Jochen Renner has been working for Schwörer Fertighaus since 2001 and became Factory Manager in 2013. His responsibilites primarily include “organizational matters at the factory site” with the focus on ideally smooth processes and optimally exhausted production processes. Through the years, 40-year old Renner became a supporter of the granIT MES software. Shortly after the new “Flying Spaces” SchwörerHaus production building had been opened he reports on his experience with the MES granITflow.

granIT: How important is the granIT software for SchwörerHaus?

Jochen Renner: In general granIT software is omnipresent at SchwörerHaus. The software controls the control technology for our complete production which is, of course, the key element in the prefabricated house production at Schwörerhaus. Meanwhile, we serve many other branches – in which graniT and its solutions play a vital role – but the prefabricated house production and its control technology remains our focus. The software is in use since  1993 – and has since then been continually extended.  But granIT has been providing innovative solutions similarly to the Manufacturing Execution Systems MES long before the term of MES had ever been coined.

granIT: What do you think are the most important advantages of MES in production line like SchwörerHaus?

Jochen Renner: It is important the the production control always operates at optimal level and efficiently – also with challenging conditions.  Just imagine a production section with different wall elements: Gable walls, outer walls, inner walls, a gable-end and so on.  They are all produced on different production lines. The MES is responsible for the control itself, but also for the timing and the transparency in the production sections – finally for the optimal capacity utilization in the production line.

 granIT: Optimum utilization also in the economic sense?

Jochen Renner: Definitely! In production sequences such as at SchwörerHaus precise time processes and the coordination of the individual elements is always a sensitive issue. Saving time saves money. If time gets lost due to wrong coordination or sources of error that have been recognised too late or if production sections are too slow it hurts from a financially viewpoint.

granIT: SchwörerHaus has been working with granIT as a partner for decades and has been equipped from the outset with granIT software solutions. But a step-by-step solutions with MES is also possible?

Jochen Renner: Yes, of course. If we were not equipped that well a partial solution would be worth considering. Have a look at our production line: There is the wall production line at which the outer walls and inner walls are produced. There I would start with a new MES system. After that I would integrate the gables into the MES procss and so on.  To put it briefly: In the normal everyday business it is just not possible to impose a MES system at one push. Step-to-step procedures make much more sense and are more concsequent due to learning effects.

granIT: But you have integrated a new MES element in your new production building?

Jochen Renner: Yes, that’s correct, we now start to introduce paperless work. It is just one detail, but it will have, for sure, effects on future processes.

granIT: Generally speaking, a relevant aspect at MES is the transparency of the individual production steps.

Jochen Renner: Absolutely. To put it bluntly: While being on a holiday I can log myself into the system and check the production status and if we are still within time or if there are any problems. This is not possible without MES.

Or have a look at the diversity at the house construction sector.  In the prefabricated houses sector about 55 -60 parts, wall elements, roof and ceiling elements have to be spread to diverse production lines so that they are used to capacity without any lags and all products have to be completed at the same time – remember that the loading hall itself only has a certain capacity, then you are stuck withou a transparent MES.

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granIT: What was the biggest challenge when integrating the new production building in exisiting processes?

Jochen Renner: To be honest:  I was and I am deeply relaxed. With granIT  I have a service provider who had to settle this for SchwörerHaus. And granIT managed this perfect.

granIT: The future of the timber construction industry would look bleak without MES?

Jochen Renner: To put it blainly: The quantities which we achieve at the moment at SchwörerHaus without any problems could not be reached without an MES system.