Knowledge Base
Brownfield
Industrial environments with existing, often heterogeneous legacy systems and established structures (as opposed to "Greenfield" new planning).
DIN SPEC 77218
Technical services for industrial process engineering plants - Structuring and categorization of industrial performance categories
Data Silos
Isolated data collections within a department or software that are not networked with other systems in the company.
Data Sovereignty
The ability of an organization to exclusively and independently decide on the use, exploitation, and sharing of its own machine and process data – independent of manufacturers (OEMs) or cloud providers.
Digital Lifecycle Record
A central, digital collection of all documents, events, changes, and maintenance throughout the entire lifecycle of an asset.
Digital Twin
A virtual representation of a physical object (machine, plant, component) that stores and mirrors data, states, and history throughout the entire lifecycle.
GAIA-X
A European initiative to build a networked, open data infrastructure. GAIA-X is not a cloud, but a set of rules that ensures data can be exchanged according to European values (sovereignty, GDPR compliance) – regardless of which server they are on.
Hybrid Search
A search technology that combines classic keyword search with semantic vector search to understand the context of a query.
Knowledge Management (Implicit Knowledge)
The process of capturing, storing, and making individual experiential knowledge ("head monopoly") accessible to all employees.
Master Data Quality
The degree of accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data sets (e.g., material numbers in the ERP).
Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
The average repair time. One of the most important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in maintenance, measuring the average time it takes for a failed asset to become fully operational again after a disruption.
Mobile Maintenance
The support of maintenance processes through mobile devices (tablets, smartphones) directly at the site.
No-Code (Industrial)
A development approach that enables domain experts (e.g., maintenance personnel) to create digital applications, workflows, and checklists via drag-and-drop without having to write a single line of code. It is the democratization of digitalization.
OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
A metric (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) that measures how productively a facility operates compared to its full potential.
Obsolescence Management
The strategic process to manage the aging and unavailability of components (hardware & software) before they lead to unplanned plant shutdowns. It is the race against the manufacturer's discontinuation.
Operational Intelligence
The ability to make decisions during ongoing operations not based on gut feeling, but on real-time data and connected expert knowledge. It is the step from 'knowing what was' (Business Intelligence) to 'knowing what to do now'.
Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance that forecasts when maintenance is necessary based on condition data before a failure occurs.
Reactive Maintenance
A maintenance strategy where intervention occurs only after a fault or failure has already occurred ("Run-to-Failure").
Retrofit
The modernization and digitization of existing, older facilities ("Brownfield") to extend their lifespan.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
A licensing and delivery model where software is used as a service over the Internet ("Rent instead of Buy"). The provider takes care of operation, maintenance, and updates, while the customer accesses the application flexibly.
Shadow IT
IT systems, software, or processes (e.g., Excel lists, WhatsApp groups) used by departments without the knowledge of central IT.
Shopfloor Management
The management and control of manufacturing processes directly at the place of value creation (in the hall), often supported by visual dashboards.
Skills Shortage (Demographic Change)
The increasing shortage of qualified personnel in technical professions, exacerbated by the retirement of the "Baby Boomer" generation.
Smart Maintenance
The use of digital technologies (mobile apps, AI, IoT) to increase efficiency and effectiveness in maintenance.
Spare Parts Management
The organization of procurement, storage, and provision of components for maintenance. The goal is the optimal compromise between maximum equipment availability and minimal capital tied up in inventory.