Specializing in gases, heating and cooling, and sustainable mobility, the Westfalen Group is forging ahead with its digitalization drive. In order to streamline the engineering and maintenance processes at its production sites, the company has embraced the Engineering Base cooperation platform from AUCOTEC – a decision that will ensure the Production & Engineering division of Westfalen is as well prepared as possible for the challenges ahead.
Centralized data platform for optimum efficiency
The spectrum of products and services offered by the Westfalen Group is increasingly focused on sustainable energy solutions, particularly hydrogen. To advance the development of its technologies and solutions, the company needed a powerful software package to integrate all the relevant disciplines, such as CAD, E-CAD, process engineering and EI&C engineering. The aim was to create a centralized data storage system that would ensure transparency throughout the plant’s life cycle.
Engineering Base as the key to digital transformation
"We were looking for a platform that would not only provide optimum support for engineering and maintenance, but also preserve our know-how on a fundamental level," explains Laurent Wauters-Herlyn, Head of Strategy & Innovation for Production & Engineering at the Westfalen Group. "Engineering Base links all relevant data in a central environment, allowing error-free, end-to-end planning."
Westfalen was particularly impressed by the possibilities for AI-driven optimization. Besides increasing efficiency, the platform also helps to preserve knowledge in the long term – a key advantage in the face of demographic change.
Specific benefits and efficiency gains
The Westfalen Group expects implementing Engineering Base to result in significant efficiency gains and other benefits:
- Engineering: 11% reduction in costs
- Maintenance: 15% less planning work
- Minimization of errors thanks to centralized data storage
- AI-driven engineering based on preserved knowledge resources
Seamless integration with SAP
In light of the switch to SAP S/4 HANA already scheduled, the SAP integration scenarios with Engineering Base also sound like a very promising prospect for Westfalen. The advantage of this link-up is that it allows further improvement of digital documentation processes while delivering another boost to efficiency on the maintenance side.
A partnership of equals
The close collaboration between Westfalen and AUCOTEC is rooted in a partnership-based approach. "We are proud that Westfalen has placed its trust in our data-centric platform," says Stefan Wedderkopp, Global Sales Director Process Plants at AUCOTEC. "Engineering Base not only assists companies with digitalization, it also helps them to strategically optimize their processes and future-proof them."
With Engineering Base, the Westfalen Group has found a sustainable, innovative solution that not only meets the company’s requirements right now but also helps with the digital transformation as it moves forward.
