How Krah is doing the installation and commissioning abroad without being on site – KRAH VAHow Krah is doing the installation and commissioning abroad without being on site – KRAH VA

Today, we live the life of tomorrow. A pandemic has forced the world economic to think in new ways – in high speed. Many companies are facing major problems and do not know how they will continue to operate in the near future. The Krah group is also hit by the new normality and we must perform to survive. We are not located in the world of “new economy” or “finetech” – we are “old economy”, we are machine and pipe producer – so what can we do to perform (and fulfill our customers´expectation)?We still can design, manufacture, and deliver our production plants, but how should we keep the relation to our customers and – even more difficult – how should we install, commission and maintain our production plants worldwide, without traveling? The great Krah-solution
Luckily, the Krah group in Germany has a very good IT-department with very skilled, young and creative people. One week after the management addressed the treat, the first possible solution could be presented – and this solution has inspired us all.The solution was and still is to change our production line to a kind of “IKEA”-System, together with a virtual communication system. The plan is that machine installations can be carried out without our technicians on site. The mechanics in the respective country are „remote controlled“ by our technicians and with their help they install the machine and put it into operation. Therefore, the customer receives an extensive set containing several cameras, AR-glasses, and much more. The installation and commissioning experts are now working in offices in our headquarter and they are “tele-installing”. Furthermore with this system it is possible with this system to carry out maintenance work and to eliminate problems and disturbances, for which otherwise a technician would have to travel to the installation site. This is therefore a long-term solution that can also be used as alternative after the corona pandemic.  Digitalization requires bandwidth
Christopher Kirchhöfer, Head of IT, sees the main problems in the internet connection: „Digitalization requires bandwidth - for us and for our customers. Internet connection in Germany is often poorer than in other countries in the world (especially in rural areas, where many small and medium-sized businesses are based, and machines and systems are still being built).” This is also the case with us in Schutzbach, which confronts us with some problems. It is planned to install fiber optic cables in the near future to improve the internet speed enormously.

How is the setup? Which package are we sending to the client?
We send our customers everything that is necessary for the visual assistance. Basically, at the customers site, we have a special notebook, connected to the internet. The notebook is controlling 3-4 stationed cams and 1-2 AR-glasses (Augmented Reality – AR-glasses) plus 1-2 tablets or mobiles.  All these things are of course also sent along, as well as a detailed description of the technology and the structure of the technology. Besides the main parts described above, this set comes with preconfigured network devices to provide a specific network for these components, so no additional configuration is needed. The only requirement for this set is electricity and a network cable which connects our devices to your network in order to gain internet access. The overview with the dome-camera 
In addition, the set contains a dome-camera and different coloured warning vests to easily recognize all actors. The dome-camera is meant to be mount up high to provide a full overview over the complete factory, not only the installation area but different storage areas as well.With the help of the dome-camera, we have a total bird-view of the area here in Germany where the line should be installed – this camera can zoom and move. This can also be controlled from here to achieve the perfect viewing angle. Three or more other stationed-cams can show more precisely the ongoing installation, they are mounted on statives and they can be moved easily. The idea is to place the cameras around the installation area to get a good overview of the location so that the installation can be easily monitored. All four cameras show up on a software on the laptop where they can be controlled, so both the onsite workers and our remote operator can see them, which makes communication easier. We are working with a several eyes concept – many cameras around the machine allow us to see everything important and give us a good overview. We can also access the machine‘s display from here and access the inside of the control system. 

Tablet for more details
In some situations, the AR-glasses may not be enough, so we also added a tablet to the package. Workers can use the installed app to show our operator a specific problem in more detail. As with all other devices, our operator can place arrows on the tablet or circle relevant areas to show the onsite worker the relevant details. We can also send videos and pictures from here to the tablet to explain things and make them easier to understand. On the other hand, our customer can also make videos with it to better show us problems.

AR-glasses to be there live
We work with AR-glasses to be there live and see everything happening without delay. AR-glasses are wearable computers that add information to the user‘s field of vision. They enable augmented reality. The AR-glasses are equipped with a microphone, speakers, a camera, and a screen in front of one eye. Our operator is able to see through the display what our remote operator sees and can communicate with him through the integrated microphone and speakers. Our operator can also mark “points of interest” on the screen for the worker to see. An AR-glasses for the actual “key-worker” is mounted on the helmet so that you have both hands free to work – safety first. 

The workplace changes in times of Corona
In Germany our “new” department is handled by Sandro Vernillo. He is one of the most experienced “technicians” with a lot of experience in many foreign countries. And his working space and condition changed a lot. Before, he flew around the world and now his workplace consists of 6 large screens and many input possibilities.  He has a direct access to all kind of technical drawings and videos about our machine, to support directly and very professional. While he is doing the virtual action, he is creating and designing “gauges” for the next machines – to speed up the installation. Our aim is to have the same installation speed as before, without having “own” people at site.Until now, we are doing three installations and commissioning at the same time – in different stages. One customer in India, one in Belarus und one existing in the Philippines. In India and Belarus the machines are already in operation and the first pipes were produced without our technicians on site. Of course not everything went smoothly the first time, but we have now analysed the problems and working on improvements for further installations.

How does the AR-glasses work?
The AR-glasses is integrated in a safety-helmet, so you have both hands free to work. Through the AR-glasses you only can see with one eye. But that works perfect, we tried it often and there were no problems with it. The view through the AR-glasses is projected almost without delay and also with a very good quality onto the screen of our technicians. So our Krah-Operator can see the same as the technician on site can see. For example, which cables should be connected. Here you can draw markers on the screen to ask what exactly you need to do, for example, which cables should be connected. In addition, the two parties involved can exchange views on what needs to be done and what the progress is.The person who wears the AR-glasses can see these drawings on the screen of the glasses and can do proper work. To explain things in more detail, videos or pictures can also be sent to the tablet to have a larger screen.

A typical installation schedule
We at Krah have made a plan beforehand, when which step should happen and how the exact process of setting up a machine looks like. The assembly with our employees on site does not necessarily lead to a faster installation time, because a lot of the general setup like well-functioning electricity, gas, water and compressed air on the site are required for this. A typical installation schedule should be like that – but will be adjusted after each new installation:

Now, our customer can produce Krah-Pipes on the newest machine on their own. Depending on the client, he can send back the cam-system, or he can purchase the already-running system for further “maybe-need” maintenance and technical support. Coloured vests for quick identification
To make it easy, we are supplying coloured vests, so that we are able to classify employees in terms of qualifications and who is wearing the AR-glasses. The mechanic wears the yellow vest, combined with the AR-glasses, the electrician the blue one, also with the AR-glasses and the supervisor wears the red vest.In addition, it enables us to see better through the camera who is where and where the important contact persons are at every moment. 

Improvement of our new machines
We are gaining our experience and at the same time we are improving our new machines for a quicker and easier installation (like a special plug-and-run system). Occurring problems help us to optimize individual work steps for the next time. Therefore we are in contact with our customers every day for hours, discussing problems and trying to find solutions together. It is also important to provide good training for the employees on site, which takes up a lot of time. To support our “Krah VA”-department, we invested and established a video-team, to produce as many as possible “guideline-videos” as possible. A big part of these videos will be available on the second “information-screen” of our newest machines – supplied in the year 2021 (Corona-Version). Jochen Blickheuser is the person for this job. He makes a lot of small, self-explaining videos about different working steps to make it easier for the workers on site. He films our mechanics during the test set-up of the machine here in Schutzbach and adds subtitles if necessary. For each step, which is a little more complicated, there is an additional video.Because the videos are mostly self-explanatory, different languages are no obstacle and they are understandable for everyone.

Field reports from our customers

Pypman Advanced Plastic Technique Pvt. Ltd., India
“Due to the unforeseen event of Covid our machine which arrived in March could not be installed. We were frustrated by the situation and waiting for several months for Covid to clear so that our installation could be done. Krah suggested an option of doing the same using Virtual reality and remote assistance. We were concerned on how we would manage this but since there was no options we agreed to the same. Krah put together a package of stationed cameras, a dome-camera, AR-glasses, tablets and a laptop and sent us the same. We installed this and started on the remote installation. Initially, there were a lot of problems of low internet speed, language barrier and other technical understanding issues. “Due to the unforeseen event of Covid our machine which arrived in March could not be installed. We were frustrated by the situation and waiting for several months for Covid to clear so that our installation could be done. Krah suggested an option of doing the same using Virtual reality and remote assistance. We were concerned on how we would manage this but since there was no options we agreed to the same. Krah put together a package of stationed cameras, a dome-camera, AR-glasses, tablets and a laptop and sent us the same. We installed this and started on the remote installation. Initially, there were a lot of problems of low internet speed, language barrier and other technical understanding issues. We together overcame the same and are proud to state that we successfully installed the machine and took a test run and produced a test pipe. The further advantage of doing our own installation was the fact that we have now more intimate knowledge of the machine to do regular maintenance. We now are going through remote training to produce a high quality pipe and we believe that we shall be successful in the same, too.”

Pypman Advanced Plastic Technique Pvt. Ltd.Sr. No. 1758, Vathvali, Memdabad Vathvali Memdabad, India

Krah Pipes Manila, Inc. Philippines
“The Philippine economy is now facing the biggest challenge ever caused by the overwhelming crisis resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic. Of course,  Krah Pipes Manila, Inc. was also affected by the pandemic. Most of our projects have been put on hold and their implementation schedules have been delayed. The recently delivered new KR800 machine could not be assembled. At that time, the company had no choice but to take and implement emergency measures and take drastic action to prepare for the emergence of a new normality in its operations. “The Philippine economy is now facing the biggest challenge ever caused by the overwhelming crisis resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic. Of course,  Krah Pipes Manila, Inc. was also affected by the pandemic. Most of our projects have been put on hold and their implementation schedules have been delayed. The recently delivered new KR800 machine could not be assembled. At that time, the company had no choice but to take and implement emergency measures and take drastic action to prepare for the emergence of a new normality in its operations. When we heard about Krah‘s new idea to carry out the assembly of our machine virtually, we were a little sceptical at first, but then we were enthusiastic. Because this enables us to start up the machine without the physical presence of the technicians from Germany. In the last few weeks we have learned a lot and are very happy that we have been able to install the KR800 with virtual means. It is important to emphasise that at first we had doubts and uncertainties about the reliability of this virtual installation attempt, but as the cameras arrived and other equipment was installed, we could breathe a sigh of relief and began to trust the system. The technology and the contact with the operator in Schutzbach works very well. We are now sure that everything is possible with the Krah technology. Currently, the installation is running in virtual mode and the result is so far so good. Our commissioning is in a fortnight and we are very optimistic that our machine of the second line will be fully operational in the first week of December 2020. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all members of the Krah family who have made this one important step towards achieving our company goals possible.”

Krah Pipes Manila, Inc. Blk 4 Lot 1 Main Drive, FCIE Compound, Brgy. Langkaan II, Dasmarinas City, Cavite, Philippineswww.krah-pipes.com.ph

LLC Stekloplast, Belarus
“At the beginning of the project, the company management assessed the market situation and the offer of proposals from manufacturers of technological solutions and equipment for the production of pipes. As a result, it was decided to introduce a production based on the most modern technologies. Therefore the German company Krah, as the developer of the production technology Solid one+, became a partner. “At the beginning of the project, the company management assessed the market situation and the offer of proposals from manufacturers of technological solutions and equipment for the production of pipes. As a result, it was decided to introduce a production based on the most modern technologies. Therefore the German company Krah, as the developer of the production technology Solid one+, became a partner. The project was started in 2020. The date clearly shows that the work had to be carried out under very unusual conditions. Special measures had to be taken to set up the machine. Nevertheless, the work went according to plan.The Solid One was delivered in August. The installation and commissioning was carried out online via the new Krah virtual assistance system.The virtual department of the KrahVA provided great support in this matter. Sandro Vernillo has done everything to make sure that the employees at the production line are doing their job properly. Thus, on October 16th, 2020, despite serious difficulties due to external circumstances, the first pipe could be produced. This is a great event for this year, in which people and companies are going through hard times. Today, Stekloplast is the only company in Belarus that has the Krah technology. The completion of the commissioning works makes the company one of the leading manufacturers of high-tech pipe products and opens the prospect of further movement on the path of innovation.”

LLC Stekloplast Maxim Gorki Str. 121 B Hrodna, Belarus, www.stekloplast.by

“So far we can say that our system works very well. It is a great feeling for me, to see when unexperienced technicians around the world are mounting and commissioning our machines. Most of them never saw our machine installed and producing before. During their work and in their real world, our technicians - from a little village in Germany - can project technical information and drawings in real time in the their AR-glasses and can give instructions in several communication ways – regardless of the time zone and location. Of course, there were some small problems and difficulties in the beginning, but we solved them successfully and learnt a lot. We are proud of our employees and the employees in the respective countries because everyone is facing and handling well new challenges. In Belarus and India, we have already managed to get the machine to produce the first pipes and in Manila we are close to doing so. And more will follow, the next sets are alre

ady on their way to our next customer, with whom we will then install their long-awaited machine together. Beside the ugly faces of the actual worldwide Covid situation, I am enjoying the speed of new technology implementation in our company for the wealth of our clients, the environment and for us. Suddenly a company from the “old economy” is deeply implemented in the newest technology.  I am proud of our company and our people that we still can perform our duties and thus – hopefully – we will survive this global crisis and we will have a bright and sustainable future.““So far we can say that our system works very well. It is a great feeling for me, to see when unexperienced technicians around the world are mounting and commissioning our machines. Most of them never saw our machine installed and producing before. During their work and in their real world, our technicians - from a little village in Germany - can project technical information and drawings in real time in the their AR-glasses and can give instructions in several communication ways – regardless of the time zone and location. Of course, there were some small problems and difficulties in the beginning, but we solved them successfully and learnt a lot. We are

proud of our employees and the employees in the respective countries because everyone is facing and handling well new challenges. In Belarus and India, we have already managed to get the machine to produce the first pipes and in Manila we are close to doing so. And more will follow, the next sets are already on their way to our next customer, with whom we will then install their long-awaited machine together. Beside the ugly faces of the actual worldwide Covid situation, I am enjoying the speed of new technology implementation in our company for the wealth of our clients, the environment and for us. Suddenly a company from the “old economy” is deeply implemented in the newest technology.  I am proud of our company and our people that we still can perform our duties and thus – hopefully – we will survive this global crisis and we will have a bright and sustainable future.“

Dipl.-Kfm. Alexander Krah