TPT November 2011

S oftware Software systems for production and control

• total elimination of transcription errors and omissions as field production reports no longer need to be compiled by hand • real-time updating of work progress and stocks, giving optimised scheduling and reduced delays in delivery • complete traceability of each container, right back to casting of the raw material in the event of non-conformities • recovery of financial resources to minimise stocks of unfinished products (WIP) • minimisation of tooling times and computerised tool management (moulds, matrices, inserts, plugs, spindles and so on) • increased awareness of global company indicators by heads of department • shorter stoppages thanks to an accurate identification of causes • accurate and prompt recording of rejects by cause and field checks to enhance product quality • computerised inline checks at piloted frequencies per article/machine to pre- vent rejects and out-of-process errors. If designed and implemented as a support for organisational and cultural change in the way of running a business, MES systems can become a powerful means for recovering margins as they discover hidden costs, which are difficult to identify without real-time integrated information and become a strategic tool for the continuous improvement of processes and our way of operating. There are, however, two fundamental requirements before this can take place. First, both management and organisation must believe firmly that having integrated field and operating information that is exact and functional to the company’s organisational model is a real competitive advantage and a strategic objective to pursue with the necessary human and technological resources. Second, the choice of a competent and reliable partner with specific skills in the sector that can provide its experience in organisation, technological development and, more importantly, methodology in applying new technology in the production bays. Thanks to its lengthy experience in the business and proven method of project development and management, STAIN can help businesses improve the efficiency of their production and logistic processes, via tailored advice and a comprehensive standard suite with add-on modules, all at a competitive price and extremely easy to use. STAIN – Italy Website: www.stain.it

IN today’s market, where margins for error are very low, businesses need not only a successful strategy but also highly efficient production and logistic processes, with controlled costs for each article and stage of the process. It is vital to measure all operating processes in real time and with reliable data in order to identify and

measure all the hidden costs, which require timely corrective and preventive actions if they are to be minimised. We are clearly not referring here to evident costs, which have obviously been eliminated; we refer to the numerous little wastages that we do not eliminate simply because we are unaware of their existence. Recovering efficiency can no longer involve a single major point of improvement, because if we had already done this long ago we would not be in the marketplace now. STAIN has made and installed MES solutions for steel mills, pipe manufacturing, plastic moulding and drawing, die-casting, taps and fittings and machining for over 20 years. The company’s experience has taught it that gaining in overall efficiency is the sum of numerous small improvements throughout the production process. It is therefore fundamental to measure all the production and logistic processes at the factory in real time to discover hidden costs, which cannot be eliminated until they have been identified and measured accurately. Here is an example. We often fail to take into account that the incidence of micro- stoppages is a major factor in achieving a significant improvement in efficiency. If a machine stops for more than a hour, everyone knows about it, but if the cycle time is altered by a mere 3 seconds in a minute to meet process requirements and someone forgets to reset the standard time, you risk discovering it much later when you read the written report the following day, and the loss is 5% on the total number of items produced during the shift. To eliminate these hidden costs in production and logistics STAIN has developed the STAIN+ suite based on Siemens PLC technology, which

automatically gathers machine data and integrates it with ERP, with automated production and logistic flows via a fully modular user-friendly solution. STAIN+ is a set of tools that provide a lens for discovering hidden costs in the various departments, and collecting machine information automatically and in real time, and a gauge for measuring the benefits achieved by corrective actions implemented in view of continuous process improvement. STAIN+ is a comprehensive, modular suite integrated with packages that include data collection and production progress monitoring, automatic identification of each bin using barcode or RFID technology, computerisation of logistic flows in the departments, allowing the real-time management of stocks and work traceability, tool management (spindles, implements, inserts, dies and moulds), quality and statistical process control (SPC), and preventive and corrective maintenance. STAIN’s MES solutions – installed in numerous important companies and integrated with standard ERP – have enabled many clients to use data collected automatically from the field and convert it into an invaluable and strategic asset for the company, increasing their productivity and marginality to double figures, often well beyond their expectations. The main organisational and economic advantages are: • automatic recording of times and numbers of OK parts and rejects, with accurate costing at each stage • in-line inventorying, with stock reduction and the elimination of physical inventory times and costs • reutilisation for other tasks of human resources previously used for manual production processes

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N ovember 2011

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