How your machine can communicate its service needs in real time via an asset management system
For machinery manufacturers the machine is the heart of the business model and the main customer touchpoint. All value-adding processes from engineering to maintenance have it at their core. It also helps OEMs deliver services, improve clients’ business outcomes, increase revenue via digital and connected services, cut costs by reducing inefficiencies and strengthen customer engagement. Access to the installed base is therefore key and an asset management system is ideal for capturing valuable machine data.
A lost opportunity in after-service?
Lack of insight into the current asset base hinders OEMs from fully utilising potential service revenue, solving customers problems effectively and maintaining customer loyalty. However, the end customer expects a reliable partner who can help to minimise unplanned downtimes and thus maximise production outputs.
When machine faults occur, end customers demand fast and effective assistance from the OEM. This can, however, be challenging for OEMs: the machine may already have been down for some time requiring the service technicians to work under pressure. Additionally, the relevant machine information such as asset details, location, age of equipment, service data, life cycle data etc. is not always available or may no longer reflect the “real” machine. As a result, service technicians spend valuable time on finding information about the machine and its components instead of starting the repair process right away.
Next level service with X4 Portal
What if we could change that? What if your machines themselves could “talk” and could themselves be the single source of truth to provide you with all the information you need, communicating their service needs in real time?
Imagine your machine has an error and it automatically creates a ticket based on this error. The service technician is immediately notified, no matter where they are, and they can immediately start working on the problem. They are able to access all the required information and documentation such as troubleshooting guides, manuals, and technical drawings. In addition, the machine can be accessed remotely, saving precious time.
To translate this vision into reality, we created the X4 Portal. Through this portal, the service technician gets an insight into the machine and can access the topology with all its assets/components. The tickets that are created are linked to these assets, so that the service technician can immediately see where the problem is. Furthermore, the portal integrates with Lenze and other vendors’ Product Information Hubs (PIH), for access to up-to-date information from the supplier. As a result, the technician no longer has to carry out time-consuming documentation research. And as more and more tickets are solved in the portal, a knowledge base is built, ensuring that the experience of the resources lives not in individuals but in systems. This enables tickets to be solved even faster by leveraging past experiences.
The X4 Portal also bring many benefits for your management, service teams and of course your customers:
Benefits for your management
- Transparency into the installed base anytime from anywhere.
- Increased competitiveness through lower service costs and improved reaction time.
- new business models and after-sales business: for example, through monetising the apps or providing them as part of tiered maintenance packages.
- Scarce resources such as your employees can be utilised more efficiently.
Benefits for your service team
- Fast reaction time: all information relating to incidents is easily viewable.
- No loss of information on shift change: all changes are recorded in the service log.
- Reduced time spent on non-value-added tasks such as document search.
- Accelerated process due to structured forwarding of service requirements.
Benefits for your customer
- Overview of the installed base and asset transparency.
- Access to information at the machine, device, and component level of your assets.
- Easy centralised access to documents, manuals, images, and asset details to minimise reaction time.
- Create tickets and request help from your OEM or machinery manufacturer with a click of a button.
Lenze: Your Partner from OT to IT
Because Lenze covers the whole range of machine automation, we can offer a holistic solution, from the PLC right up to the cloud-based portal. Information about the Lenze components, as well as integrated third-party components, can be provided digitally. Therefore, information about our components is easily integrated in the portal. In addition, it is our goal to be open for the integration of third-party components. The X4 Portal can integrate product and asset information services from any vendor with ease. Lenze offers the X4 Portal as a white-labelled portal for OEMs.
Forward-thinking digital solutions can help machinery manufacturers differentiate themselves from competitors and deliver a best-in-class customer experience. As part of the manufacturing industry, Lenze has an in-depth understanding of the concerns of machinery manufacturers. We can provide machinery manufacturers with the right tools for efficient support and service to revolutionise the after-market experience for the end customer.
Could that be right for your company?
Asset management could be a solution for you?
Our experts will be happy to discuss your options and ideas!
