It is important that the processes be depicted correctly in the system at all times.

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1 Focus software GREATER NET WORTH THANKS TO SOFTWARE The right software pays off, because the right software makes a company more productive and profitable. Here is the proof. Text: Martin Engel, Photos: Rudolf Wichert/Laif, André Zelck/Laif It is important that the processes be depicted correctly in the system at all times. Achim Patz, Head of Laser Technology and Sheet Metal Processing, Huning Maschinenbau it s Time to do away with the common misconception that software has only a marginal effect on productivity in sheet metal processing. Far from it, say Achim Patz and Friedrich Feyl in unison. Achim Patz is Head of Laser Technology and Sheet Metal Processing with Huning Maschinenbau GmbH, and Friedrich Feyl is Manager Factory Engineering in the Obersontheim plant of Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG. Both companies decided to use the Bystronic CAD/CAM software Bysoft and, according to the two protagonists, have thus increased company profits: The costs were amortized within a time period that is virtually negligible. This can be verified, and for this we will first point the spotlight at Huning Maschinenbau GmbH. There the focus will be on the financial benefit of the Bysoft Plant Manager Cutting (PMC) module. The function of this module is the planning and monitoring of the cutting processes. Subsequently, we will turn our attention to Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG with a focus on Bybendpart. This module is initially used to parameterize production-ready 3D models of bent parts and to generate the corresponding bending process data. HUNING MASCHINENBAU: THE INITIAL SITUATION Huning Maschinenbau GmbH, based in Melle about 100 kilometers southeast of Hanover, Germany, is part of the Huning Group. All of the four companies of this group are involved in the broadest sense in environmental technology and environmental protection, and their business areas are complementary. By way of illustration: Huning Umwelttechnik sells services in a wide range of areas. The three other companies manufacture the hardware that is needed for this, for example container vehicles for bulk materials (Heitling fahrzeugbau), sieving machines and conveyor systems (Heitling Anlagebau), and components for biogas systems (Huning Maschinenbau). Of course this is just a brief summary of the full range. And in order to avoid any misunderstanding: The products are not only used at Huning Umwelttechnik, but are primarily sold on the open market. Huning Maschinenbau comprises the environmental technology and biogas division as well as the sheet metal processing profit center. Here, orders are processed for external customers as well as for the companies of the Huning Group. Their share has risen from around 40 to 70 percent in recent years. On the one hand, this is because fewer orders were received from third-party com- 32 BystronicWorld 1/2011

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3 The PMC creates absolute transparency in the laser production. panies during the economic crisis, and on the other hand, it s because the Group s business is doing pleasingly well, explains Achim Patz. He manages the superbly equipped sheet metal processing facility. In particular, after the move to the company s own brand-new headquarters in December 2010, the modernization of the laser processing facilities was continued. The following laser cutting systems are currently installed at the new location: Bystar L Commissioned in Cutting area eight by 2.5 meters. 6,000 watts laser power. Bystar Commissioned in Cutting area four by two meters. 6,000 watts laser power. Connection to automatic warehouse. Byspeed Commissioned in Cutting area three by 1.5 meters. 4,400 watts laser power. Connection to automatic warehouse. Naturally, the two new machines have not been able to provide reliable figures in such a short time figures that could serve to calculate the influence of the software on the productivity of the laser processing. Thus, we will first examine the situation before the move. At that time, the following two systems were in use: Bystar L Commissioned in Cutting area 6.5 by 2.5 meters. 3,500 watts laser power. Byspeed Commissioned in Cutting area three by 1.5 meters. 4,400 watts laser power. Connection to automatic warehouse. HUNING MASCHINENBAU: THE BENEFITS OF PMC First of all, the most important fact is that by using the PMC, Huning Maschinenbau GmbH makes real savings. Calculations show that the costs for the software license and the training of the employees were amortized by the company in less than a single year. Since the expiry of this period, the cost savings have been flowing unfiltered into the profit calculation and ensure a competitive advantage that should not be underestimated. However, this does not entirely illustrate the real benefit of the PMC. Over and above the economic figures, for Achim Patz there are additional criteria that are of significant value. In his own words, The entire process, from the transfer of data from the ERP, the order processing, and through to the feedback of the production data to the ERP, is 100 percent transparent. Two factors explain why it is of prime importance for him to maintain an overview. Firstly: Orders are received from different areas; they come from the individual compa- 34 BystronicWorld 1/2011

4 Improved processes mean a higher parts output and hence increased profit. nies of the Huning Group as well as from external customers. Secondly: The order books are well filled, so that the sheet metal processing department is working three shifts. In situations like this, it is important that the processes be depicted correctly in the system at every point in time, explains Achim Patz. The correct reproduction of the actual situation also takes into account that in rare cases, faults can arise in the cutting process. For this reason, at Huning, the finished report that the machine automatically sends to the software after finishing an order is initially checked by an employee who is closely associated with production, the ByMaster. Only when he has confirmed that all the parts are correctly cut is the order reported back to the ERP as completely processed and furnished with all the relevant information, explains Achim Patz. Thus, he can always give the customer the correct information about the state of processing. From his point of view, this is without doubt a further strength of the software: Subprocesses such as the assignment of CAD data to the orders or the creation of cutting plans are performed independently by the PMC, but can also be done manually. It is like having a chauffeur: He can drive you safely to your destination, but if you want to drive yourself you can put him in the passenger seat. The PMC creates transparency on many levels: We always know exactly at any point in time which machine is working at what capacity and how many shifts we need to plan, says Achim Patz enthusiastically. The software also supports the billing by correctly and automatically assigning all the necessary data to the orders. Thus, it was only with this software that short-run orders became profitable, explains Achim Patz. Additionally, a further project that is important both to himself and his Operations Manager Heiko Schmidt is made possible by the PMC: the introduction of bonuses for the laser cutting employees. The PMC supplies the necessary data for this scheme. The company has had positive experiences with the bonus system in other areas, at Heitling fahrzeugbau, for example, where productivity was increased by over 20 percent. No, Achim Patz would no longer want to do without the PMC, since it supports growth and profitability. He refers to the situation at a company about which he has personal knowledge. There, the boss starts work at four o clock in the morning and finishes sometime in the evening. He could BystronicWorld 1/

5 Left: Bending programs are written at a separate workplace and called up on the machine. Right: Development of the 3D data using Bybendpart and bending sequence simulation lead to high-precision bent parts. not be more committed. So he can only grow by improving his processes, for example by using the PMC, says Achim Patz. But this requires an initial investment of time, which he thinks he cannot really afford. And thus he misses out on the enormous potential that lies in the process improvement. At Huning Maschinenbau, this potential has been recognized. And thus the PMC contributes its share to organizational improvement and to the company s success. KÄRCHER: THE INITIAL SITUATION Who does not know them: the yellow high-pressure cleaners and steam cleaners, the sweepers and vacuum sweepers, the floor polishers, the steam ironing systems, and so on? Kärcher, the Swabian family-run business that celebrated its 75 th anniversary in 2010, is the global market leader in cleaning technology. But what very few people know is that with the steadily growing subsidiary Kärcher Futuretech, the company also aspires to achieve a leading position in the area of peacekeeping and relief work after disasters. The corresponding portfolio of products ranges from NBC protection systems, water purification and camping systems, right through to mobile catering systems such as field kitchens. Equipment like this from Kärcher Futuretech has already saved lives at numerous global hot spots, for example after the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and currently in Japan. Those who read Kärcher s mission statement will find that the terms quality and technology have top priority. Accordingly, the company develops and produces exclusively at its home base in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The central construction and development as well as a part of the production are located at the headquarters in Winnenden near Stuttgart. The Obersontheim plant is one of three further production centers. In particular, it distinguishes itself by its state-of-theart sheet metal processing facility. Here, virtually all the sheet metal parts and components for all the company s businesses, including Kärcher Futuretech, are produced. The bending is done on a Bystronic pressbrake of the Hämmerle 3P series, because the 3-point bending technology employed ensures extraordinarily precise work and a maximum amount of flexibility. The latter is needed because of the nearly 9,000 different parts that are listed in the corresponding database and because of the small orders that normally consist of a maximum of fifty pieces. We do not produce for stock, but are demand oriented, explains Friedrich Feyl. The Manager Factory Engineering has a total of five Hämmerle pressbrakes at his disposal, for bending lengths up to 2.1 and 3.1 meters as well as pressing forces of 100, 200, and 225 tons. KÄRCHER: THE BENEFITS OF BYBENDPART Let us again start by saying that Kärcher makes significant economies through the use of the Bysoft module Bybendpart. As with Huning, the costs for the software license and the schooling were amortized within a short time. In the invest- 36 BystronicWorld 1/2011

6 focus software ment request, we stated an amortization period of six months, Friedrich Feyl recalls. This period was considerably undercut. These savings are based on the fact that the bending programs are no longer written at the machines, but at a separate workstation with the aid of the Bysoft module Bybendpart. Hence, the downtime of the pressbrakes is significantly reduced. For Kärcher, this meant that no new machines had to be acquired to satisfy the increasing demand for bent parts. And here also, the benefit of the software goes beyond these advantages. For example, 3D models can be created or processed easily using Bybendpart. In this respect, we have a standardized procedure. This means that the 3D data is generated separately in Winnenden without Bybendpart and is then sent to us in Obersont heim via SAP, Friedrich Feyl explains the process. There, the STEP data is processed. Moreover, with the aid of a bending sequence simulation, a check is made as to whether a part is bendable at all. It s a real advantage, says Friedrich Feyl, and demonstrates two bent parts one with 26 and one with 41 bends. I would personally not have thought that something can be bent like this, adds the Group Leader, but with Bybendpart, we are able to exhaust the full possibilities of the machine. Thanks to the described process, one always has a correct DXF file, followed by the corresponding bending program a few minutes later, and subsequently the matching parts. This used to take a lot longer. Friedrich Feyl doesn t like to think back on the times when the stretched lengths in the blank drawings were usually faulty. We had to make countless changes before everything fit, he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. The introduction of Bybendpart was a quantum leap in this regard, he says. A further advantage should not be forgotten: thanks to the first-class 3-point bending systems used in conjunction with Bybendpart, the motto in the Kärcher sheet metal processing is: Less welding, more bending. With Bybendpart, models of complete assemblies can be processed. In this way, redundant welding can be identified quickly and the individual assembly is easily redesigned. Our people have become quite competitive about using bent parts instead of welded assemblies, explains Friedrich Feyl. Hence, the company saves money and the assemblies are theoretically able to withstand more stress, although their design tolerances ensure that this is never an issue. The conclusion is: The right software pays off! It saves time and money and can be acquired at low cost. It makes sheet metal processing more productive and gives its users significant competitive advantages. This is why every company owner and everyone responsible for production must ask themselves whether they are giving enough thought to the subject of software. With Bybendpart, we are able to exhaust the full possibilities of the machine. Friedrich Feyl, Group Leader Production Planning, Kärcher BystronicWorld 1/