The new EU directives state that every technical appliance must be accompanied by appliance-specific operating instructions in the language of the country concerned. For special machines such as weaving machines, which come with different equipment specifications, a modular system consisting of operating instructions, servicing instructions, setting defaults, lubrication guidelines and a spare parts catalogue is also included.

It is thus easy to end up with a filing system extending into several volumes. In the weave room, where different machines with varying specifications stand side by side, the maintenance and updating of this documentation not only calls for a certain amount of time and trouble but also a reliable employee who will deal with all updates inmediately and with the requisite degree of care. Even browsing through the pages to find the required informations.

However, all that is a thing of the past

With EPOS, DORNIER weaving machines are entering an entirely new era. DORNIER has filed the complete, unique documentation for each individual machine configuration on a CD-ROM, thus providing the user with perfectly coordinated documentation for each machine model in the weave room. If the information is changed or updated, a new CD is sent to replace the preceding version. No more filing needed - complete, up-to date information is always on hand. Beneficial side effects are a reduction in the space required to house the "documentation encyclopaedia", and lower mailing costs.

How does this switch to CD work in practice? Let us run through the procedure to be followed when a certain spare part is required for a machine. The maintenance technician takes either a notebook or a PC with CD drive and inserts the relevant CD. Since the entire CD-ROM has been programmed under Windows, no special PC knowledge is needed. All subsequent steps are also interface-prompted, so that intuition alone is enough to operate the system perfectly.

The weaving machine can be selected in the start window. First an overall view of the machine is displayed. Clicking on a certain assembly opens a table with all the relevant catalogue pages. Individual components or assembly groups can be called up from here as numbered exploded drawings. Clicking on the individual part causes this to be displayed with its ident number. The integral database ensures that the current version of the correct, unambiguous ident numbers for each machine is always entered, ruling out errors in transmission and inverted numbers in advance.

The selected parts can now be collected by means of a shopping basket function and combined to produce an omnibus order, for example, or printed out at once for a flash order. In some cases the prices are already filed on the CD; EPOS can be used to request a quotation for the other articles. Queries on account of illegible entries or misunderstandings are also eliminated.

The onward flow of order data is likewise subject to a completely new tempo: orders can be transmitted directly to Lindau or to the respective agency office in a matter of seconds via fax modem or data line, with the parts requested also being delivered more quickly.

Once the goods ordered have arrived, the individual parts, e.g. sealing rings of similar appearance, can be allocated unambiguously to the respective machine part as the spare part delivered is identified from the order on the corresponding page of the catalogue. A materials handling program is being offered to this end from the first quarter of 1997. As is to be expected from an interactive medium, the potential of this one-way application is far from exhausted. From the first quarter of 1997 EPOS will also provide detailed information on how to install, adjust and lubricate the spare part. All the required settings for an assembly can be called up via the menu bar underneath the respective illustration. For machines delivered prior to the introduction of this feature, the upgrade will be supplied retrospectively free of charge.

Of course, this system is used to best advantage with the notebook directly by the machine, but even with a stationary PC it is possible to exploit the benefits of the swift search and locate facility and the precise, up -to-date descriptions. A print-out of a single page, which can be taken to the machine, suffices in place of a thick manual. Often it is also enough to check the latest information on the monitor, and thus one only has to print out the amount of information actually required.

In addition to the operational advantages it offers, EPOS can also be used to produce technical assessments and operating evaluations. Machines or assemblies which are due for a service can be overhauled or replaced in good time to avert unforeseen machine failures and thus optimize the profitability of the weave room as a whole.

EPOS - a new standard for the future.