In team sport, buying only the best individual players is no guarantee for success. It is only with the right communication and alignment that the trophy cabinet can be filled. In industries it actually works the same way. No matter how good individual machines are, a production line will only run smoothly with adequate system integration. If you think there is room for improvement in your production environment, you really should read on.
Collaborating machines
In most factories KPIs such as OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and TEEP (Total Effective Equipment Performance (TEEP) are widely used. In other words, the amount of perfect production in relation to the actual planned time or the amount of perfect production in relation to the total calendar year. As a rule, these values indicate the performance per stand-alone machine. However, it says nothing, or at least too little, about the joint performance of all cooperating machines in the total production process. Small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in particular often purchase machines from different suppliers and then knot them together with, often even impressive, cut and paste jobs.
Overall process alignment
In many cases SMEs even manage to achieve neat, individual OEE values. However, many SMEs simply lack the knowledge and/or resources to implement mechatronic and robotic solutions ‘smartly’ by integrating them in one overall IT system. You could compare it to the use of ERP, but for production purposes only. As a result, in practice the whole is not at all greater than the sum of its parts. Incoherent system design limits operational flexibility, while there are clear advantages to be gained with system integration where one, preferably independent, company bears responsibility for integration design as well as providing an overview of the performance of the entire process.
Independent system integrators
As global market leader in the pipe blasting and coating industry, we are equally familiar with comparable processes. Moreover, because Selmers has been a system integrator in the broadest sense of the word for decades, we have helped many companies by smartly connecting all equipment, electronics, hardware, software and peripherals within one production line. Both for new equipment and existing configurations. By taking a fresh look at your processes from the outside and from above, improvement areas, which may be related to effectiveness as well as safety and local regulations, can be identified more quickly.
Add data management later
Moreover, by configuring machinery in a structured way, matters such as data collection and data management can later be added for further harmonization and better predictability. In many cases, this translates into fewer hiccups in production downtime. Similarly, an ERP system too can be integrated at a later stage for even further business optimization. Do you feel that your production line can be more efficient, or are you looking for someone who can cleverly integrate a partial solution into a total solution? Just call your sales contact or send an email to sales@selmers.com and we will face your challenges head-on!
