43rd FVI Expert Breakfast

Topic: Digital Control Cabinet Folder – The Gamechanger for Your Maintenance – From paper compartment to central, versioned plant file.

The session presented a web-based solution that makes circuit diagrams, test protocols, parameter data, manuals, and other documents directly accessible via a QR code on the control cabinet. The focus was not on a complex large-scale project, but on a clearly defined tool for a specific maintenance pain point.

• Lack of documentation prolongs every downtime: Using the example of converting a star-delta circuit to a soft starter, it became clear how quickly poor data situations can become cost drivers. If current circuit diagrams, manuals, or parameter data are missing, troubleshooting begins with handwritten notes, outdated PDFs, or even an empty filing compartment. The actual exchange is often completed faster than the search for the right information.
• The QR code becomes the access point for the current truth: A separate digital folder is created for each control cabinet. After scanning, circuit diagram, full-text search, files, change markings, and logbook are available. Changes can be directly drawn, later cleanly updated in the engineering system, and then published as a new revision. This way, all parties access the same status – regardless of whether they work at the plant, in the office, or with an external service provider.
• The biggest challenge is not digitalization, but integration: A participant summed up the central practical contradiction: If every new problem were solved with its own app, the maintenance technician would quickly have eleven different tools on the smartphone. Therefore, REST API, SAP connection, embedding in existing mobile solutions, and a consistent rights and role management were demanded. The digital control cabinet folder must not become another island but must integrate into the existing system landscape.
• Running digital and paper in parallel means double chaos: The warning against two simultaneously maintained truths was particularly clear. If an experienced colleague continues to draw with a pencil in the paper plan while another employee updates the digital version, contradictory documentation statuses immediately arise. At the same time, exceptions remain important: In Ex-areas, critical infrastructures, or in the event of a complete network failure, paper can still be useful. A consciously defined process is crucial instead of an unplanned mixed operation.

Classification: From the digital control cabinet folder to the intelligent lifecycle record

This episode fits perfectly with the Hahn-PRO strategy because it shows that operational digitalization works when information is plant-related, easily accessible, and integrated into existing workflows.

• Outdated plans and scattered documents: Maintenance loses valuable time because circuit diagrams, parameters, test reports, and experiential knowledge are distributed across paper folders, network drives, emails, and individual systems. We bundle this information with ADAM in a Digital Lifecycle Record. As a Brownfield-native SaaS platform, ADAM does not require all master data to be cleaned up first. Our hybrid search also accesses historically grown documents and inconsistent designations. This gradually creates usable Operational Intelligence from existing data chaos.
• Too many apps and new data silos: The discussion showed that a good specialized tool alone does not result in a sustainable digital strategy. Without integration, technicians have to jump between SAP, document archive, test software, mobile app, and other individual solutions. We therefore position ADAM not as a replacement for SAP or an existing CMMS, but as an intelligent UX and integration layer. Through open interfaces and no-code workflows, we connect existing systems, automate handovers, and provide the employee with the necessary information in the right context. The leading system remains intact – operational access becomes easier.
• Documentation fails due to the input hurdle: Even the best digital file remains incomplete if technicians do not report back changes, causes, and solutions. Especially experienced employees do not accept additional forms or complicated mobile processes. We solve this problem with voice-based reporting and feedback assistants. The technician describes their work as they would to a colleague; ADAM structures the information, adds the plant context, and permanently stores it in the lifecycle record. This "Captain Kirk approach" turns every repair into new company knowledge without removing human responsibility.

Conclusion: The digital control cabinet folder eliminates the paper problem – ADAM extends this approach to a learning, integrated lifecycle record and turns plant documentation into real Operational Intelligence.