Hybrid computing systems in Industry 4.0

“I need to integrate my (ERP) Enterprise Resource Planning system. How do I do it?” This question is more common that it might seem and, despite the fact that the customization of products and services is commonplace in the metal and sheet metal industry, at Lantek we wanted to provide a solution for those that already have a corporate ERP and need to integrate it into the system. In other words, although Lantek has its own software for managing 100% of a metal company called Lantek Integra, we are aware that it is our responsibility to provide other solutions for those that have their own ERP and want to keep it.

Transporting water, protecting cables, channeling energy... There are round ones, square ones, rectangular ones or open profiles. They’re everywhere, from electrical appliances to awnings, including canopies, trailers or all types of machinery for the industrial sector. They are also manufactured in different materials, but the one we’re interested in is metal. For some time now, the tube manufacturing industry has been playing an increasingly central role in the plants, ceasing to be a complimentary and limited activity to become a large-volume production which incorporates complex structures and assemblies thanks to the improvements introduced in cutting machines and benders.

It has taken more than two centuries for us to travel from the First Industrial Revolution to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and be able to truly refer to advanced manufacturing. Yes, manufacturing which generates and applies knowledge and experience, combined with state-of-the-art technology and innovations that enable products, production processes and high-value-added services to be created. We’re not really discovering anything new now, just making all the refinements we can since the ultimate aim is to increase the company’s productivity and hence our competitiveness in the market.