Industry 4.0 is not just about monitoring, connectivity, and data gathering within a single work environment. Service and support, as well, can benefit from Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology – and Krones is one supplier taking advantage of what it has to offer.
Digitalisation is increasingly shaping the future of support, according to Krones, which has already adopted IIoT technology in its service offering.
Krones says its remote support specialists are available to customers around the clock, providing assistance over the phone in the event of unexpected or sudden difficulties. The company’s Augmented Reality Support Argos system, as well, uses smart glasses to connect line operators directly to support specialists, allowing technicians to give advice as if they were present on site.
Additionally, Krones subsidiary Syskron offers digital solutions to make line operators’ work easier, including the Share2Act IIoT platform; the cloud solution supports a number of standardised services which can be combined and tailored to meet individual customer needs.
Krones and Syskron exhibited their digital support and service solutions at BrauBeviale late last year, including how their data-based capabilities can identify potential problems before they bring an entire line to a standstill.
Through a corresponding service agreement with Krones, the supplier monitors a customer’s production operation to draw attention to emerging issues. Support specialists access machine data to determine the correct solutions, contact line operators, and guide them through malfunction analysis and remedial action.
Finally, the online Krones.shop, billed as the digital platform for the food and beverage sectors, offers a portfolio of almost five million products including spare parts, upgrades, components, training courses, service technicians, and re-owned machines.
