ESAB Awarded for Digital Tool Innovation

ESAB France SA (Cergy, France) is proud to announce that they have won the Innovation Award in the “Digital Tools” category at Industrie Lyon 2017, held April 4-7 in Lyon. Prevailing over 160 other innovations that were presented, their WeldCloud™ online data management system took the winning spot for its ability to provide digital solutions that optimize welding and associated manufacturing activities. “We are extremely grateful for this prestigious award, as it recognizes our commitment to IIoT innovation,” says Antony Fernandes, the technical and marketing manager of ESAB. “This innovation was driven by our need to help customers automate activities that surround their welding processes and enable them to drive continuous improvements in productivity, quality and machine efficiency.”

WeldCloud includes a communication module connected to welding power sources that sends welding parameters and machine data to a server or a PC. Using any device with a web browser, this online system provides users with a wealth of analytical tools and customizable dashboards that enable them to:

• Facilitate traceability from single welds to the complete product because the core of the system is a comprehensive database containing key information of every weld seam.
• Develop weld schedules on a single machine, move them into the cloud and then push them out to other welding systems.
• Remotely manage welding parameters, set limits and set alarms for deviations.
• Monitor and act upon various productivity reports across operations in disparate locations.
• Increase responsiveness of repair and maintenance operations by instantly receiving alerts from WeldCloud-enabled machines in their fleet, effectively lowering overall machine down time.
• Share and analyze data by teams across multiple data collection sites, using any computer, tablet or smart phone connected to the same internal network as the welding systems and database.

Industrie Lyon is held every two years, hosting 21,000 visitors and 900 exhibitors, including ESAB. The fair showcases a global range of manufacturing equipment and services and has presented the Innovation Award for 15 years. More than 900 people attended the award ceremony. To win the award, Fernandes and Florent Dourlens presented to a committee of 22 people comprised of technical journalists and representatives of the industrial scientific community. The committee narrowed these entrants down to 16 innovations representing four categories: Digital Tools, Sustainability, Industrial Performance and New Technologies. In the Digital Tools category, ESAB won over nominees Siemens, Schunk and Pro Dis.

“There are many worthy offerings in the welding community that provide Industry 4.0 capabilities, but we believe WeldCloud has several key, customer-driven benefits that set it apart from other systems,” says Roul Kierkels, the global product manager for DDA and WeldCloud at ESAB.

First, explains Kierkels, WeldCloud data resides in one comprehensive database, located within a user’s firewalls and not in a proprietary or provider-controlled cloud. Users have more peace-of-mind when they control their own data. Second, this online system features an open-architecture design for communication and analytics. Companies can use them as stand-alone software or integrate with other business intelligence systems, such as Power BI, SAP®, QlikView® and Tableau®. Third, WeldCloud polls at a frequency of 1Hz to provide essentially real-time reporting, offering immediate and greater insight into welding data. Lastly, this system benefits a range of stakeholders — operations managers, quality managers, engineers, welders, maintenance staff, training supervisors and others — versus only higher-level personnel.

“WeldCloud enables data-driven decision making so that any employee can move the true levers of productivity and quality,” adds Kierkels. “Users at all levels have commented that the WeldCloud interface is very intuitive because the applications function similar to those found on a smart phone or tablet.”

www.esab.com