robots and 3,500 sensors collect 7.5 million pieces of data per day. The facility makes use of digital manufacturing equipment that it designed itself.
