GEDA – Innovative elevator solutions in an HPE Aruba network

GEDA – Innovative elevator solutions in an HPE Aruba network.

GEDA has been making special hoists and elevators for the construction sector for over 90 years, from rope hoists to passenger lifts with a height of lift up to 400 m, to industrial lifts that can operate 24/7. Superior quality, outstanding expertise and the Made in Germany seal have earned GEDA renown around the globe. The company manages its network infrastructure across its sites in Asbach-Bäumenheim, Gera and Bergkamen centrally. Leveraging HPE Aruba technology, Bechtle laid the foundation for the digital enterprise with a robust Wi-Fi environment.

Project details.

Services

IT Security
Networking Solutions

Industry

Manufacturing

Manufacturer

HPE Aruba

Company size

250 – 1,500 employees

Challenge.

GEDA offers lift solutions to overcome virtually any challenge posed by height in construction and industrial environments. There’s almost no construction site in the word where you can’t find a lift from the broad range of the Bavarian specialist, which is known for its innovative and rugged products. Some 600 people are constantly working to advance and innovate the way things and people move vertically. To this end, GEDA uses the latest technologies to ensure cost-efficient and competitive manufacturing at its three production sites in the south (Asbach-Bäumenheim), east (Gera) and west (Bergkamen) of Germany. Its employees working at the headquarters and branches rely on robust IT systems across production facilities, ERP applications and administration. In addition, a multi-site organisation also needs a simple and, above all, centrally managed Wi-Fi infrastructure. That’s why GEDA was looking for a solution to realise just that and hence pave the way towards a modern workplace and modern meeting culture. As GEDA was planning the construction of a new office building and production halls at its headquarters in Asbach-Bäumenheim, the company used the opportunity to lay the foundation for a high-availability, powerful, scalable and flexible Wi-Fi environment.

We used to manage our Wi-Fi via a web interface, but had to perform many tasks manually. When we gave HPE Aruba a whirl, we quickly saw that things could be a lot easier. Thanks to Bechtle, we now have HPE Aruba access points and HPE Airwave in place at our headquarters, which we use to manage both Wi-Fi here as well as at our other connected sites.

David Stecher, system administrator, GEDA GmbH

Solution.

Together, GEDA and Bechtle developed a strategy to achieve an environment that combines centralised management with the latest technology, while also leveraging the existing components of GEDA’s previous controller-based WLAN solution in the future concept. For its budget proposal, Bechtle created a heatmap of the existing Wi-Fi in Asbach-Bäumenheim. These preparations quickly revealed that an HPE Aruba-based WLAN infrastructure might be the way to go. In order to help GEDA experience the solution’s benefits first hand, Bechtle put the company in touch with other Aruba users and demoed a test environment on site at the Bechtle system house. With the insights gleaned, GEDA’s IT team concluded that HPE Aruba would be very beneficial for the company, ticking all the boxes by unifying both the deployed hardware and the management of the infrastructure. In addition to optimising single-pane-of-glass management, Aruba’s unified infrastructure also takes IT operations to the next level, enabling GEDA’s IT staff to troubleshoot, make modifications and resolve tickets remotely using the Airwave management software. This means each site is given the same level of attention without excessive use of personnel resources. Network intelligence built into HPE Aruba access points also supports features that enable GEDA to take advantage of AI-powered radio frequency optimisation at the sites, as well as smart management features for the networks deployed at each branch. Dynamic segmenting and service assurance deliver a better user experience for both GEDA’s IT staff and users. Automated configuration management and extensive validations ensure consistent and stable Wi-Fi performance.

Business benefits.

Automation with HPE Airwave and the new HPE Aruba WLAN access points enabled GEDA to reduce TCO for its Wi-Fi network across its headquarters and connected branches. Enhanced transparency into the network has dramatically reduced the need for manual intervention. Today, GEDA manages the entire WLAN infrastructure remotely from a central location. Along with its new office building and additional production facilities, the company is now planning to switch its LAN environment to HPE Aruba, too. With flexible usage and optimised Wi-Fi coverage at the company headquarters in Asbach-Bäumenheim, employees can join meetings and get their work done from anywhere. A big step towards becoming a digital enterprise, which GEDA took together with Bechtle.