VIRO focuses on system integration for Machine Construction and Industrial Projects

In LinkMagazine, Jacob Vlasma and Edwin Brunenberg discuss in detail the added value that VIRO provides clients in the field of system integration for Machine Construction and Industrial Projects. VIRO can cover the entire chain - from specification to realization and commissioning of a machine or installation.

VIRO is a multidisciplinary engineering firm that can cover the entire chain for clients, based on system integration, from specification to realization and commissioning of a machine or installation. Coming from a mechanical orientation, VIRO has strengthened itself in electrical engineering & instrumentation and software & control in recent years. This means that VIRO can provide system integration in both industrial projects, where the scope has always included the complete installation, and in mechanical engineering, where system architecture and advanced control nowadays determine the added value.

Strong in system architecture

VIRO has 700 employees and, in addition to the head office in Hengelo (Ov), has four branches in the Netherlands, three in Germany and one in Austria. The internationally operating engineering firm specializes in engineering and project management and focuses specifically on Product Engineering, Machine Construction and Industrial Projects.

'Holistic' look

VIRO was known as a mechanically oriented engineering firm, but it has always worked multidisciplinary in industrial projects. That says Edwin Brunenberg, department head of Industrial Projects in Echt. 'With electrical and instrumentation technology, plant design, construction and architecture, we cover a wide range of disciplines for clients in the chemical, energy and paper market segments, among others. We always look at the factory or production facility as a whole. It must run with maximum efficiency, by generating maximum output with as little downtime as possible. To achieve this, you need a total view in engineering and you cannot focus on technical details.'

Mechanical engineering

In mechanical engineering, a broad, 'holistic' view is also necessary, explains Jacob Vlasma, Hengelo branch manager. 'High-tech is developing rapidly, the interactions between the various subsystems are becoming increasingly extensive and therefore the complexity of projects is increasing. We are happy to go along with this; this provides an extra challenge in our work. That is why we have strengthened ourselves in hardware engineering and routing, for electrical engineering and instrumentation, and in software engineering, for control, all summarized in SIM (Smart Industrial Machinery). This makes us a full partner for our customers, so that they can concentrate on their specialty. We control everything around it, including the entire supply chain. Our customer does the system integration for his machine, we do the module or part machine that we supply to him.'

As a multidisciplinary engineering firm, VIRO uses the well-known V model for mechanical engineering projects, says Jacob Vlasma. 'Many customers also work with that. It helps us to properly record the engineering processes and share the right information at the right time with the right team members, internally and at the customer. We work closely with the customer, especially in the initial phase of a project, to know exactly what he wants and to be able to immediately validate whether that corresponds with what we are developing.' It all starts with customer demand. 'Sometimes we draw up specifications together and develop a concept, sometimes we first conduct a feasibility study for the new product or system.' If there is confidence in the new product, VIRO will detail the specifications by questioning the various customer stakeholders - from management, production, testing department, etc. 'With the team, led by a system architect, we translate the question into a functional overview: which functions are needed to meet the specifications. We develop that functional overview into a system design. We sit down with the various disciplines to gain and maintain an overview of the interaction between the subsystems. By working in sprints and creating demos, we regularly check whether the information has been properly understood, in order to prevent a proliferation of interpretations. We also ensure that the supply chain is connected early in the development process, so that it can contribute ideas about feasibility. Because we do have prototypes and small series built, but it is not our ambition to take care of series production ourselves. We have a good team of project managers and system architects to manage this engineering process. This process control in combination with personal contact with the customer makes us strong.' Vlasma does want to expand its hardware and software engineering workforce. 'The goal is to grow the department to approximately 55 to 60 FTEs in 2021.' The recent acquisition of a software company fits in with that ambition Dacon ECP; see the Dutch April issue of Link.

Industrial projects

The V-model approach has been common in the industrial branch for some time, adds Edwin Brunenberg. 'Within industrial projects, the focus has always been on system integration, with a lot of time spent on coordination between the disciplines in the concept phase. Because the industry is used to chopping up the actual engineering and realization of installations and outsourcing them to various partners or contractors. Moreover, we see a trend that the end customer has less and less technical knowledge. This means that we must protect the customer in a project - at both concept and detail level - from technical problems that he can no longer foresee himself. For example, in the field of machine or process safety: with some adjustments to an existing installation, safety can no longer be guaranteed.'

Within VIRO, the worlds of Machine Construction and Industrial Projects learn from each other to approach system integration, says Brunenberg. 'They seem to be far apart; the millimeter accuracy in a process installation, for example, is far from sufficient for a semicon machine. However, they do match in terms of process, especially in project management and the disciplines of control technology and electrical engineering. We do see that, for example, a control in industry must last 10 to 15 years without the need for changes, while in mechanical engineering updates are possible much faster.'

New tender model

The process industry is somewhat more conservative than the high-tech industry, Brunenberg explains, but VIRO naturally also responds to new technological developments for this industry. 'Controls are becoming smarter and the intelligence is located at a lower level in the machine or installation. And mechatronics will increasingly replace 'old-fashioned' drives.' But he does not yet see a revolution breaking out around Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT). 'The technology has been available for a long time. Although sensors have become cheaper and big data is now very easy to process, I have not often been surprised by a brilliant angle or a truly new business case. The knowledge, skills and technology for IoT are there, now it is time to think 'out of the box'.'

The changes in the relationship with clients for industrial projects are spectacular. Brunenberg refers to the tender model and illustrates this with a project for TenneT, operator of high-voltage electricity grids. This involved the engineering of new switching and distribution stations and in particular the renovation of existing ones. 'Previously we had to engineer them in accordance with detailed regulations from TenneT on how those stations had to be built. In the UAVgc model (an integrated form of contract in which the responsibility for the design has shifted from the client to the contractor, ed.) we can largely determine the content ourselves based on the requirements drawn up by the client. Naturally, we must demonstrate that the result meets all requirements. VIRO was the first engineering firm to adopt this new working method for TenneT. That took blood, sweat and tears, but together with the client we achieved a good result.' Talking about integration.

Interested or curious about what VIRO can do for you? Please contact:

Jacob Vlasma (+31 74 850 4000, j.vlasma@viro.nl)
Branch manager
Hengelo branch

Edwin Brunenberg (+31 6 535 841 23, e.brunenberg@viro.nl)
Head of Department Industrial Projects
Establishment Echt

They will be happy to visit you or speak to you in the office nearest VIRO branch.