In order to ensure the appropriate results, our partners can utilise the expertise of our engineers from the planning phase of their projects. Services include consultancy, evaluations of the pros and cons of possible solutions as well as concept evaluation. The aim is always to find a solution that fulfils the following criteria – has a high usability value; easy to handle for the users; supports effectiveness to the maximum extent; implements the required function to the extent possible; cost effective.

In certain cases, the Com-Forth team contributes to the creation of the feasibility study as an (independent) expert and advisor. In such scenarios, we firstly map investor needs, any plans created by others and the actual circumstances, then – brainstorming together – help our customer to identify and exploit the opportunities using our experience and a thorough knowledge of the market and the technology to be used.

The first phase of system planning is usually the preparation of a Concept Plan or Feasibility Study. In this phase, it is firstly the processes and the manufacturing technologies that are analysed. Following this, we suggest one or more solution alternatives that could resolve the respective issue. The customer then evaluates the pros and cons as well as the costs of the alternatives to make an informed decision on the technology or solution to be applied.

It is important to note that the costs are only estimates in this phase. Once the investor makes the decision on the preferred alternative and a detailed, viable execution plan has been formulated, the next step is to plan the actual budget.

Once the Feasibility Study and the possible alternatives have been presented and the partner accepts them and decides to continue working together on the project, we prepare the detailed Implementation Plan. The result is a package that describes the architecture in detail, lists the actually required devices, and consequently contains a precise, itemized budget plan and quotation.

When we receive the order, traditional system integration (and application development, if required) covers the following main areas:

• Coding (.NET, VBA, HTML, JavaScript, Python, etc.)
• Database Development (SQL, noSQL) Ergonomics (High Performance HMI)
• Situation Awareness (Modern Alarm Management)
• Reporting (Dashboard, Report generation) Testing (Unit, End2End, etc.)

In certain industries, placing a major emphasis on quality assurance (for example in the pharmaceutical industry), system validation plays a vital role. To meet this market demand, using our experience in the field, we offer validation services of even legacy or third-party systems. Furthermore, we offer advisory or validation services for our partners preparing for authority or customer audits. Read more about this here.

Read more about this here.

With regard to system integration, application development, or planning tasks, especially in the case of large projects where the activities of several contractors need to be aligned and managed, there is often a need to bring the whole project together, to carry out project management tasks.

The need for continuous improvement, the “lifelong learning” approach as well as cooperative teamwork based on knowledge sharing are among the core values of our company philosophy. This approach is embraced and followed by all Com-Forth employees. We believe that our products and solutions provide optimum value for our customers if they have up-to-date, broad and practice-oriented knowledge about the technical background, use and latest technological developments of these products and solutions, and are able to use them with confidence and proficiency. To achieve this goal, we offer seminars and workshops in numerous fields in friendly settings that are typical of our company. We review a specific topic together with our customers, and discuss its typical challenges as well as the possible responses, as well as the available technologies and devices.