The future of the textile industry is more and more determined by Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 has many dimensions and possible fields of application. In three of them (Smart Services, Operations and Factory), key solutions are provided by the machinery industry. The other ones from smart textile products, marketing and sales, employees up to strategy and organization are specific know-how issues for textile mills.

Nicolai Strauch, press officer of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association, Germany, spoke to Marcus Ott, CEO Halo electronics.

Strauch: Mr. Ott, your company Halo electronics from Austria develops Enterprise-Resource-Planning (ERP) systems for the textile industry. Please, tell us more about your company.

Ott: We provide custom-tailored IT solutions, that offer textile industry customers the perfect level of data transparency - from fibre to finished product. Direct communication between man and machine not only enables this consistently transparent presentation of all relevant data, but also gives employees flexible and, most importantly, mobile access to it. All important information is available on the handheld device while “on the go”.

Strauch: How is the usability of your solution? Can you quantify the benefits of the product?

Ott: The intuitive software relies on language-independent icons instead of text and can therefore be used without training in any work environment. The resulting cost savings are clear. The seamless implementation of the software in all relevant production processes up to the point of delivery enables complete consistency and transparency of the data collection, which simplifies optimisation processes and gives management vital decision-making information. For example, the use of our software enables time savings of 45 percent for the storage and retrieval of products in the warehouse.

Mr Ott, thank you for the talking!