Optimizing efficiency is at the heart of production; fast, reliable and reproducible production processes are essential. Automation offers the opportunity to make production processes more efficient, and digitalization is the tool par excellence for this. Digitalization offers ever new, faster ways to simulate traceable production processes and to implement them in the next step. However, digitalization also helps to accompany the complete life cycle of machines, plants and production facilities. There are opportunities for "remote" commissioning, early detection and addressing of sources of error, and continuous optimization of processes.

It therefore seems only logical that Panasonic Industry Europe has opened a Customer Experience Center in the spring of 2021 on around 6,000 square meters, giving everyone the opportunity to experience innovations and high technology haptically, on site and at first hand.

Showing innovative solutions for different industries under one roof and making them public as a place of experience is a step that Panasonic Industry Europe has consciously chosen. The Panasonic Campus Munich with the Customer Experience Center is neither an in-house exhibition nor a museum or archive for products and developments. Rather, the building in the heart of one of Bavaria's most important technology locations is a center of encounter, a meeting place of ideas, around which service centers, laboratories and development departments are grouped to work creatively on new, even unconventional approaches to solutions, to use synergies and to focus on concrete added value for customers. Here, in the heart of Europe, our engineers, trainers and service staff are already working together with our European customers on the answers to tomorrow's questions. Closely aligned with the needs of our partners, the Customer Experience Center enables us to bring this innovative strength to life, visualize the synergies of our own Group and bring them to the European production sites in the form of concrete solutions.

Five subareas that illustrate this approach of centrally bundling competencies are, for example, the Intralogistics Competence Center for our IIoT Intralogistics (Logiscend) solution, the Laboratory for Industrial Sensor Technology, the Center for Drive Technology and Controls, the Laboratory for Laser Marking Systems, and the Service Center for Factory Automation Solutions for our European customers.

Laboratory for intralogistics

In the wake of increasing digitalization, especially in the field of intralogistics, Panasonic has developed Logiscend - the enterprise solution that brings our customers' material flow into the age of IoT. Consisting of Panasonic's own patented hardware devices that completely eliminate any paper waste and reduce manual interactions such as scanning to an absolute minimum, software for complete visibility, real-time localization (RTLS), process control and data analytics, and perhaps most importantly, service and support. In our CXC lab, we spend time with our clients and offer consulting workshops to analyze existing processes that have sometimes grown over years and only ever adjust to the next obvious problem. Using Kaizen methods and the goal of lean intralogistics and production, we explore inventory and material flow and ultimately create a future-proof process flow.

Laboratory for laser applications

The laboratory for laser applications, which focuses on laser marking and laser welding, offers our customers the opportunity to test our solutions first-hand and live. The workstations are designed to process a wide variety of workpieces such as aluminum, plastics or steel. In addition, the marking or welding results can be comprehensively analyzed in order to adapt the processing to the customer's requirements. Feasibility studies can also be carried out at six marking stations. In addition, we use the laboratory for laser applications to train our customers in setup and operation on hardware and software.

Centrum servisu průmyslové automatizaceService Center for Factory Automation Solutions

At our Factory Automation Solutions Service Center on the Panasonic Campus, we are there for our customer in case of complaints and returns, contributing to the comprehensive after-sales service for which Panasonic Industry is known. We ensure fast, high-quality fault analysis and rectification through comprehensive diagnostics including function test and diagnostic report, followed by repair with function test. Thanks to the direct contact with the development departments, adjustments, replacement recommendations and repairs with original spare and wear parts are implemented in the shortest possible time and at low cost. Through the Service Center in the Customer Experience Center, we offer simple as well as fast warranty and complaint processing, so that European customers can use our products and solutions optimally.

Laboratory for drive technology

In this laboratory for servo drives, products from different areas are combined to form a complete solution for our customers. This work area is separated from the other laboratories in order to be able to carry out endurance and load tests. Here we can prove interoperability with products from partner companies in the field of drive technology, as we test and successfully integrate products from third-party suppliers that have to work together with our solutions in the field. Other services include: Live application training, software training and support, and proof of concept development with customers. As a service product itself, the Servo Drive Solutions Lab is part of the solution approach that makes the difference for our customers.

Laboratory and development for sensor solutions

In our laboratory for sensor solutions, we address the individual requirements of our customers. We analyze specific issues and challenges of our customers and jointly evaluate the possibilities to develop an optimal solution for the specific requirement. As Panasonic Industry offers a broad portfolio of high-tech sensor solutions, these feasibility studies are essential in order to meet the individual requirements of our customers. The laboratory and development department for sensor solutions also offers a comprehensive area for adapting existing products: we specifically adapt the measuring range, wiring, measuring precision, dimensions or measuring speed of our sensors to the requirements of our customers, for example. We also find a sensor solution for challenging applications that are exposed to dust, dirt, oil or aggressive chemicals.