Customer Stories / Manufacturing / Germany
Jungheinrich Optimizes Intralogistics Using Shop Floor Connectivity by AWS
Learn how intralogistics company Jungheinrich is facilitating advanced analytics on its equipment using AWS.
Nearly 25% increase
in sampling rate
0.01% instead of 3% proportion
of data gaps
Overview
Since 2019, global logistics have been in the eye of the storm due to the disruptions of the supply chain generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions. At the same time, consumer and business customer expectations for shorter and more reliable delivery times continued to rise. Reliable, fast, and flexible intralogistics is fundamental for success.
Opportunity | Using AWS to Simplify Machine Connectivity for Jungheinrich
Jungheinrich, a global leader in intralogistics solutions, uses digital technology to provide its customers with even more efficient and reliable solutions. The company wanted to gain near real-time visibility, equipment insights, and predictive analytics for one highly sophisticated product line: stacker cranes. But connecting machines, especially at customers’ sites, is a complex task. This process often requires bespoke configuration and specialized personnel.
Jungheinrich deployed an industrial edge offering to overcome these challenges: Shop Floor Connectivity (SFC), an open-source software framework for machine connectivity. This software can connect machines, collect and analyze sensor data locally at high frequency, and ingest aggregated data with context to the cloud. The collected data is processed in near real time to determine the condition of the equipment, predict potential failures, and optimize operations.
Thanks to AWS IoT Greengrass and the Shop Floor Connectivity framework, we at Jungheinrich were able to connect our stacker cranes to the cloud, deploy software at the edge, and collect machine data for analysis in a matter of hours instead of weeks. SFC converted a complex programming challenge into just a matter of configuration."
Bengt Brodersen
Tech Principal, Jungheinrich
Solution | Optimizing Industrial Edge Configuration on AWS
Using the open-source SFC in conjunction with Amazon Web Services (AWS) offerings like AWS IoT Greengrass, which helps organizations deploy and configure software to the industrial edge, Jungheinrich has automated the deployment of new machines and significantly improved data quality. The sampling rate has increased by almost 25 percent, and the proportion of data gaps has been reduced from 3 percent to 0.01 percent.
Jungheinrich deployed SFC to an industrial PC powered by AWS IoT Greengrass in a matter of days. This offering supports various Industrial Ethernet–based protocols like Siemens S7, Beckhoff ADS, and Rockwell Automation PCCC. It also integrates with AWS services like AWS IoT Core, which connects billions of IoT devices and routes trillions of messages.
Jungheinrich configured the solution to connect and ingest data from automation equipment and sensors—no coding required. Equipment experts from the shop floor can quickly and efficiently onboard new equipment. Onboarding new equipment is now just one API call away, accelerating several potential new use cases, such as predictive analytics. Additionally, data analysts now have flexible access to raw machine data to perform advanced analytics and develop purpose-built algorithms.
Architecture Diagram
Outcome | Accelerating the Development of Advanced Analytics
AWS IoT Greengrass and SFC laid the foundation for Jungheinrich to explore proofs of concept and develop digital products for automated warehouse systems. The company is now enhancing its condition-based maintenance solution on AWS, which will provide technicians with maintenance recommendations based on data analysis. Preventive maintenance will make way for predictive maintenance, reducing downtimes and enhancing asset availability and productivity at customer sites. Thanks to these capabilities, Jungheinrich’s service and support will become more efficient and effective.
About Jungheinrich
Jungheinrich is one of the world’s leading companies in the material handling equipment industry, with a significant global presence. It has over 18,000 employees worldwide and operations in more than 40 countries.
AWS Services Used
AWS IoT Greengrass
AWS IoT Greengrass is an open-source edge runtime and cloud service for building, deploying, and managing device software.
Amazon IoT Core
AWS IoT Core lets you connect billions of IoT devices and route trillions of messages to AWS services without managing infrastructure.
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