Engineering tools as a basis for industry 4.0

ThyssenKrupp has developed a multitude of approaches, initiatives and projects to provide the basis for a stronger sense of unity among the company's employees. ThyssenKrupp has around 16,000 engineers throughout the Group, all of whom spend about half of their working time interacting with complex, computer-aided tools. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is the integrated and targeted management of product information, from initial idea through to recycling. The networking of engineering systems is of great importance in ensuring a full and secure flow of information, and against the background of Industry 4.0 these requirements will increase further. Connecting computer aided design and manufacturing is an important step towards directly linking engineering with the production environment. The data on the models, which the designer uses to define unambiguous part geometries, are translated into a machine-oriented language and transferred directly to the production equipment. In parallel with this, augmented reality is also used in engineering activities.