Digitisation on wheels – The Ducal Bavarian Brewery Tegernsee makes its forklift trucks smarter
🚧 Initial situation and challenges
Contact between the Ducal Bavarian Brewery Tegernsee and openthinclient began in mid-2023. The IT manager there was looking for a new thin client solution and described the following problems to us:
Machine Control: Thin Clients for RDP and VNC. A solution was sought that would enable both RDP and VNC connections from various control computers to the brewing technology. Ideally, existing hardware should be able to be reused to avoid costly replacement.
WLAN Challenge: When tablets make work harder. Another trigger for seeking an improved solution was the dissatisfaction of forklift drivers. The warehouse management system used on Panasonic ToughPads experienced issues with the latencies caused by WLAN roaming, which even resulted in damaged and inconsistent database entries.
Solution for machine control
Existing thin client hardware could continue to be used,
which saves costs.
openthinclient OS boots over the network, which simplifies installation and maintenance.
Fanless Thin Clients are excellent for production environments,
as they are resistant to dust and moisture.
Thanks to openthinclient, RDP and VNC sessions can be displayed simultaneously on a thin client. This enables its use in all required application scenarios.
In the event of unexpected hardware failures, such as an HMI touchscreen display, openthinclient has been able to supply replacement devices like the panel.MAXI.24 in a short period of time, thereby reducing downtime.
were minimised.
Solution for forklift terminals
The warehouse management software was migrated to virtual Windows machines, which significantly improved performance and stability.
The slim openthinclient OS was installed on the existing Panasonic ToughPads, meaning no new tablets needed to be purchased.
The operating system starts extremely quickly (within a few seconds) and the tablets immediately show a Windows RDP session to the terminal server in full screen after booting.
For the forklift drivers, the transition went almost unnoticed, as they could continue to operate their tablets as usual.
As openthinclient now handles the Wi-Fi connection, it is tolerant of latency. In the event of any Wi-Fi dropouts, reconnect attempts are made automatically and very quickly.
Conclusion and feedback
The brewery's IT department worked closely with openthinclient and developed a flexible solution:
As part of a pilot project, Panasonic ToughPads were equipped with openthinclient and the warehouse management software was migrated to virtual Windows machines. The transition was almost unnoticeable for the forklift drivers, as they could continue to use their tablets as usual.
With the introduction of the openthinclient solution, the Herzoglich Bayerische Brauhaus Tegernsee was able to significantly increase the stability, efficiency, and sustainability of its IT systems.
In the project's final review meeting at the „Bräustüberl“, Harald Zischg aptly summarised:
„I have rarely worked with a supplier with such short lines of communication and as collegially as with openthinclient. Thank you very much and please keep up the good work – Cheers!“
Bavarian Ducal Brewery Tegernsee
The Ducal Bavarian Brewery Tegernsee, idyllically situated on the eastern shore of Lake Tegern in the Upper Bavarian Alpine foothills, looks back on a long tradition. Beer has been brewed here for centuries according to proven tradition, and the brewery today offers eight different types of beer, including the well-known Tegernseer Hell and Tegernseer Spezial. The brewery is located in the north wing of the former Tegernsee monastery and is owned by Maria Anna, Duchess in Bavaria, the youngest daughter of Max, Duke in Bavaria.
