Preventing Production Downtime and Bottlenecks

Industry 4.0 , also known as the fourth industrial revolution, represents the transition to automation and digitalization through the use of available data and smart, connected technologies. It encompasses machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other tools to optimize the manufacturing facility. Facilities that fully implement Industry 4.0 capabilities, such as those found in Matic's manufacturing analytics , will operate more efficiently and remain competitive in an increasingly digitalized, competitive market.? The following makes the business case for technologies like Matic's manufacturing analytics that leverage the power of Industry 4.0 and tap into its ability to transform manufacturing by preventing production downtimes and bottlenecks.

The Case for Change: The Cost of Downtimes and Bottlenecks

Production downtimes and bottlenecks lead to manufacturing inefficiencies and lower productivity – and can significantly impact the bottom line and your brand reputation.? Downtimes include outages due to planned maintenance as well as unplanned outages due to equipment failures or other unexpected issues. A bottleneck is simply a point in the manufacturing chain where production slows. Every hour of lost production due to a bottleneck is an hour your business falls behind.? Customers, partners, and your business lose when bottlenecks and downtimes disrupt production. In fact, manufacturing bottlenecks and downtimes are estimated to cost billions every year . Studies estimate that unplanned downtime is around 15 times more costly than planned outages, and manufacturing productivity takes a 5-20% hit due to downtime.? In addition to financial, productivity, and reputational losses, safety incidents are much more likely to occur during process startups or shutdowns as personnel often experience operating situations that are less familiar. Thus, it is crucial to safe operations and your competitive edge to keep production online. Below are two common causes of production downtimes bottlenecks.

Equipment Failures: most unplanned downtimes are caused by equipment failures, often due to improper maintenance. This is typically the costliest form of downtime. When only manual data collection methods are employed, it is nearly impossible to effectively predict when equipment needs maintenance or is approaching a potential issue, resulting in unplanned downtimes due to an equipment problem. When it comes to maintenance, a predictive plan using a mix of automated and manually collected data is often the best approach.

Scheduling Issues: There are many things to schedule in a manufacturing facility, ranging from labor to materials. If not scheduled properly, these can lead to downtime or a bottleneck along the production line. For example, materials and other resources must be available where and when needed for operations to run smoothly. Proper forecasting and scheduling are necessary to ensure materials are on hand. Additionally, inventory and spares must be tracked well to ensure efficiency. Regarding labor, when a specific operator is not present for a crucial step in the process, a bottleneck can easily occur.? Missing key personnel rapidly results in downtimes or slowdowns.

It should be noted that production downtimes and bottlenecks are often due to a lack of automation. Automated technologies are efficient and effective at handling repetitive tasks with little human involvement. When these tasks are performed manually, the risk of human error increases significantly and leaves the business more vulnerable to bottlenecks along the supply chain and unplanned downtimes.

How Industry 4.0 Can Reduce Downtimes and Bottlenecks

The manufacturing industry is quickly advancing with Industry 4.0 capabilities. Organizations are starting to collect more and more data on their operations, create insights and run analytics to optimize their production efficiency. While manufacturers are starting to move towards Industry 4.0 by collecting data to use in real-time, it is not yet ingrained into the culture. The shift toward real-time data and actionable insights is a big step from traditional manufacturing and requires a clear strategy to be implemented effectively.

The key question is: how can Industry 4.0 technologies like the Matics manufacturing analytics help manufacturers prevent production downtimes and bottlenecks? As noted above, automation technologies can reduce the human error associated with manual processes. In addition, proper materials forecasting requires looking ahead to predict areas of high and low demand. Real-time analytical tools enable more effective planning and scheduling based on current levels, historical ordering trends, and customer behaviors.

In addition, these smart, connected technologies use sensors along the entire manufacturing line to collect and analyze operating data in real time. This data is analyzed and available for operating personnel locally or remotely – to keep them apprised of the health of the production line and alert them to any potential issues before problems occur, such as bottlenecks or a potential unplanned downtime due to equipment operating out of the desired window. In these cases, personnel have the opportunity to proactively adjust operating conditions to avoid unplanned downtimes. This data can also be used to facilitate machine learning to enable a more predictive approach to machine maintenance, allowing facilities to reduce downtime caused by unnecessary maintenance.

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Matics Manufacturing Analytics: Your Industry 4.0 Solution

Matics manufacturing analytics collects real-time data,? transforming it into instant action to improve overall factory operations. By leveraging cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technology, Matics becomes the single source of “truth” for all personnel, instantly providing KPIs and allowing transparent data communication across the organization. With straightforward actionable insights, comprehensive dashboards, and real-time alerts, Matics manufacturing analytics empowers personnel to make data-driven decisions that often result in a 20%-30% improvement in OEE in a matter of weeks.

Matics manufacturing analytics is much more than just another MES/MOM platform. It is a smart, real-time manufacturing analytics platform that provides unprecedented visibility and control of your manufacturing process – anytime, anywhere. Our secure, cloud-based MES system with smart applications empowers your personnel to make smarter and better-informed production decisions. So you can resolve issues faster and achieve immediate productivity gains.

From planning & scheduling through all production stages and work procedures all the way to the warehouse, we provide a comprehensive production management solution. We enable you to optimize production efficiency – including minimizing downtimes and bottlenecks - and digitally streamline every part of your manufacturing process using secure connectivity, deep data analytics and advanced computing.

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About Matics

Matics is a Real-Time Operational Intelligence solution designed to enable rapid Industry 4.0 best practice adoption via a user-friendly non-disruptive digitalization platform. The Matics RtOI solution instantly improves visibility and shop-floor management, reducing response time to critical events, and increasing OEE and profitability.

The Matics 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 manufacturing facilities with Matics’ 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 .