Invest in OEE and Connected Machines Today to Save Tomorrow

Basic data collection has been a key aspect of manufacturing since its inception, but the methods of acquisition and analysis have rapidly evolved in recent years with the adoption of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing. Historically, operations personnel have manually checked gauges and taken measurements based on visual inspections. Then, the data was reviewed to make decisions regarding the health of specific equipment as well as the entire production line. With this process, manufacturers are making decisions based on data that is days or weeks old, not to mention this method is prone to error.??

With the onset of smart manufacturing, data collection and analysis have been revolutionized. Failure to embrace and adopt these smart innovations may prove to be a costly mistake. Simply put, investment in OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) tracking and connected machines today delivers significant gains tomorrow. At Matics, we have observed these production gains firsthand when our customers implement our software solution: Matics manufacturing analytics.

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What is Smart Manufacturing?

Each industrial revolution capitalizes on new, innovative technologies to improve manufacturing. The world is currently in the midst of the 4th industrial revolution.???Industry 4.0 manufacturing facilities are often referred to as “smart factories” due to their use of advanced digital technologies to capture and analyze data from?connected machines.

The digitalization of manufacturing, also known as Industry 4.0, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), is being used to improve manufacturing by optimizing operations across the production environment. This form of smart manufacturing is revolutionizing shop floors by enabling the acquisition and accessibility of greater amounts of data, at greater speeds, and far more efficiently than before – allowing manufacturers to make decisions based on real-time data. Smart manufacturing, with its increased connectivity, reduces the amount of human intervention needed to collect and analyze data. Through these connected machines and technologies, IIoT has enabled companies to automate many of the design and production processes, allowing for a better flow of information through the entire manufacturing value chain and improved efficiencies due to the use of robotics and other automation technologies in manufacturing lines.

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An Example of Smart Manufacturing: Predictive Analysis

There are many benefits of IIoT for manufacturers – one of which is predictive analytics, namely for the purpose of improving equipment performance and maintenance. ?Predictive analytics is the use of data, statistical analysis , and traditional maintenance methods to create performance and failure prediction models that estimate the probability of future events based on historical data. This form of data analysis has been around for a while but is much more attainable with smart manufacturing and connected machines – and software solutions like Matics manufacturing analytics.

Connected machines collect and use data to monitor their own health, alerting of potential failure points or anticipated issues based on the data collected – a process known as predictive maintenance. IIoT enables predictive maintenance, which is based on both historical and real-time conditions of a specific piece of equipment, compared to traditional preventative maintenance which is generally based on averages, equipment manufacturer guidance,?and historical data of equipment that is collected manually.

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Smart manufacturing with connected machines can be applied to?a variety of equipment commonly found in production. The type of real-time data collected by sensors during operations varies by machine but often includes temperature, pressure, flow, orientation, vibration, power, torque, speed, current, and voltage. Other machine conditions are also monitored and tracked such as machine balance, gear and bearing health, and wear on tooling.

Smart, connected machines create a signature of the machine’s health. When the machine varies from the norm, artificial intelligence uses?analytics to detect?issues and allows manufacturers to proactively schedule downtime for maintenance and repairs before the machine suffers damage or a failure that would unexpectedly stop production, resulting in costly delays.?Machine learning also utilizes real-time data to take corrective actions - improving quality and consistency and reducing the potential for products that do not meet quality specifications..

Maintenance programs that rely solely on manual data entry and tracking are slow and are often too “reactive” in nature – it is key to integrate smart, condition-based monitoring systems with connected machines into existing manufacturing processes.?Manufacturers are becoming increasingly aware of the significant costs resulting from unexpected equipment failures and unplanned downtimes.?To address this issue, OEMs are investing in OEE and connected machines today in order to save costs in the future. Specifically, OEMs are adopting preventative maintenance programs based on connected machines and are adopting Industry 4.0 technologies, such as Matics manufacturing analytics, to secure a competitive edge and maximize OEE. ?

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Real-time Data Drives OEE Optimization

While the occasional equipment breakdown, poor quality production run, or materials shortage are all expected parts of any?manufacturing process, these incidents can be significantly reduced with the right tools – namely,?real-time production visibility, software. Real-time production data is the key to establishing smoother operations and minimizing the impact of unanticipated production setbacks.

OEE is an excellent metric to assess the health of your operations. An OEE of 100% means the operation is running as smoothly as possible, with no interruptions or stop time, and that equipment is being allocated optimally. The level of even 85% production efficiency is nearly impossible to achieve without real-time manufacturing analytics software. The system collects, visualizes, and analyzes data across the factory floor, making it central for operations personnel. Real-time production data and call-to-action alerts help improve operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Real-time OEE-measuring solutions, including Matics manufacturing analytics, can be implemented in a single manufacturing plant or as an enterprise-level program at multiple locations around the world. OEE is the single best metric for monitoring the health of a manufacturing process, especially for identifying productivity losses and benchmarking improvements. When properly deployed and utilized, real-time production data greatly improves manufacturing productivity. Matics customers achieve on average over 30% improvement in production effectiveness within just a few months of operation, while also saving on energy and material waste and getting products to market 25% faster. For manufacturers, not only does improved productivity result in reduced operational costs, but also most importantly, it deepens customer satisfaction and therefore leads to increases in market share.

About Matics

Matics is a Real-Time Operational Intelligence solution that was designed to enable rapid Industry 4.0 capabilities adoption via a user-friendly,?non-disruptive digitalization platform. Matics manufacturing analytics instantly improves visibility and shop-floor management, reducing response time to critical events, while?increasing OEE and profitability.

Matics’ manufacturing analytics solution continually aggregates data in real-time, transforming it into knowledge manufacturers can use to optimize key metrics on their shop floor. Matics provides manufacturers with powerful work management tools that deliver notifications when attention is needed and enable remote tasks management, process automation, and more.

Over 80% of manufacturers do not have real-time solutions on their shop-floor. Below are a few leading manufacturers who choose to digitize their facilities with Matics manufacturing analytics solutions:

Ready to upgrade your shop floor to Industry 4.0? Visit our website to learn more about Matics solutions or to book a demo.