At first, Linco Food Systems were struggling to implement Experior into their workflow, but that all changed when a young intern took the matters into his own hands – and now they are reaping the benefits. This goes to show how hiring digital natives is crucial in helping companies digitize.

Faster commissioning. Lower costs. Less risk. Better quality. And many more. By now, the industry benefits of Digital Twins and virtual commissioning are pretty clear, but still many companies struggle to implement the technology.

There can by many reasons why implementation of new technology is hard, but for many companies the overarching one is time, and the Danish machine builder Linco Food Systems is no exception. When they first started using Experior, the work quickly got underprioritized.

“When the bustle of everyday life hits, customer projects are prioritized higher than R&D projects and working with Digital Twins,” says Karsten Munk Matthiesen, Manager of Business Process and Area Control at Linco Food Systems who manufactures machines for the poultry industry.

A fun way to program

That was all going to be turned around by a young automation technician intern. While Linco Food Systems were struggling to implement Experior in their workflow, Kachen Siam Temrat was using the software for PLC programming as a part of his education at Aarhus School of Marine and Technical Engineering. And he liked what he saw.

“It was a fun way to learn to program. Instead of just seeing small lights bulbs light up, you actually see what you’re programming for in 3D and all the processes involved,” says Kachen Siam Temrat who always had an interest in 3D, drawling CAD drawings for 3D printing in his spare time.

He liked working with Experior so much that he wanted to continue with the software at a real company. That was when he contacted Xcelgo to learn which companies in the area were using the software and could benefit from having an intern work full time with Experior.

Intern turned it around

An internship was set up with Linco Food Systems and Kachen Siam Temrat got to work immediately.

“Siam’s internship quickly kickstarted our use of Experior. In collaboration with Xcelgo, we’re now developing and using Digital Twins of our products,” says Karsten Munk Matthiesen from Linco Food Systems.

Even though Kachen Siam Temrat only started at Linco Food System in February 2019, they have already reached a whole new level in their work with Experior.

“The internship and our collaboration with Xcelgo has in every possible way sent us in a new and more digital direction, and we have gotten further than I could ever imagine in such a short time period. That is something that we’re really proud of,” Karsten Munk Matthiesen says.

Consequently, it was an easy decision to permanently hire Kachen Siam Temrat on a contract from this summer where he graduates. When he starts, he will focus solely on gaining an even greater knowledge on how Linco Food Systems can further benefit from using Experior, and he is happy to continue his work at the company.

“At has been very exciting to work with Experior at Linco Food Systems, because in contrast to at school the product is actually used for something in the real world,” Kachen Siam Temrat says.

Into a new age as a system supplier

Already, Linco Food Systems are experiencing the benefits from the collaborations with Xcelgo, as they are now able to test and verify their systems virtually instead of as part of a regular onsite Factory Acceptance Test, or FAT.

“Our systems are too big to allow for FAT testing, so now we use Experior for virtual FAT testing of our delivery to reduce onsite commissioning time and ensure top notch quality,” Karsten Munk Matthiesen says.

As Linco Food Systems are moving from being machine suppliers to supply whole systems, it is no longer just about the machines but also the associated processes, and Karsten Munk Matthiesen sees great opportunities in utilizing Experior in that transition.

“With Digital Twins, we can simulate the process flow and ensure that machine upgrades have been through substantial virtual testing before installation. Experior gives us the opportunity to test and validate changes continuously,” Karsten Munk Matthiesen says and adds:

“Xcelgo has helped us into a new age as a system supplier, where data is getting more and more important for the final delivery.”