News & Blogs
Stay updated with the latest news, insights, and expert blogs from Emixa. Explore industry trends, digital innovations, and company updates all in one place.
Future-Proof Project Management: Emixa Prefab for SAP S/4HANA
Emixa has developed specialized SAP add-ons designed for project-based organizations, with a strong focus on the construction and installation industries. Although our Prefab SAP solution was introduced decades ago, it remains highly relevant today, especially with several exciting new developments on the horizon.
How Do Trends in the Construction Industry Affect Your Organisation?
The construction industry is evolving rapidly due to technological innovations, sustainability requirements, and new regulations. Building Information Modelling, modularity, circularity, inner-city construction, net-zero building, and the war for talent—these are just a few of the trends you can't afford to miss. How will they affect your organisation? In this Better Building blog, you’ll discover how your organisation can make informed decisions using Emixa's Competing Interests Model.
Emixa Celebrates Strong Debut at the 2024 Computable Awards
Last night (Thursday, 27th November), Emixa proudly attended the 2024 Computable Awards, held at the iconic De Polar at Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. With this year’s theme, “Faster, Higher, Stronger” — inspired by this year’s Olympic Games in Paris — the event celebrated the top performers in the Dutch ICT market.
MTA Accelerates Innovation with Siemens NX CAD and Teamcenter
A company’s success often depends on the efficiency and future readiness of its processes. For MTA, innovation is at the core of everything they do. As a leading developer and producer of high-tech mechatronic systems, MTA specializes in cutting-edge solutions for industries such as medical technology, agriculture, and industrial automation. From surgical robots to 3D metal printers, MTA delivers precision-engineered products that set new industry standards. However as the complexity of their designs and processes grew, MTA recognised the need for a more robust, integrated solution to support their ambitious goals. Enter Siemens NX CAD and Teamcenter —an advanced, transformative combination that has empowered MTA to stay ahead.
The True Impact of Siemens Teamcenter Implementation
One of our customers, AAE is an advanced high-tech manufacturer that designs and produces solutions in Production Automation and Advanced Systems. AAE pushes the boundaries of technology, so their customers can be the most competitive player in their market. Their advanced solutions enable organisations to create smarter, faster, more stable and cost-saving production methods. AAE supplies a wide range of markets in various industries including the medical, automotive, semicon, food and drink, toys and games, office supplies, photovoltaic, analytical and the life sciences industry. As an organisation, they contribute to products and solutions that benefit society in so many ways, making us smarter, more innovative, conscientious, sustainable and safe, and, of course, more fun. In recent years, AAE has grown rapidly, both in terms of revenue and workforce. Whereas previously the lines of communication between the business operations and the shop floor were short and informal, the growth AAE is experiencing means that the organisation has had to formalise their technical management structure. The key being to create consistency with regard data integrity, i.e. a "Single Source of Truth". As a result, AAE needed to make further improvements in how they manage their technical documentation. Siemens Teamcenter provides the solution for this. Implementing Siemens Teamcenter has a huge impact within a company, especially within a high-tech organisation where the technical documentation forms the basis of the products that are delivered to customers. Data integrity is essential within a high-tech company like AAE, in order to deliver quality to their customers efficiently. Working with the so-called "Master Model" principle ensures that the data is managed in one place and that the entire organisation can rely blindly on the validity of the data, and use it without any issues. By integrating the various CAD applications and ERP within Teamcenter, the need to carry out manual transfers of technical data is reduced to a minimum. Advantages such as speed, reliability and a reduction in workload are the main drivers behind AAE choosing Teamcenter. The implementation of Teamcenter within AAE is divided into two phases. The first phase is focused on internal IP data, in which AAE is fully responsible for the management of this data. In the second phase, the focus is on securing external data, IP data managed by the customer. The introduction of Teamcenter impacts everyone at AAE from the engineers to production workers, to order intake and financial administration. "We were extremely pleased with the input from our colleagues at AAE. Often, these types of transitions are met with doubt or scepticism. If we’re going to do it then we do it properly, which is why the new system was viewed critically in the early stages. By informing everyone as much as possible about the possibilities the Teamcenter implementation offers, and communicating clearly the journey undertaken by the project group (and AAE as a whole), it has worked out well. `{`..`}` Based on the use of Emixa, we provided high-quality training to all employees, with plenty of time and space for dialogue, explanation, with mutual understanding and respect. As a project team, we made sure it was clear that we are always open to constructive criticism and feedback regarding the solutions that have been implemented.” Rob Hendriks, Project Manager PDM at AAE. In the early stages already, AAE chose for an active integration between Teamcenter and the ERP system (ISAH), so the entire organisation and business operations could benefit from the advantages Teamcenter offers. The system is based multi-cad integration with Siemens Teamcenter, Siemens NX, SolidWorks and EPLAN to safeguard the Engineering Bill of Materials (EBOM). A Manufacturing Bill of Materials (MBOM) can then be determined for production, with the help of Teamcenter, which is communicated with ERP. “AAE has found the use of Emixa to be particularly beneficial. There has always been, and still is, open and respectful communication between us. That’s not to say there weren’t some teething problems when discussing topics like, say, substantive solutions, planning or budgeting. After all, ‘no pain no gain’, as the saying goes.” - Rob Hendriks, Project Manager PDM at AAE. The first phase has been completed, in which the emphasis was on setting up the system and data model for internal IP data. The focus now shifts to setting up external IP data in Teamcenter. Aspects that are of particular interest to AAE include automated import and comparing external data in Teamcenter. Implementing a uniform formal change policy, supported by Teamcenter, will bring AAE a step closer to its overarching objective: continuing to push technological boundaries and providing its customers with the best possible advanced high-tech solutions available. Are you curious about whether integration with Teamcenter could benefit your company? Contact us to find out more.
Pop Vriend Seeds adds Low Code to ICT landscape with the Pop App
The growing global population and demand for healthy, vitamin-rich food are driving the vegetable seed market worldwide. Pop Vriend Seeds, based in Andijk in West Friesland, is a major player in this industry. To better equip its operations for the demands and challenges of the digital era, Pop Vriend Seeds partnered with Emixa. We spoke with Jits Ursem, ICT Manager at the company, about the specifics and benefits of the application developed collaboratively by Pop Vriend Seeds and Emixa.
Protect your Data and Future: Data Protection Module for Mendix
In today's digital landscape, data security and protection have become of paramount importance, especially with the introduction of stringent regulations such as GDPR. For companies using Mendix applications, complying with these regulations is crucial to safeguard sensitive user information. To address these concerns, Emixa has introduced an innovative solution: the Data Protection module. This module can make any Mendix application a more secure place by ensuring data security and GDPR compliance.
Five Reasons to use Mendix in an SAP environment
The degree of digital support also influences the competitiveness of an organization. Complex actions, such as data analysis and process control, can be simplified by using apps. Unfortunately, developing apps is often still considered time-consuming and expensive. Unjustified, as the use of the Mendix platform proves. Low code platform Mendix is a low-code platform. Apps are built by dragging pre-programmed widgets (building blocks) onto a graphical interface. This allows you, for example, to easily indicate where which button should be placed on the page and to which page this button refers. If the suitable widgets are included in the platform, you can develop an app without the intervention of developers. The need to stay close to the standard is normally the Achilles heel of low code. By choosing Emixa, this necessity disappears. Emixa experts can develop new widgets where necessary, so that flexibility in building apps is maintained. Utilising Mendix? What makes the use of Mendix in an SAP environment worthwhile? We list the five most important reasons. Develop apps quickly and easily The Mendix development environment is completely 'drag and drop'. With standard widgets you can easily put together different pages within the application. In addition to the simple way to determine the structure of your page, the Mendix Studio also allows you to easily adjust the logic behind the different pages and buttons to your own liking. Based on microflows, a process drawing based on the well-known BPMN 2.0, the application builder ensures that the various widgets function as desired. The building blocks and process drawings together form the new app. Compared to a 'normal' process, the rollout time of an app is reduced by a factor of five to ten. How much exactly? That depends on the complexity. Simple apps can be set up and deployed within a day. More complex apps naturally require more time. Make app development in line with your organization Mendix is ideally suited to developing apps using the Agile methodology. The User Story approach is fully supported. The clear interface offers project managers, consultants and end users a basis for creating a story in close consultation. You determine the functionality of the app based on task descriptions. Iterations follow each other in rapid succession. You implement new wishes or improvements directly and in a dialogue with end users. Easily integrate with other systems As a strategic partner of SAP, Mendix connects to the ERP environment with standard connectors. It can, among other things, connect to the SAP Cloud Platform and simplify functions within that environment. If there is not yet a connector in Mendix for a specific system, extra attention is required. In that case, a developer must create the connector to grant Mendix access. Be less dependent on full stack developers Mendix is a low-code environment. This makes it relatively easy to assemble apps. A switch to this platform allows you to bypass the scarcity of full stack developers. Business consultants can directly develop applications themselves. This offers an additional advantage: consultants are uniquely able to oversee the processes as an integral part of the business. This responds much more directly to the needs of an organization. 5. Benefit from a reliable and standalone platform Before inclusion in the platform, all widgets running within Mendix are extensively tested. Newly compiled apps use extensively tested code. This reduces the time required to test the compatibility of a new app. The risk of bugs is also lower. At least as safe: by working with connectors, the app is separate from the system from which data is extracted or written. In this way, the SAP Core remains untouched and we therefore also work according to the 'keep the core clean' principle. This makes the transition to a new S/4HANA environment more accessible and the rollout of new apps easier. Choose extra digital power Customized apps give an organization extra strength. The Mendix platform allows you to develop apps quickly and reliably. The low-code environment makes the consultant leading in this process, allowing better communication with end users and eliminating the scarcity of developers. In short, there are many reasons to choose Mendix within an SAP environment. Get in touch Ready to make a business change? At Emixa, we'd be glad to share our comprehensive insights. Contact us to discover how our approach can help your organization thrive in the cloud era. Let's embark a journey towards enhanced efficiency and effectiveness together! Yentl Wynants Yentl is a SAP Consultant and expert in digitizing maintenance processes. He is certified in S/4HANA Asset Management, among other things, and is very well informed about new products such as Mendix, SAP S/4HANA Fiori applications and SAP Intelligent Asset Management.
The (Im)possibilities of ChatGPT for Manufacturing Companies
ChatGPT has become an integral part of daily life, and its results can be mind-blowing. However, its use within the manufacturing industry still appears to be limited. So, what are the opportunities and limitations of ChatGPT for this sector? Emixa's Tjerk van der Maten tackles this issue in a column for Link Magazine, a renowned medium for the manufacturing industry.