Industry 4.0 means networking machines and plants and is one of Schunk's major digital future topics. This is because we want to offer our customers added value by making our products intelligent and thus enabling additional services, such as remote diagnosis or maintenance of machines in the first step. In the next step, functionalities such as forecasting unplanned downtime will be added. This is of particular interest to the Business Units that manufacture machines and systems for our customers, but also to all other BUs in the Schunk Group.
A secure connection is the basis
In order for the service technician's laptop to be able to access the customer's machine remotely, a stable, secure data connection must first be established in between. And this is where IT security comes into play: Neither Schunk nor our customers want to install open doors in their IT networks that hackers could also use to get in.
Under the leadership of Sebastian Köhler from Global Digitalization, the project team found a solution for this and developed a Schunk-wide connectivity standard for the BUs. Using Schunk UptimeCore - a hardware interface in the form of a small box - the two networks of Schunk and the customer in question can communicate securely with each other. Confirmed and attested also by external certifications as well as auditors.
The special feature: One box for many machines and languages for the entire Schunk Group
UptimeCore is compatible with a wide range of machine controls and can speak different languages, such as Modbus, Profibus or Profinet. In the future, we at Schunk will already be able to use this to access all of our internal machines, which are very different, and perform service remotely. And it doesn't matter where the machine is located.
All our mechanical engineering BUs are interested in this solution and will use it in the future. For example, it can be used to make on-site service visits more efficient or even replace them in some cases, for example when a software update needs to be installed.
Smartphone-like apps: the basis for new digital products and services
"UptimeCore gives Schunk the opportunity to develop new digital services and business models and use them to differentiate itself from the competition and increase its own sales," says Dr. Alireza Tavakoli, Vice President Global Digitalization. In the future, apps will also be offered on the developed hardware that is delivered to the customer.
This is similar to what we know from our smartphones today. This is because data can be transferred from the machine to our future digital platforms in the cloud via the secure connection and evaluated there - yet another added value that we can offer our customers. Developers from the Global Digitalization team are already working on this.