ifm saves 50% of planning time

The ifm group develops automation technology for the industry — and was looking for a more efficient solution for planning their production lines.

After a short test phase, ifm quickly recognized the benefits of Halocline: Faster planning, better collaboration and huge time savings. Today, Halocline is an integral part of the way they work —  and gives them a strong competitive advantage.

Planning a production line

ifm used Halocline to plan a production line for a 25-kilo sensor. At the start of the project, Lukas Musch (Lean Manager) and Helena Roggenkamp (Team Lead for Lean and Project Management) faced the following challenges:

• A classic cardboard workshop wasn’t possible due to limited space
• The line needed to work for different types of sensors
• The concept had to fit into a factory that hadn’t been built yet

Using VR, the team built different versions of the line inside a virtual model of the factory and presented them during a meeting with 40 people. The fast decision-making and ability to clearly understand all the details impressed everyone – and clearly showed the value of the software.

Another challenge was redesigning an existing workstation. Two machines, previously far apart, needed to be moved closer together.

“It took Lukas less than ten minutes and had already simulated the new work processes with these two machines,”

said team leader Jörg Weber, impressed. This quick and accurate adjustment greatly reduced errors.

‍

‍

50% more efficiency with Halocline

Bernd Hausler, Vice President of Operations at ifm (02/2012 — 04/2024), assesses ifm's traditional way of working as follows:

“With scissors and paper, 10 to 20 percent of the avoidable errors have certainly been built into the machines or in the layouts. ”

With Halocline, these mistakes are caught early. Now, planning a complete production line takes just one morning – and workshops are 50% more efficient.

Why? Hausler sums it up perfectly:

“Because I can try out the new work environment [with Halocline] much faster and get quick feedback.”

‍

‍

Involving workers

A big advantage of Halocline is the active involvement of workers in the planning process.

Our employees are much more open to change when they’re part of the process and decisions aren’t made over their heads,”

Lukas Musch explains.

Halocline is easy to use, even for people without much experience.

“It's really an enthusiasm that comes from working in VR,”

Musch adds.

But it’s not just the “gamification” of production planning that won them over. ifm emphasizes that it’s clear Halocline was built from the ground up for industrial use. They also highlight its easy handling and “extreme efficiency.”

“One huge benefit is the STEP import– I can import data from any design program,”

says Lukas Musch.

‍

ifm use cases

ifm uses all product stages from Halocline:

• Assembly for virtual equipment reviews
• Layout to design ideal setups and map existing ones
• Performance to involve workers in the planning

Lukas Musch sums it up:

“We’ve got a solid process in place and use Halocline extensively.”

Why Halocline? ifm’s Key Benefits

• Industry focus right from the start — developed specifically for production environments
• Easy operation — even for people without CAD experience
• Flexible interfaces (e.g. STEP import) — Integration into existing processes

‍

conclusion

Faster, more efficient planning with VR:

With Halocline, ifm has its planning time cut in half, errors reduced and collaboration improved.

‍