For the project “one line” for Centraal boekhuis The Netherlands, we worked in cooperation with Avercon. DB-Engineering made the interface between the ERP system on-site and the automation software. The goal of Centraal Boekhuis was to upgrade their logistics department: they wanted to

In this project, we came in after the project was sold by our partner. DB-Engineering was instrumental in setting up the correct communication line between all involved parties: the IT department, the automation department and the production floor; after all, every new installation needs to be manned by the people on the workfloor.

After all parties were on the same page, we quickly established a clear communication line between automation and the IT people involved. By documenting what the key communication points were and what the contents of those communication blocks should look like we could build a testable system, and deliver on target.

The main challenges in this project were timing and stability: the tacting speed was 1.81s – meaning every operation that required interaction with a device needed to request/process and complete in under that allotted time. Depending on where a mis was introduced it could be that the “infeed” side of the sorter would have to be cleared – which is an expensive downtime of the entire installation. During the FAT/SAT testing it was required to work over 2 hours without any production halts, as is expected from any automation system.
This system integrated a lot of peripheral systems: barcode scanners, A4 printers, hotwax printers, … Working in such a dynamic and integrated environment is the type of technical challenge that DB-Engineering loves to execute.