Suppliers of mobile and stationary working machines - Digitalization of the construction industry
The initial situation
Imagine you are a technician on your way to a construction site to service a mobile machine. Even before you arrive, you know exactly which part needs to be replaced and which tools you need. This not only saves time and money, but also offers unrivaled service. But how did this revolutionary change come about?
As an established provider of mobile working machines, a customer from the construction industry was faced with the challenge of making a target-oriented approach to new business models possible. Almost all new machines should be able to both send and receive data via IoT technologies. This data had to be made usable for various systems and use cases and combined with customer and order data as well as data from production. At the same time, new regulatory requirements, such as the Digital Product Passport, Cyber Resilience Act, NIS-2 or the EU Data Act, should also be able to be met.
An important goal was not only to develop a technological solution, but also to define, develop and fill the necessary skills and roles. This ensured that not only short-term solutions were developed, but that they could also be operated and expanded sustainably.
The approach
Various measures and procedures were necessary to achieve the goals set. These included strategic and technological as well as operational measures:
Initial workshop
Together with the customer, Novatec developed a clear picture of an IoT PoC (proof of concept), which was to form the basis for all strategic goals. The workshop specifically focused on current business models and how they can be improved through digitalization in the IoT sector. At the same time, with the overall strategy in mind, the development of new business models was discussed in order to lay the decisive foundations as early as the PoC.
The result was a multidimensional view of the technologies and components to be tested, which contained both functional and non-functional requirements. Specifically, hardware components were selected and platform providers examined.
Modernization of a legacy application
As part of this software development project, an existing application first had to be modernized in the same context. Novatec provided development capacities and comprehensive consulting services for this purpose.
Team integration and training
The IoT sector has undergone a major change in recent years – towards a strong integration of data into the overall context of the company and away from silos in isolated platforms. The area of cloud technologies is also developing rapidly. In both areas, it is necessary to know key technologies and build up specific specialist knowledge.
With the help of Novatec, the customer was able to identify the most important topics. The necessary knowledge was passed on by the experts in various formats. Comprehensive training courses and workshops were held to teach technical skills and promote effective role allocation and teamwork. The participants were trained in various modules tailored to their roles and responsibilities, promoting an in-depth understanding of IoT and cloud technologies throughout the organization. Practical applications made it possible to put what had been learned directly into practice, which made it easier to integrate the new technologies into development.
In addition, the workshops placed a strong focus on collaborative working methods to improve communication and cooperation between departments. This helped to break down the often prevailing silos and create a cross-cultural working environment. Regular feedback sessions and follow-up meetings ensured that all team members were continuously supported and encouraged in their development, guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of the training measures.
Architectural decisions and implementation
The decision for edge components and a suitable IoT platform was made jointly – based on the previous work.
Both developers and consultants from Novatec and the customer team were represented in the development teams. Together they implemented the concepts. Continuous testing of new features was possible both via HIL setups (hardware in the loop) and on the actual machine.
The results
Thanks to the combination of technical and organizational measures as well as specific consulting and development services, an important milestone was reached on schedule: The machine’s data, which is available locally on the CAN bus, can be processed and displayed in the IoT platform. At the same time, configuration or parameter changes from the cloud to the system are also possible.
Strategic consulting
Novatec has been successfully supporting its customers from the manufacturing sector in the strategic and operational implementation of IoT and smart factory solutions for many years. Its focus is on strategic consulting as well as the development and integration of customized software solutions that are seamlessly embedded in existing production processes. This includes the implementation and management of IoT devices, the automation of production lines through customized software tools and the integration of comprehensive data analysis to optimize operational processes. Novatec also offers robust solutions for data management and networking of plants and machines, the implementation of advanced monitoring and control systems and the development of user-friendly dashboards that provide real-time information on production performance.
Text taken over from the original and translated – Novatec Consulting
