KNOLL Maschinenbau is especially well known in metalworking as the leading provider of conveyor and filter systems, as well as pumps that transport and separate chips and cooling lubricants. The automation division has opened up additional fields of application with robust solutions for demanding assembly and logistics tasks. In addition to stationary transport systems with chain and roller conveyors, as well as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), KNOLL now also offers small automation components with a big impact: the Click.it series – devices for networking at the push of a button. Christian Spohn, Head of the Automation Department at KNOLL, explains: "These are primarily easy-to-use buttons that can be used to trigger standardised processes. They eliminate waste by saving employees unnecessary travel and, ultimately, a great deal of time. Click.it makes it possible to significantly streamline production and assembly processes."

Click.it has already proven itself many times over – including at KNOLL in its own factory, where the idea for it was also born in 2018. This happened in the Body Shell Construction Department, where sheet metal parts, flanges, profiles, etc. are joined and welded at KNOLL before they go to painting and assembly.

This department is dominated by manual workstations, such as the 45 or so welding boxes. Joachim Riebsamen, Head of the Body Shell Construction Department, describes the initial situation: "Our aim was to relieve our employees of unproductive secondary tasks so that they could do their work undisturbed. This mainly affected the procurement of missing parts."

Markus Zinser, at that time still a scheduling expert in the Body Shell Construction Department, explains: "It was outdated to visually indicate the absence of a component with a flag and hope that the employee responsible for replenishing the missing parts would see it and quickly take care of it." In his opinion, this should be done more quickly and easily in digital form. His idea: "The welder presses a button and the required missing part is sent directly to him."

Develop it yourself if you can't buy it

Since a suitable solution was not available for purchase, Markus Zinser set about developing such a device himself. With the help of two mechatronics apprentices, he built a small box with five buttons and a display. He programmed the core element, a microcontroller, himself. 

Even during the development phase, Zinser realised that the device could be put to other uses, for example, when an employee at a manual workstation needed support from a foreman or group leader. "Instead of signalling the call for help with a red lamp or setting out to find the foreman by themselves, a single keystroke is all that's needed here too," says Zinser. “The desired person receives a text or audio message on their mobile phone: 'Employee in box XY needs help.' They can react immediately and avoid delays."

Joachim Riebsamen, head of the department, confirms the success: "Our employees have tried out the system with several prototypes and approved it." He therefore had additional devices built on his own, with which he equipped all his welding boxes and other manual workstations. 

How does Click.it work?

Click.it consists of an input unit that is connected to a server via Ethernet or WLAN. The unit processes the incoming signals and triggers corresponding orders, for example, that the foreman's phone rings and a message is received.

The Click.it server is a simple computer integrated into the intranet. It does not require any special capabilities and can also be set up as a virtual machine. Every PC, tablet and smartphone connected to the intranet can communicate with the Click.it server and exchange data, provided the permissions have been granted. Markus Zinser explains: "We have paid strict attention to standardising the hardware and software so that the system runs stably and changes or new developments can be implemented quickly."

Click.it is also suitable for collecting machine data

There have already been a number of further developments. Those responsible for the Body Shell Construction Department quickly realised that the system is also suitable for collecting and evaluating conditions and machine data. "We have built a device that can be integrated into the control cabinet of a machine tool and can tap into the control data there," reports Click.it developer Zinser. The first place the device was used was on an automatic saw. Click.it provides the responsible manager with information about the utilisation of the machine – data that can be used for personnel planning.

Riebsamen describes a second application: "We have a fully automated laser cutting system that cuts sheet metal without an operator. In the event of a fault, a lamp turns red. The machine stops until the fault is eliminated. However, in the automatic mode, no one sees it very quickly. With a Click.it in the control cabinet, we now pick up the fault message. If it is still active after five minutes, a phone call is made to the person in charge, who then takes remedial action. This procedure reduces downtime, which has a positive effect on productivity. 

Customer interest aroused

After visitors to the KNOLL factory had repeatedly expressed their interest in the Click.it system – which unfortunately was not available for purchase anywhere – KNOLL decided to further develop the solution that it had developed for its own purposes as a saleable product. The first public presentation took place at the 2023 Open House. At that time, over 100 Click.it Pros were already in use at KNOLL. The Click.it Pro is equipped with five programmable buttons. Information and status messages are shown in real time on the display.

Click.it Connect, which can be integrated into the control cabinet, was also shown at the open house. It can communicate with other systems via eight digital inputs and four digital outputs. Even the Click.it One was presented which was brand new at the time. With just one programmable button and an additional input for sensors, it is perfectly suitable for simple tasks where space is limited.

Available from stock starting in autumn 2024

Interest in the Click.it solutions was so great that KNOLL has been offering the system for sale since the AMB Trade Fair in autumn 2024. "In the first six months, we delivered over 150 devices," says a pleased Christian Spohn, head of the Automation Department. "We are already producing the devices in small production runs so that we can deliver from stock."

Markus Zinser, who is now part of the Automation Department, is expected to provide further momentum. His main task is to take on board customer requirements and to understand what else customers might need. This could lead to new solutions, which he and his team would then implement. Markus Zinser believes that Click.it is on the right track – for both external and internal customers. A total of over 150 units have already been installed at KNOLL in Bad Saulgau. "The more our employees get to know Click.it, the more ideas they have for how the system can be meaningfully implemented," emphasises Christian Spohn, who also offers Click.it for almost all automation requests. He names a few application examples: "We can use it to generate transport orders for our AGVs or to monitor their parking spaces. Chip trolleys can be ordered to be emptied, either by pressing a button or via a sensor signal. Roller shutters can also be opened and closed automatically with Click.it. The possibilities are almost endless."

Now it's really taking off

In this way, Click.it has conquered additional areas at KNOLL, starting from the Body Shell Construction Department, and has found its way into assembly and production. Niclas Berner, the department head responsible, sees enormous potential in the Click.it system: "It is not only the simple buttons that make processes more efficient. For us here in production, I see the main strengths being in data management. We want to integrate our entire heterogeneous machine pool into the network with Click.it, from the machine tools for turning, milling, sawing and grinding to the laser systems and press brakes, and on to the powder coating system."

According to Berner, this is possible because Click.it offers a simple way to access any data from the controls across all machine manufacturers and make it available to other systems. "Connections to the ERP system or our 3-litre PPS are not a problem," emphasises the production manager. "I want to receive statements from each machine via Click.it regarding the ratio of actual to target times, the percentage of scrap and the downtimes. This provides me with key figures that are useful for planning capacities and eliminating bottlenecks."

What seems relatively simple for machine tools is quite complex for the powder coating system. "For this, there is no ready-to-buy software for machine data collection," says Niclas Berner. "But with Click.it, we are able to design the queries entirely according to our wishes. This way, after the data has been evaluated, we receive reliable information on important factors such as utilisation of the hangers."