Networking Why Special Machine Construction Stalls Without Digital Integration

Related Vendor

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

As with gears, processes in special-purpose machinery manufacturing must work seamlessly together so that different teams and departments can deliver end products promptly and with the highest quality. From initial planning to electronic design and the manufacturing process, a lot can go wrong, especially due to a lack of transparency, collaboration, and outdated data. The industry needs to explore new paths.

In special machine construction, precision is mandatory—not only in the final product but in every phase of development. What seems so self-evident at first glance still poses significant challenges for many companies in practice. Particularly affected by this is internal, cross-team collaboration on projects.

The field of electronic design is no exception; rather, it exemplifies the necessity of true interdisciplinary skills: mechanical, electrical, and control engineering requirements must converge into a functioning overall system. Even the smallest deviations in the specifications from another department can require significant adjustments—and often a single change triggers an entire chain of follow-up work.

Gallery

Lack of Transparency Leads to Tedious Rework

For this integration to work, all parties must always work with the same, up-to-date data. This is where a central problem lies, as information is not always synchronized, changes reach the involved teams too late, engineers work with offline documents, or new customer requirements necessitate spontaneous product adjustments.

A look at practice shows how quickly projects can get out of sync: the mechanical design has long revised its plans—instead of the originally planned gantry solution, a robot is now to be used. However, these changes never reached the electrical design. There, circuits, control concepts, and cable routing are still being designed according to the old plan—for a system that will no longer exist in this form.

The result is predictable: tedious rework, incorrect dimensions, as well as unnecessary material costs and delays. The cause does not lie in a lack of expertise but in a lack of transparency and insufficient coordination between disciplines – with electrical design being one of the main victims.

Friction Losses, Duplicate Work, And Avoidable Mistakes

Special-purpose machinery manufacturing is a key German industry—highly innovative, specialized, and often a technical pioneer. At the same time, it struggles with structural weaknesses that hinder efficiency and innovation. Particularly severe issues include a lack of standardization, fragmented system landscapes, and isolated software components. Furthermore, processes and data structures vary from company to company and often even within a single project. It is therefore hardly surprising that different departments still too often fail to communicate adequately. Valuable expertise remains confined to individuals or local files, making it inaccessible to others.

The result is friction losses, duplicated work, and avoidable errors—especially in interdisciplinary projects with tight schedules. While other industries have long been using cloud-based platforms to ensure seamless workflows, digitalization initiatives in special-purpose machinery manufacturing often remain fragmented. Project documents are scattered across email attachments, network drives, or different software environments. Changes are not synchronized in real-time, causing even dedicated teams to unintentionally work at cross purposes.

New Solutions for Old Problems

To overcome these hurdles, a paradigm shift is urgently needed—away from isolated solutions and toward seamlessly interconnected processes. A centralized, cloud-based working environment can serve as a central hub for all project participants. It ensures access to up-to-date data, integrates various applications, and breaks down rigid knowledge silos.

Real-time synchronization is key. Changes to mechanical or electrical plans must be immediately visible—whether they are made in the CAD system, a simulation, or a control concept. Combined with clear version labeling, task management, and automated notifications, downstream departments can also be promptly informed and involved. This reduces the risk of costly rework, and the entire value chain benefits from greater transparency.

Necessary: A Fully Digitized Engineering Workflow

What truly advances the industry? Most companies already know the answer, especially those struggling with entrenched processes and frequent communication breakdowns: a fully digitalized engineering workflow that spans from the initial idea to design and commissioning. Only when all disciplines work within a shared data platform can all employees efficiently access resources at any time, minimize sources of error, and deliver projects within the planned time and budget. This presents special-purpose machinery manufacturing with the opportunity not only to deliver technological innovations but also to fundamentally modernize its own working methods—thereby securing its role as an innovation driver in the long term.

Machine Authentication

Machine Operator Authentication - Why knowing "who" matters