Machine connection & M2M
Key factors for Industry 4.0 and the Smart Factory
The manufacturing industry can benefit enormously from the potential offered by Industry 4.0 and an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in terms of optimizing processes and realizing new business models. The basic prerequisite for Industry 4.0 is machine-to-machine communication (M2M), which represents a direct flow of data between an IT solution and inspection systems on the shopfloor.
Networking digital processes, systems and machines
The key lies in the "smart factory" (Smart Factory), which operates according to the principles of Industry 4.0 and in which all systems, processes and data are networked end-to-end and control themselves. The central building block for this smart factory is the use of a modern manufacturing execution system (MES) that maps all production lines and workstations and communicates bidirectionally with the manufacturing systems via OPC-UA and other interfaces.
This enables you to network data and processes horizontally on the shopfloor and make production completely transparent: an important prerequisite for further process optimization, seamless tracking and tracing, and Industry 4.0 scenarios. If the ME solution can be connected via interfaces to an existing ERP system or a JIS and logistics platform, this is another big plus.
This horizontal and vertical integration creates a digital process chain that provides a real-time view of the entire production and is seamlessly linked to the planning and control processes. Via machine-to-machine communication, you also integrate your inspection systems on the store floor. At the same time, you lay the foundation for innovations and competition-differentiating business models such as the Lot size-1-production or predictive maintenance.
Our services: MES and M2M expertise from a single source
Whether you are looking for a future-oriented MES concept or want to implement an M2M scenario. We at WSW Software support you with our entire consulting and process know-how and with services from a single source.
We develop M2M scenarios in the JIS environment with the aid of our JIS and logistics platform LOJISTIX. It is the central clock for your JIS processing and can communicate with manufacturing controls and systems via OPC-UA.
LOJISTIX can also be linked to a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and exchange information directly, enabling efficient control of assembly orders.
Advantages
Transparency
Production orders in the course of a sequence call can be set in the correct order in a machine control system via M2M. Conversely, actual data can be read out from the machine control and linked to the production number. This increases the transparency of the processes and in this way you can seamlessly track the status of each order and answer any queries from the customer in a timely manner.
Efficiency
At the same time, data from a control system - on malfunctions, setup, throughput and rework times, or good and scrap quantities - provide starting points for optimizing the use and utilization of equipment and personnel in production and shortening order throughput times. These are business-critical factors, especially in JIS production.
Customer satisfaction
With a JIS and logistics platform serving as a central clock for just-in-sequence processing, it should be possible to realize IIoT scenarios in the sense of Industry 4.0 in order to optimize customer sequence-related production.
