As discussed in our recent post, the point of application software in AC drives is to customize the operation of the drive to the customer process. So, it is only natural that customers should have a role in the development of the software.
The customer can be a part of the development process in three different, and very important, ways:
1. Customer chooses from a number of Danfoss Drives’ application software offered as standard
The application software offered as standard in the Danfoss Drives webpages has evolved over time to be very capable in themselves and is already used in the most demanding use cases in different industries. However, different customer processes can create demands for adaptations to them. For example, if a process requires functionality that is currently missing, it can be added to fulfill the customer's need (when the change is on a par with the planned application software’s scope and design). These kinds of software development tasks can also be carried out in the field if an Application Software Developer is at the customer site.
2. Customer orders tailor-made application software
Of course, the application software offered as standard is not always enough. In these cases, it is entirely possible for customers to request special application software that is made according to their exact specifications. This can be ordered from Danfoss Drives by getting in touch with the customer’s local contact. This kind of software can only be uploaded at the factory to the drives that are ordered by this specific customer. Alternatively, a license mechanism can put in place that renders the software useless unless a customer-specific license code is inserted. These cases can vary from relatively light modifications of already existing software to fully customized application software made from scratch.
3. Customer develops their own application software
If a customer wants to have full control over the development of their application software, they can arrange for their own software developers to receive Danfoss Drives application-software-development training. As part of the training, customers will receive the licenses that enable them to be able to use the software development tools. This gives the customer total ownership of their application software’s intellectual property rights. During the training, trainees receive the source codes of selected default application software, but the source codes for more advanced application software are also available.
With these software development opportunities, Danfoss Drives ensures that the AC drives supplied have always the necessary flexibility to fulfill customer process needs even in the most extreme projects; all the way from simple, everyday use cases to totally custom-made, one-of-a-kind systems.
At Danfoss Drives, we strive to maintain customer satisfaction by not only fulfilling the specific needs at hand, but also going the extra mile in the implementation by making the solution universal and flexible, which always broadens the solution’s scope of usability.
Author: Timo Alho, Product Manager, Applications, Danfoss Drives