Innovating glass manufacturing at the edge with XPAR Vision

[AudreyCox]

The glass industry has always been very conservative by nature. However, the world of glassmaking is changing. Today, the next generation of glassmakers are investing significant resources in advanced programs to improve product quality, operator safety, and production efficiency. XPAR Vision is one such company which believes that this change is possible by bringing in new technology. XPAR's collaboration with HPE OEM solutions has taken it a step forward towards gaining that competitive advantage in the market. This HPE OEM partnership has helped the company access rugged, long-lifecycle compute platforms to run robotic control systems at the edge and back-end analytics.

One of the first to introduce robotics at the hot end of the glass manufacturing process, XPAR Vision benefited from early access to the latest HPE technology developments as an HPE OEM partner. “Having advanced insight into the HPE roadmap, and access to innovations like HPE edge computing platforms, helps us extend our lead on our competitors,” said Paul Schreuders, CEO, XPAR Vision.

With the help of the HPE OEM program, XPAR Vision has been able to gain advanced access to HPE innovations that drive competitive advantage. One of the best ways XPAR Vision has brought value to its customers is by providing analytics on data collected from dozens of sensors on the production line. This data is fed across a network, using Aruba 5400 series switches, to an HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 server cluster running XPAR Vision’s analytics and artificial intelligence algorithms, which can predict the likelihood of a defect arising so line issues can be addressed proactively.

The company also makes robotic systems that automate critical steps in the hottest points in the glass forming process. Robotic arms must move quickly and precisely, requiring the control system to run on the robot rather than remotely. XPAR Vision hence relies on the HPE GL20 IoT Gateway to provide real-time compute on the robots. According to Schreuders, XPAR is now working on the next generation platform for the glass industry in the spirit of Industry 4.0, to take automation to the next level, and being an HPE OEM partner has been helping them to achieve this goal. “We’re always looking for new possibilities in our industry. Being an OEM partner with HPE is key to supporting that vision and will only make our journey smoother”, he said.

Check out an exclusive interview with CEO Paul Schreuders, highlighting the value of XPAR Vision's partnership with HPE OEM solutions:

Read the full case study here to learn more.

Audrey Cox
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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