SUCCESS STORY
Our analog digitalization booster: a strong team
Highly flexible manufacturing systems are an art in themselves. Especially in the field of plastic processing: only with a deeper digital integration can the customers’ increasing desire for individualization be implemented. In cooperation with status C, EWIKON has taken up this path – consistently, efficiently, and successfully.
Flexibility and Competence for Individual Demands
For more than 40 years, EWIKON has been one of the leading international suppliers of complete hot runner systems for plastic injection moulding. With competence and flexibility, the company successfully meets the challenge of increasingly complex mould concepts. Its tailor-made solutions make an efficient and material-saving production of modern plastic parts and are widely appreciated by customers from all industries. Worldwide.
But with the constantly growing order volume, the demands on the manufacturing processes are also increasing.
Turning Overload into Unleashing – in SAP R/3
Not only the output, but also the portfolio of the company expanded continuously. Faster than its central warehouse. And to add to the overload, there was also diversification: the increasing use of technical plastics on the processing side required more custom-made hot runner systems - with manual warehousing without an automatic SAP R/3 connection. Incorrect order picking and stock discrepancies occurred more frequently. The result: production bottlenecks and delivery delays. The solution: purchase of an automatic warehouse lift and SAP integration of the booking system. A case for status C.
Efficiency is easy – but only jointly
Thanks to add-ons on hand that could be used immediately, status C very quickly began connecting the warehouse lift to SAP R/3 - without an interface, directly via SPS EasyConnect. A small team was set up for this, which cooperated with EWIKON. This meant that all additional requirements could be discussed, designed, developed, and integrated on site. Soon, everything ran much smoother in production, despite limited storage space. In the course of time, picking time was reduced by up to 40 percent. The intensive, uncomplicated cooperation between the two companies opened new perspectives for further boosting operations.
“With EWIKON, you can work the way we like best: in partnership, continuously, and absolutely goal-oriented with a permanent team as the interface between both companies and as the nucleus for joint successes.”
“The joint development with status C is very direct, very flexible, and very personable. It’s fun and has greatly increased our productivity: processes have become significantly smoother and faster. This in turn leads to real boosts in motivation for everyone.”
From Situation Room to Strategic Partnership
At the beginning there was a solution to an acute problem, but now the focus was on optimizing all processes. Additional SAP add-ons such as PXL EasyLight were integrated to simplify picking through intuitive pick-by-light systems. As a result, not only the level of satisfaction and efficiency grew, but also the company itself. status C and EWIKON therefore decided to expand their cooperative relationship - to develop and implement something completely new jointly: the digital workplace. An Industry 4.0 partnership at eye level.
Task Force for Digital Sustainability
A cooperative roadmap was designed - from experimental prototypes to complete integration. EWIKON provided essential input on the requirements, status C got the chance to create a new product. The result: paperless, fully transparent production with real-time data and intuitive user interfaces - including order prioritization and individual live instructions in production. By mid-2021, half of the workplaces were already equipped accordingly. It went so well; we are still on it - together into the future
