When the Trade Show Comes to the Customer: Flender Sends AIQ Technology on a European Tour
From Bocholt across Europe: AIQ experts Matthias Hartmann and Ricardo van Manen are pleased that the tour allows customers to experience condition monitoring firsthand. (Image source: Flender International GmbH)
With sensor-based AIQ technology, Flender is digitizing the drive train. Continuous monitoring of operating parameters enables analysis of the production process and predictive maintenance and provides recommendations for operation and service.
A motorhome for greater plant availability and efficiency
The unusual vehicle—not unlike a motorhome on the outside, a mobile center of excellence for intelligent condition monitoring on the inside—will visit customers in more than 15 countries over the next twelve months. On board: live demo units, real-time monitoring setups, and Flender’s AIQ sales team.
“When it comes to our cast iron and steel products, I’ve always said: Heavy Metal meets AI. Now we’re driving this directly to our customers. With AIQ on Tour, we’re turning a strong product into a powerful experience: live, on-site, at the plant. Exactly where it matters,” says Andreas Evertz, CEO of Flender.
Sales brings the product—and takes the wheel
Instead of inviting customers to a trade show, Flender takes its technology directly to the plant. For the customer, this means: no travel expenses, but a live demonstration at their own location—with real operating data, real gearboxes, and a real contact person. The AIQ Truck gives Flender’s customer focus a physical form.
Experience AIQ live – on real gearboxes and couplings
The tour focuses on AIQ, Flender’s intelligent condition monitoring system, which is already in use across many industries. In the truck, customers can experience firsthand how AIQ continuously monitors vibrations, temperature, and speed, and compares the measurement data with the device-specific configuration values. If the values deviate, the system provides recommendations for action early on—long before an unplanned shutdown occurs. The result: up to 70% less downtime and up to 40% lower maintenance costs.
“We’ve realized that AIQ is best explained when you see it in action. That’s why we’re now bringing it along—directly to our customers, to their facilities, in their own language. AIQ on Tour is our commitment to genuine customer proximity. And proof that predictive maintenance is no longer a promise for the future, but is already working today,” explains Julia Zundel, Head of “Digital Business” at Flender.
On tour are AIQ Core for industrial gear units and AIQ Detect for couplings in the N-EUPEX and RUPEX series. Both systems are also available as retrofit solutions for existing plants—installation typically takes no more than an hour. Customers can try this out directly on-site and have an AIQ Core or Detect installed in their plant free of charge. Supported connectivity options include WiFi, LTE, Bluetooth, OPC-UA, cloud connectivity, as well as analog and digital outputs for direct control system integration.
Twelve months, 15 countries, all relevant industries
The tour covers all industries where Flender drive solutions are in use—from cement and mining to energy and water/wastewater, as well as crane and conveyor technology. After Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, the tour heads south through France, Spain, Italy, and Austria, among others. Next year, the UK, Turkey, and the Czech Republic are on the itinerary.
Source: Flender International GmbH
