#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.”