In the interview with Gerd Ohl, CEO of Limtronik GmbH
Limtronik, based in Limburg an der Lahn, is a Joint Development Manufacturing (JDM) partner and expert in Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS). The company supports its customers from product development to the finished, ready-to-ship end product. The company's focus is on the development and production of electronic assemblies as well as customized systems for customers. The specialist has been active in the production of electronic assemblies and devices since 1970. In 2010, Limtronik GmbH was founded. It is certified according to TS16949 and ISO 14001. In an interview with Gerd Ohl, CEO of Limtronik GmbH, we talk today about comprehensible, traceable and transparent processes and how these can ensure precise overview, error identification and minimization.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Limtronik GmbH is a lighthouse example of a digitalized electronics factory. What were the cornerstones of the digitalization?
Gerd Ohl: Since Limtronik was primarily active for telecommunications companies in its early days, the company had to manage a high variety of product variants and produce in a traceable manner. At that time, the foundations were already laid for the "Track and Trace" system used today. As early as the late 1980s, data collection for classic traceability was already significant. From the very beginning, one of the most important requirements at Limtronik was traceability. To meet various standards and industry requirements, we introduced a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to demonstrate a corresponding track-and-trace system and obtain IATF certification. The resulting comprehensible, traceable and transparent processes give us a precise overview and enable us to identify and minimize errors, thus ensuring consistently high quality.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: That sounds like a real success story. How did you proceed to gradually lead your company into digital transformation?
Gerd Ohl: From 2009/2010 onwards, Limtronik gradually modernized its machine park. The focus was on ensuring that interfaces were available to enable machines to provide information such as quality and consumption. These were the first steps towards the intelligent, networked processes we implement today. There were no comprehensive evaluation processes for digital transformation; instead, solutions always emerged from the need. Our drive was to produce high quality and stay one step ahead of competitors, not primarily to reduce costs. Meeting standard requirements was always a key driver.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Meanwhile, a lot more has happened. The SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V. has emerged – an information and demonstration platform for Industry 4.0. How did this come about?
Gerd Ohl: With traceability, we absolutely wanted to take the step toward automation, and this resulted in individual puzzle pieces that led Limtronik to co-found its first initiatives toward Industry 4.0 in 2013/2014. This includes, among other things, the SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V.—an Industry 4.0 initiative for the German SME sector. The association’s research and demonstration platform is integrated into Limtronik’s ongoing operations—it is not a model factory, but rather solutions emerge in the Smart Electronic Factory that are developed in practice for practice. This made Limtronik a pioneer in the EMS industry in terms of digitalization and Industry 4.0. Later, lean processes were gradually aligned with our own digitalization processes, and many innovative projects were implemented together with the association’s members. And the Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, one of the founding members of SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V., supported Limtronik with ROI calculations for the digitalization projects, making it clear how economically viable these projects are for our company.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: The many individual steps have led to Limtronik transforming into a digitalized factory. What is the current status today?
Gerd Ohl: Today, Limtronik operates a highly modern, digitalized electronics factory with cloud-based systems. This involves constant data exchange between machines. Many machines are linked to a higher-level system. This allows the company to provide and utilize an immense amount of different data. We see the future, particularly in the value creation through data, for ourselves and our customers. For example, in the field of autonomous vehicles, this is of enormous benefit, as numerous conclusions can be drawn from the data collected during production, enabling optimizations and automations.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What advice would you give to companies that want to achieve similar results and make further progress in the area of the smart factory and Industry 4.0? What do you think are the three most important steps on this path?
Gerd Ohl: You should start by making your processes lean. Then, a digital strategy should be developed for the entire company. Since Industry 4.0 is not a single project but a long-term strategy consisting of many components, you should first tackle the “low-hanging fruits.” This means answering questions such as: Which processes can be automated or optimized as quickly and easily as possible? This then leads to individual small projects that, combined, represent the overall strategy. At the start of these small projects, priority should be given to those that employees can easily understand and that support them in their daily work. After all, a digitalization process is always also a change process, and this can only succeed if there is a high level of acceptance among the workforce. Employees should not be replaced but relieved. At Limtronik, for example, many digitalization projects were initiated and implemented by employees. This has given us a great deal of momentum throughout the company to drive this continuous change.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Many thanks for this interview.