Press: New consulting service displays opportunities

The aim of most companies is to fully realise their potential for achieving greater efficiency. This calls for a good strategy. In such cases, consulting can be helpful. With its new "Rittal System Consulting" complete consulting service, Rittal identifies both individual and system-wide hidden savings for the customer. Services range from wide-ranging customer-oriented on-site analyses, to joint workshops, and the development of action plans based on solutions that draw on standard products to provide individual customer applications. These measures have a significant objective: optimisation and comprehensive cost reduction.

Beginning with a performance check
The analysis of the customer's processes and solutions starts with a structured performance check based on ten system questions. Together with the customer, the Rittal system consulting specialists take a close hard look at each application area in the company - both in isolation and from an interactive perspective. The variety of topics covered ranges from systems solutions, CAD applications, current and power distribution, climate control, compatibility, man-machine interfaces, modification and special solutions, network and IT applications, system consulting and through to services.

Customer-oriented analysis provides information on those areas in which there are discrepancies between target and actual values. Through the definition of individual performance factors in the form of a free quick check, a diagram shows the potential for comprehensive improvement. Based on these findings, Rittal System Consulting specialists provide fast and detailed solution proposals for further-reaching measures in subsequent system check-ups. These investigate, for example, whether processes can be optimised with software tools and new efficiency-enhancing products and system solutions from Rittal.

Interaction of Engineering and components
As much as 70 to 80 percent product costs are set out during the development process. Based on this knowledge, "Rittal System Consulting" has set itself the task of finding new ways of achieving an integrated and effective workflow with application-oriented engineering tools that are suitable to the product and range of solutions. The emphasis is on efficient engineering with RiCAD 3D, as well as on mechanical design with the Power Engineering 5.0 software for the planning of switchgear. The rapid and accurate sizing of cooling units with Therm 6.0 software, as well as the use of time-saving services such as AE Laser Express can also cut costs.

The interdisciplinary and integrated combination of components and engineering tools provide many opportunities for optimizing processes. The focus of Rittal System Consulting is also on downstream processes such as efficient ordering and storage with system accessories. The engineering tools from Rittal also have a constant database right through to the Eplan platform.

Rittal identifies customers' improvement potentials through its new consulting services. Based on the modular "Rittal - the System", it demonstrates solutions with a significant added value. This way, market opportunities for customers are significantly increased.

(3,941 characters)

*******
Rittal GmbH & Co. KG

Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, which has its headquarters in Herborn, Germany, is one of the world's leading system suppliers for housing and enclosure technologies, power distribution systems, system climate control and IT infrastructure. Customers from all sectors of industry, from mechanical and plant engineering, as well as from the IT and telecoms market, are making use of system solutions from Rittal.

Its broad product range also includes complete solutions for modular and energy-efficient data centres: from innovative security concepts for data systems (formerly known as Litcos) through to physical data and system security for IT infrastructures (formerly known as Lampertz). The leading software providers Eplan and Mind8 - Rittal subsidiaries - are supplementing the Rittal product portfolio with interdisciplinary engineering solutions.

Founded in 1961, Rittal is now active worldwide with 12 production sites, 63 subsidiaries and 40 agencies. With 9,000 employees worldwide, Rittal is the largest company of the proprietor-run Friedhelm Loh Group of Haiger, Germany. The entire group employs more than 10,500 people and generated revenues of more than € 2.2 billion in 2008. Further information at www.rittal.com and www.friedhelm-loh-group.com.