Greater production efficiency due to rapid detection of problems and agile interventions
Even companies with 200 employees can quickly and easily visualize their production in real time and thus optimize their processes, often even without any need for comprehensive external advice. The experience of the bicycle manufacturer Corratec has proven that getting started in a smart factory is easier than one might think.
Corratec has manufactured all types of high-quality bicycles at its Raubling site in Bavaria since 1990. This is done via an electric monorail conveyor system that operates under a single roof. There are a total of 12 assembly lines, on which workers perform their separate assembly tasks. The existing visualization, which measures output and daily performance, is a single-user solution that can only display the data from the PLC in 10-minute evaluation periods.
The company wanted to create an information board for its production lines that brings together and visualizes all data sources available on the shop floor. The managers were looking for a simple, open dashboard solution that would allow for independent adjustments in the form of additional data sources and their own further developments. In addition, the investment costs should not exceed a defined framework. Ralph Sagberger, Head of Organization & Production at Corratec, summarized the challenge as follows:
“We want to be able to see, what we’re doing, to flexibly visualize data from different systems and bring it together on a single dashboard. Our PLC, the S5 from Siemens, was the sticking point: We had to use proprietary software from a local manufacturer to display the data. But the presentation of the delivery times and prices did not match, and no changes were possible.”
Corratec required a system with ready-made modules that can be connected together using drag and drop without any programming effort. Sagberger identified such a solution in Peakboard, which he was successfully able to use to create a dashboard. Sagberger concluded:
“Ultimately, the decisive factors that led us to choose Peakboard were the costs, the intuitive operation, and the option to connect many interfaces.”
Corratec opted for visualization at the assembly and production management level and not directly on the assembly line. The update frequency ranged from real time (for the information from the S5) to a matter of seconds for cyclic database queries. Interfaces with the following systems were installed:
Sagberger explained:
“Connecting the PLC was not a problem. Adding a Microsoft AX system was more challenging, but still possible without external support.”
The dashboard visualizes the system status for the electric monorail conveyor, the current production output compared to the target and the assembly progress of the individual assembly lines. It shows the 12 production lines and the shuttle cars that control the supply of the monorail. Their status, loads, and targets can be viewed at a glance. In addition, the production management can see the numbers of the vehicles currently passing by and a queue for buffering. Processing times at the workstations help managers to interpret the information to understand the overall picture.
Corratec has received a digital production control system with real-time data visualization. The company can see the status of production at a glance, and it can immediately recognize any problems that arise. This allows for agile interventions and better planning. Before the company implemented Peakboard, it had to actively query the current status of production by performing an assessment in Excel. Sagberger summed up the experience, which will lead the company to utilize additional dashboards at a master level, as follows:
“We are efficient because we can now see all active production lines in real time. In the past, we had to do a lot of leg work to gain an overview, which really slowed down the entire process.”
