Estonia is considered a role model in terms of digitalization and has developed into one of the most advanced societies in the world in this area. The production lines at KARL STORZ's Estonian site are also highly automated and networked. This exciting corporate environment has resulted in a very successful cooperation for us, in which we have been able to contribute our expertise and also learn a lot ourselves.

With the development of a prototype for disposable endoscopes and the new production lines in ISO-7 cleanrooms, the Estonian site is not only gaining in importance within the KARL STORZ Group, but is also setting standards in the field of smart factories. For the new cleanroom production, the Estonians wanted seamless quality monitoring that could be integrated into the digitalized processes of modern production. We were able to meet this demand for a high level of data integration with our CleanCell4.0 cleanroom system and the integrated CRControl® control system, which provides data for automatic control and monitoring, among other things.  We were also able to set up remote maintenance with our system. The installation of an automatic material lock, which enables control and feedback for logistics robots, was a first for us. The autonomous, mobile robots, which are the size of a small shopping cart, open the sliding gates automatically by radio.

With the active support of our Estonian colleagues, all technical and logistical challenges were mastered very well and the first disposable endoscopes have already been successfully produced in the new plant. A further cleanroom facility is being planned and we are already looking forward to returning to the modern East.