FEATURE SMART FACTORIES & AUTOMATION
THE FUTURE OF AUTOMATION AND INDUSTRY 4.0
Industry 4.0 and the unstoppable rise of automation is redefining manufacturing processes once and for all. Manufacturers are presented with the challenge of updating and digitising their systems as a means of future-proofing their businesses. Failure to do so risks them falling behind their customer’s demands, says Scott Fawcett, managing director, Essentra Components
igitisation, automation and data collection are the key principles of Industry 4.0 that manufacturers must align themselves with. By doing so, manufacturers can improve efficiencies while keeping costs low and maintaining a quality customer experience. As one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of essential component solutions, Essentra Components is one of many manufacturers just starting out on its Industry 4.0 evolution.
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rise of smart machines is that 70 per cent of the materials the company uses are also now directly fed to the machines, which reduces manual handling, waste and machine downtime.
SMART PLANNING For Essentra Components, the main business areas that are incorporating automation can be split into three separate areas; smart planning, smart machines and smart data. For smart planning, the company is using cutting edge demand planning software to determine lot-sizes and replenishment points into its ERP system. This process then releases demand into
a sophisticated scheduling tool, which has the capacity to organise work most efficiently according to a wide range of criteria, such as avoiding material or colour changes. This automated process all connects to the company’s main production monitoring system. Even simple robotics such as sprue pickers and in-line reprocessing have helped improve moulding capture and waste recovery. Automating these processes has already helped to reduce the company’s monthly raw material waste by approximately 75 per cent.
SMART MACHINES Over the last three years, the company has also upgraded approximately 25 per cent of its machines across the UK shop floor to take advantage of the new technologies. In doing so, employees now have the capability to link the machines to the cloud system, which will enable individuals to directly download the approved processing parameters to the machines that ultimately speeds up the whole process. Essentra has also incorporated a remote access capability on the machines to enable external machine engineers to diagnose faults, reducing potential downtime periods. Essentra Components is currently developing a process so that technicians can have access to troubleshoot processing issues remotely and make actual modifications to the process via their smart phone. Another benefit of the
Images show Essentra’s site in Kidlington and the areas where smart technology is helping the company’s efficiencies
SMART DATA Smart data is another key area of automation for manufacturers. Essentra Components’ production monitoring software now has a direct link to its range of 20 Sumitomo Demag machines. This process captures real time overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) information, which not only helps the systems maintain the required performance levels, but also offers invaluable data around where there is room for improvement. For example, sheet setting parameters are stored electronically, meaning that they can be automatically downloaded into the machines to reduce set-up times. The rise of automation and the smart data obtained from the production monitoring system has helped direct with the tooling development program, which has delivered massive efficiency gains. As a result, Essentra Components has more than halved the number of machines on the shop floor, whilst doubling output in the past 20 years. Creating smart factories and
revolutionising an entire manufacturing process can initially seem like a daunting and endless task, but manufacturers will be able to reap the benefits for many years to come. Automation and Industry 4.0 is completely redefining out-dated processes and will help support the longevity of a business. It is a particularly exciting time for the manufacturing industry and businesses must respond to these technological developments and ensure they are meeting the ever- changing demands of their customers.
Essentra
www.essentra.com
18 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT / FACTORYEQUIPMENT
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