Complete monitoring of production
Rosenberger Group
challenges
Rigid LED display boards with limited information and barely available spare parts. High effort for adjustments, as external technicians were required.
solution
Introduction of interactive low-code applications from Peakboard based on data from the MES MS-SQL database.
benefits
- Adjustment without external technical assistance
- Fewer system queries due to infrequent access
- Quick response to faults, more efficiency
Time to Value
Setting up the custom ads took just a few hours. Development and integration into the system within one working day.
Founded over 60 years ago in Fridolfing, Upper Bavaria, the Rosenberger Group is today a leading international manufacturer of connectors and cable assemblies. The large corporation offers its customers worldwide an extensive portfolio of standardized and customer-specific connection solutions in high-frequency, fiber optic and high-voltage technology. Customers include well-known high-tech companies in the fields of mobile and telecommunications, automotive, medical and industrial electronics, industrial measurement and testing technology, and aerospace technology. In total, the Group employs more than 15,000 people worldwide, 3,300 of them at headquarters.
“In the past, it was not only impossible to see the status of all machines at a glance, but it was also cumbersome to make adjustments to the displays. Today, information from multiple systems can be linked together and displayed on a single dashboard. This can be adjusted by us independently and easily, which significantly increases flexibility. ”
Old ads no longer meet requirements
Rosenberger's main plant has always been located in Fridolfing. From here, production is carried out for the whole world. The necessary production equipment is housed in ten halls in the form of several plants. To ensure that buildings do not lose track of the machinery, Rosenberger used large-format LED display boards for decades, which displayed the status of every machine in the corresponding hall. Although employees were able to view the machine status, the display was rigid and at the same time the only summary presentation. As a result, only a limited amount of information could be read, namely only the data provided by the machine software. Furthermore, when changing or adapting the production lines, an external technician had to be called in, who manually reprogrammed or even rebuilt the display. The availability of spare parts proved to be another pain point — due to the age of the plates, these were barely available anymore. For this reason, Rosenberger decided to look for a new, flexible solution that could process data from multiple sources in order to display other information important to personnel on multiple screens in addition to machine data.
With low-code to keep an eye on
Rosenberger had clearly defined the requirements for the new solution at the start of the search:
“We wanted a solution that quickly and easily displays production data and the status of our machines on different screens at the same time and was easy to use in all areas. It should also be possible to display more information than just the status of the machines,” Stefan Speigl, IT Application Manager at Rosenberger, succinctly summarizes the demands of the global corporation.
The final solution was then found through a long-standing partner. The first contact with Peakboard GmbH was made via their own MES provider. With its low-code platform, the Stuttgart-based company combines process data from all common data sources in real time and thus connects the entire production process. In this way, the system enables users to easily create applications such as data visualizations or digital shop floor management, or even map individual MES (Manufacturing Execution System) functionalities or act as an HMI (Human Machine Interface). But it wasn't just the recommendation that spoke in favour of Peakboard, the company was particularly impressed by the easy integration of its solution into existing systems. In this way, the solution runs at the edge of the existing network and can be set up yourself even without much IT knowledge.
Color coding reveals machine status
The Peakboard solution used by Rosenberger consists of a hardware component, the Peakboard Box, and a software component, the Peakboard Designer. With the help of the Peakboard Designer, Rosenberger creates individual dashboards for each hall from the MS SQL database of the MES system (from MPDV). These are displayed on several large screens per hall, which thus replace the old LED display boards. It only takes a few hours to set up individual ads. At the start of the project, Rosenberger's technicians put together a basic template that was adapted to the individual halls. It shows the respective hall layout with the existing machines. These are represented by individual circles whose coloring provides information about the current status of the machine. In addition, numbers from 1 to 3 in the circles show the priority of the machine in the current production cycle (PRIO status). Furthermore, the Peakboard Boxes used access the system 10-15 times less frequently and thus minimize the query load.
Thanks to the regularly updated dashboards, employees can get an optimal overview of the status quo of ongoing production at any time and from any point in the hall without having to run through the entire production line. As soon as a circle turns red (signal color for a malfunction), an employee can react immediately and thus avoid possible longer-term failures.
Initially, the project was implemented in two production halls — the solution is now being used in over seven buildings. Rosenberger uses different numbers of screens per hall, depending on size and workload. So far, there are already over 40 devices — and the trend is rising. Equipped with a Peakboard Box, they either hang from the ceiling as a cube structure or are attached to the sides of the walls.
Further projects planned with Peakboard
Peakboard is now used in almost all production halls at the Fridolfing site. Because of the user-friendly application and integration, Rosenberger no longer requires technical support from external technicians. A single employee manages the various Peakboard dashboards in all halls and can easily adapt them as required. For Stefan Speigl, the Stuttgart-based company's solution makes everyday work much easier.“In the past, it was not only impossible to see the status of all machines at a glance, but it was also cumbersome to make adjustments to the displays. Today, information from multiple systems can be linked together and displayed on a single dashboard. This can be adjusted by us independently and easily, which significantly increases flexibility,” Spiegl summarizes. The cooperation with Peakboard is to be further expanded, with plans to equip additional halls and possible applications in the areas of logistics and IT.
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