Endress+Hauser is a global leader in measurement instrumentation, services, and solutions for industrial process engineering. The Swiss group of companies is headquartered in Reinach BL and has more than 14’400 employees in 48 countries. The flowmeters produced by Endress+Hauser contain various types of printed circuit boards composed of microcontrollers and flash EPROMs which must be programmed. The programming, or flashing, usually occurs during the final production phase of the device. However, since the printed circuit boards are also offered as spare parts, it is also necessary to provide a method for individual flashing of these components.

Follow a new path

The project focus was to further develop and construct four individual mechatronic adapters for worldwide use on the existing spare parts flash stations produced by Endress+Hauser. The client was searching for a new supplier to handle this project and, since the konplan team immediately understood the customer’s needs, they were awarded the contract. In three phases – design and development, prototype assembly, and final assembly – the appropriate flash adapters were developed under the responsibility of konplan. After each phase, a technical inspection was conducted together with the customer to ensure the required product quality.

Successful Completion

Even with the tight schedule and unexpected procurement delays for some electronic components, konplan delivered 14 flash adapters in 4 different models within 6 months including the full set of project documentation – previously not available to the customer in such a form. This allows the customer to handle repeat orders, maintenance, and further development of the components more effectively.