“At the end of the day, it is not about finding a software component with specific features but about synergies that generate added business value and sustainable competitiveness for our customers in terms of content,” says Dotschkal. Combining individual products is like a power booster and the high-performance solution platform will be so much more than the sum of its parts. The solution architects at ZEISS now have to gradually merge the entire software portfolio’s tried-and-tested products into the ZEISS Quality Suite, which will incorporate all important solutions for quality assurance processes.
A growing digital ecosystem will accommodate both the growing demand for flexibility and technology-driven developments: Add-ons, apps and third-party systems as well as interaction with all platform partners are just as relevant as the option to incorporate software into peripheral systems, including their flexible use, thanks to on-premise or cloud-based installations. Intelligent, self-learning systems will provide even more active support for future setup and configuration processes, thus reducing the workload for metrology users. As automation increases, lean software and interaction design are also growing in importance.
"Many companies find that a reduced set of features that does not require any training is more attractive than complex system landscapes which require expert knowledge and intensive training,” says Florian Dotschkal, Head of Product Management at Metrology Software. This means: leaving behind complex installation routines and expensive technicians and turning to cloud-based solutions and services with standardized features. Easy operation is just as important as flexibility. If a customer needs a special module for a job or at a location, he has to have the option to flexibly procure or rent a matching software package,” explains Martin Antoni, Head of Strategic Business Development at Metrology Software. “Nowadays, production processes are highly dynamic which also holds true for the software.