A global leader in industrial packaging launched a worldwide search for a software provider that could implement a unified and coherent production supervision and management system in 115 production plants globally. The manufacturer required a system that would allow a targeted investment with sustainable costs and, above all, velocity and installation standard. Another key goal was to obtain easy access to global or local data analysis by means of a cloud platform. It was essential that calculated data from each plant could be entered and systematically updated within a global analysis architecture based on cloud computing. After experiencing a false start with a North American software company, the manufacturer not only needed a fully integrated system that could meet its performance requirements, it also needed a partner that could implement and install the system fast. The company selected Emerson.
Given the need to automate the design engineering of the plants, and in particular, data collection to feed a local SQL database and create a customized OEE solution, Emerson first developed a customized installation plan. Once validated at a global level, the project entered into the operational phase allowing local system integrators to use the step-by-step configuration wizard to automatically generate each individual local project and completely install the hardware and software in each plant in a record-breaking time of 4-5 days. The configuration wizard in the Movicon™ Pro.Lean™ solution enables users to create projects to calculate KPI, OEE and downtime within a few minutes. The tight deadlines for global deployment were easily met with the help of this tool. The system can monitor production flows in real time and calculate the OEE without stopping production. This is done by using the KPI indexes and analyzing downtimes exactly as specified.
The OEE index control is an essential feature that helps obtain the maximum performance out of the production lines. The downtime and micro downtime analysis have made it possible to optimize production line flow through synchronizing the velocity of the various production phases. The results have instantly brought great advantages for both production line operators and managers who benefit economically when achieving the set performance goals.
The Movicon.NExT and Pro.Lean systems connect to the production line PLCs that vary from plant to plant. Data collected from the field is recorded by the historians on a database and calculated to obtain the productivity indexes and analyzed for downtimes. The system generates reports that are then analyzed by the production manager of each plant. Furthermore, one of the project’s key needs was the ability to have data classified by plant and geographical area in the cloud at a global level in order to allow company management to carry out an overall performance analysis from the company headquarters.
While not all companies need 4-5 days per plant for installation, the advantages of rapid implementation to prevent downtime and production losses is desirable to all users. Looking for software platforms with flexibility, modularity and scalability designed in can simplify even complex upgrades.
Find out more about Movicon.NExT and its Pro.Lean module here.
