Ms. Maier-Wember, isn’t the industry overwhelmed and unsettled by the pace of technological change? But you prefer to describe your customers as technology drivers?

Marie-Sophie Maier-Wember: “Each of our customers faces the constant challenge of optimizing their processes in order to remain competitive. Haas Schleifmaschinen serves the premium segment here, thanks to the Multigrind® series in combination with the Multigrind® Horizon control software. We have to identify what our customers need – even before they come to us with these needs. For the sake of illustration, here’s a current example:

We would never have been able to offer our customer this amazing fit accuracy if we hadn’t already designed and tested a solution in advance.”
 

An impressive example, Ms. Maier-Wember, but more in the tradition of a continuous improvement process. Or do you also see in it pioneering development in the direction of the Internet of Things?

Marie-Sophie Maier-Wember: “Yes, that’s true, at least at first glance. But taking a closer look will demonstrate to you that this accuracy of fit was only made possible by a stringent digital concept. Our strategy is aimed at ensuring that even in this high-tech example, the machine could be operated without errors by any trained technician. Our Multigrind® grinding machine communicates with its user as well as with other machines, of course. The Multigrind® knows exactly what it can do and shares its “knowledge” with the objective of ever greater optimization of production. Our customers demand controllability and reproducibility of results. This would be impossible without the grinding machine’s own findings. Just like in any good relationship, communication is the basis for understanding your partner. What their situation is at the moment, what problems they are dealing with, how things can be improved, and when is it time to step in with timely countermeasures.”
 

Production processes have always been tinkered with and optimized. What’s the difference?

Marie-Sophie Maier-Wember: The example shows where we are now. It is only an indication of what we are doing today and what we will be doing in the near future. But perhaps we have to really take an objective look at what has been declared a revolution. With the fourth industrial revolution, we are facing a change in the way we will be manufacturing products in the future, but there has always been technological change. The steam engine replaced manual work, assembly line production multiplied production capacity, information technology ushered in digitalization, and now we are networking all things to organize our work even better and to learn and take action in the manufacturing process in real time. For Haas Schleifmaschinen, the so-called industrial revolution 4.0 is an evolutionary process.

We are also experiencing digitalization first-hand in our everyday lives. It causes anxiety, of course, but it also engenders a sense of optimism. Every day we our learning how to better organize ourselves, and we no longer want to live without digital innovations. This change will also take place in our everyday working lives, and it is the most important task of a company to shape these changes together with our employees. This works very well for us. It’s still the people that make the difference. The wellspring of new requirements never dries up, and we can only solve this with expertise. In the future the process will take place in exchange between machines and humans, but this expertise will always be a part of it.
 

Ms. Maier-Wember, thank you for the interview, and we look forward to more interviews in the future.

Were you inspired by this blog post? Do you have specific requests or unique wishes in regard to the topic of digitalization with which you want to challenge us? We would love to hear from you.

Just send us an e-mail, give us a call, or meet with us in person at GrindDate.