Providing and installing updates of its own software to customers has long been a major challenge for manufacturers of machines and equipment. From the manufacturer’s point of view, their integration into the customer’s production processes is also increasingly problematic, also due to the ever shorter software release cycles.
The key questions here are:
The German expert for balancing and diagnostic technology Schenck RoTec also faced all these challenges. Wladislaw Marikhbein, CTO business unit measuring and process systems, and Dr. Stephan Krämer-Eis, software developer at the Hessian machine manufacturer, worked together with ondeso’s industrial IT team Sebastian Pfaller and Alexander Michel on precisely these problems and developed a solution. The combination of ondeso SR and the software solutions from “Schenck ONE” now ensures secure, automated and process-oriented provision and installation of updates.
From left to right:
Wladislaw Marikhbein, CTO Business Unit Measuring and Process Systems at Schenck RoTec
Dr. Stephan Krämer-Eis, Software Developer at Schenck RoTec
Sebastian Pfaller, Head of Product Management at ondeso
Alexander Michel, Industrial IT Consultant at ondeso
The status quo
Before we present the implementation in detail, it is important to take a brief look at previous, industry-standard mechanisms for this problem:
Service calls occur too rarely and do not reflect the frequency of possible software updates or the availability of new features. In addition, it is not possible to activate the new features “on demand”.
To counteract this growing disparity and the associated difficulties, such as vulnerability to known vulnerabilities and the use of outdated software components, the “Live Software Update” has been developed.
With the latest generation of machines, which have a Schenck ONE connection, it is easy to establish a secure connection to the central update service already at the time of delivery and commissioning via the “One Connect Box” (OCB) developed by Schenck RoTec itself. This makes integration into existing systems possible without any problems, while at the same time ensuring differentiation from other existing systems.
Increase IT security without special expertise
The operator can decide independently and without the need for a technician whether and when an update should be carried out. The operator is proactively notified of the availability of new versions and can obtain and install them himself directly via Schenck ONE Software. In addition, no specific technical knowledge is required for the application of the update, since it is installed automatically, and the steps required for this, including any necessary reboots of the system, are carried out without user intervention. Optimizations of the software can also be provided even more quickly in this way.
Maximum flexibility for the operator
In order not to jeopardize the smooth production process, the freedom of decision on the purchase and application of the update also remains with the operator, as he is most familiar with the production process and possible maintenance windows that can be used for updating the system and can thus make optimal use of them. In the unlikely event of a complication during the update, a rollback mechanism has also been implemented, which allows to revert to a previous version of the software, thus ensuring trouble-free production operation at all times.
With ondeso SR you can effortlessly manage the infrastructure in the greenfield and brownfield and establish a sustainable and resource-saving maintenance of the systems
The software solution ondeso SR takes over important tasks in the context of the purchase and installation process. Both the regular check for available updates with comparison of the already installed versions and the secure procurement of the necessary update packages with checking of the respective dependencies are realized here.
After checking and comparison, the customer is informed of the availability of the update via the Schenck ONE software, so that he does not have to leave the user interface for the installation. Integration into the existing Schenck RoTec solution is completely transparent, resulting in a seamless overall system for the end user. As soon as the customer actively decides to install the provided update, this is carried out fully automatically and also across reboots. The maintenance of the additional security and hardening mechanisms on the systems also plays a central role here in order to protect the machines optimally.
The focused cooperation between Schenck RoTec and ondeso thus offers an easy-to-use solution and facilitates the work of both manufacturer and operator. Wladislaw Marikhbein says: “We are very satisfied both with the cooperation and the jointly developed work results, as well as with the problem-solving competence in difficult issues. By using the combined solution, we can offer our customers important added value.”
Sebastian Pfaller, head of product management at ondeso, also agrees: “The coordination with the counterparts at Schenck RoTec was carried out professionally at the highest technical level. It was also possible to take into account last-minute adaptation requests in order to enable users to use the system as intuitively as possible.”
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Also, if you would like to read more about ondeso SR and its use in mechanical and plant engineering, we recommend you take a look at the following content:
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Website section: ondeso IB for Machine & Plant Manufacturers
Carl Schenck AG is a subsidiary of the global technology group DÜRR AG in Bietigheim Bissingen near Stuttgart. The balancing and diagnostic technology division of Schenck RoTec GmbH employs 1,080 qualified employees at over 40 locations worldwide. In 2022, Schenck RoTec generated sales of 169 million euros as the world market leader.
Production is carried out at 7 locations in Europe, America and Asia. In addition, there is a comprehensive service network with 188 qualified employees, which ensures short distances to customers all over the world. The products and solutions are provided for a wide range of industries such as automotive, electrical, aerospace, turbo machinery and mechanical engineering.
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