Quick ROI and 60% decrease in maintenance travel with remote access

Brazilian surface treatment systems manufacturer Erzinger was keen to limit service trips as much as possible to serve customers faster. By implementing IXON Cloud, it can now support its customers remotely, and work in an intuitive and secure way. It can even set up multiple simultaneous connections to work together on the same project. The result is cost reduction, quick ROI and happier customers.

In times where connectivity is expected in all spheres, having a machine that has this feature was a must for Erzinger. It brings the agility that people and companies expect. In a country like Brazil, with continental dimensions, it’s particularly desirable to limit and avoid travel. 

“Before using IXON Cloud, we travelled to install machines and support our customers, avoiding problems with the machine,” says Cielito Hitel, automation engineer at Erzinger. “However, it’s our goal to serve our customers as quickly and safely as possible. We are in an environment of quick access and we need to be immersed in the highest standards in the field of access security, in the context of both the machine and people.”

With IXON Cloud for remote access, Erzinger now easily connects to its machines to support customers remotely. “The IXON Cloud platform is excellent for remote access. You just have to set up the VPN connection. The other features are all in the web environment. We’re able to work in a very intuitive way. All information is always well arranged and there are plenty of options for customisation,” says Cielito.

Erzinger deals with different kinds of users, such as their engineering department, technical assistance, external assembly and temporary external users. That makes IXON’s user management system a crucial part of their solution. “We can separate all users into groups. They can access the equipment, but all with specific access levels and rights for each situation. All this can be verified in the audit trail, which increases trust and practicality for the platform operators,” says Cielito.

Frequently, more than one user needs to look into the same situation at the same time in case of an issue. The possibility of multiple simultaneous connections was thus very interesting for Erzinger. This has helped them understand the situation faster, so they can take action more quickly.

For Erzinger, five of the main positive outcomes of remote access with IXON Cloud are:

• Better-served customers: Customers get faster support. Service speed only depends on the availability of the specialist, and no longer on the duration of service trips.
• Cost reduction: Lower costs for everyone in the supply chain. There’s a decrease in service, maintenance and commissioning costs, since less travelling is needed.
• Quick ROI: The necessity of implementing an IXrouter is already justified after the first maintenance problem that arises. The investment is immediately recovered.
• Less worries about security: Improved communication with the end customer about security which makes them more confident about connecting their machines to the internet.
• Toolkit extension: The toolkit of Erzinger’s technicians now includes the IXrouter so they can more easily repair a machine that isn’t equipped with an IXrouter. They install it into the machine only to solve the problem, so the PLC programmer that’s not on-site can have a look at the problem remotely.

Cielito states: “With IXON Cloud, we have a system that met a need, added technological value, and allows us to serve our customers with greater agility. We also have an added value in our operation, as we started to demonstrate how we can serve our potential and current customers safely and quickly. Moreover, everything is well organised in terms of security.”