IT architecture and selection of systems

As a joint venture between Porsche AG and the Schuler Group, the Smart Press Shop is an intelligent and highly flexible press shop for car body parts that has gone into operation in Halle (Saale). UNITY developed a public cloud IT architecture for the Smart Press Shop and provided support in the selection of systems and implementation partners. A new digitalization platform has been created to support the core processes of this fully networked and paperless factory. The advantages of this digital manufacturing approach speak for themselves: The fully autonomous setup process with automated tool provision means that even small batch sizes can be offered at economically attractive conditions. A digital twin provides real-time transparency in the capacity planning of all resources and the current progress of individual orders. The additional Track & Trace function ensures component tracking within the plant and the subsequent assignment of specific component and process data. Another advantage of the digital twin is tool monitoring. The press shop applies resource-efficient manufacturing and predictive maintenance to foresee any repairs that will be necessary. Digital documentation and plant management reduce downtime to a minimum. In addition, all processes are designed to be self-optimizing so that internal IT system administration and maintenance is also reduced to a minimum. Last but not least, the Smart Press Shop saves additional space requirements for server infrastructure through the cloud solution and benefits from guaranteed levels of availability through contracts with the cloud operator. The Smart Press Shop received the SAP Innovation Award 2021 for the IT architecture developed together with UNITY.