Interview: Michael Corban, editor-in-chief elektro AUTOMATION
elektro AUTOMATION: Mr. Johne, would you like to briefly explain to us the objective of your digital assistant? manufacturing machines
Ralf Johne (Niehoff): We want to assist the customer and enable them to more easily get a better overview of the condition of their machine - i.e. increase transparency.The main focus is to maintain the productivity of the machine - almost all of our machines run 24 hours a day, 7 days a day - and to rule out malfunctions from the outset or at least to ensure that they can be remedied as quickly as possible.Transparency helps to move away from unplanned outages and towards planned downtimes, during which maintenance and service can be carried out in a targeted and planned manner.In other words: With the digital assistant we want to increase the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
electro AUTOMATION: Do you measure the OEE and do you install additional sensors?
Johne: That's not necessary - our digital assistant primarily extracts more information from the machine and enables it to be used.For example, an increase in temperature makes it easy to see that friction is increasing and wear is the cause.Using a series of machine-specific parameters, the user can use the digital assistant to quickly identify when and where a replacement is required.This gives him the opportunity to use predictive maintenance to move away from unplanned outages and into planned downtimes.We have received feedback from our customers that they can now not only clearly see the condition of the machines, but also a structured analysis is possible.If a machine stops, it quickly becomes clear whether it is a product or machine defect.Based on these findings, especially the monitoring history, productivity can be further increased.
electro AUTOMATION: Do you already intervene directly in the control of the manufacturing process?
Johne: No, with the digital assistant we receive the information, but we deliberately do not control the machine itself. The control circuit should remain in the machine so that the problem of remote access does not arise in the first place.In a certain way, this is also the highlight of the digital assistant: simply because we can more easily collect and evaluate the information that is already available in the machine or control system, productivity can be significantly increased.This illustrates the enormous opportunities that can be exploited through digitalization.Our monitoring gives us significantly more transparency in the first step - without interfering with the machine control.
elektro AUTOMATION: What are the next steps and what opportunities are opening up for Niehoff?
Johne: We have laid the foundation with the digital assistant and created a new communication platform to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization - we are only at the beginning of a development that will open up numerous applications.Using this platform, we can now reach our customers and, above all, the machine operators in a much more targeted manner.For example, there is a knowledge library with machine-specific information that is constantly growing - and the user receives information about new upgrades.The monitoring implemented with the digital assistant is therefore an integral part of our future strategy.We want to actively shape change - because in connection with the Internet of Things (IoT), competitors and business models are changing;We are now well positioned for the future here.
electro AUTOMATION: You talked about the fact that the digital assistant does not require any intervention in the machine control.How much effort is required to use the assistant?
Johne: Here we consciously looked for a solution that offers us a high level of flexibility and many options.We came across B&R's offer (editor's note: see box 'The basic system').One of the advantages is that we basically don't have to make any changes to the controls on the machine side; controls from B&R and Siemens are used.What is crucial is the integration into a machine data network, but this can be achieved with minimal effort using standard components such as an edge computer, which then sends the data to our cloud.This approach is therefore particularly suitable for brownfield applications.Interestingly, we also found out in advance that around 54 percent of our customers had already integrated Niehoff machines into a data network.Even with globally distributed systems, transparency can be achieved quickly in this way.The added value lies in the multiple possible uses of the data.They are visualized by the digital assistant and can at the same time be made available to other systems via an OPC UA interface.
elektro AUTOMATION: So the emergence of IoT solutions has made the implementation of the digital assistant easier?
Johne: Definitely, because it has introduced a new type of communication via platforms that is much more targeted.Ultimately, Industry 4.0 is the link between data exchange between machines.Connectivity and networking have become much easier with IoT solutions, so that we as machine manufacturers can leverage our strengths through machine and process monitoring.And experience proves us right: We went online with our first customers at the end of 2018 - and across the board we now have much better conversations based on a more meaningful database.
elektro AUTOMATION: How much effort did Niehoff have to put into programming this communication platform that is behind the digital assistant?
Johne: That was a challenge for us, but we focus primarily on the functions that provide our customers with added value.Although we program the PLC controls including HMIs in-house, we brought in external partners to program the digital assistant.To implement machine and process monitoring, we relied on the expertise of B&R employees, particularly in the infrastructure for the database and data communication.
elektro AUTOMATION: How did you deal with the issue of security?
Johne: We have of course done everything we can to make our digital assistant secure.Our cloud deliberately runs in an external data center of a German company, which is subject exclusively to German laws and regulations.Using completely closed servers, we can also ensure that our customers' data and our own Niehoff data are always kept separate.Customer data is always stored separately.Our system also works with components and processes that have the corresponding TÜV and ISO safety certificates.The positive reaction from our customers shows that this effort is worth it - so far no order has failed due to the security concept.
elektro AUTOMATION: Let’s take a closer look at the digital assistant – which functions are addressed?
Johne: In general, we address the four target groups of management, production, purchasing and maintenance, to whom we offer transparency through machine and process monitoring, depending on the respective task.A decisive advantage is digital consistency.Without media disruption - paper operating instructions are no longer needed in daily work - construction and circuit diagrams as well as parts lists can be opened machine-specifically, which drastically reduces effort.Using the machine number, the identification numbers of the components you are looking for can be quickly identified using the corresponding position numbers in the plans - and a spare parts order can then be sent directly to us using a QR code and two clicks.It is also possible to implement a ticket system so that disruptions can be reported directly to us - here too, the lack of media disruption has a positive impact, as not only can this be done much more quickly, but all the necessary information is also available automatically.This in turn saves time and the machine is ready to start again more quickly and therefore more productive.This is an enormous advantage, especially with our machines, which are individually designed to meet customer requirements.Ultimately, we are based on a parts list that is specifically valid for the respective machine.Last but not least, our service technicians also have an easier time - all they need is the machine's serial number.
Further information about Niehoff’s service offering:
Maschinenfabrik Niehoff GmbH & Co.KG Walter-Niehoff-Straße 2 91126 Schwabach Tel.: +49 (0) 9122 977 0 info@niehoff.de www.niehoff-gmbh.info
B&R Industrie-Elektronik GmbH Norsk-Data-Straße 3 61352 Bad Homburg Tel.: +49 6172 4019 0 office.de@br-automation.com www.br-automation.com
“With the digital assistant, we have laid the foundation for taking advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization – we are only at the beginning of a development that will open up numerous applications.”
Via the edge to the cloud - this is how B&R's principle can be described, with which users like Maschinenfabrik Niehoff can implement service offerings such as their digital assistant based on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).Edge computers enable connection to the cloud;On the software side, Mapp Technology's modular software components make it easier to record, evaluate and visualize machine data.The specific use case determines which of the three edge variants from B&R makes sense:
With the different edge architectures, it is easy to make new systems ready for the IIoT - especially since edge architectures are also interesting for existing systems that are currently unconnected on the factory floor.With the Orange Box, B&R also offers a solution specifically for brownfield systems.The box with a combination of software and hardware is connected to an existing machine and can easily be integrated into an edge architecture.
Further information about Industrial IoT solutions from B&R:
Complete solutions from a single source is the motto of Maschinenfabrik Niehoff, which, with more than 60 years of experience, develops and builds all the machines required for the production of wires made of non-ferrous metals and further processing into automotive, data and special cables. The only exception are extruders.The portfolio also includes technical support for customers as well as the reliable supply of original Niehoff wear and spare parts, machine inspections, modernization and maintenance measures as well as machine operator and maintenance courses.The Niehoff Group offers solutions tailored to customer needs, from planning and setup to the turnkey handover of complete cable factories.The group, with over 800 employees worldwide, consists of the headquarters, five manufacturing subsidiaries (in Brazil, the USA, the Czech Republic, India and China) as well as sales and service centers in Japan, Singapore and Russia.
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