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INTRODUCING A PLATFORM FO Not only do many of the very large machine manufacturers have


their own platforms, but they have resources in software development and are making the first digital services available to their industrial customers. But how do small or medium-sized machine


builders manage this? With their platform idea, the developers at Lenze are focusing precisely on this target group…


years. Interested in ‘digital topics’, he works with three colleagues who provide support, although the digital business models and product development are completely up to him. “The focus of our work is still on hardware,” he explains. For the past six months, Schuler has been on a mission to offer his users additional digital services for ‘his’ machine. He said: “My


A


s a software engineer, Timo Schuler has been working for a small special machine manufacturer in the Swabian Alb for two


colleagues in customer service definitely see the opportunities, but the day-to-day business slows them down.” Help was therefore needed.


UP TO THE CHALLENGE Here we head to Bremen, Germany, and this is where Klaas Nebuhr from Lenze has his office, at the Hamelin automation specialist’s digital site. “It’s great that the owner found a software engineer and hired him immediately. For a small mechanical engineering company, that’s


like winning the lottery,” said Nebuhr, who is responsible for Lenze’s digital business. For him, Schuler is a prime example of the challenge faced by many small and medium-sized machine builders in particular. “It’s not a lack of ideas, but a lack of experts, processes and solutions that make economic sense for the OEM,” he said. This is an issue for many small and medium-sized machine builders across the world. From this, an idea was born, as Nebuhr,


explained: “For many, the machine is at the centre of the business model, so we want to support the core business processes around the machine with digital business models and services. For this, we offer OEMs an asset ‘Platform as a Service’ (PaaS).” Another platform? “Yes, but one that is open for


extensions, adaptations and integration. And, of course, GDPR-compliant,” promised Nebuhr. With his PaaS offering running on Azure, he sees himself as an enabler for SMEs. Lenze not only supplies the components, but also the security, infrastructure and initial applications, including from partner companies. These applications can be customised by the customer for his machine buyer with his own functions and designs. Nebuhr continued: “Then he can pass them


on to his customer ready for use and improve them together with the user in the next step.” Lenze therefore takes the first step towards


digital services with the customer. “We take him by the hand because, thanks to our asset management, we know what could make sense for him and his customers. We sit directly in the machine with our components and know the applications very well.”


OEE CALCULATION AS THE FIRST APPLICATION Nebuhr said: “It’s about the overall picture. Think of Formula One, for example. The best driver is not enough if the car or the pit crew don’t fit together. The OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), for example, can also be calculated by competitors, it’s about developing digital products for the small and medium-sized machine builders.” So what might such a digital product from


Lenze look like? The company is just starting with its ‘OEE &


Downtime tracking’ application. OEE is still the problem child in many companies. It should already be at 80% but the reality is often different. There is a lack of data and, much more often, a


8 DESIGN SOLUTIONS FEBRUARY 2022


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