Aras, a leader in product lifecycle management and digital thread solutions, announced that IMA Schelling Group has selected Aras Innovator® to standardize its data management processes and establish a consistent digital infrastructure for further growth.
Thomas Hampel, Head of Mechanical Development Processing and Technical Support at IMA Schelling, appreciates not only the integration functionality of Aras Innovator, but also how quickly it could be implemented. “We initially implemented the solution at our locations in Germany and Austria, as well as in Poland and Slovakia, where parts of both design and production are located. The establishment of central data storage and the setup of the necessary infrastructure enables them to connect further plants and locations within a very short time, as the application is browser-based and activated via a rights and licensing concept.”
In total, 18 sales, service, and production companies and 70 sales partners worldwide are united under the IMA Schelling Group umbrella. Due to historical reasons, two different ERP systems are still in use, which now communicate with each other via Aras. “We can access the respective contents of the ERP systems from any location and coordinate them centrally. Since we always access the original file, there is no risk of creating incorrect or outdated copies. This guarantees process security,” added Hampel.
With the establishment of a unified database and the representation of the lifecycle workflow, the deployment initially focused on the areas of design and manufacturing, but then gradually expanded.
According to Oliver Pallerberg, Head of Technical Systems at IMA Schelling, the benefits of the solution were quickly apparent and ready to be implemented. For example, the assembly department could use it to visualize individual components or even entire machines in 3D. “Purchasing also benefits from the uniform representation and part numbering, as this eliminates possible sources of error,” said Pallerberg. In the future, the possibilities of 3D visualization should also be increasingly used in the area of maintenance and service – and play a central role in localizing potential causes of malfunctions.
“To leverage its full potential and elevate the business to a new level, different IT ecosystems must be consistently integrated, and data silos completely opened,” said Roque Martin, CEO of Aras. “Since the merger of two original companies, IMA Schelling has experienced impressive growth. We are proud that our open and adaptable PLM solution is a part of this success story.”
