Austro App, Austro Direct and Austro Intelligence are set to fulfil a wide array of functions within the company, adding value for their customers in their dealing with the company and making it convenient to do business.
Austro App
The newly developed Austro App is still in its infancy and will, for the time being, be used mostly as an information and notification module through which Austro can instantly communicate with its customers, sharing everything from critical information to specials, new products, catalogues and user manuals at the touch of a button.
Austro Direct
Austro Direct is a newly established e-commerce platform on which clients can place orders online. In addition, view statements, as well as purchase histories via this platform.
Currently two of Austro’s product lines, namely the tooling and adhesives divisions, are accessible via this platform but further development will likely see more of the product lines being accessible via Austro Direct.
Austro Intelligence
Austro Intelligence is set to become an integral part of the company’s offering to its clients and is currently being tested with customers countrywide.
The application is a monitoring system that measures the optimal running of machines in real time and much like some asset tracking systems, reports on, for instance, running time versus time in use, number of machine stops and machine abuse.
The application is able to detect abnormalities in the operation of the machine and this is reported on in real time via email or the telegraph messaging platform.
According to Vaughn Middleton, Austro’s key accounts manager, the system is installed on the particular machine and is then able to measure certain aspects of the running of the machine, including when the machine is drawing abnormally high amps, meaning that its capacity is being overextended.
“This could be caused by a blunt saw blade, meaning the motor has to work harder to get the job done, or even by misuse by an operator, who, for instance, tries to cut too fast, therefore forcing the board through the saw at a higher speed and pressure that it is supposed to go,” says Middleton.
“This will help clients identify problems and monitor the operation of machines to the extent that they will be able to plan preventative maintenance, resulting in fewer down times due to breakages.
“In this way, clients will be able to identify, firstly, when, for instance a blade is nearing its time for sharpening or replacement, or whether the machine is being used to its optimal use or possible overworked or underutilised.”
According to Middleton, this application too is under constant development and the company plans to add more functionality to the application as development progresses with the rollout to all customers who are interested in the system to manage their assets. The system is backwards compatible and will work on almost any system, from panel saws to the most complicated CNC equipment.
Austro is currently in discussion with numerous OEMs to install the system during the manufacturing stage of equipment.
