KM.ON is launching its new Digital Production Management (DPM) at ITM 2024 in Istanbul. The software solution supports production and shift managers of warp knitting companies in their daily work and offers one thing above all: transparency, control and optimization across the entire production process.

A pilot version of DPM was already presented to various customers last year. KM.ON Marketing Manager Mark Thomas spoke to Yevgeniya Nedilko, Cluster Lead Operational Excellence at KM.ON, about the feedback from the first presentations on the market and innovations in the solution presented for the product launch.

MT: The DPM was teased for the first time at ITMA 2023 in Milan. How did visitors react to the new development for digital production management?

YN: The product we presented was a complete success. The visitors were very interested and it became clear that we can answer many of their questions with our DPM. The close cooperation with pilot customers has paid off.

We also received praise for the clear look and feel of our new solution and have already generated many product inquiries from potential customers. Our sales colleagues have already had their first sales talks. In addition, there were always interested parties who wanted to participate in the further development of the software as pilot customers. The response was therefore great and encouraging.

At the ITMA, we also held in-depth discussions to find out what other requirements our customers have for the DPM. This enabled us to understand the market even better.

MT: What changes to the prototype solution has a better understanding led to? What new features will the product have when it is launched at ITM 2024?

YN: Over the past year, we have extensively developed the DPM in terms of data collection and processing. Our focus here was on data quality. We wanted to ensure that the measurements provided were highly accurate.

We also rethought, deepened and redesigned the reporting. The customers can now see significantly more key values of their production processes bundled in one place on Home View and use newly added features. These include the Machine Speed Report, Output & Efficiency Report and Activity Report.

Also new is an input device that the operator can use to enter further information from the shopfloor. The recorded input can include all activities related to the machine. We want to map far more information in the DPM than the KARL MAYER machines can provide us in the digital way. The goal is full transparency on the shopfloor. It enables customers to optimize their processes with the right measures and thus increase their efficiency.

MT: What was the starting point for the update before the launch?

YN: A year ago, we strategically decided to develop the DPM in depth rather than expanding its breadth at this stage. As a result, we put advanced features such as production planning, which are primarily relevant for markets such as Germany and the USA, on hold. Instead, we concentrated on the major textile markets such as Turkey and China. Reporting and shopfloor transparency are particularly in demand here. We covered these needs in the first step of our further developments.

MT: Are there any further steps? What optimizations or additions will follow?

YN: In the future, we want to expand the range of functions to include production planning, yarn management and ERP integration in order to cover additional customer needs and enable more in-depth integration of production processes.

However, before that, we would like to continue improving our reporting capabilities, further refine them, and introduce new metrics and analyses.

MT: How can customers purchase the solution?

YN: All interested parties can contact our sales team for a qualified consultation. After discussing the customer's specific needs and carrying out an in-depth analysis, a recommendation will be made as to which machines should be connected and how in order to fully exploit the potential of the DPM solution.

We will provide a trial version of the DPM on request to customers who want to convince themselves of the DPM on their own shopfloor.

TM: Thank you very much for the interesting interview.