From model to reality: Witzenmann plans their plant with Halocline

The new construction of the parent company at the founding location of Pforzheim is the largest single investment in Witzenmann's over 170-year history. With the construction of a state-of-the-art, sustainable smart factory, the company is bundling a wide variety of production areas that were previously spread over several locations in the region. It is the lead plant for the globally active group with 16 locations worldwide. Witzenmann is thus preparing for the future and meeting the challenges of digital, technological and cultural transformation - with a clear commitment to the Pforzheim location.

The size and complexity of the new building made it clear: Analog processes such as cardboard engineering are not enough to make a smart factory future-proof. As the world's leading expert on their field, Witzenmann is building on 23,700 m² a production with 745 machines in total - planned, validated and optimized in Halocline.

Solution approach

To digitalize planning processes sustainably, Witzenmann chose Halocline. Piece by piece, the cardboard results were transferred to Halocline and further developed there. The result was a complete digital image of the new headquarters.

The focus is on four key applications:

• Planning factory layouts and workstations in VR
  With Halocline, the entire factory layout and, in detail, individual workstations could be set up and tested in a virtual environment. As a result, material flows, paths and structures became transparent - and optimizations could be carried out directly in the digital model.
• Involvement of employees through immersive planning experiences
  Halocline's intuitive operation made it possible to actively involve employees in planning. In the virtual factory, they were able to directly experience future processes, contribute ideas themselves and help shape their future workplaces.
• Support for ergonomic and process analyses
  Workplaces were virtually designed according to ergonomic aspects. Employees were able to understand and evaluate movements, gripping areas and work processes in VR, which led to better ergonomic conditions at an early stage.
• Documentation and development of layout ideas
  Instead of recording results from workshops on paper or in static plans, Witzenmann was able to document layout ideas over the long term in Halocline. The result was a central platform on which designs could be saved, adapted and further developed over months.

“With Halocline, we were able to convert our cardboard results step by step into a digital model - and constantly develop them further. That was the decisive lever for us. ”
Marcus Trumpp, Operational Excellence Witzenmann

Successes

With Halocline, Witzenmann was able to digitally map and optimize almost all production at the new headquarters - a decisive step towards making the site future-proof in Germany.

Outstanding results

• More compact production area with the same capacity
• Cost savings through optimized processes
• Better visualization and communication of layouts
• Increased employee participation and acceptance
• Comprehensible illustration of future production processes

The biggest success lies with the employees themselves. Through the intuitive use of VR, everyone involved was able to actively shape the planning. The new factory layout is therefore not just a digital model - but a real team effort.

“Virtual planning not only enabled us to optimize processes, but also actively involve employees in shaping the future. The result is more than a new plant - it is a shared vision of the future that we have created in a lean, digital and collaborative way - and are now turning it into reality. ”
Fabian Mörk, Factory Planning Specialist - Witzenmann

Conclusion

With Halocline, Witzenmann has not only introduced a powerful planning tool, but has also embarked on the path to a new era of production planning. Virtual factory planning with Halocline makes it possible to think through complex structures at an early stage, actively involve employees and make sustainable decisions.

“For us, Halocline is much more than software - it is the key to transparent, participation-oriented and future-proof factory planning. Planning in Halocline will continue to accompany us in the coming years and will grow steadily with us. ”
- Marcus Trumpp, Operational Excellence Witzenmann