Aarbakke, the 101-year-old manufacturing company with deep roots in Norway’s oil and gas industry, selects Cognite to scale its digitalization efforts.
OSLO, Nov. 1, 2019 -- Aarbakke and Cognite today announced a strategic partnership that will help the manufacturing company achieve its vision of the Smart Factory, an industry-leading facility powered by algorithms that help workers make data-driven decisions.
Aarbakke, based in Bryne, Norway, is deploying Cognite Data Fusion® (CDF), a software package that empowers industrial companies to extract value from their wealth of existing data by transforming it into useful information. Aarbakke is using CDF to break down the silos between its OT (operational technology) and IT systems, combining data from its computer numerical control (CNC) machines, welding robots, ERP, and tool management system to optimize its operations and maintenance routines and cut costs.
Learn more about Cognite Data Fusion® →
“Aarbakke has grown with a strong network of suppliers, and Cognite fits perfectly as a partner that will help break new barriers,” said Inge Brigt Aarbakke, founder and CEO of Aarbakke. “We have been searching for a digitalization partner that shares our vision and ambitions and is able to go that extra mile. The Cognite team is a perfect match for Aarbakke. They have the deepest knowledge and are using their technology to help Aarbakke’s Smart Factory lead the industry in generating value from digitalization.”
Working together, Aarbakke and Cognite have already identified more than 40 specific technology-driven use cases that will generate value by making the manufacturing company’s operations smarter and more efficient. Examples include:
Use case: How Aarbakke and Cognite are extending the lifetime of CNC machines →By using Cognite Data Fusion® to make previously siloed data available to algorithms and workers, Aarbakke is able to see its own operations in new contexts. Aarbakke and Cognite are now using this stream of contextualized data to create solutions that prevent machine breakdowns, minimize idling, and optimize the use of cutting tools, and more.
The story of Aarbakke, whose 10,000-square-meter factory is located just south of Stavanger, is a story of a company willing to transform itself. The company traces its history back to 1918, when the grandfather of current owner Inge Brigt Aarbakke worked as a farrier. Today, the company has 300 employees who perform machining, engineer, assemble, and test equipment for the oil and gas industry, tasks that require complex machining operations on mostly rare materials to achieve highly precise product requirements.
Aarbakke generates about half of its revenue from exports. In the US, important markets include downhole and subsea equipment.
Over the past few years, Aarbakke has pursued a digital transformation. The manufacturing operation are already paperless. The company has for years collected data from its CNC machines and used it to create dashboards, track metrics, and produce reports.
Now the company is ready to take the next step on its digitalization journey. That’s where Cognite comes in.
“Aarbakke combines a proud manufacturing tradition with a future-facing drive to innovate,” said Dr. John Markus Lervik, CEO of Cognite. “We are proud to join Aarbakke on the factory floor to explore how we can accelerate the company’s ambitious digitalization agenda.”
By partnering with Cognite, Aarbakke proudly joins the #DataLiberationFront, a movement across sectors to create a more open, innovative and collaborative industry. This strategic choice aligns well with Aarbakke’s goal of winning the race to Industry 4.0 and becoming an industry leader within digitalization and smart manufacturing.
Contacts:
Michelle Holford
Global head of PR, Cognite
michelle.holford@cognite.com
Rolf Thu
Smart Factory Manager, Aarbakke
rolf.thu@aarbakke.no