Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen (SW) is a machine tool manufacturer, headquartered in Waldmössingen, in the south of Germany. SW is a world market leader in the field of multi-spindle machining centers for cutting all types of materials. As a system supplier, SW creates entire manufacturing systems for automobile, construction, and agricultural machinery. SW products are also used by manufacturers of components for fuel cells, medical technology and aerospace. The company focuses on providing software solutions and predictive maintenance for end-to-end analysis, assembly, and optimization of plant data across process flows. Their solution is designed to provide accurate estimation of costs before production begins. The machine tool builder champions the cause of “comprehensive digitization”. SW’s industrial data platform is one of the backbones of the German “Industrie 4.0”, enabling their customers to make smarter data-based decisions.
In a mammoth project, Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH (SW) migrated its digital services platform to AWS. The switch was successfully and seamlessly completed within the deadline. In the process, they are benefiting from an optimization towards serverless applications and Infrastructure as a Service. The tool manufacturer continues to lead the industry with data-based value-added services, for predictive maintenance, optimized machine availability and reduced setup time.
SW operates with a digitization portfolio where data from the machine is collected via an IoT gateway (industrial PC) and transferred to downstream systems via this gateway. This component is particularly complex as it handles both data acquisition, processing, and forwarding. The downstream systems include the SW CloudPlatform (SWCP). However, the captured data can also be transferred to customers’ existing systems or to the local customer solution also developed by IDS – the SW ScadaPlatform (SWSP). It is important for automotive suppliers for the SWSP to trace and acquire parts on a line basis. “The digital products are developed by IDS based on its many years of experience and in consultation with customers and, if necessary, individually adapted or expanded,” explains Sandra Schuster, Product Owner IoT Gateway. The goal of all solutions is always to enable high process reliability and stability.