HiPath Wireless LAN accelerates production workflows

Siemens Enterprise Communications has installed a wireless network for Hymer AG in Bad Waldsee, Germany, which will enable Hymer to track the position of up to 1800 motorhomes and caravans. The motorhome and caravan specialist chose Siemens for delivery and installation of a wireless LAN (WLAN) infrastructure for its logistical operations. Siemens will also supply Hymer with a location tracking solution provided by technology partner Ekahau, which can track the real-time location of more than 10,000 objects on a single server.

Wireless networks are becoming increasingly important in industrial markets. They enable employee access to the corporate network and voice from literally anywhere on the premises and also boost productivity workflows as companies no longer have to be wired from top to bottom - a complex and expensive task at best of times. Tracking assets and people with Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) over an enterprise WiFi network also optimizes business processes and reduces operating costs.

The solution that Siemens developed in collaboration with Ekahau and has now installed at Hymer includes a HiPath Wireless LAN Controller and a series of access points. The entire network is controlled and managed by the WLAN controller, which links all users via the access points in centrally managed IP subnetworks. Plug-and-play functionality makes it possible to add and configure new access points automatically.

The HiPath access points that are installed both indoors and outdoors on the Hymer factory premises provide consistent radio coverage to every part of the company that needs wireless services. Dynamic data encryption is also guaranteed to protect the network from external attacks.

Every chassis that rolls into the Hymer factory will bear an Ekahau WiFi tag for identification and location tracking purposes. Employees can then use mobile devices, such as PDAs, to check realtime what vehicle has reached what production status and where it is on the premises - even if it is out on the parking lot, where finished motorhomes and campers wait to be picked up. The Ekahau Positioning Engine collects all this information over the WLAN and outputs it to the mobile devices. Production workflows have been shortened as a result; and the company is now able to respond efficiently and quickly to its customer requirements.

"This solution helps us optimize our processes. At any given time, we know exactly where every vehicle is and what status it has reached," says Michael Tregner, Managing Director Hymer. "We are also very pleased with the way Siemens and Ekahau are working together. Their collaboration gives us a cost-efficient solution that lets us exploit the benefits of WLAN technology on the basis of our existing Siemens WLAN."

HiPath WLAN is simple to install and can be configured quickly. In addition, extra services, such as Internet connectivity for suppliers or customers and voice over WLAN, can be integrated with no difficulty. HiPath WLAN complies with the latest security standards, supports fast roaming, features optimal radio coverage and is failsafe.

For further information contact:

Sally Harrison at Siemens Enterprise Communications
01908 855 383 or Sally.Harrison@siemens.com

Neil Jessiman or Paul Nolan at Companycare Communications
0118 9395900 or siemens@companycare.com