gw-news: Will production change fundamentally in the coming years?
Bernhard Hötger: I have been at home in the glass industry for more than 35 years and have accompanied and helped to shape the constant change towards more automation since the early 1980s. The ongoing digitisation will change the requirements even further. The Hegla Group provide support to glass processors in digitising their businesses.
gw-news: Where do you see the reasons for increasing digitalisation?
Hötger: All of the questions of controlling and optimizing production are primarily about creating the highest possible added value and quality for the customer. The installed capacities are often sufficient to process the customer orders. However, customers regularly ordering single pieces in all possible dimensions and types of glass, brings even a well-organised team in production and work preparation to the limits of what is possible. A success factor here is digitalisation and better linking of the individual processes. On the one hand, the transitions between the machines are improved, on the other hand, data is collected that can be used to optimise the processes and the cycle times as well as for future planning and for the process design.
gw-news: What role will software play in the future?
Hötger: Software is a solid and important tool. However, it must be integrated into the entire process and perfectly matched to the machine technology and shop floor logistics, otherwise it does not bring the desired benefits.
gw-news: When manufacturing becomes more complex, what changes in maintenance?
Hötger: Maintenance will be an indispensable part of this highly automated system. There will be fixed maintenance intervals that can be carried out by the glass processing personnel themselves and in a user-friendly manner, so that the availability of the systems is at the highest level. In the future, the machines will also be able to independently point out maintenance at an early stage if, for example, the failure of a wearing part can be predicted by appropriate machine sensors. The software will provide tools that can be understood and used by less trained employees.
gw-news: How can processors benefit from digitization, what are the costs, where are the dangers?
Hötger: The digitalisation and conversion of production into a holistic, comprehensive process will make it easier for operators to use the systems and lead to even better cycle times. The production management also has additional options for planning the processes flexibly and efficiently. If a precise analysis based on figures, data and facts of the current situation is carried out in advance in order to generate the necessary information and thus design the desired workflows and processes, the investments will pay off in a manageable time frame.
See also: Laser-treated glass suitable for wireless communication
The dangers lurk in the fact that one is inclined not to consider the holistic process, but always only a sub-area. In the future, digitalisation will not be dispensed within any area, unless customers choose not to use the potential of value creation for strategic reasons, or only step by step.
The interview was conducted by Matthias Rehberger, Head of Content, gw-news.
