A competence center for production control and guidance systems is being built at the new Kistler Aachen site. © Kistler Group

Following the acquisition of IOS Gesellschaft für innovative Optimiersoftware last year, customers now receive hardware, software and the associated services from a single source, from the sensor to the Manufacturing Execution System (MES). The integration of the MES developed by IOS into Kistler 's portfolio represents the next step in the measurement technology experts' digitalization strategy.

To underline the integration, IOS was renamed Kistler Aachen GmbH on June 20. Under the management of Lukas Koch, the Swiss company is opening a competence center for production control and guidance systems at the Aachen site. At the beginning of June, Koch and the 17-strong team moved into the new premises not far from the RWTH. "We are not only strengthening our proximity to one of our most important cooperation partners, but also creating space for new colleagues," says Koch. "We want to significantly expand our workforce in the coming years." In particular, application specialists, software developers and MES experts are being sought.

Customers benefit from two decades of comprehensive expertise in all aspects of their own MES as well as the previous close cooperation between IOS and Kistler. This now results in a constantly expanding Industry 4.0 portfolio with products that are coordinated in detail. Kistler's range of services is also continuing to grow, as its own consulting expertise will in future also include the networking of production using its own MES systems.

The focus of the new competence center is on the digitalization of plastics processing and other processes. Dozens of corresponding MES systems from Kistler have been installed at customers in a wide range of industries in recent years. They are used, for example, to monitor production in the manufacture of safety-critical parts in the automotive, medical devices and consumer goods sectors. Corresponding systems are also used in the production of other highly demanding or complex components, where quality and rejects are controlled and optimized.

The company provides support from the installed sensor, through the processing and analysis of the derived data, to specific improvements in the respective production step, so that the factory of yesterday becomes the smart factory of tomorrow. Koch emphasizes: "The combination of software expertise and a deep understanding of processes enables us to start directly on the store floor. That's where we find the real reasons to optimize processes from the inside out and help our customers achieve greater transparency and efficiency in production. We accompany them on the path to digitalization - from the very first sensor."