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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nReady<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
During the \u201cReady\u201d project, FST is working in month-long sprints and using the methods of agile project management. \u201cAfter our launch in February, we laid the groundwork. We are already planning the first pilot projects in the individual project areas, including \u201cReady to Connect\u2019 (with Brian Staples as manager); \u2018Ready to Innovate\u2019 (Dominik Bihn) and \u2018Ready to Operate\u2019 (Jeff Davey). We will certainly be busy executing our vision for three more years,\u201d said Christian Hense, who launched the overall project. He led it jointly with Jannik Ritter before being named IT manager at the new Business Group Freudenberg e-Power Systems.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Fit For Digitalization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cReady\u201d project is the driver. The basic question is: How do we get each FST facility in shape for digitalization? One answer: FST sets global IT standards to meet the needs of the future. \u201cWe no longer want standalone solutions. We want to create the preconditions for digitalization across the board and do it systematically,\u201d Hense said. This requires a significant investment, which the Board of Management approved in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the program doesn\u2019t just involve networked factories. Digitalization generates data and a demand for IT solutions so people can learn from the information, simplify processes and generate knowledge. The preconditions are created in the subproject \u201cReady to Innovate.\u201d Employees at FST sites can maintain a \u201ctoolbox\u201d as so-called \u201ccitizen developers.\u201d They ideally would be tech-\u00adsavvy users \u2013 not professional programmers \u2013 who can personally create small applications tailored to their facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crucial aspect: All facilities are given a uniform software development landscape, the Microsoft Power Platform. They can move freely within it, individually using solutions specific to certain areas. They receive licenses, disk space, expert support and training from CPIM on the applications. \u201cEmployees can discuss their ideas with us and then get help from consulting services. They can book an appointment for consulting online on our website. It works exactly like an online reservation at a restaurant or hairdresser. We keep staff in reserve for these services,\u201d Hense said. If the expertise is not available locally or the solutions are too complex, teams of professional developers are brought in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has to run as stably as a machine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A third building block of the \u201cReady\u201d project involves the use of IT technologies in factories. \u201cWe had hardly anything to do with IT in production previously. To oversimplify just a bit, a manufacturer delivers a machine that is controlled by a small computer. The machine manufacturer took care of the standalone solutions,\u201d Hense said. IT plays an entirely different role in the era of the connected factory. Machines communicate with one another and data is continuously generated, analyzed and reported back to the operator in the form of recommended actions or warnings. The information technology must be just as stable as the production equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IT specialists have to understand the new mechanisms and interrelationships within factories. \u201cProduction cannot be a black box for us. We need transparency,\u201d Hense said. That means CPIM itself has to be \u201cReady to Operate,\u201d which is the name of the third subproject. It has to find ways of ensuring the functionality of critical systems. CPIM also has to provide emergency aid in case equipment and sensors malfunction. Since they operate and control processes around the clock, the assistance even has to be available at 2 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
External factors can also cause breakdowns. That\u2019s why the issue of IT security (cyber defense) is an important element of the project and its fourth component.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In short: The \u201cReady\u201d project is all about laying the groundwork for digitalization at FST. It requires a high-\u00adperformance IT landscape where local units and central functions jointly develop common solutions \u2013 and operate them securely. The goal is to promote innovation and remain competitive.<\/p>\n