Transaction Network: On the way to an open ecosystem

„As a global market leader, customers today expect digital services from us as a matter of course,“ says Uwe Galm, authorised signatory and service manager at Gerhard Schubert GmbH, summarising the situation that led to the introduction of the Transaction Network customer platform.

Service Manager Uwe Galm emphasises: „From my point of view, there is no option without a Transparent collaboration and digital solutions for after-sales service to be successful in the long term. We were faced with the question of how we could create this transparency and fulfil customer requirements quickly and easily.“ This is where Transaction-Network offered the solution. With its digital customer platform of the same name, the company is pursuing an overarching vision.

„In order to support the mechanical engineering industry and make it competitive in the current tense economic situation, the complete automation of the entire production line and after-sales service is the right way forward,“ says . „That's why we are bringing all the players together in one place, from the various machine builders on a production line to component manufacturers and plant operators, and creating an open ecosystem in which machine builders can retain their customers and turn them into fans.“

Gerd Bart, founder and managing director of Transaction-Network GmbH & Co. KG from Gottmadingen

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Gerhard Schubert initially focusses on in-house developments

At the start of the project, however, Gerhard Schubert decided to tackle the development of digital solutions itself. This involved working with the Electronic Service Module (ESM) developed a tool that provides an overview of the installed base and machinery and helps to find the required parts in the electronic parts list. To enable monitoring of the performance of the packaging machines, the Grips portal was created, in which the performance data and the technical condition of the machines used were monitored. But this data collection was not enough.

„We wanted to move from a purely technical view of the machine to benefit-based reporting that would enable us to address the role of the production manager at the customer,“ recalls Uwe Galm. This IoT service portal was developed with the Care Portal. But for the web shop, the search was on for a suitable partner.

Interlocking with existing solutions desired

The main focus was on finding a customer portal that could be integrated with the existing solution. The aim was to create a central data hub that would map the entire after-sales service with all customer transactions. With Transaction-Network Today, a single sign-on provides access to all service functionalities - in a simple way and with uncomplicated administration. The openness of the digital ecosystem is crucial for Gerhard Schubert's medium-term goal of uniting all companies involved in production on one platform. „A customer has the greatest added value when all OEMs involved in a line are bundled on one platform. Transaction-Network follows this idea and is a platform with which this possibility could already be realised today. That convinced us straight away,“ says Uwe Galm. In order to retain the in-house developments, they were merged with Transaction-Network. Subsequently both systems into an interlinked platform, which bears the name 4YOUconnect.

Overcoming challenges together

When onboarding Gerhard Schubert customers to the Transaction Network platform, the first step was to create the right conditions. For example, in the course of increasing transparency, parts list structures that were not originally designed for this purpose had to be made public. „We had to take care of the data quality in terms of consistency. Bringing your own master data to a digital maturity level, was a difficulty for us, which we were able to overcome with the support of Transaction-Network,“ Galm reveals.

In addition to data quality, the bandwidth for data transmission was increased to enable parallelisation of uploads. Feedback from major customers in particular was that Orders not via a web shop, but via the company's own ERP system can be made. „We installed an Open Catalogue Interface (OCI) here, which is used to transfer an order from the ERP to the portal. In this case, the web shop became a catalogue function so that customers could maintain their usual processes,“ explains Galm. He emphasises that the project is still ongoing and that further functions are constantly being added.

Focus on asset management and web shop

With the introduction of Transaction-Network, Gerhard Schubert was able to realise comprehensive asset management. A digital information twin is now available for the machines, which includes the machine documentation, circuit diagrams, operating instructions and all data relating to the Machinery Directive. There are also parts lists where customers can navigate through various levels to each specific component. The 3D part identification and the 3D model provide support here.

The decisive factor is, that Asset Management displays all machines, that Gerhard Schubert supplied to a customer. For example, all servo drives can be called up across the board and the correct spare part can be easily navigated to using a part number. In addition, the correct contact person can always be found on Gerhard Schubert's website.

„This has enabled us to replace our ESM and offer our customers another major advantage with the web shop, through which the selected spare parts can be ordered directly. Transaction-Network will be a tool for our employees and customers alike. The result is a dual use that significantly simplifies after-sales service. We can further strengthen this with every new functionality that we introduce.“

Uwe Galm, Authorised signatory and service manager at Gerhard Schubert GmbH

Big plans for the future

This includes, for example, fully automated maintenance, in which all machines are not only monitored on the basis of condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, but maintenance is also initiated and planned without human intervention. From the procurement of spare parts to the notification of the technician, all processes run automatically. „This enables us to offer machine builders maintenance-as-a-service (WaaS), where maintenance is not offered as a one-off service, but as a continuous data-driven service like a subscription model, tailored to the respective operating conditions,“ explains Gerd Bart. „Complete automation results in less effort for machine manufacturers and saves resources for customers.“

Additional 3D printer project

A special feature that can also be realised with the Transaction Network customer platform concerns 3D printers. „Customers can purchase a 3D printer from our sister company and buy an hourly volume similar to a mobile phone contract,“ reports Galm. As almost every machine contains printed parts, this could offer major advantages for the procurement of spare parts. „In future, the parts list will show whether a part can be printed. If this is the case, a customer will no longer have to buy the spare part, but can purchase a printing licence instead.“ This eliminates the need for delivery, which not only takes time but also consumes resources and has an impact on CO₂-balance sheet.

After sales service with potential

The digitalisation of after-sales service is not yet complete at Gerhard Schubert GmbH, which supplies the confectionery, pet food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries with high-quality packaging machines, in particular top-loading machines for end-of-line packaging. However, the added value of the Transaction Network ecosystem is already being realised today. „Transaction-Network offers us the necessary potential for the strategic alignment of our service area with the help of digitalisation“, says Galm. The openness of the system is particularly impressive. „With Transaction-Network, we have found a solution that allows us to integrate our IoT tool. The interlinked platform opens up new potential for us. We also feel equipped for the future, for example to quickly and easily integrate additional OEMs or new technological developments on the market via the open architecture.“