Streamline Commissioning – All Product Data Available Digitally

The commissioning of complex fluid power systems is often hampered by missing or inconsistent information. Documentation is scattered across various locations, product data is difficult to locate, and coordination between manufacturers, integrators, and operators takes up valuable time.

Fluid 4.0 creates a unified, digital data foundation: Through the Asset Administration Shell, all relevant product and documentation information is available in a structured, cross-vendor format that is up to date and directly accessible. This reduces coordination work, speeds up processes, and increases planning certainty right from the start.

Why Missing Product Data Slows Down Commissioning

Today, the commissioning of complex fluid power systems is often hampered by missing, inconsistent, or hard-to-access product and process information for components from different manufacturers. Without a unified data foundation, application engineers, OEMs, and customers lose time due to lengthy coordination processes.

Traditional documentation spanning different formats and media hinders planning, identification, and the retrieval of operating instructions or spare parts information, thereby delaying commissioning. Digitalization using standardized data models can address these challenges by making all relevant information available throughout the entire process.

Centralized Access to Data for Planning and Commissioning

“As an application engineer, I have to commission complex systems from various manufacturers. Inadequately documented data or unrealistic customer expectations due to a lack of standards in order specifications often added to time and cost pressures. Now, the Asset Administration Shell provides a unified, central data pool containing all necessary information, both for planning with the customer and for the commissioning process itself: I always have up-to-date operating instructions, and can quickly identify products and access interface information. In addition, standards for describing customer applications simplify the planning process.”

Marianne Seiler, Application Engineer

Key Pain Points in the Industry

Lack of standardized product data and documentation
Significant time and cost pressures due to inconsistent information
Media discontinuities between manufacturer data, order specifications, and actual field conditions
Effort required for identifying and accessing operating and spare parts data

Greater Transparency and Efficiency for Manufacturers, Integrators, and Operators

In the commissioning use case, the Asset Administration Shell uniquely maps physical products to their digital data. The standardized description based on the AAS and its submodels ensures vendor independence and consistent information structures. Relevant documentation is available digitally and at any time. This saves time, reduces errors, and simplifies handling during planning and commissioning.

Benefits for Manufacturers

Lower costs and a smaller carbon footprint through reduced paper documentation
Provision of documents tailored to specific needs and products

Benefits for Customers and Operators

Reduced time and cost for obtaining documentation
Unified, cross-vendor data foundation
Fewer errors thanks to standardized application descriptions
Greater transparency and traceability in engineering
Improved coordination between manufacturer, integrator, and customer

Want to take advantage of these benefits for your machines or systems? Talk to us about specific use cases, discuss technical details, and explore some possible next steps. Feel free to contact us with no obligation. We’ll show you how the Asset Administration Shell can make your initial commissioning more efficient.

How Digital Support for Initial Commissioning Works

The “digital nameplate” is a user-friendly way to communicate essential product information to customers. By scanning the integrated QR code, users can easily access the digital twin and all relevant information (such as manufacturer, product name and type, serial number, or order code), as well as the certificates for the fluid power product. In addition, the digital nameplate can be updated at any time, ensuring that all changes or software updates—for example, those carried out during maintenance work—are always reflected.

Thanks to the “Handover Documentation” submodel, you always have the latest data sheets, documentation, operating instructions, and spare parts lists for your fluid power product at your fingertips—digitally and all in the correct language. This not only boosts profitability but also saves valuable resources.

Download: AAS “Digital Nameplate” Submodel

Download: AAS “Handover Documentation” Submodel

All Published AAS Submodels

Technical Fundamentals and Standards Used

Using selected fluid power products as examples, we demonstrate how commissioning information is stored in a structured manner within submodels of the Asset Administration Shell. The examples are intentionally generalized so that the concepts shown can be applied to different products, systems, and workflows.