In our fast-changing world, standing still equals taking a step backwards – and Bekum made the clear decision to move forward. After all, they are one of the world-leading manufacturers of extrusion blow moulding machines. As such, they are constantly developing their technologies and have been setting industry standards through numerous inventions and patents for decades.
Outstanding technologies require outstanding human-machine interaction. The HMI (human-machine interface) that is needed for this interaction must ensure effective and safe operation. After a decade of feature development and the associated new operating options for extrusion blow moulding machines, PESCHKE took on a challenging task: to make the HMI control for the new features and various user personas more efficient and safer to use by the means of our state-of-the-art screen design.
The task was to redesign and replace the original 1024×768 px screen with a spacious 1920×1080 px screen. This allowed the effective integration of the newly developed functions and an intuitive as well as safe operation of the machine via touch screen. The crux of the matter was that the functions of the application had grown over ten years, while the screen design had remained completely unchanged over this period. As this was our client’s first point of contact with the topic of UX/UI, we held several in-depth workshops to identify all user personas and their needs, as well as to visualise them for further use in the project.
What can be summed up in a few sentences is based on comprehensive research as well as the thorough examination of the subject matter and the daily routines of various employees – such as the semi-skilled machine operator or the Bekum service technician. The detailed insights from Bekum’s experienced service and training team helped tremendously for mapping out logical steps for all functions on the new screen, as well as to develop the product design of the control system and the screen design in parallel. And all this had a clearly defined deadline: the new concept was to be presented at a trade fair in the near future.
Transparent and clearly defined processes are important to us. They allow both us and our clients to track our progress from project start to finish. In case plans change, we are able to act flexibly and in time. Our consulting competencies can be relied on during each and every step.
Screen design projects such as Bekum Control 8.0 clearly follow our UX/UI design process ». Examples of the insights we gained from the process with Bekum, among others:
Unalterable deadline: Quality, time and costs form the corners of the „magic triangle“ in project management. On the one hand, they are directly related to each other, on the other hand, one of these aspects usually has clear priority. Since the entire revision and implementation of the new design had to be completed by a fixed fair date, time was the immovable element. However, in order not to minimise the quality in any way, a tight and controlled schedule was particularly important.
To give a brief example: On their way through the production hall, workers must be able to see at a glance whether a machine requires action or if everything is running smoothly and according to plan. This was relevant for the screen design as we will see later.
Even though a lot can be done with touchscreens, they are not invincible. Industrial screens have to withstand harsh working environments, which means that certain applications such as swiping movements (without touching the screen) are ruled out.
Due to the conditions in production halls, machine operators unavoidably have oil traces and dust on their hands. To ensure the faultless operation of the screen regardless of any residues on their hands, Bekum developed an additional rotary control after consulting with our industrial design team. The rotary control makes even highly precise settings possible.
To enable workers to check machine operations at first glance on their usual routes through the production hall, a maximised hierarchy of scale and positioning were incorporated in the visual design. This specifically applies to the start screen and idle mode.
Of course, our designs have a lot to offer in terms of functionality and aesthetics and they make everyday operations easier. However, our designs are about much more. Efficiency, cost savings and the prevention of operating errors are highly important issues we address with our designs too. We firmly believe that the investment into outstanding design should pay off on all levels.
The prevention of operating errors is a particularly important topic as the focus is not only placed on reducing the reject rate, but rather on ensuring the safety of the employees. Mistakes in the design of the user interface therefore must not happen. This is why we put our heart and soul, decades of experience and in-depth research into our professionally executed products – so that our clients and their employees can rely on them without hesitation.
Features are the components of an interface that, when designed right, provide the above-mentioned benefits. Practically all feature suggestions for this project were developed by our UX/UI design team. Features include, among others, a message board for shift handover, a visualisation of shift targets and a solution for quality control. This means we are not only able to redesign existing features, but to also develop new functions with the client’s team.
Intensive, goal-oriented work bears fruit. It is part of our corporate philosophy to offer our clients long-term added value by means of future-oriented working methods and content. Thanks to our holistic implementation of the design project, Bekum Control 8.0 benefits from several key results including:
Projects such as Bekum Control 8.0 are exciting and challenging right from the start – which is exactly what we love. Challenging projects allow us to fully apply our skills in a meaningful way and to constantly expand them. This benefits both us and our clients – for a long time to come.
PESCHKE has a very deep knowledge and understanding of how to build a vision for the future. They bring these ideas to the ground and provide concrete solutions such as realizing a new product ecosystem and integrating connected products. They also have a deep technical understanding of marketing and create great designs for UX/UI. Their comprehensive service is what makes PESCHKE so unique.
Our customers confirm that the design and UX are great. Meanwhile, the PESCHKE team is highly flexible as they grow with us and our developers. Overall, we’ve had a great collaboration.
We’re very happy with the quality of PESCHKE’s work and their feedback. They’re very responsive and helpful. They’re always focused on finding a solution that meets the requirements for manufacturing, but that is also satisfying for us from a design point of view.
Communication was very easy and fast. The entire team is motivated and helpful. Their fast responsiveness, eye for detail and patience for contradicting requirements is impressive.
PESCHKE was focused on fulfilling our objectives. Dedicated to meeting expectations, they produced functional and well-designed deliverables. Upon applying the design to the machinery, we noted an additional improvement regarding ease of use. Accommodating and responsive, the PESCHKE team was receptive to feedback and quickly implemented our idea in the designs.
PESCHKE has successfully collaborated with us on multiple tasks involving UX design, MVP and product development, product ideation, web optimisation, and WordPress development. PESCHKE excels in prototype development and have received excellent marks from internal and external testers regarding product usability. The team has delivered on time and within budget. Moreover, their communication is excellent.
