Sabrina Munz hat den Preis für Gehring entgegengenommen. Bild: Allianz Industrie 4.0 BW/Martin Paule
As part of the “STARTUP THE FUTURE” event on October 23, Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut presented the winners of the “Allianz Industrie 4.0 Award Baden-Württemberg” in the “Excellence” category. A further 26 medium-sized companies received awards in the “Winner” category, including Gehring. Dr. Hoffmeister-Kraut emphasized that the award winners should serve as role models for digital transformation in SMEs and thus strengthen their competitiveness.
Digitization at Gehring
Ralf Eisenhauer provides insights into the development of digital processes. Together with Codevance, Gehring optimized the 4-Service service platform. Previous approaches such as Dynamics 365 were often too complex, but the close collaboration with Codevance and Nagel enabled an intuitive and practicable solution that meets the requirements of SMEs.
Cost-efficient digital solutions – introduction of 4Service at Gehring
Codevance GmbH is a company that has specialized in the development of digital solutions since it was founded in 2018. Codevance’s goal is to use state-of-the-art technologies to develop customized software solutions that are used in mechanical and plant engineering in particular, but also in other industries. The company was founded with the vision of driving forward practical digitalization and supporting small and medium-sized companies in optimizing and modernizing their service processes in a cost-efficient manner. The company was founded by Fabian Rätzsch and Michael Nagel and Bernd Nagel. “Together, we analyzed the needs and challenges in the area of service processes and developed innovative solutions that have proven themselves in practice,” says Fabian Rätzsch. “The close cooperation with Nagel and Gehring has enabled us to continuously improve our platform and adapt it to the specific requirements of mechanical engineering.”
“Sabrina Munz accepted the \”Industrie 4.0 Award 2024\” for Gehring. Picture: Allianz Industrie 4.0 BW/Martin Paule.”
Introduction of 4-Service at Gehring
Gehring decided to implement Codevance’s 4-Service platform after previous attempts to implement a comprehensive ticket system with matching personnel planning, reporting, hours feedback and machine database had failed. MS Project was only used for personnel planning, and although MS Dynamics 365 was a promising system, the desired functions could not be implemented satisfactorily despite months of customization. The idea was to make service processes more efficient and offer a better service both internally and externally.
Implementation process and collaboration
The implementation process of the 4-Service platform at Gehring was efficient and goal-oriented. After one or two face-to-face meetings, the platform was tested and further developed together with Nagel and Codevance. The close cooperation made it possible to compare suggestions and implement them quickly. Within a short space of time, 4-Service was rolled out in Gehring’s customer service department. Codevance’s high level of flexibility played a decisive role in overcoming the challenges during implementation.
Gehring achieved numerous benefits by using the 4-Service platform, including centralized data and processes as well as a simplified service overview. The platform enabled efficient coordination between different service teams, even across locations, such as Gehring China. Transparency in the service processes was significantly improved, resulting in clear responsibility and reduced misunderstandings. One example of the improved communication and problem solving is the direct insight into the current work status when colleagues are absent.
Image: Allianz Industrie 4.0 BW/Martin Paule.
Advantages and effects of the new platform
Cost and time efficiency
The automation of service processes has led to a significant increase in troubleshooting efficiency. Improved search options via keyword searches speed up solution finding and reference searches. Although no specific data was collected on cost reduction and increased efficiency, practical feedback shows that the platform has enabled significant improvements in these areas
Technological innovations and market differences
The 4-Service platform is a hybrid web app that can be used on all end devices with a modern web browser without additional installation. It impresses with particularly fast loading times, even with complex data structures, and has a practical rights system. While many providers promise fast loading times, Codevance can guarantee full access within half a second. “Our software is fast, uncomplicated and offers clear processes – exactly how service in mechanical engineering should be. The software reflects these requirements in every respect and ensures that small and medium-sized companies can work efficiently and effectively,” says founder Rätzsch. The use of microservices architectures and cloud technologies contributes to the scalability and flexibility of the platform and enables a uniform appearance in the Gehring CI via web access.
