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CONNECTING THE SMART FACTORY JOURNEY AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS
Geoff Gray, product manager at The Config Team, discusses the role connectivity plays in helping manufacturers support their journey to becoming a smart factory.
E
mbarking on a journey to operating as a ‘Smart Factory’ relies on moving from human decisions to augmented and machine-based decisions, but the first step in achieving this is to
improve connectivity within a production environment. While industry 4.0 has driven the automation of manual processes, manufacturers often operate each machine or device independently, with little, if any, communication or visibility. It is this disconnected production environment that has led Gartner to predict that by 2025, three out of five smart factory initiatives will fail due to a lack of supply chain integration. With many organisations rapidly embracing
the concept of smart and digital manufacturing to drive operational efficiency, technologies such as IoT, AI, digital twin and mobility are allowing this idea to become a reality through connecting technology, data, people and processes. To leverage these emerging technologies, intelligent integration between production devices, ERP systems and WMS solutions is key to optimising digital technology. Connectivity starts with data collection and visibility, as information gathered from production machines and devices, can help inform and improve activities across the supply chain. There are some simple steps that operations should be considering, that will make a big impact in becoming more efficient, agile and intelligent.
ADDING AUTOMATION While many operations have automated production processes, utilising various machines to manufacture, combine, pack, label and stack products, these devices are often still being programmed manually. Manual selection of packaging, input of label data and changing production orders is prone to human error, which can cause data errors on labels, slow production changeovers and incorrect packaging. The impact of these mistakes can cost a business thousands of pounds in production downtime, product recalls and lost reputation. Integrating production line devices to the ERP
system, through an IoT solution such as CodingControl, will not only automate the data flow to the production floor, but ensure accurate data is being sent and received to eliminate production errors, increase productivity and improve customer experience.
VISIBILITY OF GOODS Once finished goods have been receipted from production, it is vital these are available for order or delivery as soon as possible, for organisations to realise revenue for these products. Connecting the end of line palletisation and goods receipt systems and processes, directly to the ERP system, will
ensure all finished goods are immediately visible and available for internal teams and customers.
BUSINESS CONTINUITY Production downtime is a major issue for manufacturers, even more so when there are no issues on the production line. If the ERP system is offline, whether due to an unexpected connectivity loss or a planned maintenance shutdown, finished goods cannot be recorded on the system. This brings production to a halt as goods can no longer be produced, if there will be no visibility of their stock location once they have left the production line. Businesses should consider software
integration solutions that are hosted locally. Such solutions, which integrate directly with palletisers and ERP systems, can receive and store all goods receipt data while the ERP system is out of action and then simply send all the information once the connection is restored. This allows businesses to not only continue production, but also move the stock through the supply chain, enabling customer order and delivery timescales to be met without delay.
FLEXIBLE OPERATIONS Customers are increasingly putting pressure on manufacturing and production facilities with last minute requests to change order quantities, delivery destinations or add promotional details onto packaging. If these changes need to be made manually, it can be difficult to meet the customer timeframes. However, if production devices, such as labellers and palletisers, are connected to the ERP system, it is a simple process to update labels based on the latest accurate order data.
MONITORING CONSUMABLES Continuous operation is vital in any production environment, with just a few minutes of downtime often costing a company thousands of pounds in lost productivity. While machine defects and damages are a big cause of downtime, sometimes consumables running out, such as ink for a labelling machine, shrink wrap for a palletiser or bottle tops, can also bring production to a halt. While alert systems are commonplace for these
devices when they reach critical levels, these often notify workers on the shop floor, which is relying on the operative acknowledging the alert and acting on it quickly. By integrating devices with software that can set specific thresholds to alert an identified group of users by email or SMS, notifications will be acted on immediately for timely replenishment.
16 NOVEMBER 2023 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
ANALYTICS Production line insights are crucial to not only identify real-time issues, but also improve efficiencies based on predictions from collected analytical data. Enabling production managers to have a holistic view of their production environment, including production output, capacity utilisation, wastage, and consumption efficiency, will enable informed decisions to be made. By identifying areas that need attention or extra resource, actions can be taken swiftly to prevent issues occurring that would slow productivity. There is also great value in reviewing data
from multiple sites across different countries, side-by-side. By analysing data from production lines across different sites, it is possible to compare and investigate outputs and utilisation to drive efficiency gains across the global organisation. It is important to be able to view production data on a range of devices from desktops and tablets to mobile phones, to ensure managers can view analytics and take necessary action anytime, anywhere. Manufacturers should be looking to leverage
the data from the different elements of a production environment, to deliver end-to-end visibility and analytical insights that can inform production decisions to reduce downtime, improve resource utilisation and drive production efficiencies. By connecting all production devices into a single integration in SAP, organisations can streamline operations, increase production visibility and reduce errors to drive operational efficiencies. Creating a connected production environment that utilises emerging technologies, through intelligent integration, will deliver an agile production operation that allows organisations to navigate future supply chain disruptions quickly and effectively. This adaptability is a key factor for those businesses looking to adopt a smart factory approach to manufacturing.
The Config Team
theconfigteam.co.uk
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