Real Data, Improvements, PlantRun

Scott Fletcher, Head of Sales and Marketing at manufacturing software specialist Tascomp, explains how the company’s PlantRun OEE, Machine Downtime and Manufacturing Information System can empower businesses to make the right manufacturing decisions at the right time

We all know there are common challenges and goals no matter what industry sector we are in.

We need to become leaner, more efficient, produce far less waste, and ultimately, improve productivity throughout. And to top this off, we have limited resources, and pressures from our end customers to deliver more and ideally at a lower cost.

Businesses must make tough decisions to move forward. But how do you know it is the right thing to do? Your gut will get you so far, but good data will answer the real questions.

For example, with one timber mill, it was presumed that the operator on one of their stackers was stood waiting for about 1½ hours in an 8 hour shift. After an automatic OEE system was installed, it became clear that it was actually 4½ hours. As a result their process was adjusted to build up a buffer and the operator redeployed on other tasks during their ‘newly available’ time.
PlantRun is not a cure-all, but it will provide accurate, real time information about your manufacturing process − and so much more.

Why Implement?
PlantRun is a manufacturing information system that connects direct to your assets, and delivers live information to where you need it, with:

• OEE and other KPI Measures
• Automated Data Flows
• Production Traceability
• Digitising of Paperwork
• Real Time Visualisation
• And Much More…

We are often asked, why implement a system? Is this just another cost, and how will it make a difference? Unless you have a site that is already extremely efficient, in most cases it is possible to get a payback on our systems in just a few weeks. After that you are saving money and improving your bottom line.
Implementing an OEE system will not inherently make you more efficient or save you money. The only way to make it work is if you actively use the data it generates.

One packaging manufacturer told us that “PlantRun has been giving us good meaningful data. In the past we did not have such data available. A quick one we now know what the biggest time wasters are”. As a result they have now implemented a callout system for parts, reducing waiting times and improving productivity.

PlantRun Connects your Factory
There are numerous examples of business decisions being backed by good PlantRun data.

Throughout our 40 year history, we have seen improvements with all sizes of organisation, regardless of type or location. PlantRun will fit to any type of asset, whether that is a machine, production line, work cell, or even a manual operation, and it can be scaled up from monitoring one, to hundreds of assets.
We don’t want to provide a system that creates more islands of data. As well as our extensive machine interfacing capabilities, our software can also integrate with a comprehensive range of different third-party software around the factory (ERP, MES, CMMS, WMS, etc).

This ensures that your factory is truly connected.

Your System, Your Data, Your Decisions
You may be thinking, manufacturing information systems serve a purpose and are not a long-term solution. That may be the case for many on the market, but PlantRun has been developed to grow with your needs.

It can be expanded with functionality to remove paperwork and manual data entry from the shop floor. With automatic tracking of production (allowing you to respond to stoppages more rapidly), with alerts via text messages, email, public address, or shop floor TV screens. Energy monitoring can be added (to help you understand the true cost of manufacturing a product), and the list goes on. Not only that, but we can provide bespoke features specific to your needs, to make the system truly yours.

We can also go further. Our Prodigy SCADA System seamlessly integrates with PlantRun − allowing you to mesh process control and monitoring data with production performance data.

All of this allows you to make great decisions, consistently.

For more information please visit our website.