Industry 4.0 has many dimensions and possible fields of application. In three of them (Smart Services, Operations and Factory), key solutions are provided by the machinery industry. The other ones from smart textile products, marketing and sales, employees up to strategy and organization are specific know-how issues for textile mills.
At the ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, visitors will have the chance to see how Industry 4.0 solutions are impacting the textile process chain.
Six weeks prior to ITMA, Nicolai Strauch, press officer of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association, Germany, spoke to experts of VDMA member companies about their products and services with regard to digitization and Industry 4.0.
– Klaus Heinrichs, Vice President, Monforts Textilmaschinen
Strauch: The last steps in the textile chain is finishing. Mr. Heinrichs, what will Monforts present at ITMA?
Heinrichs: Thanks to a support app for communication and an app for
operating Monforts systems, Monforts machines now feature a “digital twin” that will be presented to the textile industry for the first time ever at ITMA in Barcelona. With the help of advanced sensor technology, all technical data are mapped in the cloud virtually and in real time. The data in the cloud indicate the current state of the system with its respective specifications and can map the entire production process, enabling targeted analysis and controlled planning and production: Insights harnessed from data analyses can be used to optimise the actual production process.
Strauch: What is new about your solution / technology?
Heinrichs: The status overview in real-time improves machine availability while minimising downtime considerably. Potential sources of error can be anticipated and eliminated. The digital twin provides information on individual wear parts of a system, such as converters or gears, for example. In the future operators will be able to see how long a wearing part will last and when it has to be maintained or replaced ahead of time. Direct access to the integrated Monforts webshop allows users to order wearing and spare parts at the press of the button when they are needed, virtually preventing machine downtime. On request, Monforts can monitor machine availability and proactively approach customers if action is required. Data is only ever called from the cloud provided customers have agreed, requiring their consent in the interest of data security.
Strauch: What advantages does this offer for your clients?
Heinrichs: With the support app, the customer can contact Monforts service virtually 24 hours a day or at an arranged time via smartphone or tablet. Support is given right on site via a video connection. The Monforts service specialist can point out individual system parts on the customer’s smartphone using a mouse cursor and assist users in troubleshooting or operating the machine on site. Documents, such as machine documentation, can also be shown in real-time on the smartphone. Data can be used to analyse a system’s energy requirements. For example, machine operation can be optimised for production to go into full operation when electricity costs are at their lowest.
Strauch: How do customers benefit from this system?
Schöller: This quality management system makes it possible to efficiently conduct audits and, as part of the digitalization process, provides a complete overview of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) with the option of implementing predictive maintenance measures. Customers also benefit from the ability to improve machine utilization and identify weak points in production. The use of the system reduces needle consumption at factories by up to 10 percent. Downtime during needle changes also decreases by 50 percent on average. Moreover, the risk of contractual penalties due to non-compliance with brand owner specifications goes to zero. The use of the system also eliminates the need to store used needles for documentation purposes; the needles can be sent for recycling right away – a decisive benefit in the sense of sustainability.
– Rebekka Dilo, Assistant to the Management, Oskar Dilo Maschinenfabrik
Strauch: Let’s move forward in the textile chain. Ms. Dilo, how can Industry 4.0 help 
customers in the nonwovens industry to increase efficiency and so to decrease costs?
Dilo: Our new operator system assists the operators through intelligent sensors and automatized modes allowing a reduction of workforce at nonwoven lines. At a line restart, the newly formed web may wrap around rollers in the card and crosslapper. The new starting mode automatically prefills the line and forms a stable start nonwoven, minimizing the risk of wrappings.
Strauch: What is the effect of this?
Dilo: As a result, the line starts smoothly with minimal manual intervention. Moreover, an energy-saving technology helps to decrease costs at the fibers transport, one of the main energy consumers in needling lines. Instead of operating the ventilators for the fiber-air transport at maximum frequency, the system controls the ventilator speed according to the actual throughput and also gives warnings before blockages can occur. The technology therefore targets ecosensitive nonwoven producers, who also want to increase their line availability.
This targets especially producers working with fiber blends and several bale openers respectively.
– Marcus Ott, CEO, Halo electronic
Strauch: Mr. Ott, your company Halo electronics from Austria develops Enterprise-Resource-Planning (ERP) systems for the textile industry. Please, tell us more about your company.
Ott: We provide custom-tailored IT solutions, that offer textile industry customers the perfect level of data transparency – from fibre to finished product. Direct communication between man and machine not only enables this consistently transparent presentation of all relevant data, but also gives employees flexible and, most importantly, mobile access to it. All important information is available on the handheld device while “on the go”.
Strauch: How is the usability of your solution? Can you quantify the benefits of the product?
Ott: The intuitive software relies on language-independent icons instead of text and can therefore be used without training in any work environment. The resulting cost savings are clear. The seamless implementation of the software in all relevant production processes up to the point of delivery enables complete consistency and transparency of the data collection, which simplifies optimisation processes and gives management vital decision-making information. For example, the use of our software enables time savings of 45% for the storage and retrieval of products in the warehouse.
