Increasing profit margins through improved productivity and reduced overheads is imperative for companies operating in any manufacturing sector – especially in today’s uncertain economic climate –- but identifying where processes can be honed to meet these objectives requires accurate business intelligence, which can be expensive.
However, there are affordable, flexible data capture systems that interface with existing resource planning systems to provide business managers with key performance indicators and, at the touch of a button, give engineers the detailed reports they need to help drive up Operational Equipment Efficiency (OEE).
One leading engineering company providing cost effective manufacturing intelligence and data analysis is Blackburn-based InfoServe365 Ltd, who installed a bespoke system at one of the world’s largest single-site metallisation, in-vacuum coating and lamination companies.
Camvac Ltd, a leading UK supplier of liquid packaging, metalised films and laminates for the food, beverage, industrial and conversion markets, needed to improve the OEE of its operation for barrier laminates and single web structures at its plant in Thetford, Norfolk.
Infoserve365 designed and installed a bespoke system for Camvac’s laminating machine that interfaces with the machine’s original control system PLCs and various ancillary control instruments using standard communications protocols. System operation is straightforward and intuitive and provides automated production analysis records for process improvement and quality control activities.
But the real power of the InfoServe365 system is that the manufacturer can take advantage of real time production analysis reports, journals and trending modules on a range of specific processes and derived from relevant data parameters.
Camvac’s management team can now easily access a multitude of critical business information such as daily, monthly or weekly downtime events and production analysis, both by day and by shift, from anywhere in the world.
As a result, Camvac has seen significant process improvements and clearer quality control. Production manager Simon Smith said: “In order for Camvac to maintain it’s competitive advantage as a manufacturing ‘Best in Class’ company, our plant’s operational efficiency is crucial to us.
“InfoServe365 provides us with powerful business information from our production plant as soon as it happens. By installing InfoServe365, we have reinforced our commitment to continually improve OEE, ensuring that we always meet our stringent high quality standards and maintain an operational advantage over our competitors.”
InfoServe365 joint managing director Michael Hill added: “The advantage of InfoServe365 is that users only need web access to operate the system, there is no need for dedicated server space. With only a few mouse clicks, board members, production managers, process engineers and maintenance engineers all have access to empirical machine data, from wherever they are in the world.”
Blackburn-based InfoServe365 is a UK leader in managed data collection and analysis and is the sister company of Optima Control Solutions Ltd (OCS), which has developed an unrivalled reputation for designing, building and commissioning high-quality drive control systems.
Established in 1995 by OCS, the brainchild of Mr Hill and fellow managing director Dr Adrian West, the company has grown steadily and now provides a blue chip service to an impressive client base both here in the UK and overseas, including customers in Europe, China and South Africa.