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#Industry News

Engineering acquires a taste for sensor technology

Aucotec and Endress+Hauser cooperate on Industry 4.0-compatible networking

In collaboration with Endress+Hauser, Aucotec AG has created an online link from the

engineering department to the current device information of the measuring technology

manufacturer. It gives users of the Engineering Base (EB) software system direct access to

data throughout the service life of the measuring devices concerned, including such items

as instruction manuals, certificates, and details of maintenance and calibration procedures.

Endress + Hauser supplies this information via its W@M Life Cycle Management Portal,

which houses the details of some 24 million devices. Thanks to the online portal, EB users

are just a mouse-click away from quick and direct access to any specific device, whether in

a list or in graphic format, and can for example compare whether the calibration of a sensor

matches its originally ordered default settings, or whether there is logistical or applicationrelated background information on the sensor in question. Users can also add Information about their assets via the portal, for example entering parameter settings and transferring

them to a replacement device, or quickly order a suitable replacement, among other features.

“It involves no more effort or expense than before”

Aucotec uses the portal to provide a link to EB. The three-layer architecture of this

cooperative engineering platform made the link-up "as quick and simple as with any other

system", in the words of Endress+Hauser’s Process Manager, Andreas Schiefelbein. “EB

uses mostly ‘on-board’ resources to connect to web-based services, with no need for

individual programming in .Net/VBA”, explains Norbert Ott, Product Manager at Aucotec.

Users just need to ensure a corresponding match between serial number and plant-systemasset reference. “It involves no more effort or expense than before”, according to Mr. Schiefelbein.

A single plant system may contain tens of thousands of measuring devices. Direct access

does away with any need for duplicate data records, while making audits significantly easier

to carry out, thanks to the online availability of all the certificates concerned, thereby also

making bulky paper files and laborious searches a thing of the past. This shortens

engineering schedules, accelerates procurement processes and increases operating times.

Networking increases productivity

An online link from the engineering department to manufacturer data is going to be up and

running as early as next year at a large international plant operator from southern

Germany. This involves giving each individual sensor its own “instance” and corresponding

own page on the online portal, even if it shares a catalogue number with various other

units. The partners involved agree that “we have managed to create a typical Industry 4.0-

compatible network designed to increase productivity and reduce downtime.”

Norbert Ott, Product Manager at Aucotec (© AUCOTEC AG)

Details

  • Oldenburger Allee 24, 30659 Hannover, Germany
  • Johanna Kiesel, AUCOTEC AG