“What does digitalisation mean to you?” We put this question to our loyal followers last spring via our newsletter and social media channels. And what was the answer? According to you, efficiency and cost reduction are the main benefits of digitalisation. That’s certainly no surprise to our sales manager Carlo Canter Visscher! In this blog, Carlo talks about how technology has changed his work over the years.
Let's step back into the past...
“About 25 years ago I worked as an ATM service technician in the Noord-Holland Noord area,” says Carlo. “I was proud of my job: I had a lot of freedom and drove a big car with enough room for all my tools and parts. I also had a pager in my pocket and a street atlas in the car at all times. Small villages often had only one ATM that was easy to find. There were obviously a few more in the towns and cities, but cash withdrawals were also quick and convenient there as well. Until one wintry Friday in 1995…”
“A lot of snow had fallen and it was freezing cold. This caused frozen suction cups in the ATMs, preventing cash withdrawals. There were breakdowns throughout the region and colleagues had been sent out on the roads en masse, so I had to pitch in in Amsterdam. I’ll tell you now: this day was noted down as one to forget in my old paper diary. I encountered the first problem while driving to my first breakdown. A road closure meant that I had to look for a different route in my street atlas, so I was already late when I got there. On arrival, I still had to find a parking space and decide how much money to put in the parking meter. Pure guesswork.”
The digital world: a breath of fresh air
“It’s amazing really; you only need to go back 25 years for a story from a forgotten time. Much has changed in that period. We collect more and more data these days. In addition, there seems to be a never-ending stream of new apps to let us put all that data to practical use. The same route to Amsterdam is much less stressful today. Parking apps, for example, are now our best friend. Looking back, it’s obvious that digitalisation and big data have already saved us a lot of money, time and frustration.”
Digitalising industry
“But how do you digitalise in industry?” According to Carlo, the first step is to identify which data is of use to which user. “You have to make conscious choices. Compare it to your own smartphone: what apps do I use and how do I set them up? If you have a clear idea of what information you need, you can store that data in a central location. On an existing server, for example, or in the cloud. This applies both to systems that collect data and systems that share data and simplify engineering. That mass of data is made meaningful by presenting it in graphs and bar charts. Not to mention the fact that the data can also be shared on other screens or through mobile apps.”
“The next step in the most important: system utilisation. During this phase, you can analyse exactly how much energy is used during a specific production activity. Essential information that you need to make the right decisions and choose the best solutions. The result? You save a lot of energy, time, effort and money!”
