IT/OT Integration – Building the System Landscape

Today we take a look at the practical side of a company that not only preaches digitalization, but also puts it into practice – directly in its highly specialized PCB production. We’re speaking with KSG, one of Europe’s leading PCB manufacturers, where quality, traceability, and efficiency are top priorities – and where IT has become a strategic core function.

You can now find out how this was implemented. Together with Schaeffler Digital Solutions, an IIoT solution was implemented: autinityDAP. This created a standardized, scalable data infrastructure. You’ll also learn exactly how this was done, including best practices. Plus, we’ll showcase the use cases that have already been realized. We’re also answering questions from the community – like how to connect a heterogeneous machine park in a scalable and vendor-independent way, how to automatically read and write production parameters, and how an open IoT platform, using technologies like MQTT and edge applications, is transforming everyday production workflows. Joining us today: Ronny Förster and Daniel Wache directly from the IT team at KSG with best practices from their daily work, and Daniel Kobel, Product Owner at Schaeffler Digital Solutions, offering insights from over 16,000 connected machines worldwide.

As always, you can find all the details on implementing similar projects at iotusecase.com and in the show notes. Enjoy – off to the podcast studio! Viel Spaß – ab ins Podcaststudio.

Glad to have you here. Great to have you here. Two Daniels and one Ronny today. I’ll start with you, Ronny. How are you doing today, and where are you joining us from?

Ronny

Thanks, I’m doing well. Thanks for having us. I’m joining from our site in Gornsdorf, located in the Ore Mountains region of Germany. We also have another location in Austria, in Gars am Kamp.

Sending greetings to the Ore Mountains and Austria – and to everyone listening in. Daniel from KSG, how are you doing? Are you both at the same location today, or where are you joining from?

Daniel W.

I’m at the same site in Gornsdorf with Ronny. My focus is on programming projects and working through new ideas and urgent issues that come up. It’s always an exciting workday.

I think we’ll learn a lot more about that today. Last but not least: Schaeffler Daniel – I’ll just call you that for now. How are you and where am I reaching you right now?

Daniel K.

Hello, thank you very much for the invitation. I’m doing well – I’m always doing well. Especially when I get to work with KSG on current and future topics. I’m joining from Chemnitz. Schaeffler Digital Solutions has an office there – one of our locations in Germany and globally. I think most people have heard of Schaeffler.

You’ve already been guests on the podcast, but we’ll still do a quick round of introductions. The other episodes is really interesting – I highly recommend checking it out. I’ll include it in the show notes in case you’d like to revisit that episode. Maybe we can start with a brief introduction. Ronny, you’re a Senior IT Systems Engineer at KSG and work in the IT department. Your role focuses on setting up infrastructure and systems for production in a reliable and future-proof way. Is there such a thing as a typical day in IT for you? Or is every day different?

Ronny

There’s really no such thing as a typical day in IT. You tackle whatever challenges come up – whether that’s solving problems or handling technical issues. Apart from that, we work on projects and topics and aim to stay up to date with the latest technologies.

Every day is a little different. Daniel, you’re a software developer at KSG and support the company’s digital transformation. Can you tell us whether you two actually work together? Are you part of the same team? What does your collaboration look like?

Daniel W.

Ronny works mainly on infrastructure topics and handles communication with companies and machines. I focus more on the software side, with a strong focus on databases, and I manage the platform we use in-house.

Very nice. We’ll talk more about the platform in a moment. I’m looking forward to hearing more about it.

Now over to Daniel from Schaeffler. You’re a Product Owner at Schaeffler Digital Solutions and responsible for the autinityDAP solution, which is now used on more than 16,000 machines worldwide. You bring over 14 years of experience in product and project management. Maybe you can tell us a bit about yourself or reflect on what’s been happening at Schaeffler Digital Solutions over the past two years. How do you see the IoT market evolving?

Daniel K.

Two main drivers have really stood out in the past few years. The first is digitalization, which is now ever-present, especially in terms of improving operational efficiency. This not only helps reduce costs but also strengthens competitiveness. The second key topic is sustainability, particularly when it comes to energy consumption and the use of resources. This is also where edge computing, data preprocessing, security, and of course artificial intelligence come into play – AI is increasingly becoming part of everyday operations and serves as the foundation for many of the solutions we develop.

Yes, really exciting. Let me ask you directly: how did the three of you actually meet? You’re all sitting here together today – how did that come about? Is there a story behind the companies, or maybe a personal one? How did this connection form?

Ronny

In 2022, we were in the process of implementing a digitalization project for production at both sites, setting up the system landscape and connecting the machine controls. We were looking for products that could help us make that process easier. After some market research and only moderate success, we came across Schaeffler Digital Solutions in Chemnitz – just 20 minutes away from us. One phone call later, we met in Gornsdorf and sat down together to align our ideas and vision for the solution.

What was great was that many of the insights and conclusions we had drawn while working on digitalization were almost identical across both companies. The solutions offered by Schaeffler Digital Solutions looked promising and relevant for us – and that’s how our joint project got started.

Maybe a follow-up question for Schaeffler. Daniel, at your company there’s Schaeffler Digital Solutions, and at the same time there are Schaeffler’s own manufacturing plants. So you developed a solution that was first tested internally and is now being offered to the market. Would you say that’s accurate?

Daniel K.

You can say that. We often refer to it as “resell what we use”. Every solution we deploy within Schaeffler has been tested over many years across numerous plants and thousands of machines. External customers like KSG benefit from the expertise we’ve built up over the past 20 years.

Okay, to better understand the project with KSG: Ronny, you mentioned your system landscape and machinery earlier. Since I’m not hands-on in PCB manufacturing, could you give us a few examples? What does your system landscape look like, and what kinds of machines do you use?

Ronny

Let’s start with the machine park. Daniel will explain some of the core components in more detail. We have very complex manufacturing processes – a single PCB can follow different production routes. On the one hand, we use CNC machines, inline systems, and chemical processing equipment for etching the boards. We operate a very diverse portfolio of machines and systems in our production.

So the project is directly tied to PCB manufacturing at KSG, specifically at the production line you’re connecting. What was the overarching goal or vision when it comes to digitalization?

Daniel W.

For us, digitalization is the foundation for optimizing and automating our manufacturing. Our goal is to create transparency and drive improvements in the production processes – ultimately aiming for a scenario where machines can automatically adapt to the product being made, including batch size 1. At the same time, we want to ensure stable machine operation and support and enhance maintenance and servicing processes. That brings us to the idea of predictive maintenance.

To achieve that, it’s necessary to collect the relevant data and make it available on the IT side in a system that allows such functionality in the first place, right?

Daniel W.

One of our main goals is to improve the OEE value, which is of interest to many manufacturing companies. We want to understand how effectively we’re using our machine park and how we can optimize it further. That’s the objective we’re pursuing with this project.

Okay, very nice. Alright, very good. Daniel, maybe one more question from Schaeffler’s perspective. You started this project some time ago, and it’s probably been running for a while now. Can you explain the scope of the project? What is Schaeffler Digital Solutions responsible for? What use cases are being implemented, and what’s coming from KSG?

Daniel K.

Gladly. Of course. Our collaboration with KSG is a kind of pilot project or proof of concept. At KSG, we introduced a standalone version of autinityDAP – the so-called autinityDAP Starter. The goal was to enable a fast market entry so that essentially any company could deploy, test, and adapt an autinity solution to their own use cases.

That’s also the key strength we’ve introduced with DAP Starter: the ability to develop your own apps and deploy them directly on the device. From that, we defined two use cases in the project. The first is data acquisition – reading machine data. The second, and more crucial step toward process optimization, is writing back into the control system based on insights gained from the collected data.

Okay, so that’s more of a technical use case. Let’s talk about the second part – writing back to the control system. Why is that important for this project? What’s the idea behind it?

Daniel W.

Our goal is to maximize efficiency in production while maintaining high quality. For that, it’s essential that PCBs are produced using the correct parameters. The idea is to transfer the programs required for a specific PCB directly from our ERP system into the machine. This takes the pressure off the operator on the shop floor and lets them focus on the actual manufacturing process.

What exactly is included in a recipe like that? For instance, in an etching process – what does a recipe mean for you?

Daniel W.

This is a coupled system with multiple modules. Each module consists of various baths that need to be mixed and kept in motion in specific ways. Some baths also need to be heated to ensure the process runs correctly. One example is the conveyor speed – it must remain constant so the PCB passes through evenly and gets uniformly treated. So, a recipe contains parameters like conveyor speed, pressure levels, spray characteristics of the fluids, and motor control settings. These are highly detailed specifications.

[11:52] Challenges, potentials and status quo – This is what the use case looks like in practice

Are there any KPIs or metrics that are particularly important to you? You already mentioned quality improvements. How do you demonstrate that the project is ultimately a success?

Daniel W.

For us, this is primarily a technical evaluation of the Schaeffler product, which we aim to integrate into our existing platform. The first key step is being able to integrate the solution properly, ensure the use cases are feasible, and carry out the integration into our system landscape smoothly.

That makes sense. Looking at your day-to-day IT work – can you tell us more about the technical challenges you faced before using autinityDAP? Were there areas where you lost a lot of time, where digitalization proved especially valuable?

Ronny

A major challenge – and one that many manufacturing companies will recognize – is dealing with a heterogeneous machine park, with many different manufacturers and control types. We need to communicate with these machines bidirectionally – meaning we have to read data from the controllers and also send information back to the machines.

The starting point was far from ideal because there were no standardized interfaces. Previously, we had to use the software provided by each machine manufacturer, where available. That meant dealing with many different vendors, isolated solutions, and separate data silos – or in the worst case, developing custom solutions for each machine type.

You mean, for example, if you’re using a Siemens controller, you need Siemens-specific software – and then the ERP system works completely differently?

Ronny

Both approaches are time-consuming and error-prone. Schaeffler Digital Solutions supports us with autinityDAP by providing many interfaces through a single, unified interface. This allows us to connect to the control systems efficiently. It acts as a kind of universal translator for our centralized communication platform at KSG. Another big advantage is scalability. In a later expansion stage, the whole setup can be managed centrally via the Central Tech Library.

Okay, interesting. Daniel, from Schaeffler’s point of view – I assume the topic of heterogeneous machine connectivity comes up all the time for you. Would you like to add to that?

Daniel K.

Absolutely – and I’d like to emphasize that handling heterogeneous machine environments is one of our core strengths, just as Ronny described. This isn’t unique to KSG – Schaeffler itself faces the same challenge. That’s one of the key reasons why we designed DAP to support a wide range of interfaces and connectivity options. This allows us to connect the majority of machines out of the box. And if that’s not possible in some cases, we have the capability to develop custom connectors to create the necessary interfaces for specific controllers.

Have you already been able to identify any best practices from the project, or is it still too early for that?

Daniel K.

From Schaeffler’s perspective, one definite best practice is the autinityDAP Starter we mentioned earlier. It’s a fast, simple, and cost-effective way to introduce connectivity in a company – without having to roll out full-scale factory integration right away. One machine, one device, one box – and you get direct access to machine data. From there, you can derive additional use cases, identify added value, and scale gradually. That’s one of the key insights from this project.

Very interesting. Is there anything you’d like to add from KSG’s side, based on your experience?

Ronny

I completely agree with what Daniel said. That’s often the unknown factor when implementing a solution – you only start to see the possibilities once it’s up and running. That’s exactly what our proof of concept is aiming for.

In an earlier episode with Schaeffler, Stefan Soutschek – your Head of IT in the digitalization unit – mentioned an example: it’s important not to have 20 different names for the same value. For instance, “Stückzahl” once in German, then again as “Part Counter.” That leads to incompatibilities across the system landscape. Isn’t that exactly the kind of engineering work that should be standardized? How do you approach this at Schaeffler?

Daniel K.

Not only should we – we do. That’s exactly the approach we’re taking with our Central Tech Library. The name already suggests it: “Central” and “Library.” We create digital twins of the machines and normalize the data using what we call tags. The “part counter” you mentioned, for example, is standardized across every machine and every controller we access, and is identified using that tag or label. This makes the data consistent and comparable.

So that means you could also integrate recipes or other data being sent to the machine? It doesn’t matter what kind of data – you could basically integrate anything?

Daniel K.

Exactly, that’s the idea. The key component is that we define globally consistent labels – for example, for part counts.

And Daniel from KSG, you mentioned earlier that you’re working with different kinds of data from various systems. That would now be exactly what you’re testing – how to connect and integrate that kind of data. Can you give a few examples of what typical data points you’re dealing with?

Daniel W.

As I mentioned earlier, we’re working with recipes. But what’s especially relevant for us are the machine status data – for example, whether a machine is currently running, undergoing maintenance, has encountered an error, or has triggered an alarm. This type of information is highly valuable to us. In addition, there are technical parameters like temperature readings or the stability of chemical baths. We want to make use of the existing machine data to implement monitoring capabilities – all the way down to energy metering, which we’re currently working on. The goal is to track energy consumption and determine how much energy is required per product. Altogether, we’re looking at around 30 different data points that we either read from or write to the machines, many of them linked to recipe handling.

What were the technical requirements for the solution? Why did you choose autinityDAP specifically? You mentioned that you looked at the market quite extensively. Were there certain criteria that were particularly important to ensure the project’s success?

Daniel W.

From KSG’s perspective, one of the key requirements was the ability to write data back to the machine. One of the major strengths of the autinityDAP solution is that it allows you to deploy and program your own apps. This gives us a high degree of flexibility to implement our own processes. Every printed circuit board that is produced has an internal identifier. That ID is used to look up the corresponding recipe in the ERP system. If no matching recipe is found, the machine can automatically stop. Even if the wrong or an outdated recipe is assigned – for example, one that is no longer available on the machine – the system handles that scenario well. This enables us to significantly improve production quality.

[19:37] Solutions, offerings and services – A look at the technologies used

Did I understand this correctly: there are applications you can develop yourself? These run on a software level – are we talking about SaaS applications? What kind of apps are these exactly?

Daniel K.

autinityDAP comes with a set of built-in apps that support various use cases. In this project, which focuses on writing back to a control system, we agreed with KSG that they would develop their own app. This allows them to better reflect their internal business processes and make changes more quickly. That’s something new – only a few providers offer an ecosystem that supports this kind of approach. Our standardized platform gives users the ability to develop their own apps, and we provide guidance throughout the process. This creates a flexible foundation for a wide range of use cases, limited only by the customer’s development capacity. If KSG wants to deploy another app on the DAP in the future, that’s always possible. I think it’s quite a smart and elegant solution.

Another possible app could be the energy monitoring one you mentioned earlier. I believe you already have your own solutions for that?

Daniel K.

Yes, we already offer ready-made solutions in that area, so KSG wouldn’t need to develop anything themselves for that use case. But for other scenarios that aren’t covered by our standard apps, the system can still be used – with or without a user interface. Technologically, it’s based on a containerized architecture, which makes it secure and clearly separated. I think it’s a very elegant and highly flexible solution.

So basically, I can develop my own apps and also use existing ones. The technical foundation is autinityDAP, a container-based platform. In principle, it’s an IT/OT integration layer or middleware that allows you to connect data from the shop floor – but also, for example, from an ERP system.

Daniel K.

Exactly. It’s an entire ecosystem – not just the DAP itself. We’re talking about a runtime environment that runs on the edge device, the IPC, which is connected directly to the machine. In addition, there’s the DAP Board, which handles the central orchestration of decentralized IPCs and can be deployed globally. Then we have the Central Tech Library, which handles machine data configuration. Everything is based on container architecture and is fully scalable – just as we’ve implemented it globally at Schaeffler.

So how do you efficiently connect a wide range of machines using a unified standard? As mentioned earlier, you’re dealing with a heterogeneous machine park, including some older machines that may not even support OPC UA. How do you handle that? How do you create a consistent connection for such machines?

Daniel K.

We support a wide range of protocols – including industrial standards like OPC UA and MQTT, as well as direct connections to controllers from manufacturers like Siemens and FANUC. In total, we offer over fifty connectors. And if necessary, we develop additional ones. Within Schaeffler, we’ve already implemented the vast majority of commonly used connectors. For KSG, we added what was needed in specific cases. That gave us the foundation to connect virtually any machine.

A question for KSG: what specific data are you using, or do you have particular protocols you’re planning to connect?

Daniel W.

From the portfolio Daniel from Schaeffler mentioned, we’re currently using OPC UA for one machine, Profinet to connect the scanner, and MQTT as the interface for communication with our ERP system.

And one last question on that: how do you ensure that structured data is provided in a way that makes it usable across all use cases? This also ties back to the example earlier with the part count – that value needs to be consistently named. How do you manage to build a unified data structure?

Daniel K.

That’s exactly the role of the Central Tech Library we mentioned earlier, and we use labels to achieve it. There can be a wide range of labels, each serving the purpose of standardization. So all parts and counters are labeled accordingly. For example, there’s a single label for “part counter,” which is sent to the MES and applies to every use case where part count data needs to be read.

Daniel from KSG mentioned earlier that an incorrect recipe might be assigned. I assume those recipes are also given standardized names – or at least that’s the goal – to avoid issues with inconsistent file naming?

Daniel K.

Yes, that’s part of the configuration, which is still done individually for each machine. We have both data reading and writing processes. In our proof of concept, both are managed through the KSG app – using the labels to enforce consistency.

What does the end result look like for the user? What role does visualization play in day-to-day operations, and what do the dashboards look like? Can you share anything about that?

Daniel K.

From the DAP perspective, visualization is not our primary focus. The first step is all about collecting and providing the data. Visualization is a downstream process used for things like predictive maintenance or process optimization. Our main goal is to make the data available and, when needed, to interact with processes. As far as I know, KSG uses its own tools to create visualizations where necessary.

Daniel W.

Yes, we rely on several open-source tools. The data is collected and stored in a PostgreSQL database. Visualization is handled with Grafana. To transform data from MQTT into the database, we use Node-RED. What we’ve built is essentially like a data recorder. It tracks machine conditions and visualizes them. You can see exactly when a machine was running and when it wasn’t. That allows us to take targeted actions. Based on that data, we can also calculate and provide the OEE value.

[26:09] Transferability, scaling and next steps – Here’s how you can use this use case

For everyone listening who’s working on similar topics – I’ll include contact links for both Daniels and Ronny in the show notes, ideally to their LinkedIn profiles, so you can connect and exchange best practices. I still have a few more questions in mind, but I don’t want to overload this episode. So one final question for Schaeffler: Daniel, what use cases are you planning next? Are there any new features we can expect from Schaeffler Digital Solutions?

Daniel K.

I’d be happy to summarize that. Together with KSG, we piloted write-back functionality to controllers in the external market. Now, we want to make that concept more generic and scalable. At the moment, we’re piloting this with AGVs in collaboration with a partner within Schaeffler. The goal is to make write-back a standard practice and achieve the process optimization we mentioned earlier.

From KSG’s side, I understand you also have more use cases in the pipeline. Can you already share a bit about that?

Ronny

Absolutely. After successfully completing the proof of concept, we’re looking to identify additional use cases and expand the solution to cover larger parts of our machine park as quickly as possible.

Thank you both for joining us today. If anyone still has questions, feel free to reach out afterward. I’ll also include links in the show notes to autinityDAP and the topic of app development. Thanks again for the very hands-on insights. It is always exciting to hear directly from the printed circuit board production where the challenges lie and how you work with standardization and scalability in data handling. That’s the foundation for data-driven use cases and applications. Thank you all – and I’ll give you the final word.

Ronny

Thanks for having us on the podcast. We wish everyone great success with their own production digitalization efforts. See you soon!

Daniel W.

I’d like to echo my colleague’s words – best wishes from me as well.

Daniel K.

Thank you for the invitation, and thank you to KSG for the great collaboration. Until next time.

Thanks so much – enjoy the rest of your week. Take care and goodbye!

Daniel K.

Bye!