An automated factory data collection system provides huge benefits by identifying the leading causes of waste; allowing manufacturers to focus resources where they can have the biggest impact on efficiency.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure, so having a solution in place to automatically capture and track machine production data is key to optimizing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Most managers have a sense of where the issues are; but without hard data and realistic return on investment (ROI) numbers, it’s difficult to get buy-in on the tough decisions that sometimes need to be made to implement positive corrections. Data collection systems should provide timely, accurate and unbiased information so manufacturers can identify and correct production bottlenecks and identify underperforming machines and operations. In addition to tracking OEE, an automatic data collection system can provide the ability to display production data in real time. This can have a huge positive effect on downtime reduction in unexpected ways. Any person responsible for keeping a machine running has instant visibility to its current state. When a machine goes down, the responsible party can more quickly respond to the issue, thus reducing downtime.
Collecting real-time production data enables the “visual factory.” Large-format displays can be configured and placed around the factory to display production information in real time. These displays can be configured to display such metrics as current OEE, efficiency by machine/operator/shift, part counts and estimated time until job completion. The visual factory alone has been shown to increase machine uptime. When used in conjunction with a real-time automatic data collection system, manufacturers have seen an average downtime reduction of 9%, after implementing visual factory display—even before taking any other action to reduce downtime.
Automatic manufacturing data collection systems take advantage of existing network infrastructures, providing the ability to gather valuable production data from virtually every machine in your facility. Once collected, information is stored in a scalable database and is available for use by other software. Initially, an automated factory-data-collection system provides huge benefits by identifying the leading causes of waste; allowing manufacturers to focus resources where they can have the biggest impact on efficiency. When efficiency improves to the point where gains start to flatten out, the real-time production data display capabilities become more important in maintaining newfound levels of efficiency by allowing the appropriate personnel to promptly respond to downtime events. The visual factory also gives managers the opportunity to more quickly detect areas that are starting to lag behind, allowing them to make more informed personnel deployment and scheduling decisions.
Some of the important considerations, features and functionality to look for when choosing an OEE or data-collection system include:
Achieving Automatic Data Collection: To collect accurate, unbiased and timely data for OEE tracking, as much data as possible must be collected automatically from your machines and/or production lines. This is a challenging task, especially when connecting an entire factory containing many machines of different types. One option is to use an integrator to modify your machine controls to provide production information to the software. A benefit of this method is that a custom system is flexible enough to collect exactly the information that you need. However, this flexibility comes at a steep price. The cost to integrate can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and implementation can take years. A more efficient solution is to select a data collection software product that works in conjunction with a machine interface. You can think of the machine interface as a self-contained data collection appliance that can be quickly and easily installed onto any machine. The machine interface detects when a machine is running, and when it completes a cycle or makes a part (if appropriate). The machine interface may also provide scanner input or menus to enable operators to log in and out, and to specify reasons for downtime when a machine has stopped running. It also provides consistent production data to the software regardless of machine type, and provides an identical operator interface across all machines—something that is not achievable with custom integrated solutions.
Easy Implementation: Tying up valuable resources to install data collection software can increase a manufacturer’s reluctance to implement a new process. So, look for solutions that are easy to install, only requiring a web browser and email client, including when installing from remote locations (provided you have remote access to your network). In addition, having access to virtual training can expedite putting the new process into production.
Easy, Fast Interface: It is important that the machine data collection solution has an intuitive interface that minimizes the interaction required by the operator. It is natural that there may be some trepidation about using a new system, anticipating it may involve too much of a time commitment. Streamlining the process is critical for operators and their management to embrace the solution.
Robust Reporting: The data collected should give key performance indicators in visually appealing reports that can be easily accessed and read on a variety of devices. Also, having browser-based reporting allows for report setup and generation on demand, or for setting up schedules to automatically deliver pre-configured reports. Data from a specified time period, also from specific machines, operators, part numbers (or other important parameters depending on machine type) and/or shift is critical for reporting.
Alert Capability: Having the ability to automatically generate conditional alerts from any machine can significantly increase productivity. Alerts can be a custom text or email message that is sent to selected recipients whenever preset conditions are met at a machine. The alerts can be used to notify an operator when an unattended machine has stopped running, to alert management when a critical customer job goes down, or to summon certain resources when specific conditions exist at a machine—such as automatically notifying a forklift driver when a scrap bin needs to be replaced. Because events can be responded to more quickly, manufacturers can significantly reduce downtime—even on machines where further process-related downtime reduction was considered cost-prohibitive.
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