New Delhi: Siemens India , part of the Munich-based $80 billion conglomerate Siemens AG, today inaugurated its showcase digitalized low-voltage switchgear factory at Kalwa , near Thane in Mumbai.The factory can manufacture over five million devices annually and is capable of producing more than 180 variants at the rate of one product every nine seconds, Siemens said in a statement.“With the launch of the showcase digitalized factory in India, we further deepen our ties with a country in which we have a very strong presence. The SIRIUS range of switchgear products that will be manufactured here requires a very high degree of precision and quality at global standards that can be achieved only through digitalization,” Karlheinz Kaul , CEO – Control Products, Digital Factory, Siemens AG, said.Products at the plant communicate with machines and all processes are optimized for IT control, resulting in a minimal failure rate, the statement said. “The production methods deployed at the plant are expected to be a standard for small and medium-sized manufacturing units in India, achieving a visionary model for the future of manufacturing: end-to-end digitalization where the real and virtual worlds merge in ‘Digital Factory’,” the company said.The digitalized factory is expected to help the Indian industry, especially small and medium enterprises ( SMEs ), achieve manufacturing excellence. “SMEs can utilize digitalization to address growing demands such as mastering increasing product and process complexity, reducing time to market, adapting to changing market requirements, deliver individualized products and secure continuous product improvement,” the statement said.The low-voltage switchgear factory at Kalwa Works has achieved digitalization through solutions which enable design of products, tools and equipment, master data management, automation, process simulation and product traceability.