"Small companies that are expanding inevitably lose oversight of their tools at some point," says Daniel Friedrich, who is responsible for the cloud-based entry-level solution for digital tool management at TDM Systems. This is because more orders, small batch sizes, a broad production range and more employees always also mean there is a greater tool variety. Previously, small companies had to live with this diminishing tool overview. This is because the barriers to entry into digital tool management were often too high for them. TDM Cloud Essentials is now changing this.
The entry-level solution from TDM Systems allows companies to quickly and easily get started with digital tool management. This is because one of the greatest barriers to entry for smaller companies – the initial investment – is no longer necessary with TDM Cloud Essentials. The solution is offered as a Software-as-a-Service model and offers customers the option to use it as a subscription. This allows them "to start small and discover which benefits they will find from digitalizing their tool data, and where they will find these."
And, because small productions do not usually have sufficient manpower in order to be able to launch complex IT projects internally, TDM Cloud Essentials, as the name already suggests, was developed as a cloud solution. Users only have to register online and they can get started immediately without any installation required.
Another advantage: The solution is so intuitive that the users do not require any software training or induction. This appeals greatly to small companies because "two people participating in a training course for several days is immediately noticeable on the shopfloor." If, contrary to expectations, users nonetheless do not understand something, they can contact TDM Systems directly using an integrated button. "We take suggestions for improvement extremely seriously because our goal is to offer a truly intuitive entry-level solution," says Friedrich.
That the solution is so easy to use is due to the fact that, with the entry-level solution, users only work with the tool data that offers them the greatest benefit. The effort for importing the data is low for the user. This is also ensured, among other things, by the free access to the TDM WebCatalog with tool data from leading manufacturers. The prepared data is directly transferred from the TDM WebCatalog and offers a great basis for subsequent export into a CAM system.
Although it is an entry-level solution, the improvement potential for the company is high. That is because the daily challenges of tool management, particularly in small companies, were analyzed in great detail by TDM Systems before developing the solution. Friedrich's agenda therefore also already contains additional "to-do" items. For example, by 2022, it should be possible to transfer the tool data to programming systems at the touch of a button. And there should also be a reordering notification in the future.
This informs the user that the stock of an article has fallen below a set minimum threshold. This means that reordering can be triggered quickly. A newly acquired overview, which will be especially appreciated by small companies. This is because the notification triggering a repeat order will certainly reduce the occurrence of machine downtimes and of orders not being processed because a tool is missing.
And, if users who opt for TDM Cloud Essentials want to comprehensively digitalize their processes at some point, this is also not a problem: The data can be effortlessly transferred to a larger TDM solution. That is why Friedrich is sure: "With TDM Cloud Essentials, small, expanding companies will regain an overview of their tools and that will make them more agile and competitive".