Münze Österreich AG stands worldwide for the highest quality in the processing of precious metals and the production of coins. As an internationally operating company, it is one of the leading mints in the world – a true global player with an excellent reputation and a long tradition.
Here, sought-after investment coins, diverse collector’s items, and precious metal blanks for the global market are created. At the heart of daily work, however, lies a special responsibility: the production of circulating coins for the Republic of Austria.
Münze Österreich AG has been a subsidiary of Oesterreichische Nationalbank since 1988 and combines over 825 years of tradition with state-of-the-art technology. Around 200 employees work at the Vienna-Heumarkt location in a historic building with ultra-modern facilities. Around 350 million coins are produced here every year – manufactured with innovative technology and traditional craftsmanship such as plaster casting for precise coin design.
Goals and challenges
Paperless manufacturing was a stated goal from the outset – a step towards more efficient, sustainable, and transparent processes. Digitalization represented the logical and necessary solution for this. The replacement of the Toledo weighing terminals, which enabled not only weighing but also receipt printing, further accelerated this transformation. This change necessitated a rethinking – not only regarding existing equipment but also concerning the planned expansion of manufacturing capacities. It was the right time to implement a scalable, future-proof solution that meets the demands of modern, paperless manufacturing.
Challenge accepted.
The path to a digital future began with a bold step: Existing processes were questioned, rethought, and modernized. With the selection of innovative weighing terminals, the digitization of central processes, and the goal of consistently switching to digital receipts, a strong foundation for efficiency, sustainability, and growth was laid.
The new processes are specifically used in all relevant areas where precise weighing processes are essential. Whether in blank production, in the minting hall, in the medal factory, or in packaging – the optimized weighing processes ensure greater efficiency, accuracy, and transparency everywhere. In this way, every production step is made measurably smarter and future-proof through digital support.
The introduction of digital production data acquisition from ABF in several milestones was crucial on this path.
How it all began:
The introduction of operational data acquisition, which includes a web application for order and feedback management, was the first milestone. This allows relevant data to be read directly from the ERP system and feedback to flow immediately back into the ERP system. The introduction of operational data acquisition in manufacturing was an important step for several reasons:
- For one thing, not every employee has access to the ERP system – the new system should offer access and optimal usability for every worker.
- It was also desired that only limited information be visible at certain workplaces or that no feedback at all may be recorded.
- In addition, the stated goal was to make the entire recording process significantly more efficient and better integrated into everyday work.
The implementation was carried out in cooperation with the company Einconsult, which was responsible for the specification and development of the ABAP interface to the ERP system.
The introduced production data acquisition application (PDA) enables a structured display of the order list – divided according to departments and the respective stations in the production process.
Particularly noteworthy is the clear visualization of the processing progress. Based on clearly defined categories such as “Target”, “Open”, “Good quantity” and “Scrap”, employees and managers receive an up-to-date overview of the status of individual work steps at any time.
Another advantage: The recorded quantities are automatically totaled according to units such as kilograms, grams, pieces or logistics units and displayed in an understandable report. This not only facilitates the evaluation, but also creates a well-founded basis for planning and control.
All relevant information is managed for each order – including product characteristics, which are presented in a compact and visually appealing manner. In addition, individual notes can be recorded directly in the system, for example to record special requirements.
When reporting work steps, the system supports employees with automatically suggested key figures – matching the respective unit of measurement. In this way, set-up time, machine time and personnel time are displayed transparently, which enables precise evaluation and tracking.
Verified feedback is recorded by the operators directly via their personnel number stored and verified in the ERP system. This ensures that all entries are clearly assigned and traceable. An integrated feedback history documents all postings and – if available – also cancellations, whereby the entire process can be tracked transparently and completely.
Another and very significant milestone:
In the course of strategic further development, it was decided to place the existing casting accounting application on a future-proof foundation. The web application was successfully ported to the modern SAPUI5 framework. This approach not only makes maintenance considerably easier, but also creates the basis for flexible and sustainable expandability – entirely in line with future requirements and technological developments.
The goal was always to convert the connection of the scales to a new system in 2024 as well.
Another example of the targeted use of digital support is the application for blank production. It guides the operators step by step through the entire process – from the recording of the blanks to the return of the residual materials. First, metals of different types are weighed and melted in crucibles to produce the desired alloy.
The application not only ensures precise documentation and process reliability, but also contributes to the conservation of resources: In addition to the actual end product – such as coils or coins – any residues are systematically recorded and returned to the material cycle in the best possible way.
The application precisely records all weights of the materials used and produced. This allows the material balance to be fully and transparently tracked.
These precise recording data also serve as the basis for automatic report generation. From the daily log to the crucible accompanying slip to the laboratory sample accompanying slip – standardized, consistent and available at the touch of a button at any time.
Third milestone – the Scales App:
The precise data supply of the application represents a crucial challenge in the entire weighing process – especially when it comes to precious metals. Directly at the scale, important information such as weight, quantity and reference weight is recorded via the connected terminal and processed in real time. However, especially with precious metals, whose price is significantly influenced by even the smallest weight differences, the highest accuracy is essential. A tiny fraction of a gram can not only endanger the quality of the end product, but also significantly influence its economic value. The challenge is to ensure that every single measured value is recorded exactly and without errors in order to avoid undesirable deviations.
In addition to precision, the reliability of data transmission is paramount: Only if the systems work smoothly and without errors can a smooth production process be guaranteed. The seamless connection between scale, terminal and application thus forms the digital backbone of the entire manufacturing process – and is a key guarantor of efficiency, transparency and trust.
This was ensured in 2024 in this third milestone. The weighing process has been raised to a new level by our innovative solution. The weighing terminals transmit the recorded weighing data in real time via a SAP Plant Connectivity connection directly to the SAP UI5 web application – quickly, reliably and completely seamlessly thanks to modern web socket technology. The resulting digital weighing protocol documents all weighings completely and clearly. Each individual weighing can be printed out immediately or reprinted if required – so full transparency is guaranteed at all times. In addition, a total label can be generated from several individual acquisitions, which compactly summarizes all relevant data.
This modern, user-friendly solution not only makes the management of weighing data easier and more efficient, but also ensures maximum flexibility and precision. At any time, full control over the entire process is guaranteed – in a user-friendly, digital environment that optimizes workflows and sustainably increases productivity.
The implementation of additional confirmation steps in the process makes a decisive contribution to avoiding careless mistakes. Especially for critical tasks such as tare entry, which often remains unconfirmed, the systematic safeguarding ensures that errors are detected and corrected early on.
This not only increases accuracy, but also significantly increases overall process reliability. Errors that can arise from accidentally resting on the scale or unconfirmed entries are thus effectively avoided – which leads to a significant improvement in efficiency and reliability in the workflow.
Sustainable increase in efficiency through digitization
The successful implementation of this exciting project was made possible by the close and collaborative cooperation of all involved parties. The improvements achieved and the sustainable optimization of processes represent a decisive step towards digitized and future-proof manufacturing.