The Initial Situation

Knapp, a leading intralogistics specialist, faces the challenge of developing and maintaining complex logistics systems for its customers. Werner Schauer, head of PLC development at Knapp, remembers the early days: "There was no room for experimentation with the beta version."

In 2009, the software landscape for data and version management was still in its infancy, and the selection of suitable solutions was limited. Still, it was critical for Knapp to find an efficient way to manage projects and versions to best meet the needs of its customers.

The Solution

The implementation of AUVESY-MDT proved to be the solution Knapp needed to revolutionize its data and version management. The software enabled automatic versioning and archiving of projects and versions. Schauer explains, "The software compresses versions and ensures that older versions are not lost. This was a significant relief compared to the previous tedious and time-consuming methods based on number and letter combinations.

Most importantly, only the changes are saved, minimizing the amount of data. Knapp uses the software primarily for versioning and archiving customer projects. It's also worth noting that customers have access to the source code, creating a transparent and collaborative development environment. In addition, the ability to directly synchronize programs allows for rapid data recovery in the event of an automation component failure, without delay and with the highest level of security.

The Result

The implementation of AUVESY-MDT has led to a significant improvement in data and version management at Knapp. No less than 1,429 projects with more than 5,720 versions are now monitored with the software. This demonstrates the considerable efficiency gains achieved by the solution. Personalized access for employees and the parallel server license have simplified and optimized access to all versions. "Everyone can easily access all versions with their Windows user name and password," explains Schauer.

Data is stored either on-site on dedicated servers or in a secure cloud environment, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access it. By extending the server license, the Leoben and Sweden sites can now also benefit from the software's advantages. Overall, AUVESY-MDT has optimized the process of data and version management at Knapp and significantly increased efficiency.