MD engineering GmbH uses IXON Cloud to service yachts on the high seas

The particular problems of ship applications and how the IXON Cloud helps to minimise business trips to the Caribbean.

MD Engineering GmbH, a company based in Bochum-Wattenscheid, Germany, is an internationally active provider of customised automation and control concepts. One of the specialties of MD engineering GmbH are applications on ships, such as the automation of hydraulic systems, cranes or boarding equipment.

The extreme environmental conditions on ships impose an increased need for maintenance and servicing. 'It happens that salt water penetrates the ship and damages sensors. Heavy loads in combination with ship movements due to swell can also trigger technical problems,' reports Dr. Eng. Thorsten Quent, CEO of MD engineering GmbH. 'Therefore, it is very important that we are able to detect faults quickly and also troubleshoot them.'

Remote maintenance at sea

Thorsten Quent describes how valuable remote access can be: 'A few years ago, we had a problem with a 110-meter yacht somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. A smaller sailing yacht was to be launched from this yacht via a crane - but the crane stopped halfway. This was of course a problem, because with a crane stalled half-way including the sailing yacht, the yacht could not continue - so this case had to be solved immediately'. 

'Especially when the owner is on board, time is a critical factor. Thanks to remote access, we were able to solve the problem within a few minutes. It turned out that a valve had jammed and blocked the crane,' reports Quent. Remote maintenance not only saves time, but also considerable costs: 'In the past, we had to fly out for faults that could sometimes be fixed within five minutes - sometimes as far as the Caribbean,' recalls Quent.

But it's not just maintenance that is now done remotely: 'In the past, it was common practice to still have to go on board for commissioning, but the limitations of the Corona pandemic have taught some of our customers otherwise,' says Quent. 'The user-friendliness of the IXON solution helps us immensely with remote commissioning. There's no need to study a manual for this; it's a simple plug-and-play solution,' he explains.

The user-friendliness of the IXON solution helps us tremendously with remote commissioning.

IT experts on board

This user-friendliness, especially for inexperienced users, is particularly important because the large yachts usually have their own IT specialists on board, who may not yet have any experience with the IXON solution. 'These large yachts have their own IT people on board who are also responsible for IT security. In some cases, there are situations where remote access cannot be implemented with an external solution because of their own IT policy. Then it becomes a hassle and we have to direct the remote service via the connected laptop of the IT specialist on the ship,' explains Quent.

When it comes to Quent, this inconvenience should soon be a thing of the past. 'We want to convince our customers to use the IXON solution with us,' he says. The user-friendly handling of the platform - even on the move - is a big plus. 'I can even use my smartphone to log into the IXON Cloud to check on the status of our systems. The IXON Cloud allows us to create different user profiles for ourselves and our customers - it all works intuitively, without the need of reading a manual.'

I can even use my smartphone to log into the IXON Cloud to check the status of our systems.

Dr. Eng. Thorsten Quent - CEO of MD engineering GmbH

In addition to the point of convincing more customers of the IXON solution, Quent already has concrete plans on how the IXON Cloud can be leveraged in the future: 'As a next step, we would be interested in setting up alarms and notifications (via data logging). We want to proactively contact the crew of the yacht and notify them that maintenance is needed soon - even before they reach out to us.' This step toward preventive or even predictive maintenance is the logical next step on the path to IIoT maturity - a path that IXON is accompanying from connectivity to full IIoT maturity.

Benefits of IXON Cloud solution for MD engineering:

• User-friendly and intuitive platform
• Worldwide remote access & commissioning
• Time and cost savings through remote service
• Role-based user management
• High customer satisfaction through fast remote support

Want to know more about remote access with IXON Cloud? Learn more.