Digital Factory
Air it out and sweep the cobwebs, or: doing EDI migration right
Companies in automotive spend easily dozens of years building up their EDI. And it gets reconfigured many times over those years. Meanwhile few teams are responsible enough to thoroughly document all the adjustments to their on-premise system. The end result is that the risk of losing or damaging data when migrating it feels stronger than the benefits that can come from an EDI migration. “A data upgrade and migration is a fundamental act that will benefit every company’s operation”, says Jan Stočes, Cloud Services Director at Aimtec. And this process doesn’t have to be a risk, as long as a firm chooses the right partner. But how do you make that choice? Learn what to watch out for and what trends you can put to work in EDI.
Paul Martinez and José Ruiz: SEAT:CODE digital lab is revolutionising SEAT’s supply chain
First the order, then production. SEAT’s digital division has turned this Spanish automaker’s entire supply chain upside down. An interview with Head of IT Delivery Production and Logistics Paul Palmero and Product Manager José Marín Ruiz on how technology and digitalisation can transform even traditional and unchanging industries such as the automotive supply chain.
EDI could be with us for the next 15 years, says RAPA's IT chief
Thomas Schott has been responsible for IT at Rausch & Pausch (RAPA) for six years. However, he has been gaining experience in information technology for much longer. In the early 1990s, he was there when reputable suppliers in the automotive industry were beginning to implement electronic data interchange (EDI) systems. "This topic has been a constant presence in my professional life for thirty years," says the German manager.
Optimising material flows thanks to smart automation
This July, experts in manufacturer material flow and value chain optimisation met up in Nuremberg, Germany under the leadership of the Bayern Innovativ business networking organisation to discuss things together and share best practices. The individual presentations offered up specific technologies and verified approaches and best practices when implementing innovations. Sales Manager Jiří Hanžl joined the event to present Aimtec’s experience in this area through a presentation on smart logistics automation.
The supply chain inside out: SEAT starts with the end customer
Innovative technologies and digitalisation are inexorably entering supply chains. Thanks to them, it is also possible to abandon traditional practices, as demonstrated by the presentation of representatives of the Spanish company SEAT:CODE at the Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2021 Conference, which took place in Pilsen.
Asprova APS ‑ a proven conductor in a new tuxedo plans production down to the second
The almost limitless possibilities for variability in production are forcing companies to look for ways to make it more efficient. One of the tools that can significantly help with this is the Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system. In Europe, more than two dozen suppliers offer them, but there are fewer really good ones. Automotive IT specialist Aimtec relies on Japan's Asprova APS. Its new version has several advantages - even faster scheduling thanks to optimized algorithm, machine learning and a user-friendly interface. But it doesn't stop there.
EDI is alive and well, says Tolga Ozkundakci of IAC
Occasionally one can hear the opinion that EDI is slowly but surely leaving the scene. Ozkundakci strongly disagrees. At least in the automotive sector, he says, this is not the case.
Now that we have the data, let's mine it across the supply chain
Digitalisation brings new perspectives on manufacturing efficiency
A register of scrap and manufactured units, operator and machine downtime tracking… approaches like these have become a standard part of production monitoring and reporting. In our digital age, can monitoring of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) in terms of availability, performance and quality be improved even further, and can the needed data be acquired even more quickly and easily? What’s changing in this area, what new features is digitalisation bringing, and can we expect any specific tangible results?
Digitalisation platforms – an inexhaustible tool for manufacturing optimisation
Have you ever had the feeling that your manufacturing can’t be optimised any further, and you’ve reached its limits? Is it at all realistic to have completely interconnected manufacturing, in which people, machines, tools, materials and products all communicate simultaneously? The solution is a digitalisation platform that is able to connect to anything you can think of. With its help, you can configure any behaviour you desire for individual outputs and set up a variety of possible reactions. This way you can have complete information from manufacturing in real time – and digitally control it as well.
How to standardise processes in the automotive industry without limiting its flexibility?
How does a global automotive player use Aimtec’s DCIx System to standardise processes in its plants and facilities? Get an insight into International Automotive Components Group (IAC) straight from their European Vice President of IT and Systems Tolga Özkundakci.
With DCIx7, the dream of a digitalisation platform running in the cloud becomes a reality
The User Group for Aimtec’s DCIx met up at the start of this May in Pilsen, and attendees could learn what visions are out there for logistics and what new features DCIx will soon have in store. Representatives from Koito Czech and Continental Automotive showed their approach to automation via practical examples. The event also included morning workshops about advanced stock management with WMS, new processes in MES and the role of DCIx in the digital factory. Couldn’t be there, or want a refresher on a few key points? Watch the presentations from the main afternoon section.
EDI mapping in automotive? A quick and affordable solution exists
Electronic data interchange (EDI) is an essential part of business, and this naturally applies to the automotive industry as well. However, as companies use different in-house systems, information sets need to be tailored to ensure that communication runs smoothly. This is a task for so-called EDI mapping, which is becoming an indispensable tool for automotive suppliers.
Tomáš Vondrák: The path to becoming Continental’s model plant in digitalisation
What are the biggest challenges for a company that’s been creating mobility trends for a century and a half? How has Continental’s largest automotive plant changed during the past 10 years? An interview with Tomáš Vondrák, Plant Manager & Managing Director, on Continental’s vision for a new era.
German head office learned the system of logistics digitalisation from Czech Bosch subsidiary
To get rid of physical kanban cards for production scheduling and save hours, weeks and months of time of the people who have to work with them. This was the basic idea that led to the creation of the digitalisation of heijunka in the Czech plant of automobile tech division of the Bosch company.
Marco Prüglmeier: How can we implement innovations on time and be ready for the future of logistics?
Should different companies think differently about innovations in logistics? How can we navigate the market’s wide range of automation technologies and choose the right one? An interview with Marco Prüglmeier, CEO of i2market, about whether a blueprint exists for a successful future in logistics – but also about his new book Innovations in Logistics.
Digitalisation and Automation of Continental Automotive Plants
Holistic approach to digitalisation. You either digitalise or you don’t, there’s no doing it halfway. This should be THE approach to digitalisation, according to Tomáš Vondrák, Managing Director of Continental Automotive Czech Republic, who spoke at the Trends in Automotive Logistics Conference (TAL) on September 21st in Pilsen. We summed up Tomáš’s most inspiring points in this article.
Ivan Marinec: The role of data in the digitalisation of automotive logistics
The typical causes for automation failures all usually share the same roots. These are: low-quality data, poor knowledge of the system’s possibilities and a lack of courage. How can you make the most of the new prospects brought by digitalisation while maintaining logical and sensible goals?
The right balance in logistics and where to find it
The most modern approaches in logistics—why should you be aware of the latest trends? How to find the right balance in logistics and keep it? At the Trends in Automotive Logistics Conference (TAL) 2021, Marco Prüglmeier talked about different approaches to robotization in logistics, showed the most revolutionary technological innovations, and mentioned some cons of automatization.
The Technology Trends That TAL 2021 Speakers Are Calling the Future of Automotive
Automotive is undergoing the biggest disruption in all the years of its existence. New technologies are coming to the fore, and if you cannot flexibly adapt, you’ll lose a lead that is very hard to earn back. What important trends are transforming logistics today in the eyes of the experts who spoke at Trends in Automotive Logistics 2021?
Driving trucks from home, and UX as an engine for digitalisation: The most interesting quotes of TAL 2021
Seeking the right balance for automotive logistics – that was the main theme for this year’s Trends in Automotive Logistics conference, held in Pilsen on 21 September 2021. A total of fourteen speakers from throughout Europe came to share verified tips and experience gained from digitalisation projects. How do automotive logistics experts see the future? We’ve chosen the most inspiring statements from this year’s conference just for you.
The TAL 2021 Conference: Logistics Digitalisation Must Come with Balance
Fourteen speakers from throughout Europe assembled in Pilsen on 21 September for the Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) conference, organised by Aimtec in cooperation with IHK Regensburg and DTIHK. The automotive logistics experts appearing on the conference stage included Marco Prüglmeier from i2market and Michael Schneider from idealworks. The topic of establishing the right balance regarding logistics digitalisation accompanied the entire programme. And the conclusion? Constant balancing, the seeking of new paths and evaluation of individual solutions’ pros and cons is, the speakers say, what is most likely to guarantee success for both small projects and cross-company transformations. TAL 2021’s participants found confirmations of this in the majority of the conference presentations.
Automotive should learn from e‑commerce. Through data and digitalisation.
If you want to succeed, learn from the best. That is why we’ve interviewed Ivan Marinec, with his rich portfolio of experience from operations and logistics management in automotive. Over 20 years in this field have given him a unique perspective on the current turbulent situation and more importantly on the trend of digitalisation in automotive manufacturing. We asked him for tips as well as lessons learned that have helped him to start his own company.
A digital‑first approach to logistics innovation by idealworks
When BMW’s new spinoff, the fully owned subsidiary idealworks, was founded in November last year, the message was fairly clear: This Munich startup – which is partnering with major players such as NVIDIA Corporation, ADLINK Technology, and SICK – is reimagining autonomous logistics and changing the way intelligent robots work. We spoke to idealworks’ CEO, Michael Schneider, about the startup’s first year of business, its goals for next year, and his presentation at TAL 2021.
Automotive for a New Age: Localised Manufacturing and Supply Chains Alongside New Business Models
For over a year now, the global economy has seen a trial by fire, and it is struggling with the impacts of anti-epidemic measures. In automotive, the pandemic has mercilessly revealed the vulnerability of global manufacturing and supply structures, and meanwhile this sector is seeing the greatest change in a century, with combustion engines gradually giving way to electric.
We learned while doing – and always valuing decency and good relationships
Aimtec is celebrating its 25th birthday. That’s why we couldn’t resist asking its co-founder Jaroslav Follprecht what has changed and what events most strongly shaped the company – but also how hard it is and has been to find work-life balance.
TAL 2021: The topic for automotive logistics in 2021 will be finding a balance
Audi, BMW Group, ŠKODA AUTO, ZF Friedrichshafen, Volkswagen, Eissmann Group Automotive – návštěvníci konference Trends in Automotive Logistics (TAL) už měli v minulosti možnost vyslechnout si zkušenosti, případové studie a inspiraci od těchto velkých hráčů v automotive a také od desítek jiných. Loni v únoru přilákal jubilejní 20. ročník do Plzně téměř 300 českých i zahraničních účastníků, kteří podle zpětné vazby odjížděli spokojeni. I v letošním roce chystáme inspiraci v podobě toho nejlepšího z logistiky v automotive. Posun na podzimní datum 21. 9. 2021 vidíme jako příležitost setkat se v Plzni znovu osobně a navázat tak na úspěšné předchozí ročníky. O tom, na co se letos můžete těšit, jsme si povídali s Romanem Žákem, předsedou představenstva Aimtecu.
