ABB software finds more production capacity

Citation

(2005), "ABB software finds more production capacity", Assembly Automation, Vol. 25 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2005.03325bab.002

ABB software finds more production capacity

ABB software finds more production capacity

Keywords: Production improvement, Computer software

Software from ABB Limited can help manufacturers recover up to 40 per cent of the production capacity that is wasted through stops and interruptions (Plate 1).

Plate 1

ABB's real-time production intelligence (Real-TPI) collects and analyses production data, using it to identify ways to increase efficiency.

Real-TPI eliminates the inaccuracies and laborious work of manual logs – detection and recording of all production losses is performed automatically and in real-time, so managers can see problems immediately. Real-TPI makes it easy to track daily progress and identify and react to possible problems in the production line.

The system helps companies find more production time from existing machines and processes. It is extremely cost-effective, with trials revealing that in some applications saving just 2h of production time is enough to pay for the system. One company was able to use Real-TPI to gain an entire month of extra production time over a 1 year time period.

Real-TPI software harnesses the analytical power of three standard production evaluation processes: overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), root cause analysis (RCA) and total productive maintenance (TPM).

When OEE indicates poor plant performance, Real-TPI uses RCA to determine what the problem is and where it is located so that the corrective action can be taken. TPM is used by the package to help the user adjust the production equipment procedures to improve efficiency.

The software helps the user to achieve a comprehensive overview of the plant by adding production efficiency data to the information provided by production planning, production tracking and financial systems.

Real-TPI provides production trends, as well as a dynamic PARETO chart which reports the cumulative breakdowns in each category. An audit trail feature means that historical data records cannot be removed or manipulated, but they can be archived. Users can create events and change classifications, products and orders using a keyboard, pushbuttons, or bar code reader. They can modify or expand the cause of a breakdown by clicking a mouse. It is also possible to access breakdown history and OEE data for a given period of time.

The Real-TPI product consists of a data acquisition module, a data manipulation and storage module, and a module for visualization and reporting. Each module can be distributed over a local area network (LAN) from practically any programmable logic controller (PLC) or distributed control system (DCS). Real-TPI can also be accessed over the web to give remote reporting, allowing the plant processes to be interrogated from anywhere in the world.

Designed to allow quick and easy implementation and integration with existing systems, Real-TPI is expandable so a user can get process information from his own, tailor-made applications. A manufacturer can start with one machine or line and expand gradually to achieve performance measurement for the whole factory. ABB provides all the installation services to get users started and can even help in the analysis of the data and the setting up of improvement teams.

For further information visit the web site: www.abb.com