How Koch Pac-Systeme is digitizing itself and the packaging industry

Digital twin is a term that has been mentioned in mechanical engineering for quite some time, but until now it has mostly been more of a promise than a concrete solution. So it's reason enough to take a look at the special machine builder Koch Pac-Systeme, which has been strongly committed to the topic of digitization in recent years. What exactly can such a virtual image achieve? And who benefits from it? "The decisive factor in the introduction of the digital twin was our desire to be able to virtually commission a complete system," explains Jürgen Welker, Director of Automation and Technology at Koch. Because this not only allows the design to be optimized before the first "chip has fallen." The performance, such as how the speed of a system can be improved, can also be determined in advance. This simplifies communication with the customer and ultimately leads to a significant shortening of the project duration and overall better quality.

When is a digital twin worthwhile?

The central metric for any decision about acquiring a system solution is the ROI, or return on investment, for companies. In plain English: How long does a new system have to run before it pays for itself? And here the clock doesn't start ticking only when the first product rolls off the line: "The project start for our customers is when their investment application has been approved, the order has been placed, and thus the first money has been invested," says Welker. If a customer, for example, has an ROI of four years as a benchmark, then this runs over the entire time until completion. This is important to know because it can take up to two years for a larger system to be designed, built, and qualified for operation at the customer's site. With this perspective, it suddenly makes a big difference whether a system can produce a few weeks or even months earlier and "make money" for the owner. "Anything that helps us get faster together helps in such situations," comments Welker. Realizing such a virtual commissioning involves considerable effort, as Welker further notes: The larger and more complex a machine project is, the faster the initial investment in a digital twin pays off. At the same time, one must not overlook the long-term benefits. We are currently assuming a five-figure investment. However, we are continuously developing our solutions, so we expect that the costs will decrease over time and thus become attractive for more projects. Here we work and cooperate with the Campus Schwarzwald and other mechanical engineering companies. We hold our own lectures and pass on our acquired know-how in this way." The development of a digital twin is possible not only for new machines but also for existing systems. An important aspect, especially since brownfield projects dominate in Germany. Here, Welker recalls a customer who wanted to bring an old machine up to the current Koch standard. "For this system, we created a digital twin and were able to show what constructive changes were possible. This subsequently shortened the conversion time on site and thus also the production downtime for the customer."

How do customers benefit from the digital twin?

How do users, that is, Koch's customers, actually view the digital twin? “When we address the topic in sales discussions, we feel the great interest of our customers. More and more often, the digital twin becomes part of the specifications in the awarding of contracts,” comments Welker. The advantages are clearly recognizable: the speed of manufacturing the systems increases, which shortens delivery times - buyers can produce and earn money faster. And when considering the entire lifecycle of a system, there are positive effects during modifications, as subsequent changes to the machine can be tested on the digital twin, reducing downtime during a conversion. An advantage with a long-term effect. And another aspect, with a view to ROI, already comes into play before a system is completed: because with the help of the digital twin, personnel can be trained in operation on the virtual counterpart many weeks before the actual commissioning. This significantly accelerates the commissioning and briefing on the physical machine. Those who produce earlier can also earn money again faster.

Are virtual qualifications possible?

“Since we implement many machine projects in regulated environments, we are increasingly considering the possibility of virtual qualification,” explains Markus Böhringer, Director Healthcare at Koch. What can be pre-qualified in the digital twin, for example, before the actual qualification phase begins? “Our customers are currently still having a bit of difficulty with this. Virtual is not real. And when it comes to signing an official qualification document, most would prefer to have tested on the real system,” comments Böhringer. The hope currently lies with the FDA. Because if positive signals come from the regulatory side, this would lead to broader acceptance, Böhringer is sure. So far, the topic has been difficult for individual customers.