Networked from Silo to Warehouse
The system provider’s scope of supply starts at the customer’s site below the silo. The product falls into the bag, which is palletized, and the entire stack is covered with a stretch film hood. The BEUMER Group’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) can also be connected via the BEUMER software. This can assign the goods for storage, via barcode, for example, or via an RFID or QR code. Forklifts equipped with readers “know” where to take the pallets and feed that information back to the system. “Our software can network the entire system from the silo to the warehouse,” says Imberg. “Our goal is to minimize interfaces and offer the customer everything from a single source.”
The petrochemical industry is still a relatively conservative sector and is reacting very hesitantly to digitalization, despite the high level of data security. “We naturally mention this possibility to users,” Imberg reports. “And we’re noticing that interest is growing.”
Making Work easier with Intelligence
“In terms of operation and maintenance, we want to relieve our customers of as many tasks as possible – the keyword here is Smart Factory,” says Imberg. “We’re working hard on that.” The personnel’s level of knowledge can vary considerably depending on the location, and employees in emerging markets are increasingly unwilling to take on repetitive tasks. The outcome of this is that fewer and fewer workers are available. “With our BG Fusion software, we can provide our customers with excellent support in this regard and make their work easier. However, the topic is far from exhausted,” says BEUMER expert Imberg. “At the BEUMER Group, we leverage our experience and developments from the Airport and Logistics business segments, such as intelligent service and visualization concepts, and are determining whether we can apply them to our packaging solutions.”
Service with BEUMER Smart Glasses
However – what if a malfunction occurs or the machine fails? “We send our localized technicians to customers worldwide to support operators and prevent longer downtimes,” explains Imberg. BEUMER Customer Support also offers a hotline available around the clock every day of the year. However, a complex problem cannot always be described quickly and clearly on the phone. This is why the BEUMER Group developed a futuristic product – the BEUMER Smart Glasses. “We use it to virtually look over the shoulder of the customer’s service technician and troubleshoot together with images and sound,” says Imberg. The customer can use the Smart Glasses to quickly send a picture to the BEUMER expert, who can also send a picture back. This digital solution reduces time-consuming travel and high additional costs. “The next level of remote diagnostics used to be the telephone, but now it’s voice and picture,” says Imberg.
For greenfield and brownfield Projects
BEUMER Group develops its solutions for both greenfield and brownfield projects. This is important because the system provider supports many systems that have already been installed worldwide. Many customers often opt for a retrofit years later, and in most cases, this is also unavoidable due to the spare parts situation or process changes. In these cases, BEUMER technicians replace older components and increase performance via the software.
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