Solution Examples
Secure IoT platform as the foundation for new digital business models and increased efficiency in mechanical engineering
Proactive customer service with mobile app
Service portal cuts commissioning effort in half
Customer portal improves customer communication and project management
Podcast Episodes
Secure Data Service and NIS2 as Components of the Digital Service Portfolio – How Machine and Plant Manufacturers Can Digitalize
A practical example of this is the digitalization solution for VOLLMER, a specialist in grinding machines. To future-proof their machines, VOLLMER relies on Kontron’s IoT starter kit, which enables data processing and analysis via OPC UA and MQTT. The solution helps to finally evaluate machine data meaningfully and generate tangible added value – a must for any company that relies on smart machines. The two Kontron products, KontronOS and KontronGrid, play a central role in this. They not only provide the necessary infrastructure for condition monitoring, fleet management, and update management but also secure the machines against unauthorized access. This is particularly crucial in light of the EU-wide NIS2 Directive, which imposes new security requirements on supply chains in IoT. For machine builders, this means: With Kontron’s solutions, maintenance and updates can be controlled cost-effectively and securely from a distance. Instead of regular on-site maintenance and unused data potential, companies receive a comprehensive package that provides them with continuous uptime and long-term cost savings. The episode also gives exciting insights into how Kontron manages to solve complex challenges for the machine building industry through a flexible, scalable setup and thus ensures secure data processing and networking.
Digital service in specialized mechanical engineering
The trend topic of digital service does not seem to stop at any industry. Good for software companies like Kontron AIS, which accompany companies from a wide range of industries on the path to optimal service with agile software as a service and cloud solutions. The goal of RAMPF, a manufacturer of reactive resins and specialized machines, was to create digital added value for its customers and to optimize internal processes through innovations in the areas of customer service, data documentation, and communication. Also high on the agenda were the topics of transparency, data security and customer trust. The new solution should ensure seamless integration of existing systems, such as SAP, with the new interfaces. To realize this vision, they were willing to turn their backs on old structures and set out into uncharted waters. For this purpose, they brought the Dresden-based company Kontron AIS on board. RAMPF had recognized the opportunity and necessity to expand its range of products and services to include a comprehensive service area, including digitization, in order to position itself even more successfully in the market. Through open employee communication, a gradual, step-by-step roll-out of the cloud solution and successes that were not long in coming, the initial skepticism within the workforce quickly evaporated. In the meantime, almost all project communication runs via the so-called EquipmentCloud®, which was implemented at RAMPF one and a half years ago. In the podcast, this solution is explained in detail and its advantages are illustrated with examples from daily business. In addition, the question will be clarified whether machine data are already present or still dreams of the future, in which way a Node-RED interface for integration is applied and how the acceptance by the end customer for such coupled solutions looks like.
