Common Code Base for Corporate Software

Together with IMA Schelling Group, UXMA develops the group-wide software aimi. Software solutions for the control as well as for the digital communication of the machines gain enormously in importance for the market leader in the field of machines and production lines for the wood, metal and plastics industry and become increasingly complex. The desire for a uniform operating philosophy across all machines grew. UXMA took up the challenge in accordance with our motto “Making complexity controllable”.

The first step of the interdisciplinary IMA Schelling / UXMA team was to obtain an overview of the company-wide software landscape and, based on this, to make infrastructural and architectural decisions for a uniform solution. The focus was on developing a common code base so that each individual machine structure could be identified, mapped correctly and controlled. In addition, we created a completely new UI concept for the machines: An overarching symbol and design language was established verified in UX tests and adapted to the different machine and system types.

The new software landscape is divided into three areas - aimi.THINK.DO.TALK:

• Hidden behind aimi.THINK is the production planning, optimization and data preparation of all production-relevant information. UXMA has thought through the planning for the complete production control system, developed a uniform design language and implemented it as a back-office and desktop solution.

• The generation of machine and workpiece views is an important part of the project. The UXMA team developed a uniform design language from preparation to production and merged the software components with the design language so that each customer can see and understand the individual machine. We have also implemented status colouring on the actual component and live workpiece tracking, which allows errors on the complex machines to be precisely localized and rectified.

• aimi.TALK is responsible for communication between the software components and the customer. The machines can be integrated into a customer-specific production environment and error messages are evaluated. Here, UXMA is on hand to advise the customer.

The greatest challenge in the joint project was the complexity of the IMA Schelling Group’s software landscape. Together with our customer, we managed to link the historically grown multitude of software components into an intelligent network that enables uniform navigation and visualization across all machines. In addition, the maintenance of the complex machines is raised to a completely new level with the help of visual troubleshooting.