FUTURE MANUFACTURING
Confectionery industry develops and establishes manufacturer-independent platform
VIKTOR JANZEN
Machine and plant manufacturers want to offer digital services . That is why many are investing in the development of their own portals . In contrast , machine operators do not want to use many different portals . Manufacturer-independent platforms resolve this conflict while offering major advantages for both sides . Such a solution is available for the confectionery industry .
Machine and plant manufacturers are increasingly striving to expand their range to include digital services . Greater production flexibility , more efficient processes and the ability of manufacturers to secure their own future viability are strong drivers of this trend . For digital services , however , machine and plant manufacturers need a web platform that allows them to collect the necessary machine data and make the applications available to machine operators . For providers , therefore , the question becomes whether they should invest in their own portal or join an existing platform .
Sharing a platform with competitors
Sources : Winkler und Dünnebier Süßwarenmaschinen
Compared to machine and plant manufacturers , the situation for machine operators is considerably more complex . With a heterogeneous set of machinery , operators are faced with a multitude of platforms from which they have to make a targeted selection , unless they want to expose their personnel to a jumble of various logins . However , this cannot be a permanent solution . Large machine operators have the alternative of developing their own platform which is tailored to the group . Recent customer demands show that machine operators are increasing the pressure on machine and plant manufacturers to share platforms with competitors .
A machine manufacturer ’ s choice of platform depends on much more than just design or technology . It ’ s about the entire ecosystem of the platform . The key questions here are :
● Who is behind the platform ?
● What are the goals of the platform ?
● What services are offered by the platform ?
● How open are the applications ?
● What interfaces already exist which the manufacturer can connect its own systems to ?
● What digital services can the manufacturer expect to be created using the platform ?
The QR code can be used to access operating instructions and much more .