The power of partnership: View tool reinvents spare part hunting
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Lightweight, visual, and easy to use, Elomatic’s View application brings clarity to complex engineering data. For Valmet customers, that means faster spare part searches, smoother maintenance, and better collaboration.
The View tool was developed at Elomatic as part of the HiFive project. Initially intended as an internal solution for visualizing structural analysis results, it quickly proved to have broader potential: it strips away unnecessary data and runs on any device without requiring design software. This makes it easy to share complex design models with multiple stakeholders: users don’t need CAD expertise to review them.
“Engineering models are massive files that require significant computing power and expensive licenses to open, especially when dealing with something like a plant. That’s why the View tool is a game-changer,” says Jukka Timonen, Product Owner at Elomatic.
With the View tool, users can check practical details, like whether there’s enough space to open a hatch and fit a toolbox, or if a pump can be removed easily in every location.
User interface of the View tool
Benefits span design and day-to-day operations
Through the View tool’s gamified interface, stakeholders can explore designs from their own perspective – bringing maintenance and operator insights into the design phase early on.
“With the View tool, users can check practical details, like whether there’s enough space to open a hatch and fit a toolbox, or if a pump can be removed easily in every location,” explains Timonen.
However, the tool continues to deliver value beyond the design phase, supporting installation and maintenance. It helps pinpoint issues in large machines quickly, speeding up troubleshooting and repairs.
Instant part tracking for Valmet customers
Valmet began implementing the View application in spring 2024 as part of its long-standing collaboration with Elomatic. Jari Schuurman, Specialist at Valmet, predicts the View tool will bring significant value in the future, particularly as an extension of Valmet Virtual Mill – a virtual environment developed jointly with Elomatic for customer training.
Integrated into Valmet’s customer portal, the View tool gives users instant access to spare part information when their design models are uploaded. “When a problem occurs, users can quickly identify the faulty component and its exact location,” Schuurman explains. This minimizes downtime by making even rare spare parts easy to find and verify.
“Knowing you’ve located the right part also shortens shutdowns,” Schuurman adds.
Streamlining communication
Currently, Valmet relies heavily on email to confirm part numbers and locations with customers. With both parties using the View tool, this interaction moves into a shared visual environment, eliminating guesswork.
“We can simply point to the exact component, and the customer immediately understands its size, shape, and related parts,” explains Schuurman. “It also helps us consider the bigger picture, such as electrical or automation connections, ensuring nothing is overlooked.”
Customers have responded enthusiastically to the View tool, and Valmet is preparing a pilot project in Italy, starting with user training.
“As View becomes part of daily operations, it also serves as a training tool,” says Schuurman. “Users learn component locations and basic maintenance tasks, while also practicing real troubleshooting and service scenarios.”
Clarity through visualization
According to Schuurman, one of the tool’s biggest advantages is its visual approach. Today, instructions and part searches at Valmet still depend on PDFs and paper manuals with minimal visual guidance. View changes that by making it easy to see where each component is and how to access it. This is critical for planning maintenance, since checking these details on a running machine is practically impossible.
The View tool’s interface was tailored for Valmet, showing only the functions relevant to its customers. “The tool is very easy to use,” says Schuurman. “Symbol-based navigation removes language and cultural barriers, and the search features are simple and intuitive.”
The real innovation behind View lies in the processes developed to bring complete design data into the tool and streamline data transfer from other systems.
Implementation completed in just a few months
Schuurman highlights Elomatic’s phased implementation approach. Since Valmet had not previously utilized design data, Elomatic experts first assessed the current state and prepared the necessary datasets. In addition to 3D model data, the system integrates parts lists for complementary information.
“We were able to extract valuable data that can be further refined for future use,” Schuurman explains. “And on top of that, the tool visually shows their exact location in the 3D model.”
According to Timonen, the real innovation behind View lies in the processes developed to bring complete design data into the tool and streamline data transfer from other systems. “In an ideal world, the 3D model would contain everything, but in reality, we need to combine data and build integrations,” Timonen notes. “The good news is, we have the capabilities to do it.”
Benefits of true partnership
Valmet and Elomatic have worked together for years, and the advantages are clear. “Speaking the same language saves time and avoids misunderstandings,” says Schuurman. “It’s essential that our partner understands this industry and our equipment. We can rely on Elomatic to do the groundwork correctly, especially when our own resources are limited.”
Timonen adds that Elomatic’s deep understanding of Valmet’s machines and customers is a major strength. The View project manager even brought hands-on experience from the mechanical side and was already familiar with Valmet’s design data.
Looking ahead: Expanding possibilities
Timonen says that there is nothing quite like the View tool on the market. What is more, reviews between Elomatic and Valmet keep generating new ideas for how the application could be used in the future.
“We’ve already come up with additional use cases,” notes Schuurman. “It’s great to have concepts ready to refine when customers want to try something new.”
Timonen emphasizes that the tool extends the lifecycle of 3D models beyond design. “With View, the model remains valuable after commissioning. All the information stored in various systems can be leveraged for maintenance and even safety tasks,” he concludes.
HiFive project: developing the future of industrial work
A co-innovation project “Meaningful industrial work in hybrid human-technology-AI teams” (HiFive) explores how collaboration between humans, machines, and AI will function in tomorrow’s workplaces, and how it influences the sense of meaningfulness at work.
HiFive project aims to create future industrial workplaces where people, machines, and AI work seamlessly together. Its key goals are:
- Meaningful work: New working methods and technologies for hybrid teams
- New business models: Concepts leveraging the industrial metaverse and AI
- International growth: Strengthening the global competitiveness of Finnish companies
HiFive is funded by Business Finland and the participating organizations. The consortium brings together VTT, University of Jyväskylä, Aalto University, and industry partners including Elomatic, Konecranes, ProVerse Interactive, Tasowheel, and AINS Group.
Elomatic’s role focuses on visualizing complex situations, envisioning future tools, developing virtual environments, and creating innovative solutions such as the View application. The work is based on close collaboration between Elomatic’s Industry business unit and the Information Technology & Digital Transformation (ITDT) team.
Want to know more? Check out these articles:
How to train staff for operating a machine several hundred meters long?
The Virtual Mill virtual environment, developed by Elomatic and Valmet, enables factory workers to explore their work environments virtually. This not only facilitates training but also aids in the planning of maintenance and upgrades. Model Sachsen Papier in Germany has been utilizing Valmet Virtual Mill since the fall of 2023, with really positive feedback.
XR and the industrial metaverse – Why you should explore them right now?
Industrial digitalization is no longer a “future trend”: companies are already using artificial intelligence and extended reality (XR) technologies in practice. When data, people, and processes meet in the same digital space, decisions improve and surprises decrease.
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