Data Sharing Revolutionises Maintenance at Hydro Extrusion &

Hydro Extrusion & Components Nenzing, a mid-market aluminum extrusion and components manufacturer, faced a growing challenge common in modern industrial machinery environments: new automation technologies were generating more operational data than the plant could effectively act on. Production variables, equipment parameters, and process signals were captured across the facility, but access remained siloed — operators could only view data at fixed line-side HMIs and dedicated workstations. This fragmented visibility made it difficult to correlate variables in real time, slowing response to developing equipment issues and contributing to unplanned downtime that interrupted production schedules and eroded output quality.

Hydro Nenzing implemented ThinManager, Rockwell Automation's thin client and content delivery management platform, to centralize and democratize access to plant-floor data. ThinManager aggregates data streams from existing automation infrastructure and delivers them securely to any authorized device — including mobile terminals and remote workstations — without requiring data to be replicated or applications to be individually installed on each endpoint. Rather than replacing the existing control architecture, ThinManager was integrated on top of it, extending visibility across roles and locations. This approach enabled maintenance personnel and engineers to monitor equipment parameters from wherever they were working on the plant floor, supporting earlier identification of abnormal conditions before they escalated into failures.

The deployment delivered measurable improvements across quality, efficiency, and safety at the Nenzing facility. With real-time access to variables and parameters from any location, operators could appraise process conditions instantly rather than waiting to reach a fixed terminal, directly improving product quality consistency. Broader data visibility enabled the team to detect developing issues earlier, reducing unplanned downtime and the production losses associated with it — a key sustainability gain given the energy intensity of aluminum extrusion. Safety improved as well: personnel no longer needed to approach machinery to check status, with relevant data accessible remotely. The net effect was a leaner, more responsive maintenance operation built on the existing automation investment.

• Data access is as important as data collection — capturing operational data delivers limited value if staff can only view it at fixed points; mobility of access enables faster response.
• Overlay solutions reduce deployment risk — ThinManager extended existing PLC and HMI infrastructure rather than replacing it, shortening integration time and protecting prior capital investment.
• Unplanned downtime has compounding costs in energy-intensive manufacturing; predictive visibility that prevents even occasional unplanned stoppages can justify the initiative on its own.
• Safety gains from remote data access are often underestimated — reducing the need for personnel to be physically proximate to operating machinery is a measurable risk reduction.
• Start with a clearly scoped integration into existing systems before expanding scope; Hydro Nenzing's approach avoided a greenfield overhaul in favor of incremental, low-disruption deployment.