SUCCESS STORY

Bekaert Achieves Manufacturing Digitalization

TCS implements data lake and data warehouse solutions fueling Bekaert’s digital journey

Client

Bekaert

Industries

Manufacturing

Service

Digital Plant Analytics

Challenge

Bekaert was looking to modernize its data platform for timely and accurate insights.

The inability to trace genealogy beyond a week's data and absence of diagnostic analysis of plant operations hampered decision making for Bekaert. Lack of automation in benchmarking operations and extensive reporting on plant management posed challenges for the customer. To increase efficiency and effectiveness in multiple focus areas, Bekaert wanted a modern data platform that manages large volumes of data and generates actionable insights. The need of the hour was to drive quality, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and plant productivity based on insights.

Solution

The steel wire major digitalizes manufacturing operations by modernizing data platform

Using a design thinking-led approach, TCS implemented an enterprise-wide data lake and data warehouse platform for Bekaert. To implement the solution, the team leveraged Microsoft Azure platform-as-a-service, Python, and Power BI, infused with accurate data from eight manufacturing execution system (MES) plants globally. The team also created a generic data ingestion solution or easy configuration of a relational database management system (RDBMS). TCS deployed the entire solution in five different sprints delivering around sixty user stories which was consolidated in Power BI dashboards for end user consumption. The deployment also involves implementing business objectives, including ideation and brainstorming to identify key performance indicators (KPI) and collaboration between business and IT for feasibility analysis. All these measures helped the customer drive near real-time insights on material flow, utilization, and quality parameters.

TCS is our preferred application partner, knows very well our legacy environment and has impressive customer references related to Data & Analytics. TCS was a logical choice to co-design, build, deploy and support the new Cloud solution. - Marc Maréchalle, Global IT Team Lead, Reporting & Analytics, Bekaert

Benefits

TCS helps Bekaert become data-driven, from the shop to the top floor.

TCS helped Bekaert make data-driven decisions through a scalable data management system. This mitigated machine failure, enhanced uptime, and increased equipment and production line productivity, there reducing maintenance costs.

The real-time insights provided by the solution optimized man-hour per ton and on time delivery. This helped Bekaert to:

Enhance OEE, production capacity, and energy efficiency
Minimize fracture per ton and increase yield
Implement diagnostic actions
Slash work-in-progress inventory

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