Factory Automation

What do factory automation solutions do for production and assembly lines?

Factory automation and warehouse automation solutions optimise how materials are handled, assembled, transferred, and transported across a facility.

• Ergonomic workstations designed for operator efficiency and safety
• Robust, adaptable platforms that integrate an entire process line
• Coordinated components – electric drives, linear motion systems, conveyer systems, and RFID systems – for accurate positioning and high-speed dynamics
• Flexible changeover for small batches, minimal cycle times, and fast adjustment to production changes

The result is a system engineered for high precision, low energy consumption, and long-term reliability – reducing labour-intensive manual tasks while keeping production lines adaptable as demand and processes evolve.

What machine solutions does Tectra Automation offer?

Tectra Automation builds custom machines to automate repeatable, labour-intensive tasks – from small plants to full-scale factory and warehouse automation applications.

• CNC Machines
• Pneumatic presses
• Packaging machines
• Fully automated & semi-automated machine tool processes

Each system is engineered around short cycle times, maximum precision, engineering flexibility, and low energy consumption – built to perform now and adapt to future production needs.

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What is vacuum handling automation?

Vacuum handling automation uses precision vacuum gripping systems to lift, move and position materials without damage or marking – a core technology in modern factory and warehouse automation.

Tectra Automation's Schmalz vacuum gripping systems handle workpieces
up to 2 000 kg, including:

• Bags, boxes, & pallets
• Glass, metal, & wood
• Composite sheets

From layer and area gripping systems to easy-to-integrate vacuum suction spiders, these systems support industrial robots and automated setups across palletising and logistics tasks – boosting productivity across the full range of automation applications.

How does automation improve warehousing and storage?

Automated material movement in warehousing and storage reduces inventory levels, lower costs, and increases process transparency.

Tectra Automation's warehousing and storage solutions combine:

• Intelligent sensors for real-time monitoring
• Dependable actuators for consistent performance
• Accurate positioning devices for reliable material placement
• Modern tracking methods (including RFID) for full traceability
• Customisable racking systems & application-optimised material supply, keeping materials close at hand & minimising travel distance

How much can factory automation reduce engineering and installation time?

Factory automation and engineering automation solutions  and warehouse automation solutions from Bosch Rexroth Africa, supplied through Tctra Automation, use standardised interfaces that let systems work seamlessly together – reducing project engineering, installation, and start-up requirements by up to 80%.

Key benefits of this lean engineering approach include:

• Faster project planning – user-friendly design and planning tools help you configure linear motion technology and plan the complete structural framing and conveyor system, part of a fully integrated factory automation approach.
• Interchangeable drive technology – electric and pneumatic linear modules share the same dimensions, so you can adapt your industrial automation equipment to new tasks without redesigning the overall factory automation system.
• One software environment for every process – start-up, parameter-input, and diagnosis are handled in a single, ergonomically designed software framework, giving full transparency across your industrial machine automation and control systems. 
• Up to 90% faster servo axis start-up – an intuitive software assistant configures Rexroth servo drives and linear modules for full operation in minutes, streamlining industrial machine automation tasks.

What makes the Bosch Rexroth Open Core platform different?

The Open Core platform is an open, standards-based ecosystem for factory automation and warehouse automation that is future-proof and usable worldwide. It runs on the internationally standardised Sercos automation bus, giving it the flexibility to protect your long-term technology investment – a cornerstone of smart industrial automation.

It supports multiple standardised Ethernet interfaces that communicate in real time using protocols including Sercos, PROFINET IO, EtherNet/IP, and EtherCAT – plus conventional interfaces like PROFIBUS. The interface is easily configured using the software provided, supporting robust industrial automation control systems.

The PLC control units are programmed to the international standard IEC 61131-3 – enabling reliable industrial automation with PLC – with many predefined, configurable function blocks that reduce manual programming. Users can copy and paste whole programs (or parts of them) and build their own function libraries, making PLC factory automation and PLC industrial automation tasks faster for future projects.

Bosch Rexroth's identification systems use RFID technology to store data centrally or decentrally, connecting easily to the PLC and motion logic system through standardised interfaces and frequencies – supporting both factory automation and warehouse automation applications, including industrial robotic automation and automation equipment on the factory floor.