Page 19 - ITAtube Journal 2/2019

Technical Papers
–inmetalindustries,forexample, for temperature regulation, more precise loading or the prediction of melting endpoints.
Delcuve goes on to specify: whereas the initial emphasis in “Industry 4.0” activities was mainly on process optimisation projects, the entire company is now becoming the focal point to an increasing extent. The VDMA expert says: “In the meantime, successful corporate exploitation of “Industry 4.0” potential is no longer determined by product and application optimisation in the production process alone; what is decisive instead is how indi- vidual, data-based innovations are incorporated in the com- pany’s overall digital strategy”. Solutions for controlling and optimising production processes, such as sensor technology, data analytics, VR or AR technologies, make smart operations – and, as a result, data-based services and distinctive products – possible. According to Delcuve, implemen- tation is frequently carried out in-house and along the lines of product development processes in start-ups. But also in co-oper- ation with start-ups, which have based their business models on Internet-based applications and software services. In September 2018, for example, VDMA brought selected start-ups together with companies from the metallurgical machine and plant manufacturing eld at the Dortmund Technology Centre.
Kathrin Delcuve summarises the progress made: “In the mean- time, digitisation encompasses all levels of production and value creation – product development, customer relations and the com- petitive positions in supply
chains and B2B business”. Her conclusion: “In the meantime, successful corporate exploitation of “Industry 4.0” potential is no longer determined by product and application optimisation in the production process alone; what is decisive instead is how individual, data-based innovations are incor- porated in the company’s overall digital strategy”.
At GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST, the VDMA Metallurgy trade association will be high- lighting numerous examples of applications from its corporate members, including a new edition of the brochure “Industry 4.0 in metallurgical plant manufactur- ing”.
Klöckner: pioneer that has had to overcome initial dif culties The steel distributor Klöckner & Co. is considered to be one of the dig- itisation pioneers in metal indus- tries. CEO Gisbert Rühl studied the successful models adopted in the platform economy in detail and visited start-ups on-site in Silicon Valley. A particularly close examination was made of Amazon. Back in Germany, the steel distrib- utor established the digital unit kloeckner.i in Berlin. Rühl recalls the initial dif culties that were experienced when implementation of the digital strategy began: “A major obstacle proved to be the necessary change in our corporate culture. Because our aim right from the start was to win all our staff over and motivate them to support the process of change. This is the only way for digital transformation to be carried out successfully.” Rühleliminatedtheinternalcom- munication barriers and ended the hierarchically organised informa- tion ow. According to Rühl, staff and their superiors now commu-
nicate non-hierarchically via the internal social network Yammer. “Another of the bigger problems was most de nitely initial scepti- cism about the digital tools devel- oped by the digital unit in Berlin. This meant that we needed to inte- grate kloeckner.i in the group more effectively, so that the classic side of our company gives active support to introduction of the digital tools. Our exchange pro- grammes between staff from the classic operations and our digital unit have proved to be thoroughly effective here and have helped to establish a digital mindset in the core organisation”.
Rühl stresses that the digitisation strategy has reached all areas of the group in the meantime. “We are digitising not only the front ends to customers but also to an increasing extent the internal pro- cesses of Klöckner & Co., in order to become even faster and even more ef cient. It is, however, also correct that our digital unit kloeckner.i in Berlin is the ‘hotbed’ of digitisation within the group. Digital natives work there on our solutions for digitisation of the entire Klöckner & Co. supply and service chain – on behalf of all the company’s locations and in close liaison with group col- leagues and customers.”
ITAtube Journal No2/May 2019
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