Our technologies Opportunities 4.0

Industry 4.0 is changing how we work; streamlining tasks, workflows, and processes; eliminating sources of error; and increasing the value we create. Accordingly, we are actively helping shape this change in order to take full advantage of the opportunities it offers – both for us and for our customers.

How is Industry 4.0 revolutionizing production?

One of the most frequently envisioned concepts when talking about Industry 4.0 is the self-running factory. Within this context, an ERP system such as SAP automatically identifies the need for raw materials and orders them accordingly. Meanwhile, machine tools communicate with each other and notify the relevant maintenance company when they require maintenance. Sure, this might sound like science fiction now, but it will be a crucial competitive advantage in the future.

How are we responding to Industry 4.0?

Our approach is to take the opportunities offered by Industry 4.0 and maximize the benefits we can derive from them so that we will continue to be able to deliver unmatched results to our customers in the future.

The challenges

In the 21st century, our challenges include handling exponentially growing amounts of complex data, distributing work among our global locations, collaborating with our partners and suppliers more closely, and addressing the need for increasingly customized products, all of which can be summarized in one single requirement: maximizing the modern factory’s ability to adapt. Within this context, we consider the deep vertical integration of our data to be a key element in tackling this challenge.

Handling data

Our digital product management system makes it easier to access all CAD engineering data, enabling our design engineers to handle increasing complexity and variety without a problem. Moreover, interfaces to linked IT systems ensure that engineering data is properly integrated (PDM) throughout the entire product life cycle (PLM).

Redefining engineering efficiency

A highly automated design engineering process enables our design engineers to focus exclusively on their work, while our state-of-the-art software environment makes cross-departmental concurrent engineering a reality. In addition, historical data can be retrieved at any moment in order to speed up development work.

So what is next?

We are actively driving our networking forward so that, in the future, product data that has been properly prepared and checked for quality will be made available to other departments, such as Production Planning and Assembly, as well. This data will be available for retrieval via digital terminals, and this, together with other measures, will ensure that we can maximize the efficiency of the worldwide flow of our products through our departments and locations.

We see Industry 4.0 as a process, not a goal. This means that our highly qualified and motivated team members, together with the continuous enhancement and development of our IT systems, guarantee that you will always be able to count on the quality and reliability of our exciting products and services.