Tweet

A new laboratory database for Miele

A new laboratory database for Miele
A homogeneous platform for managing tests

Lueneburg, Germany, 21 November 2011 – Werum Software & Systems AG has designed and implemented a laboratory database for the product development of washing machines and dryers for Miele at its Guetersloh site in Germany. Based on a catalogue of test criteria, the laboratory database manages test requests for projects and individual tasks with the objective of verifying test efforts and improving design and development efficiency. The solution is based on HyperTest, a platform for data and information management developed by Werum. The German software company has many years of experience in managing measurement and test data for industry and research.

As a global manufacturer of premium segment household appliances, and true to its slogan “Forever better”, Miele strives to constantly develop innovative products. And that-s why Miele systematically conducts complex tests during product development. The company consistently plans these tests with the laboratory database by means of testing plans, test orders, and laboratory specific test catalogues. For instance, Miele tests the life cycle of washing machines to ensure that they withstand at least 5,000 washing cycles. Products tested in Guetersloh include all of the company-s washing machine and dryer components.

Different test labs – one shared database
Werum-s laboratory database facilitates the coordination process between Product Development and the test laboratories. Miele collects and administers test data in very different ways in the various laboratories. One level above this, the Werum laboratory database manages all test requests and the actual tests from the different laboratory systems across all labs. It also records the relevant measurement data and metadata.

The integrated test equipment administration supports laboratory managers in their daily work. This includes meeting calibration deadlines, locating test equipment and filing test reports. The Werum solution provides transparency at all times by showing the test equipment and components used to equip the test stations at the time of testing. And it is always clear what test environment was used for a test series or tests administered in the laboratory database.

Integrating the administration of different data
Miele-s new laboratory database stores planning and measurement data from the heterogeneous system landscape of different laboratories in a context-sensitive, central, and uniform way. This then makes it easy to search with the integrated search engine. Product Development and laboratory staff can integrate additional information pertaining to tests, test requests, or test objects. These include previous evaluations, descriptions and images.

Conveniently finding needed information
HyperTest links data and files with metadata – either automatically or manually. This allows users to access the desired data using metadata and full-text searches or a navigation view. The user works on a configurable graphical user interface. Various integrated tools ensure that different data and file formats can be conveniently edited and evaluated. Miele-s new laboratory database manages access to stored data and files via an ingenious system of roles and rights. This system determines who can view data, when, and in what form they can edit it. Asymmetrical encryption during user authentication ensures that Miele-s high security standards are met. And the use of Web technology ensures enterprise-wide access to the laboratory database.

Georg Pohl, Head of Laboratory Services for Development and Design at Miele in Guetersloh, sums up the project: “With our laboratory database, we have introduced standard processes for order processing and data storage, created cost awareness, improved adherence to deadlines and made it possible to share data. With Werum as our dependable partner, we know we can rely on the HyperTest solution.”