Challenge
beendet!

Covestro Deutschland AG

Scalable, integrated platform for mobile applications in brownfields

Smart evolution

Detaillierte Beschreibung der Challenge

  • The manufacturing of products in the chemical industry is managed by several digital systems, each of one covering different aspects (e.g., raw material handling, control of process parameters, maintenance, etc.)
  • Within the “last leg of digitalization”, the operators in the plant have now mobile devices that could connect them to all these systems
  • Those systems are not integrated at the mobile level, which creates an assortment of concurrent and heterogeneous interfaces that become impossible to navigate
  • Interoperability of those systems at the app level is not generally available
  • One unified back-end system to connect to all data sources, multiple back-end for different mobile devices, one single UX interface.
  • Typical use cases: mobile maintenance, real-time turn-around management, remote assistance, remote expert, digital loop check, AR for production, …

Erste Initiativen innerhalb des Unternehmens

  • Mobile devices and limited mobile applications
  • Ad-hoc interoperability solutions for limited subsets of applications
  • Roadmap / overview of digital systems is available

Notwendigkeit der Unterstützung

  • A solution for integrating multiple applications (or functions) into one mobile platform that ensures interoperability
  • A unified UX on mobile that communicates with several digital systems (e.g., turn-around schedule viewer, check-lists, SAP connection and reporting, etc.)
  • A progressive deployment that seamlessly integrates existing partial solutions without a radical discontinuity.
  • Conceptual support to find a suitable approach (no technical implementation)

Possible procedure:

  • Evaluation of procedures from Domain Driven Design
    – e.g.: „Event Storming“ workshop with potential users, experts and software architects/developers
    – Derivation of bounded contexts and technically definable application areas/function blocks (order, billing, reporting …)
  • Customer centricity
    – UX conception, guidelines, design, user testing and feedback
  • API centering
    – Clear back-end structure that adapts to the complexity of existing ERP/MES systems and industry standards for ERP/MES networks
    – Wide flexibility and customization for front-end
  • Possible target picture could be:
    – Modular system for generating mobile/web apps with standardized widgets
    – Integrative platform with standardized plugins/connectors to systems of the group IT as middleware/services