ZOLLER | MAGAZINE 2018 EDITION

The more important networking and automation become to production, the more important software becomes. Software developers and engineers have been working side by side in research and development departments for quite some time. The goal is to network individual production stations and elements and to link different locations and machine manufacturers together all around the world for remote maintenance. The “smart factories” created by these kinds of networks essentially control themselves. Downtimes, timeconsum­ ing searches for tools, crashes – smart factories know how to avoid all of these kinds of problems. Machines notify users if parts need to be exchanged before they cause problems. Figuring out tool stock levels or locations no longer requires a trip to the warehouse, but rather just a click in the right app. Once a tool is outside of the tolerance range, the presetter sounds an alarm and tools aren’t even delivered to the machine. And once a tool is nearing the end of its service life, users are notified automatically and tools can be re-ordered directly. Theoretically, any request can be processed quickly and economically – from a minimum batch size of just 1. SIMPLE COMMUNICATION New systems need to integrate seamlessly into existing production structures. Just like ZOLLER system solutions. Thanks to easy connections to third-party systems and higher-level controlling systems as well as different data transmission options, they can be directly integrated. Sounds good? It is. However, there is still great uncertain- ty, especially among smaller companies, about the best way to approach digitization. Many providers promise so- lutions – but which is the right one? Which one will work with the company’s existing production elements? And how will employees learn to work with the solution? Espe- cially among specialistswithmany years of experience, it can be tough to foster openness to new possibilities. One key reason for this is concern that digitization may eliminate jobs. Another concern is that these specialists may not have the knowledge they need to handle the new software. Any company looking to counteract resistance to intro- ducing new systems would do well to use the simplest and most well-developed solutions available that have proven themselves on the market. Digitization has been underway for many years, and valuable empirical data is available. Of course, new solutions also need to integrate well into ex- isting processes – after all, most companies aren’t look- ing for a complete overhaul. They need to ensure smooth connections to higher-level controlling and third-party systems as well as data transmission appropriate for con- trol technology. ACCELERATING SUCCESS NO. 1: DIGITAL EXPERTISE COVER STORY 18 Z.magazine 2018