„Digitalization with browser-based platforms such as EVORIS is a key prerequisite for sustainability and profitability“
Customer Autoneum Switzerland AG
Autoneum, the leading supplier of acoustic and thermal management solutions for vehicles, has been operating five Dieffenbacher LFT-D systems for the production of automotive components in its Swiss plant in Sevelen for more than twenty years. To optimize production, Autoneum has implemented the digitalization platform EVORIS:The use of a browser-based platform that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) makes the operation of LFT-D systems, which Autoneum uses in the production of its underfloor products such as battery trays, faster and more efficient. The flexible options for use of the EVORIS system was of particular interest to the plant: “Digitalization with browser-based platforms such as EVORIS is a key prerequisite for sustainability and profitability. The integration of AI allows us to optimize our production processes in the most environmentally friendly and efficient way,“ says Mario-Martin Kolar, Legal Unit Head Autoneum Switzerland AG and Plant Manager Sevelen.
That’s how we helped Autoneum get ahead
Autoneum is running the EVORIS Start Center with the apps Anomaly Detection, Curve Analysis, Component History and Actual Value. EVORIS provides transparency across the entire plant and enables faster decision making. Processes are improved, machine availability increased and maintenance optimized. This results in higher production capacity and, at last, components of the highest quality.
Interview with Christoph Bless, Head Operational Maintenance & Repair, Autoneum Switzerland AG
Dieffenbacher: What were your initial thoughts when we first introduced our digitalization platform to you?
Christoph Bless: Right from the start, it was clear that Dieffenbacher follows an approach that stands out from the crowd. Dieffenbacher offers the complete package: from the platform to sensor technology and plant know-how to technologist knowledge. In addition, they take care of the entire integration and further development of EVORIS. We at Autoneum, in turn, provide exact and thorough process knowledge and an in-depth understanding of everyday issues at the plant in order to be able to adapt the digital platform to our production processes in the best possible way. The integration of artificial intelligence makes EVORIS a very advanced solution, which enables us to act much faster and thus to further optimize our operations. Whenever we acquire and implement a new digitized platform or system at Autoneum, it is of crucial importance that it is broadly accepted among our employees. It was necessary, therefore, that the new application could be operated simply and intuitively, ideally also via touch interfaces. That's what the AI-based software brings to the table: We can use it wherever we need it in the plant – whether on a PC or a smartphone right next to a machine.
Dieffenbacher: Which EVORIS components do you currently have in use at your Sevelen plant and which is your favorite application as of today?
Christoph Bless: We started with the EVORIS platform, including the iba-system, and the EVORIS Start Center. We currently use the applications Curve Analysis, Component History and Anomaly Detection. Of these, Anomaly Detection is my favorite app. It's a very powerful tool. We can use the app to detect deviations on machines early on in production processes. In this way, our plant operators and technologists can check at an early stage whether the reasons for an anomaly could negatively impact production. This saves time and material as we can now identify and correct faults before they have an impact on the quality of the components we produce. In addition, we can prevent downtimes by correcting errors early in the process, which of course brings an immediate economic benefit. Anomaly detection also gives us a much deeper insight into individual processes, for example with the LFT-D extruder, which allows us to further optimize production control and processes – together with Dieffenbacher.
Dieffenbacher: How do the other apps from EVORIS support you in your everyday work?
Christoph Bless: It is our goal to operate our systems with high availability and as sustainably as possible while at the same time ensuring excellent component quality. Among other things, comprehensive diagnostics helps[LS2] [CG3] to significantly reduce potential downtimes. For this purpose, it is useful to collect data in a central database and to have comprehensive diagnostics tools available. Let’s consider, for example, the integration of camera footage in the data analysis process. The app or system synchronizes camera recordings with measurement data which can then be viewed in parallel. This helps us better understand what happened on site. Curve Analysis is another helpful diagnostics app. It is easy to use and depicts plant-wide measurement data in curves, which helps us visualize complex relationships in the production process. Moreover, the fact that we can access the app on tablets no matter where we happen to be in the plant is very convenient. The possibility to save curve views in the app and share them with colleagues at a later stage also makes communication much easier.
Dieffenbacher: What do you think of our Component History app?
Christoph Bless: Component History is another useful EVORIS application. It helps us evaluate the overall loads under which our machine components operate. This makes it easier to plan and adjust the scope or timing of maintenance work. Thanks to this, we now know, for example, how long and under what conditions a particular pump has been running. We can also define its pressure ranges, volume flows, speeds, oil temperatures etc. We are looking forward to additional EVORIS apps that will enable us to further improve our evaluations and operate our plant even more economically.
