It was born out the emergence of bitcoin, to carry out monetary transactions within a closed community, not in an elitist sense, but in terms of security. Blockchain technology guarantees an impassable, hacker-proof system, which works because of the utmost trust between its users.
Nowadays, the customization of products and services is the priority for any manufacturer in the metal sector. As a technological company, making software that is 100 percent adapted to the sheet metal market available to companies is a key goal for Lantek. ...
The prototype’s days are numbered. Yes, I know, it’s a hackneyed phrase, but this is the reality facing us thanks to the new possibilities Industry 4.0 has on offer. Nowadays there are software solutions able to generate a virtual design of a product or process we wish to test, thereby reducing labor hours and investment substantially. ...
In order for the company to stay at the forefront of development and the market, Lantek has provided an online portal to a customer which is fully automated both for sheet metal and for tubes/
profiles. This online store allows its users to receive a quote for fully automated laser cutting in a few minutes for 2D and 3D files. ...
Nearly everything we interact with is connected to the internet. This connectivity is spurring a widespread digital transformation. From our phones to our appliances and the machines that fabricate them, today’s level of connectivity was unimaginable a decade ago. ...
In today’s world, one of the few sectors which cloud computing has not penetrated on a large scale is in industrial plants. Many companies are still wary of a remote platform which operates from outside their facilities, despite its undeniable success in other economic sectors and the tremendous advantages it offers. ...
This Industry 4.0 technology enabler is real, so real that if you want to be competitive in the new digital ecosystem, there is no other option than to use the Cloud in your business strategy. ...
One of the biggest advantages of using cloud-based IT systems is that it allows access to company data from anywhere, at any time and using any device. Until recently this was not possible, since the information was generated, stored and consumed in the work centers. Lantek’s new value proposition is based on cloud solutions and aims to solve this ...
Manufacturing’s digital landscape is shifting dramatically making it essential to take inventory of your shops digital assets. To improve your shop’s operations and become more digital, you must start with understanding what comprises your shop’s digital thread. From computers to machines, and the software that operates them, now is the time to tak ...
Could you imagine a situation in which from anywhere of the world you were you could access in real time to your plant’s information? Wouldn’t it be perfect to control your company’s production from any device? Even if you are at your own plant, wouldn’t be a huge technological advantage to manage any process from anywhere? And yet more relevant, b ...
Interview with Mr. Austin Jarret, Managing Director of the British company SSC Laser Cutting. SSC Laser Cutting has three plants and manufactures laser cut and folded parts for agricultural and body on to chassis manufacturers in the UK. The company has recently started its digitalization process. ...
Throughout the manufacturing process, it is very important to understand the impact that all operations will have on said process, the dependencies among them, the sequences they follow, etc. Having this under control is key to avoiding problems of overload in work centers, unnecessary shutdowns, and incorrectly assigned tasks. This is where the ne ...
Lantek recently presented a set of applications that allow the path to digital transformation to unfold quickly and intuitively for companies in the sector.
These applications now make up the suite of cloud-based products called Lantek 360. Users of Lantek 360 will have applications with enormous capabilities, and will be able to access and process ...
We all know that our goal is to achieve online connectivity between our IT systems and the real processes taking place in our factories. However, in reality, nowadays there is no single communication standard which allows us to communicate our IT solutions (ERP/MRP/MES) to any given machine from any given manufacturer and, of all these terms, it is ...
Industry 4.0 requires the provision of intelligence and technology to the entire supply and value chain. Lantek has become a partner of reference in this area of innovation, without sacrificing progress in other state of the art projects, as Asier Ortiz, Lantek Technological Director, announced in this interview. Big data or virtual reality are imp ...
In the age of digitization, a company’s ability to customize their offer is crucial to enable them to become the preferred choice of current and future customers. This is an adaptation which is necessary in every sector, and the metal industry is not exempt: how do you differentiate yourself from the competition? The key is not in the product, nor ...
The digital ecosystem leads us to create collaborative environments in which we can grow as technological partners, sharing ideas from internal sources (the company itself) and external ones (customers, suppliers, the competition, the market) to develop advanced technological solutions. This is what we call Extended Digital Transformation, a concep ...
Business Intelligence systems are increasingly part of the daily reality of our business as a tool to make better real-time use of the data we handle so that we can make better decisions, prevent errors, anticipate new needs and develop new business models. ...
In an environment where everything is increasingly interconnected and processes are fed from this exchange of data, the orchestration of the systems in a factory is becoming ever more important. This refers to the need to organize, order and coordinate production within the company, a balanced distribution of tasks in which every element must parti ...
We are international, and not only because we have a physical presence in more than a hundred countries and provide support in almost twenty languages, but also because our desire to assist clients as they move toward a Smart Factory leads us to strive for uniform and standardized processes from the outset so that machines can collect information a ...
A sheet metal workshop is a complex environment. Regardless of whether it’s a large or small workshop, every day there are materials, orders, and tools constantly moving from one side to the other. Without proper organization it’s easy for everything to quickly fall into chaos. As a result, all workshops have their own way of organizing and managin ...
A favourable overall framework such as that of Industry 4.0, which encompasses a set of factors, extended to specific applications such as the connectivity of elements in the plant and the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), are leading the industrial sector to change at an unprecedented scale. ...
Material waste and a lack of agility in nesting or the nesting of parts are two of the most common problems faced by metal processing companies which slow down the company’s response time for its clients and make the process more expensive. This is due to them not using the appropriate technology in order to fully exploit each piece of sheet metal ...
Identifying behavioral patterns to increase sales, foreseeing possible problems in order to resolve them before they happen, managing stock in a much more efficient way or redistributing the workload automatically. These are some of the many smart manufacturing possibilities offered by this new concept in the Industry 4.0 era. ...
Industry is changing at high speed, enabled by new technologies framed by Industry 4.0 and IIoT. New approaches for software systems and machines are being unveiled all the time. Different hosting possibilities for data and software could make us think that communication is a recent development, but it is not. In this article we will show that Lant ...
Two years ago, Hollandsteel started producing metal parts for the Dutch market in a brand-new factory. Its machines are running 24 hours for an ever-increasing number of clients and its concept could be trendsetting for the industry. An interview with Ruud Appel of Holland Steel and Christoph Lenhard, sales director of Lantek Germany. ...
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 proce ...
Digital transformation is making increasingly decentralized environments possible. As well as mobile devices and software tools that interconnect machines and processes while capturing data, storing all of the information generated by factories in the cloud makes it possible for us to take greater advantage of all of the information in a more strea ...
Accompanying our customers throughout their digital transformation involves constantly adding value. Only through innovative products and services adapted to the needs of each customer can the level of competitiveness required by a smart factory be reached. ...
Until not very long ago, machines were totally dependent on orders from people. They were not autonomous and did not communicate amongst themselves, slowing production and thereby also making them more vulnerable to manual operating errors. Now, in the era of smart & digital factories, MES (manufacturing execution systems) continue to be the backbo ...
Lantek recently developed a new algorithm called ICA “Intelligent Collision Avoidance ) in order to minimize potential collisions between the head and unstable contours. When the new algorithm detects which contours pose a potential risk of falling and being positioned on top of nearby contours, the system automatically assigns a micro-cut at the e ...
It is generally quite difficult to know exactly how much each process contributes to a product’s value chain. The sheet metal world is not immune to the difficulty of estimating the right price for the product. There is an infinite number of processes that add value to a product: material used, scrap generated, cutting time, consumables used, labor ...
If there’s one type of technology applied in the business world whose effectiveness is unquestionable, it’s Big Data, which has significantly revolutionized the way that companies approach markets by establishing the practical use of information and its efficient analysis as a base. ...
The raison d’être in industry is the transformation of raw materials into suitable products that satisfy people’s requirements and, by extension, those of the market. The quantity of processes performed and the parties that have to intervene to make this transformation possible vary depending on the sector or the purpose of the product. Coordinatin ...
It seems that new computing methodologies are released every other year. In recent years much of the focus has been put on converting legacy systems to cloud solutions. Widespread adoption of cloud technology in all industries has helped to drive the cost of these solutions down. While cloud solutions are helping enterprises and individuals stay up ...
Planes, trains, boats, buses, trucks or cars are means of transport where concepts such as safety, precision, optimization and the integration of software that gives us full control of the manufactured parts’ production cycle are key in order to make us more productive and competitive in terms of deadlines, quality, costs and price. ...
What do we ask of our factories? Efficiency and maximum quality. To do this, we need a plant data collection program at the operator’s post, the objective of which is the monitoring, control and validation of each one of the manufacturing processes, from reception of the order to the completion of production. And all of this, of course, in real tim ...
It’s the new manufacturing paradigm developed thanks to the possibilities offered by connectivity and the cloud. An increasing number of companies are offering their software associated with Cloud Manufacturing, such as ERP, CRM, MES. ...
In this Industry 4.0 era, the new integral production strategies adopted thanks to the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning cloud solutions; at the plant, in terms of the sensorization of machines and processes and the Internet of Things (IoT); and in products, in terms of 3D modeling and simulation systems (Digital Twins, ...
Humans have been manufacturing goods for centuries. What began as people making tools for personal survival has turned into highly automated processes producing consumer goods on a global scale. Now that we’ve become efficient in manufacturing at scale, the market is demanding customized products. This changes the way we think about processes throu ...
Competitiveness and the capacity to adapt have become the axes that support the success of any business. Nowadays, the many changing intrinsic factors in each region and sector, macroeconomic trends of a hyperconnected global market, specific regulatory aspects in each country, or the consumer’s own behavior, can have a positive or negative impact ...
There has been a considerable amount of publicity about the advantages of cloud computing and rightly so. The advantages are clear as it removes the need to have skilled people to set up and run complex in-house computer networks and also takes away the need to invest in expensive equipment and continually reinvest to keep it up to date. ...
The industrial sector is the powerhouse behind a country’s growth due to its ability to enhance the competitiveness and internationalization of an economy. The driving effect that it has over other activities, the quality of the work that it generates, the constant innovation and the speed and flexibility with which it adapts to different situation ...
The challenges placed before us by Industry 4.0 in attaining a digital factory with optimum results require solutions that will help us to overcome them in solvent and error-free manner. Conscious of these challenges, Lantek has developed solutions that make it possible to gather and analyze plant data in real time and, in parallel, to improve deci ...
In mid-March, when lockdown had only just started in many countries, we were writing about the digitization of supply chains to place value on the importance of using Industry 4.0 enablers (Digital Factory). ...
For many companies, the journey to the cloud presents itself as a challenge. Its enormous benefits are obvious: cost reduction, access from anywhere and any device that is connected, immediate and unlimited scalability, integration of programming languages... Advantages that imply such substantial savings and efficiency that it’s impossible to igno ...
The industrial sector, like many others, is facing a period of uncertainty as the economic and business scenario has been radically transformed over the last few months by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. One thing’s for sure: emerging intact from such a delicate situation doesn’t just depend on ourselves; there are many intervening factors and ...
There’s still quite a way to go in the industrial sector’s journey towards digitization. Many companies, especially the smallest ones, don’t have segregated IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) networks, instead, all of the equipment is connected to one single network which leads directly to the Internet. In others, generally ...
Imagine a sheet metal factory. Hundreds of processes are taking place at the same time and all of them generate (or can potentially generate) a huge amount of invaluable data. That data can be processed and fed into the data analysis pipelines that Lantek is developing to provide advanced services targeted at improving the efficiency and performanc ...
At Lantek, we have an obsession - increasing our clients’ productivity day after day. With each evolution of our products and with each small innovation, our whole technological plan is aimed at achieving one objective: to make manufacturing better every day. Better budgeting, better analysis, better planning... ultimately, to never stop working! ...
The on-demand subscription model has spread through the metal and sheet metal industry opening up the door to an enormous range of software services for companies to access via the Cloud. ...
Manufacturers in the metal and sheet metal industry need technological solutions to improve and optimize their production, making it fundamental to have tools that make the automation of tasks and remote working possible. ...
Financial planning is one of the most important activities to ensure the smooth running of a business, and more so in the metal and sheet metal processing industry. There are many elements to take into account within this planning process, but it would be fair to say that preparing quotes is one of the most critical. The quote is like a map for a t ...
“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 ...
Not so long ago we were asking ourselves whether the industry was mature enough to deal with digitization processes. It wasn’t long before the market gave us its response, just like in many other areas, those that were ready were few, the majority found themselves in the middle ground waiting for others to get going to see whether the digitization ...
The industrial sector is a country’s growth pillar, it’s the competitive advantage of an economy that is able to generate quality employment opportunities that are stable and well recognized both professionally and in terms of salary. However, to sustain these strengths, we need to innovate, renew ourselves and anticipate the progress that is avail ...
As we saw at the start of the pandemic, digitized companies have been those best able to overcome the limitations of confinement. They have also had, and continue to have, the greatest potential to succeed in these times of uncertainty. In times of coronavirus, the value of connectivity has been recognized for its ability to enable productive activ ...
The process of selling a new product or project is a particularly delicate one and bringing it to fruition depends, in many cases, on having carried out a correct cost analysis. Experience shows that accurate quoting in a sector such as sheet metal and metal is not a simple task. Many parameters and variables must be considered and if any are misse ...
In this era of pandemic, connectivity has shown just how valuable it is. Following lockdown, manufacturers adapted their workflow and the way they operated in order to continue producing. Those that were able to work remotely did so to maintain safety distances. But... what are the differences between factories with varying levels of connectivity? ...
The Digital Factory is much more than a concept or an increasingly widespread expression, it’s a methodology aimed at the 21st-century company, a company that simply must be linked to technology and digitization. ...
Even before the pandemic, the automation of processes in sheet metal plants was a lever for competitiveness, but now, following the impact of Covid, it has become an indispensable competitive advantage for any factory that wants to survive scenarios as disruptive as the ones that we are witnessing. ...
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of making decisions that are based on objective and accurate data. The reliability and quality of said data is fundamental and we must know exactly which data to use in order to justify decisions and add value. But we can’t just use any old data. ...
Typically, a second machine tool is added to plants in an attempt to increase production and/or diversify. However, we are also seeing it as a phenomenon aimed at resolving the issue with small series. This occurs when there’s a machine with a large automated production capacity which is expensive to interrupt in order to manufacture small series. ...
When we write the history of this decade, 2020 will be remembered as the year that marked a turning point, imposing important changes on our lives and on our jobs. ...
As plant manager or head of production, how much do you know about your factory? Have you identified and located every last piece of information? Do you know the efficiency of each machine? How about the workshop? Of each business area and the plant as a whole? ...
In the sheet metal industry, preparing the quotation for an order is complex, not only because the customer wants the quotation as soon as possible, but also because it involves several variables that, like a puzzle, must fit together perfectly to maximize the use of the material and adjust the offer to the customer profile with an adequate margin. ...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a key technology for the optimization of production processes and can be especially useful in sheet metal cutting factories from the automation of processes to the creation of quotes, cost control in real time, management of the cutting process or through expert guidance, using AI, of the machine configurati ...
Covid-19 has highlighted that, without the digitization of processes, it’s difficult to maintain business continuity, that supply chains are fragile and information is unreliable, exposing a digital divide between more or less digitized companies. Those who fail to cover this gap fall by the wayside, which means that accelerating transformative pro ...
Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) has become a trending topic in the industry due to the implementation of numerous algorithms by groups dedicated to academic research on artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years. AutoML is a tool for streamlining the development of AI solutions in the industry by providing explainable and reproducible results ...
When facing the current environment of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA) which is also highly competitive, the digitization of industrial material is an essential differential value in order to quickly adapt to market requirements. It’s a must in order to optimize plant production and respond to new consumption habits that re ...
The arrival of the IoT on the market was a watershed moment in terms of how we relate to technology. It revolutionized everything, from smart homes to connected cars, to systems for smart cities, 5G innovations and, of course, industrial advancements made with the industrial internet of things (IIoT). ...
Contrary to popular belief, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not going to replace people, but should rather be seen as an ally, given that it’s more geared towards optimizing business processes, such as task automation processes. The most widespread AI is currently based on learning from questions and suggestions made to humans to deal with the chal ...
Digitization is changing the way we manufacture, simplifying and improving the production processes of the sheet metal and metal industry with digital solutions that optimize manufacturing. And the machining sector is no exception. ...
Cloud, Analitycs, Big Data, Deep learning, Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality… these and other concepts, that were already around before the pandemic, have now got some real-world solutions in industrial applications. Their aim is helping industry to optimize its processes through safe and effective digitization. ...
Following the impact of the pandemic, concepts such as resilience, business agility, crisis management, costs and cash flow and innovation have become increasingly critical for business, changing the reality of manufacturers, companies and consumers. ...
If we take a brief look back over previous industrial revolutions: mechanization (steam and coal), electricity (mass manufacturing, assembly line) and electronics and computing (automation thanks to information and communication technologies) we can see how these events caused cities and populations to develop, marking a turning point for economies ...
Ultimately, the crux of the matter is to optimize plant production in order to mass-produce customized parts without increasing costs and while also boosting productivity, that’s why using Industry 4.0 enabling technologies is vital. We’re talking about both the sensorization of plants with Internet of Things (IoT) technology and advanced software ...
When we talk about automation we mean using technology to reduce the need for human intervention within a plant. The aim is to optimize the factory, making it more productive and, ultimately, more competitive in an environment where competition is growing and margins are becoming increasingly narrower. ...
When we talk about the Digital Smart Factory we mean intelligent and advanced manufacturing supported by digitization and the interconnection of processes and machines to collect and process data. It involves the participation of all the departments of a plant, from production planning to remote maintenance, including system integration or data ana ...
Vision and innovation, cloud, modernization of apps and systems, security, services focused on and for the user, hyper-connectivity, artificial intelligence, protocols, IoT, integration... Digitization, a great deal of digitization, and all under the umbrella of Industry 4.0. The future brings with it a world with more options in terms of automatio ...
Whatever the size of your factory, it’s time for all organizations to embark on the journey towards digital transformation in an aim to get the most out of the plant by applying the different solutions offered by Industry 4.0 (Artificial intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML), Big data, Cloud, Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) or Digital T ...
Industry 4.0 is in the news and companies in every sector are becoming aware of the terminology. Its potential for improving productivity is immense. But we must remember that this concept includes dozens of very different technologies, each with different implications and results. The challenge for industrial companies is to understand the possibi ...
Which technological enablers will make an impression next year? We go over the now traditional report by the Gartner consultancy firm that lists 12 technology trends that will multiply organizations’ efficiency and productivity. ...
There’s no turning back now. Digitization is a must for any company, and has become essential following the impact of the pandemic. Many companies have been forced to take the technological and digital plunge, adapting or even reinventing their business models to continue serving their customers remotely. This has made companies more vulnerable and ...
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