Valmet began developing a business model utilizing the industrial internet in 2017. At that time, it was not yet possible to predict that the model would be put into effective use so quickly due to the coronavirus.
“It’s a way to monitor a customer’s equipment remotely. The method of operation has become more important when the customer is not available. We have learned to do this work in a compelling situation,” says Valmet’s Director of Development for Service Business. Petri Lakka.
In 2019, Valmet acquired the Canadian GL&V business, which was mainly adapted to Valmet's service business. According to Petri Lakka, it was a good example of a well-managed takeover, which continued even during the corona period. The equipment acquired through the acquisitions fit seamlessly into the same operating model as Valmet's equipment.
"We want to be involved in the customer's everyday life. Traditionally, this has meant that we are physically close, we go to the factory, discuss problems and find solutions together. When we return to our home base, we bring in more of our own experts and propose a solution to the customer's needs. Due to the corona virus, such a close presence was prevented, so we had to consider how the service could be developed in the new situation. The direction was clear, we met electronically and we aimed to use the data produced by the customer's production machine more actively than before, because we were not able to see it visually in the factory environment," says Petri Lakka.
"I see a clear trend that companies are more willing to share information related to machine performance more openly than before. Increasing transparency and trust has become clearly more important during the corona period."
Have you developed any special tools for industrial internet infrastructure?
“Valmet’s work culture is one of continuous improvement, so I don’t see any particular leap forward in terms of technology. Perhaps more practices have been implemented that were already in place, such as the data being processed in our Performance Centers. We noticed a year ago that the number of transactions had increased. Figuratively, I could say that we had a bicycle ready, but before the coronavirus, it wasn’t being ridden very much.”
Has corona required staff to learn new things?
"We have had to think about the coverage of the service. Practices have been developed, but they are certainly not yet fully complete. In a digital environment, global service centers are at the peak of expertise, but in addition to this, a local presence is needed. We have also established regional service centers. Through these, challenges that transcend local language and time zones will be solved," believes Petri Lakka.
