While the multi-parameter-based scenario in the Industry 4.0 makes the manufacturer think about what is more important to them, the policy-making, drafting, and implementation demands data about the extent to which the one-to-one mapping between the operators and machines comes about. Industry 4.0, fulfilling this demand, makes manufacturers gather and analyze data, to bring efficient operations of the machines in accord with the operators.
Along with the Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) to be more than 90 %, as demanded in the manufacturing standards, formulating innovation, envisioning sustainability, and making the process disruption-proof are the KPIs that are said to be at the core of Industry 4.0’s megatrends.
But how Industry 4.0 is making a difference is making the manufacturers know how efficient their machines are, how quality-assuring they are and how they are ‘speaking’ to each other.
Moreover, the machine’s speaking to another machine stands for how someone can get the machine’s real-time status, not from the heart, but capturing the real-time data projecting on a screen in front of him.
Knowing what is happening on the shop-floor, what component is running, what efficiency is being delivered, not because of the trust which manufacturers have in their machines but, by monitoring them while they are operating is the idea behind Industry 4.0.
Making Data manual to Digital: Real-Time Analysis
Taking out the time taken in the preventive maintenance of the machine, which is available whole the day for 30 days, let us assume it is available for 612 hours which is around 85 % of the total availability for potential revenue generation.
Out of that 85 %, how much potential the machine can generate is the question of consideration. Ultimately, how efficient we are is the answer we need to find out, which is only possible with the right data monitoring.
Being the costliest and efficient one, AceInotec’s ERP machine is carefully monitored, which we have integrated with SAP business using software, enabling it to collect data from Machine as well as taking inputs from the operator and bringing it to the dashboard.
From the operator in the field to the operation performed, from production target to the real-time status of the machinery processes, all machines at AceInotec are monitored, not because of the monitor screen, but the way one machine speaks to another.
This is, indeed responsible to bring about transparency between the management who is looking at the data and the operator operating in the field. What AceInotec’s product deals with is how the machines are delivering the data to other machines and bringing that data to the ERP under observation.
From shifting from manual data to digital, we are not only able to understand the efficiency status, but the gaps in achieving that efficiency, along with raw material availability, quality issues, and operator’s efficiency.
Motivating the operators- Manufacturing Cheerleading
The manufacturing processes need the right strategies to fire up the frontline and motivate them to surpass the limits of manufacturing excellence, driving them to do more and more better in terms of efficiency.
Imbibing the Industry 4.0 solutions, we have Big screens at AceInotec’s shop-floor which help the operators to understand their performance using the real-time data and also, the management to take-a note of many parameters in one sitting.
This naturally instills the urge inside them to perform better, to get into the position which is recognized by the management, which brings more efficiency to the people in the manufacturing shop-floor.
At the end of the shift, the supervisors at the shop-floors reward the respective operators recognizing their efficiency, and this consistent performance help to reward operators. This is how we are creating healthy competition between the operators and machines.
Quality Improvement- A Continuous process
Quality check and quality assurance, in today’s global manufacturing landscape, are not possible overnight. Instead, they evolve from the ceaseless strategic and operational impact of real-time scanning of the data.
At Aceinotek, the machines generate the data and the other data inputs are fed by the operator. This combinational data is integrated into the ERP via LAN cable through plug-and-play software, which is installed in the server.
By end of the year, Aceinotek is also in the process of connecting all quality machines like those of Coordinating Measuring Machines (CMM) to the facility make industry 4.0, so that reduction in rejection and improvement in profitability can be brought about.
Following the quality improvement trend of Industry 4.0, the head-start to 2022 is all about collecting the data from all the machines including the quality equipment and machines.
Building such a manufacturing ecosystem with a data analytical twist seems more of a revenue generation process. But the ultimate beneficiaries are our customers.
Gathering, analyzing, and modifying data inspires the manufacturers to define the product quality from the customer's perspective thereby making the production process customer-focused.
Both the in-house and outsourcing production monitoring and live-tracking of the OEE ultimately results in the enhanced product which the customers get.
To whom we are going to deliver such efficiency? To whom we are offering such quality checks at competitive prices? Undoubtedly, they are the customers who are going to be benefitted from the pioneering data analysis under Industry 4.0.
