Value Stories- DATA IS POWER

DATA IS POWER

ARUN RAJ PANDIAN, PARTNER MANAGER, MAXBYTE TECHNOLOGIES, ON HOW A SAUDI-BASED DEFENSE COMPANY SOUGHT TO UPGRADE ITS PAPER-BASED OPERATIONS TO A DIGITAL PLATFORM, IN A BID TO ENHANCE ITS DATA ACCURACY AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY.

A Saudi-based defense company wanted to transform its paper-based operations to a digital platform, as part of its efforts to gain greater visibility and understanding of its equipment efficiency data. On the manufacturing floor, the customer needed to implement a real time data system that could offer insights into the floor’s production levels, as well as displaying the energy consumption of each machine that was being run.

As specialists in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Max-byte Technologie, a global digital and automation solutions company, worked alongside the customer to set the wheels in motion for this transformation.

“The customer was previously relying on a paper-based system to track down the real time production and energy consumption in the manufacturing department,” explained Arun Raj Pandian, Partner Manager, Maxbyte Technologie.

“This was both an inefficient and often inaccurate way of collecting the relevant data points and understanding the efficiency of the operation.”

Due to the nature of a paper-based system, the customer also lacked the ability to retrieve historical data as and when it was needed, which was hindering the team’s ability to make quick decisions. Plus, the system meant that there was a huge dependency on staff members to collect and submit the appropriate reports when necessary. “Calculating the amount of energy consumed could take up to two hours of manual work per person, per shift, so a strain on manpower was certainly a challenge for the customer in its previous way of working,” said Pandian.

With the help of PTC’s Thingworx IIOT platform and Maxbyte’s byteFACTORY IIOT SaaS/ Consulting and Implementation Services - OEE, Digital Maintenance and Energy Module, Maxbyte Technologies was able to begin analyzing up to 10 of the customer’s machines in the project’s pilot phase, enabling the team to build the foundations for efficient data analysis moving forward. “By studying the data over the course of three to four months and understanding the efficiency of the machines, we can predict the production levels for the coming months and years,” said Pandian.The project hasn’t been without its difficulties, though.

Given the strict COVID-19 protocols that have been in place in Saudi Arabia since the pandemic began, arranging for hard-ware shipments to reach the customer has been a challenge.

“From document gathering, to flight availability and courier arrangements, we have faced a number of delays throughout the project,” said Pandian. “As a result, the implementation has currently been ongoing for the last eight months.”

Despite this, the Maxbyte team has successfully begun capturing the necessary data during the pilot phase and foresees unequaled benefits for the customer once the project goes live.

“We can expect the customer to fetch the production and energy data on the manufacturing floor through the system, in addition to receiving more transparent and accurate data into the dashboards,” explained Pandian. “For now, as we continue the pilot phase, we can expect that more requirements will arise for the customer before we set out the final scope of work for this project.”