Most recent articles
The Zebra KC50: A Flexible and Powerful Helper for Smart Manufacturing
Digitalisation is key in today’s swiftly changing industrial environment. In order for companies to remain competitive, they need devices that are powerful, flexible and easy to integrate into existing systems. Precisely these requirements are met by the Zebra KC50, the latest kiosk computer from Zebra. This Android-driven device combines modern design with robust performance and represents the ideal solution not just for retail, but also for manufacturing and logistics processes.
E‑invoicing in B2B: How to Get Ready for Mandatory Digitalisation
A new mandatory requirement is taking effect in Germany in 2025: companies must accept digital invoices. Also, from 2027 they will have to both receive and send them digitally. Other countries will also have to comply with similar legislative requirements by then. The European Union directive involved is part of a broader trend of digitalisation of public and company processes throughout Europe with the goal of making business more transparent and efficient. For companies doing business with German partners, this change is a key milestone for which they will have to prepare thoroughly.
Zebra WT6400 and RS2100: Transform Your Warehouse with This Dynamic Duo
Zebra Technologies has introduced two hot new products that can work together to maximally improve work processes for all your operators. The combo of the Zebra WT6400 wearable hands-free terminal and the RS2100 scanner represents a unique union of comfort, ergonomics and productivity. What’s the potential of wearable devices, and what do the new products from Zebra Technologies bring to the market?
Petr Kraus, SPORTISIMO: Automation technologies can work miracles. But not on their own – these miracles take effort.
Petr Kraus has been in IT for over two decades. He’s full of insights into retail, logistics and manufacturing. The interconnectedness of these areas is what lets him view things with the needed distance. One recent project that he’s just completed is for the Ostrava central distribution centre of the sporting goods distributor SPORTISIMO, s.r.o. What questions did he consider? What challenges did he face? Did everything always turn out smoothly when he knew exactly what he wanted? How did he select suppliers and technologies, and what could he recommend, based on his rich experience, to other companies seeking to automate? We asked Petr about all this and more.
Simulation Tools: The key to efficient process planning in manufacturing and logistics
How can you ensure effective evaluation during the planning processes in a project’s opening phases? Can advanced add-ons like virtual reality and artificial intelligence tools make simulation models more effective? And how necessary are comprehensive simulations of production and logistics systems for proper estimation, process planning and better awareness? Tomáš Sauer, Global Competence Field Leader at FORVIA HELLA, answered all this for us at the Trens in Automotive Logistics (TAL) 2024 conference.
An interview with Otakar Horák: Data as the foundation for successful digitalisation
Data was the star player at this year’s Trends in Automotive Logistics conference. It’s no wonder, because high-quality clean data is essential for making the most of the potential new technologies, digitalisation and automation can offer. We spoke with Otakar Horák about how to use these to the fullest. He deals with data, and work with data, every day as the head of a division specialising in advanced planning systems.
Rostislav Schwob: The Latest Aimtec DCIx Version Makes Connected Manufacturing and AI/ML a Reality
The world around us is constantly accelerating and globalising. That means growing competition, and companies are pushed into ever greater and more frequent changes. New technologies are rushing at them from all sides. It seems like just about everything can be automated now, and everything can control itself with help from digitalisation and artificial intelligence. How can the Aimtec DCIx digitalisation platform help companies with this? And what will our October seminar for customers be showing them? We came with these questions to the person best placed to answer them: Aimtec’s Supply Chain Solutions Director Rostislav Schwob.
Aimtec Integration Platform: An Effective Solution for EDI, WebEDI and System Integration
In the globalised, interconnected world of industry today, flexibility and effectiveness are crucial for staying competitive. And tools that go beyond just handling ordinary operations and further streamline your processes are essential. Aimtec Integration Platform is a comprehensive solution for managing and optimising electronic data interchange and integrating internal systems.
We must not forget the values that support our foundations
For the first time in Aimtec’s history, neither of its founders is serving as its CEO. Jaroslav Follprecht and Roman Žák have placed the company in the hands of Pavel Boháč, an experienced manager previously in charge of the division that handles planning and data processing.
“People and data are worth their weight in gold.” The best quotes from the Trends in Automotive Logistics Conference 2024
People, data and sustainability: these are the topics that resounded at the Trends in Automotive Logistics Conference 2024, subtitled Driving the Digital Fast Lane. How can you drive safely in digitalisation’s fast lane while still transforming quickly enough? Nearly 400 experts in logistics, manufacturing and IT from the European automotive sector came to the conference to explore this question. Ten inspiring speakers rotated on the stage throughout the day. What were the most interesting quotes at this conference? Read our picks below.
3 tips for strengthening automotive supply chains
The last few years have been full of upheavals that have exposed the hidden weaknesses of international supply chains. These developments urgently remind us that we will all need to focus on improving our resilience from here forward. What specific steps can automotive industry suppliers take to protect themselves against production stoppages, delivery interruptions and cost overruns?
Efficient in the Dark: The Five Phases on the Way to a Dark Warehouse
Fully automated warehouses – dark warehouses – aren’t just science fiction anymore. They’re coming to the forefront in the real world. They operate without human intervention and in the dark, because their robots and machines can work without light, and their processes run based on system commands. What are the ideal steps and paths on the way to a dark warehouse? Can digital twins help with deploying these warehouses?
What does it mean to be a key OEM supplier?
New car models are coming onto the market every day. And each new model is accompanied by a number of variants that we as customers can choose from. The effects are obvious. The number of Just in Sequence (JIS) suppliers – those delivering parts in sequence straight to the assembly lines of automotive manufacturers (OEMs) – is on the rise. “In sequence” means that products come prepared in the same sequence as will be used for assembly on the line. Why is this done, and what does a supplier need to do to satisfy customers in the tough automotive environment while also keeping full control over the fulfilment of the contracts?
Migrating to SAP S/4HANA: Harness the potential of EDI for supply chain optimisation
SAP is one of the world’s most widely used ERP systems today, and its first version dates all the way back to the 1970s. The business world has changed dynamically since that era, and these changes have made it essential for companies to have an ever more complex and robust information infrastructure to support their digitalisation and automation. In 2015, this led SAP to come forward with a breakthrough solution: SAP S/4HANA. It represents a technological leap towards greater speed and stability and a modern user interface. But, above all, it’s ready to support companies as they go about transforming their business, integrating new technologies, plugging in AI, working with data and more.
Focus on your business and let professionals manage your IT systems
One thing is certain: cyberattacks are here to stay, so we have no choice but to be prepared and mitigate the risk. As Aimtec’s Chief Information Officer Michal Kárník explains, it’s best to adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, define an overall plan, and stick to it. We interviewed Kárník and asked which approaches he thought could guarantee that information systems would run smoothly, ideally without requiring any action from the customer.
