SCHAD, developer of the EXTEND7000 mobile SCADA system has implemented a mobile technology for BAUR, one of Germany’s oldest multichannel retailers.
BAUR is using EXTEND7000, a powerful mobile SCADA system that allows the monitoring and control of automated processes to be extended to an ordinary mobile device, smartphone or tablet.
BAUR operates 3 large, fully automated logistics departments at three locations in Germany, responsible for controlling warehouse receiving docks, high-rack storage machinery, conveyor belts and sorting technology. The automated warehouse is a highly complex environment. In total, there are around 70,000 defined notifications within its logistics technology.
Before integrating EXTEND7000, control room technicians would individually call maintenance engineers and verbally forward on error messages. However this caused workflow issues because control room personnel were not aware of which of the 35 engineers were in service, or, whether they had already accepted previous tasks. As a consequence, several calls were required in order to locate an engineer able to take over the given task – resulting in an unnecessary loss of time.
In 2011, BAUR implemented SCHAD’s mobile SCADA system, EXTEND7000, which has resulted in employee efficiency increasing by 15 percent and the company’s support telephone call costs reduced by 60 percent.
“The use of mobile technology simplifies and optimises communications and efficiency of operations,” comments Roland Säum. “EXTEND7000 offers an affordable and functionally rich solution for mobile monitoring and control of all our logistics technology.”
Before introducing EXTEND7000, each employee carried normal mobile phones with call tariffs. Today, smartphones are being used with more cost effective ‘call & surf’ tariffs. Since call times have now been reduced by 60 percent, the additional costs incurred by contract conversion were immediately covered. Additionally, control room personnel and field technicians are now able to work more efficiently. Since EXTEND7000 does not source through the existing WinCC visualisation system, it also functions as a SCADA backup in the event of a WinCC failure.
In the future, EXTEND7000 will be used to inform middle management about plant states, number of units, individual departments’ work progress. BAUR also plans to integrate its entire building management systems into EXTEND7000.
“The implementation we have completed for BAUR illustrates perfectly the value a mobile SCADA system offers to retailer that has invested heavily in automation to reduce errors and streamline logistics operations. As margins are continually being squeezed downwards, retailers cannot afford to incur unnecessary costs through system downtime and a solution such as EXTED7000 pays for itself very quickly both in lower overheads and all round better customer satisfaction,” says Christian Schad, CEO of SCHAD GmbH.
