VAN RAAM: Upscaling user-centred production without standardization
Innovation requires exploring new opportunities and inducing change. In the times of Industry 4.0, this means to digitalize all processes and collect data that supports you in making the right decisions to streamline manufacturing.
Van Raam Reha Bikes B.V. is an SME specialized in design, development, and production of bikes for people with a disability based in Varsseveld. Their bikes are tailor-made according to the needs and wishes of their customers; “We build unique bikes in a standardized production process”. The biggest challenge they are facing is to continue growing while maintaining their tailor-made focus. Van Raam intends to upscale their production through optimization of processes without standardizing their unique customer tailored products. This means that they do not compromise their service and product, but dynamize rigid processes to upscale production efficiently.
To reach their goal, Van Raam decided to closely collaborate with FPC to develop a digital infrastructure and work together on reaching their vision of having a digital factory that provides a clear overview and enhances flexibility of all processes. They chose FPC to be their partner because
Based on the needs of Van Raam, FPC developed a proposal for a development trajectory. The trajectory starts off with a current state analysis that informs the implementation plan. The result is a tailored decision-support tool based on a digital twin. Current challenges are connecting data that is acquired throughout the product lifecycle for fast and efficient decision-making. Solving this will provide deeper insight into production processes, improve the overall communication within the production environment and facilitate optimization of production for upscaling. All these factors contribute to an increased throughput of bikes, bottleneck recognition and control, and higher overall equipment effectiveness.
“We think the wide knowledge and experience in the area of Industry 4.0 and Digital Twinning combined in a mixed and international team of (young) professionals will provide us the necessary tools to speed up our digital evolution process without losing track of quality and strategy.”
Van Raam
Additionally, the digitalization of their production environment facilitates the incorporation of user data into the design process. This creates a foundation to enhance customer services, such as configuration to order and providing a direct communication channel to the customer. It enables digital services that improve the overall efficiency and customer experience. At the same time, it positively affects employees as the complexity in assembly processes can be reduced and direct communication between design and production can be facilitated.
To support Van Raam in the transition to digital, FPC will work closely together with their internal team to ensure the solution is tailored to their needs and supports them in reaching their strategic goals.
