Software Intercom Server passes its baptism of fire with flying colours

Hot-rolled industrial steel profiles in any possible and ‘impossible’ shape and form – that’s what specialist Mannstaedt GmbH of Troisdorf near Cologne is all about. That said, ‘hot’ is a huge understatement: the blast furnaces are blasting away at more than a thousand degrees amidst the sweat-inducing conditions of a heavy industrial facility.

Since a short while ago, a very special Commend Intercom solution has been at work right in the thick of things. It is the world’s first that is based on Commend’s new Software Intercom Server as its core element.

Next to the heavily used Intercom stations, the Server is also putting in an “industrial strength” heavy-duty performance. At the control room, an employee keeps shouting out instructions and warnings to his colleagues in the production area in rapid, staccato-like fashion. Extreme precision in establishing the calls is crucial here, as even the slightest delays may put colleagues in danger or cause extensive material damage. ”We couldn’t have wished for better testing conditions,” says an excited product manager Johannes Helminger. “Best of all, the Software Intercom Server keeps passing the test with top marks every day, as the people responsible at Mannstaedt have assured us.”

Working tirelessly for years: Commend’s
heavy industrial stations (labled with “Schneider”-logo).

The main reason for opting for server virtualisation in the first place was obvious, as Mannstaedt GmbH’s head of technical IT, André Döring, explains. “The amount of data for controlling and monitoring our facilities is enormous – by now it keeps more than a hundred servers well busy. Virtualisation helps us to save a lot of investment in hardware and running costs, and at the same time offers the high level of fail safety that we depend on.”

„It already run’s!“ – André Döring (right)
shows Johannes Helminger (left) where the
Software Intercom Server will do his work in the future.

And there is yet another reason why going with the Commend Software Server was a logical next step for Mannstaedt, a long-standing and highly valued customer of German Commend representative Schneider Intercom, which also served as project leader. Thanks to Commend systems following the ‘Evergreen Engineering’ principle, which ensures decades of compatibility across product generations, Mannstaedt’s Intercom solution was able to grow with their operations. “The world’s first use of a Software Intercom Server under tough real-world conditions is a milestone in this developing cooperation, which we are confident will continue into the future, thanks to the excellent cooperation with our German partner,” Johannes Helminger observes, summarising this remarkable success story.

The next Software Intercom Server projects are already in the pipeline.

About Commend

The protection of people, buildings and values require highly integrated Intercom systems that are 100 per cent secure. As technology and market leader in professional Intercom solutions, Commend is a successful international provider to industrial and commercial enterprises, airports, public transport operators, car parks, hospitals, and penal institutions. High-tech functions such as dynamic background noise cancelling, OpenDuplex®, Audio Monitoring, Loudspeaker/Microphone Monitoring, as well as global IP Intercom networking solutions make Commend an indispensable supporter of business success for users and operators worldwide.