Equipment Integration

With us, your IT service provider and IT ally, you benefit from the fact that we fully grasp the specific intricacies and processes of your systems and production processes in a personal conversation. This deep understanding makes it possible to consider your requirements, create a common knowledge base, and effectively plan and implement the next steps. In this way, we achieve the optimal result for you: improve your overall equipment effectiveness. To this end, we identify the necessary system functions and special features.

These are, for example:

• Capture tracking-relevant data and events
• Specifications for production recipes
• Record system status, alarms and error messages
• Manage tools and consumables
• Report process results and material consumption

Some features allow you to track batch and production steps. Others contribute significantly to OEE, a key indicator of the productivity of your machines and equipment. With your specific OEE parameters, we identify individual optimisation potentials for you.

According to your individual requirements, we compare the machine interfaces and communication protocols with the manufacturers. Together with you and the manufacturer, we discuss functional sequences, machine behaviour as well as ambiguities or incomplete information. We will check how we can implement your requirements in system communication accordingly. Frequently used communication protocols are, for example:

• SECS/GEM
• IPC CFX
• OPC
• Manufacturer's own protocols

We integrate the machines into your infrastructure. We take into account your individual requirements and the results of the agreements with machine manufacturers. Depending on the environment, we prepare data for direct transfer to the MES or dock onto your interfaces and APIs. We connect an existing solution for you. Together, we will find the optimal solution for your company and your IT system landscape in order to achieve optimal results according to your individual requirements.

In short, we can build a new system landscape (greenfield) as well as supplement an existing framework and infrastructure to support machine connection (brownfield). In both cases, we will identify the best possible solution for you.

Together with you, we support and also carry out the preliminary acceptance of new systems. In this way, we ensure comprehensive testing and preparation. As a result, the machine masters all the required functions to the expected extent before we integrate it into production.

We work efficiently and identify deviations at an early stage.

We do this in 4 steps:

• Characterizing the system, especially in the case of unclear points from the plant or manufacturer's specification
  • Query variables, alarms and error messages
• Defining test procedures
• Accompany and carry out preliminary acceptance of machine communication – remotely or, even better, at the supplier's site
• Testing machine communication against your requirements:
  • For the behaviour for the typical operation
  • In case of error behaviour (examples: no release for component, material or tools)
  • For the behaviour in unexpected situations (examples: network failure, emergency stop, door opening, ...)

In this step, we support you in the introduction of the software components on the production plant and thus accompany you to final operation:

• Commissioning the system's software
• Configuring MES settings of the machine and machine driver together with the machine engineer or process owner
• Testing machine communication according to your requirements until final data transfer to MES under real conditions

After we have successfully implemented the introduction and integration, the solution goes into operation. In the meantime, we support you with various support models and regular maintenance.