IoT, automation, and industry 4.0 are all impacting how manufacturers operate and are creating an expectation of more intelligent, faster, and more efficient operations to remain competitive in the volatile marketplace.
Efficiency is a top priority for smooth business operations and the seamless running of manufacturing and related functions. However, we need to look beyond the efficiency of how a single piece of machinery or a particular production line run. To achieve the efficiency that impacts bottom-line numbers, we must analyze the overall operations value stream, processes, machinery, personnel, and how they work together.
Rich, insightful, and actionable real-time data is the key to understanding if operations are running efficiently and where any opportunities for optimization may lie. The correct data can help organizations identify ways of improving which machinery or production lines are running when. Insightful data streamlines production and optimizes processes, output, quality, and volume. This data enables manufacturers to build schedules and program production when energy costs are lower and optimizes the number of staff needed.
Fortunately, this is not an analysis that needs to be mapped out manually and loaded into your ERP system. Today there is technology available to automate this data monitoring for you. A network of scalable sensors, hubs, gateways, ruggedized computers, and software can work together to monitor equipment, processes, and personnel based on existing plant equipment without causing interruption to the business. This technology can also interface directly with existing ERP/MRP systems for smooth integration.
Depending on the type of manufacturing and mix of new versus legacy equipment, this technology can consolidate data from onboard systems of more modern machinery with that drawn from additionally installed sensors on legacy equipment. Sensors can monitor a range of parameters, including temperature, humidity, flow rate, hopper levels, power measurement, and manufacturing parameters.
Let’s take, for example, a manufacturer with a mix of new and legacy machinery that wants to improve the efficiency of job scheduling efficiency and reduce energy per production run for the overall plant. In addition, the manufacturer would like to improve quality and increase yield, all while leveraging predictive maintenance capabilities.
At the start of each new production run, the operator logs the type of material in use, the machine ID, and the amount of material loaded, including the cost per pound or kilogram. The yield registers at the end of the production run, and the data is made available to management through PowerBI reports, allowing them to check in on pre-set KPIs. In addition to the logged information, the software provides visibility into:
- The location of the machine
- The plant it is installed in
- The hold and cooling time for each job
- The amount of power and material used for each production run
- The humidity and temperature readings and how they impact the production of a particular material or product
This data consolidates to create continuously refined models to draw analyses and preventive maintenance measures. Data and KPIs can be customized to suit business needs and objectives to increase visibility and efficiency and reduce overall costs without overstaffing operations.
Arrow works closely with system integrators and hardware and software providers, including Ectron to deploy solutions such as the SmartEye™- Ectron’s IIoT-based factory 4.0 Platform as a Service (PaaS).
SmartEye™ can be scaled from one or more machines to entire manufacturing lines up to plant-wide based on customer requirements. You can access data and analytics at the edge through the platform and monitor hundreds of data points in real-time.
Read the case study or contact Arrow to discuss how we can help address your business and technology challenges.
