Software company HAI delivers on SAP NetWeaver-based solution that enables manufacturers to register their factory data and quality control, reporting and analysis. These HAI QPM software fills a gap; packages for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and industrial software fail herein. In recent years, the market finally starts to come apart for the cloud software provider in Zwijndrecht. Together with strategic partner ATS from Haarlem more and more international customers are brought in, even non-SAP users.
Customers include Sonneveld Bakery, Heinz and PepsiCo, as well as non-SAP users as Yakult and the new cheese factory A-ware in Heerenveen. The Norwegian paper manufacturer Elopak uses the software in its plants in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Ukraine, and recently decided to roll out the solution to Russia and Canada. “The addition of a branch with some adjustments quickly. And we do almost everything remotely. Previously, we had to go to the client, but it does with our SaaS solution no more, “says CEO Peter de Haer.
Factory Environment
The ‘quality performance management (QPM) software HAI monitors production processes and continuously collects process data like pressure , temperature and flow. This information is linked to the product quality checks are carried out in a factory. Also quality measurements on raw materials and finished product (sometimes come from LIMS or SAP QM) collected in HAI QPM.
While the quality and process controls often be manually entered, the software retrieves the data from the plant control, in-line measuring equipment and scales automatically with PLC links, or database links. The HAI software also includes business intelligence and can therefore on the factory floor ‘on the fly’ analyzes and reports are made. The Haer likes to use the term “smart factory software ‘. “The strength of our product is that it is accessible and easy to use. They have to, because the software is used in an operating plant environment.
Dashboard
Consultation with the end user in configuring the software is essential because who knows how the (production) processes running and what variables are important. A manufacturer of probiotioca, such as the Japanese dairy Yakult manufacturer, want to measure, for example, certain bacteria as much as possible, while at a breakfast cereal manufacturer as Quaker the size of the granules is important. It is precisely this kind of important information usually comes from the ERP system but in industrial systems such as MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) as Wonderware Schneider Electric and applications from Siemens.
The dashboard in the software gives access through different colors where there are problems, trending graphs and reports how the values are distributed, displayed in a Gaussian curve. So customers can determine where there are opportunities to reduce costs, increase or improve the quality of the output. Data can be exported into Excel, but also for other applications such as ERP and knife, using Web services. The Haer: “We are constantly looking at new technology and whether we should use. We think whether we should prepare our software for SAP Hana. And we include deals with analysis reports developed in HTML5 and sapui5 to support the use of mobile devices. One of the advantages of a large company such as SAP is that a large department that is concerned with the user interface there. That looks slick. “
Rebuild
The development of the software works together with an HAI in SAP Netweaver specialist software developer from Poland. In 2008 the product was placed on the market. One of the first customers, Yakult, quickly asked for a version in the cloud, says De Haer. “While Yakult not even a SAP client was only an ERP system Exact used. The fun of a cloud solution is that it always fits the underlying architecture: We link to each erp- or blade environment. You give the user a url and a password and they can start using our software in the cloud. An important condition is that the HAI QPM software is multi-tenant. We use the cloud one version of the software where customers each separate data set is created. They share so do the software, but no data. “
Yakult used at the QPM HAI quality department must report monthly to the head office in Japan. In the old situation the data had come from all sorts of forms and manually entered in an Excel sheet. “Now the data roll it with one push of a button like this; all data are in the cloud. It quickly delivers four to five man-days gains. We position our fully automated solution also now as a contribution to the “smart factory” paperless factory.
Confidence in the cloud
Smart Factory concept of HAI
The information that the factories in HAI QPM collect is confidential and must be protected. Therefore HAI has chosen a state-of-the-art data center Fujitsu in Germany, reports De Haer. “In Germany there are – in Europe – the most severe requirements in terms of dealing with privacy-sensitive data. Furthermore, Fujitsu can, should a calamity in the German data center to rely on other data centers in the rest of the world “
Moreover, companies do not necessarily have to the cloud.; a small proportion of the customers have the application installed on his server. “We think it is not ideal to also have updates on premise outside the cloud, but if a customer chooses, you can. They have to pay for that choice, “says De Haer.
That HAI QPM its software in the Fujitsu data center was running late on the advice of Newitera, the partner who manages the cloud infrastructure for HAI. “We work with partner companies we have long known,” emphasized De Haer. “We provide self support, sales and marketing. Our partners take care of the infrastructure, management and implementations. For international customers, we do it together with ATS from Haarlem.
Survival
As a small company, the past seven years, sometimes really survive, says De Haer fixed. “We have several years’ work under water,” also because of the crisis, and had to really conquer the market. Look, we work as cloud software on a subscription basis. Compared with the traditional licensing model you get your income much more diversified. You therefore need more customers to get enough income in the initial phase
According to the managing director is HAI QPM well done to focus first on two core markets. The food and paper industries. Now there now several customers are won and a certification from SAP has been obtained, the time has come to grow internationally, says De Haer fixed. Strategic partner ATS boarded as co-investor.
He also noted the growing interest among companies to work together. A recent example is the collaboration with partner GEA, a leading builder of plants for the dairy industry. “Our clients rely on growing our brand awareness. Businesses contact us rather than vice versa, as a few years back. And that we are well on our way, we also notice the rivals in the field who want to take our company. This also requires us to think about our ambitions and future plans. Four years ago, we were not totally occupied with this “
This article is derived from Computable.nl (https: // www. .computable.nl / article / 5678649). © Jaarbeurs IT Media.
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