MES Software - iMes Solutions GmbH

Plant Historian

Our modular MES software solutions represent an optimal basis for an increase in efficiency in your company:

smart factory in a few steps

Digital Shift Book

Digital recording and documentaion of shift events
www.digitales-schichtbuch.com/en

digital - complete - time-saving

iScan

Merchandise Management & Logistics - Digitized recording and complete management of warehouse and production data:

more transparency - less rejects

Simple Connect

Connect & visualize - systematic recording of machine data and visualization of different equipment:

simple - scalable - manufacturer-independent

PLSDOC

Technical plant documentation and service systems for industrial plants -
your guarantee for

plant security - safety - data availability

Services

With agile software and mobile application development, consulting in the area of shopfloor management etc. we create the

digital connection of theory and practice

NEW: Trial Access Web Shift Book!

Trial Access Alarm Management!

About iMes Solutions

iMes Solutions GmbH in Burghausen, Upper Bavaria, specializes in the development of MES solutions for the automation area of industrial plants.

Our strong team combines professional skills with years of experience. In cooperation with our clients, we push forward and continuously optimize the digitization of industrial manufacturing processes towards industry 4.0.

Our portfolio reaches from process data archiving via alarm and energy management, the automated acquisition of laboratory and machine data to digital shift book and reporting.

In the area of technical plant documentation, we support our clients with our documentation, service and project planning tool PLSDOC®.

Our goals are a best possible protection of plant know-how, the creation of optimal transparency for process data and an increase in productivity and quality within the framework of increased plant safety.

In addition to our products, we offer accompanying workshops for alarm and energy management, support for PCS documentation/reverse engineering, PCS migration and PCS configuration. Furhermore, we offer support in the areas of IT security audits, IT security and vulnerability analysis, IT forensic and data recovery.

Please, contact us and specify your requirements and expectations. Together, we will find the optimal solution. For today, tomorrow and for the future.

Peter Fröhlich
CEO iMes Solutions GmbH

Company Vision

      "Since 2001, iMes Solutions GmbH stands for innovative and intuitive software solutions, for quality and reliability.
       UOur vision is a universal connection for decentralized systems and equipments in connection with central data processing and visualization –
       scalable, intuitive, simple and manufacturer independent."

Company Mission

      "We offer our clients tailor-made software solutions.
       Due to the modular construction of our software solutions, functionalities can be expanded quickly and flexibly.
      We work for the satisfaction of our customers. That is why we rely on a good and trustful cooperation."

News & Events

19 Aug

Practical AI Solutions for the Shopfloor

Software developers in the automation sector of industrial plants collaborate with manufacturing industry and research institutions in order to create new opportunities in the field of AI.

For more than 20 years, iMes Solutions GmbH has been a specialist and innovator in the field of digital solutions for the shopfloor of industrial plants. The portfolio ranges from process data archiving, alarm and energy management, the automated recording of laboratory and machine data to digital shift books and reporting. In the area of digital plant documentation, customers find support with the documentation, support and project planning tool PLSDOC®.

In a separate department that has specialized in the area of data mining / AI, new knowledge is generated from collected data.
In cooperation with customers, universities and partners from the manufacturing industry, iMes Solutions GmbH is significantly involved in several research projects. These include:

Development of an intelligent mechatronic sheet metal forming tool for the tool and automotive industry - in cooperation with Brabant & Lehnert Werkzeug und Vorrichtungsbau GmbH (tool and jig construction) and the Institute for Microsensors, actuators and systems at the University of Bremen with a particular focus on the following areas
- Integration of sensors (motion, force and heat sensors, camera)
- Quality recognition of the produced sheet metal parts from sensor data
- Adjustment of the tool parameters or maintenance report

Development of an intelligent dosing control for lubrication nozzles - in cooperation with HIESSL Schmiertechnik GmbH (Lubrication engineering) and the Fraunhofer IWU - Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology with the main focus on
- Intelligent nozzle control with readjustment
- Algorithm for viscosity adaptation of nozzle control via sensor technology
- Automated and precise component wetting with the nozzle control system
MMAA - Networked Assembly with Autonomous Workstations - in cooperation with Otto Martin Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG (engineering) and Kempten University of Applied Sciences with the focus on
- Improvement of a modular assembly solution
- Providing a digital workplace with intelligent support
InKris - Intelligent crystallisation sensor for smproved quality assurance in injection moulding - in collaboration with FOS Messtechnik GmbH (measurement technology), Exipnos GmbH and the Fraunhofer IMWS with a focus on
- Development of an "intelligent crystallisation sensor" for quality assurance in injection moulding
- Testing and optimization under real-life conditions in the production process
Golden Eye - intelligent dosing system - in cooperation with Bahner Feinwerktechnik GmbH (precision engineering) and TH Köln with the focus on
- Image-based volume testing of fluids in the field of dosing technology
- Adjustment of the nozzle actuation via the detected volume deviation

A detailed description of the individual projects can be found here .

The „Development of an intelligent mechatronic sheet metal forming tool for the tool and automotive industry“ has already been completed, all other projects are in various stages of research and development.

Other elements of iMes Solutions' digital development include regular participation in digital industry conferences such as VDI events or MEORGA, broad networking with partners from all areas of digitization, the publication of technical articles and contributions, and a broad presence with discussion forums in social media.

Company from the Food Industry with its Focus on Organic Muesli Products relies on iMes Solutions' Digitization Technology.

Traceability and transparency in the production process

>> Facts
For more than 30 years, the company, based in the Upper Bavarian region, has been committed to the production and distribution of organic food. Particular attention is paid to sustainability, including social and economic aspects..

>> Initial situation
In partially automated production, many processes are still recorded and documented manually. For each end product, important parameters such as weight, moisture, volume, etc. are recorded manually. Errors are inevitable in this process.

Research and data preparation for internal and external audits are usually very time-consuming. Traceability is also difficult in the event of quality problems.

>> Target
A central software solution is to be provided for the automated storage and evaluation of data, e.g. from Siemens WinCC or metal detectors. This should simplify plant management and make it more transparent. In the future, the collected production data will be available ad hoc for reporting and audits. Above all, quality management is to be supported and relieved in the area of audit preparation.

>> Project targets & requirements in detail:

Central software solution for quality and process data storage
Guidance of plant operators by intuitive and user-friendly software
Process automation: workflows depending on specific events, e.g. metal detector results
Complete batch traceability
Relevant information, e.g. for audits, should be available ad hoc
Automated reporting, e.g. daily and weekly reports for production and quality management
Alarm and event recording: All events in the production line should be documented and made evaluable.

>> Technical challenges
Complete integration into the Siemens WinCC world
Creation of complex workflows for process automation: e.g. metal detector events are documented automatically and are available for ad hoc audits
Centralized and automated reporting: consolidation of production-relevant information provided by different sources

>> Decision for the iMes Solutions GmbH

The user friendly and intuitive web solution from iMes Solutions GmbH meets all the company's requirements.
The Plant Historian shift book software is coupled with the OPC server and, for example, automatically creates an ACTUAL/TARGET comparison of the product used during each weighing process and identifies any difference.
The shift book solution is fully integrated into the Siemens WinCC world. A button opens the dialog in the browser window and the input fields are automatically filled in advance.
The shift book solution is also available as an add-on in the Siemens Industry Mall.

>> Conclusion
The shift book software solution provided by the iMes Solutions GmbH is characterized by its complete integration into the Siemens WinCC world. It supports paperless working in all areas of production and quality management. This reduces the time required for recording, reporting and research, increases process quality and reliability and reduces costs. As a special advantage for its platform-independent use, the software solution can be used equally in the Windwos, Android and iOS world.

New Development for the Digital Documentation of Pipelines - in Use at Global Group in the Chemical Industry since 2020

Documentation of process steps per smartphone or tablet

>> F A C T S
The production of pipelines requires that the process steps are documented from the testing of the material verification via the actual production of the pipeline section to the testing of the resulting work piece.

In order to automate the documentation and in the absence of a suitable application, iMes Solutions GmbH was asked to develop a corresponding tool in close cooperation with a manufacturer from the chemical industry.

The technology was based on the proven and modern web framework of the iMes Solutions shift book solution.

A team consisting of project management, Scrum Master and developers created an application in a Scrum process - without any time-consuming creation of a requirements specification and based on React - which requires a smartphone with Internet access as the only prerequisite and has been successfully in use since the beginning of 2020.

>> Initial situation
Prior to the introduction of the newly developed program, the documentation of the individual process steps had to be compiled manually by filling out dockets and then entering and evaluating them digitally at the end - a personnel-intensive, time-consuming and error-prone procedure.

>> TARGET: Automated documentation of the pipeline manufacturing process
All the information required for successful acceptance should be collected digitally and be available at a centrally and immediately. The digitization of information by manual input should be no longer necessary.

>> Project targets & requirements in detail

Automated documentation of process steps
Paperless work
Automated evaluations
Flexible and user-friendly handling
Possibility of using mobile devices

>> Technological requirements

During the planning for the realization it became clear that for the requirement to be able to provide an application on mobile end devices, a progressive web app would be the means of choice.
By using a platform-independent web application based on React, end devices from different manufacturers can be used without having to sacrifice the convenience of a native application.
The application makes it possible, for example, to scan barcodes by using commercially available smartphone cameras, thus avoiding touch input errors.

>> Decision for the new development of the iMes Solutions GmbH

The application, which was newly developed using the Scrum method, enables the end devices to communicate with the central company server. The only requirement for the external users to operate the application is a smartphone with Internet access. It is not necessary to connect the devices to the company's own network, either on-site or via VPN. Every single process step in the manufacturing process is documented centrally. The data is centrally available for evaluations.

>> CONCLUSION
For individual customer requirements, iMes Solutions GmbH offers the new development of software solutions following the Scrum method.