Rondo Burgdorf AG: Unite all data
Since 1948, the long-established Swiss company Rondo Burgdorf has been combining in-depth knowledge of dough and technology for the optimal production of baked goods such as bread, croissants, doughnuts, pizzas, etc. The company's machines enjoy an excellent reputation worldwide. In order to remain competitive in a price-sensitive market, Rondo focuses on continuous process optimization in development and manufacturing. A decisive step in this direction was the implementation of Windchill PLM software and its connection to engineering tools – implemented by IT service provider Aveniq.
The Emmental-based company Rondo Burgdorf impressively demonstrates that tradition and innovative spirit are not mutually exclusive. In its in-house ‘Dough-How Centre’ – a play on words combining “dough” and ‘know-how’ – the company has built up comprehensive knowledge over decades on the optimal preparation of dough for all kinds of baked goods. Customers benefit both from this process expertise and from the company's many years of experience in the development and manufacture of machines for bakeries – from two-person operations to large bakeries with a network of branches.
Since its foundation by Gustav A. Seewer on 1 May 1948, Rondo Burgdorf has specialized in the production of bakery machines and is now one of the world's leading suppliers in the field of rolling and laminating technology. "It all started with small rolling machines that were purely mechanical at the time. These were the world's first patented rolling machines," says Thomas Trachsel, Head of Electrical Development at Rondo Burgdorf. "Today, we offer a broad portfolio tailored to customer needs – from simple to fully automated machines and systems – always with a focus on dough strip production through to the ready-to-bake product. We are proud to have the entire value chain in-house: from development, design, electrical engineering and software development to manufacturing and production, commissioning, customer training and after-sales service."
Cost pressure requires leaner processes
Compared to when the company was founded, more and more competitors have entered the market, including those from the Far East, particularly China. "The market for dough production machines has become very price-sensitive," says Thomas Trachsel. "What helps us is our extensive process expertise and the fact that we develop our machines according to our customers' needs. That sounds a bit negative. The alternative: we have a broad machine portfolio that, thanks to its modular design, can be flexibly adapted to individual customer requirements and production processes in order to achieve the best results in dough production and manufacturing."
In order to become more efficient and shorten time-to-market, Rondo Burgdorf has streamlined its internal processes, thereby reducing costs in the long term. This is an important distinguishing feature compared to competitors, ensuring that customers are willing to buy Swiss quality. "Previously, the same data for a component, such as an engine or a mechanical assembly, had to be stored both in product data management (PDM) for mechanics and in Eplan's electrical planning tool. This duplication of data maintenance caused significant additional work and was prone to errors. We became convinced that there was enormous potential for savings here. So we evaluated a PLM solution that suited our needs and decided on Windchill."
The IT service provider Aveniq was commissioned to integrate and harmonize the data in the existing system landscape. However, a number of preparations were necessary before implementation could begin. Thomas Trachsel recalls: "With the introduction of Windchill, our goal was to establish consistent and structured data management across the entire product lifecycle. One hundred percent data consistency across all tools was essential for us. For our employees, however, this meant a fundamental cultural change in engineering. In the past, the machine or plant was first designed and constructed, and only then did the electrical planning begin. From this perspective, data sovereignty historically lay with the mechanical engineering department."
Leveraging synergies
The key requirement when introducing the Windchill PLM system was to create a single cloud-based data pool in engineering that could be accessed by all tools – from electrical designers to service personnel. "To achieve this goal, we developed a data structure that meets all requirements. The hierarchical structure starts at the top level with the assembly and branches systematically down to the smallest detail, from individual components to every screw or switch," explains Thomas Trachsel. "The implementation meant a considerable initial effort for us. With Eplan and Aveniq, we had two partners at our side who took our concerns seriously and offered support and concrete solutions for implementation. Both already had in-depth experience from comparable projects."
When asked how the engineering staff were involved in this process and what their reactions were, Thomas Trachsel replied: "As head of engineering, I am the oldest member of the team, and the younger staff thought the change was “cool”. Of course, you can't dictate such a process from above; the employees have to be involved. Data structuring is a task that should not be underestimated and took around nine months at Rondo Burgdorf. However, it was worth it. Of course, there were also lessons learned, and we might approach one or two things differently now. But these are minor details. Aveniq successfully implemented the connection between Windchill and the planning software tools and Eplan within around a week. Data implementation proved to be a real challenge – especially mapping, i.e. assigning data fields between the Eplan software and Windchill. For this reason, we decided on a forward-looking approach: we made a clean break and from then on only included new machines and systems in the PLM system."
Today, mechanical designers and electrical engineers work closely together right from the start. "Of course, some employees fall back into old patterns, but that evens out over time," smiles Thomas Trachsel. "It is, of course, a considerable advantage that we can largely rely on standard components for new designs and only need to add customer-specific modifications to Windchill. It doesn't matter which system the new component is entered into. A relay is usually added to the Eplan platform. The data is then automatically transferred to the PLM system and is subsequently available across all systems. Whether engineers, sales or service personnel, everyone works with the same data. Duplication has been virtually eliminated. In addition, complete parts lists can be generated at the touch of a button."
Faster time-to-market without compromising quality
Thomas Trachsel estimates that the introduction of the Windchill PLM system as a central data pool has reduced the engineering and manufacturing time for the machines by around 30 per cent. And Rondo Burgdorf wants to go even further. "In the future, we plan to generate electrical diagrams automatically. We assume that, thanks to the centralized data storage of all options, automated creation will be possible up to 99 per cent of the time. The decisive factor for us is that the quality of our products must not suffer in any way."
With Library design and Project generation, Eplan offers a powerful tool for the automated creation of circuit diagrams, which significantly simplifies the engineering process. The cloud-based software enables users to generate projects at the touch of a button. Circuit diagrams can be generated directly in the internet browser and are already available in the quotation or preliminary planning phase. This not only makes processes more efficient, but also significantly reduces errors. Medium-sized companies such as Rondo Burgdorf AG are thus ideally positioned to continue to compete successfully on the global market.
About Aveniq
Aveniq is a leading Swiss IT service provider primarily active in the financial services, healthcare, industrial, utilities, public sector and education industries. Aveniq offers innovative services for the modern workplace, cloud solutions, SAP consulting and implementation, digitalization solutions, CAD/PLM solutions and consulting services with a focus on IT infrastructure, IT security and business continuity.
Author: Andreas Leu
Copyright for all images: Lion Communication