MES (Manufacturing Execution System) Use Case for Injection Moulding company
Real-time Monitoring and Optimization of Injection Moulding Process. Small injection company required to have full visibility of production in real-time and provide OEE reports.
Challenges:
- Improve efficiency,
- Improve quality,
- Improve traceability of the injection moulding process through
- Real-time data monitoring and process optimization.
Scenarios and Solutions:
A plastics manufacturing company specializes in producing various components using injection moulding. To enhance their production process, they implement an MES system. Solution when using MES system:
- Real-time Data Collection with digital signals: cycle times, machine status, setup, stops.
- Generating real-time insights: stops, scraps, material history.
- Dashboard near machines displaying the current status of all machines and interacting with work orders.
- Quality Control: Flagging products in real-time, reducing the chances of defects going unnoticed.
- Alerts and Notifications: Automatic alerts are sent to supervisors and maintenance teams.
- Performance Analytics: The system compiles historical data, enabling analysis of trends and patterns. This helps identify areas for process optimization and preventive maintenance. Full OEE reports and other KPIs available
Results and Conclusion:
This use case shows how MES systems greatly enhanced the injection molding process and enabled real-time monitoring, process optimization, visualization, improve product quality, increase efficiency, provide full traceability, and remove need of paper.
APS (Advanced Planning and Scheduling) Use Case for big Injection Molding company
Efficient Production Scheduling and Resource Allocation for big and medium Injection Moulding Facilities, which uses MS ERP and Pantheon and has multiple departments which affects planning results.
Challenges:
- Optimize production schedules, resource utilization, and order fulfilment for an injection moulding company using an APS system.
- Fully Integrate with Microsoft ERP Navision and Pantheon ERP
- Connect different departments (sales, purchasing, production: injection moulding, tooling, assembly) – cross schedule
- Give predictions for final product delivery to customers (meet delivery deadlines)
- Run simulations based on crisis scenarios from shop floor (order changes, machine breakdown, employee scheduling, shifts overtimes, …)
- Use APS with already existing start/stop system (very basic MES)
Scenarios and Solutions:
An injection moulding company faces challenges in meeting customer demands while minimizing production costs. To address these challenges, APS implementation was made.
- Production Scheduling: Based on demand forecasts and capacity constraints, the APS system generates optimized production schedules. It sequences orders to minimize changeovers, reduce downtime, and meet delivery deadlines.
- Kapasite planlaması: The system assessed the capacity of injection moulding machines, labour availability, and material stock levels to determine production capacity.
- Resource Allocation: APS system assigns the appropriate machines, tools, and personnel for each production job, ensuring efficient utilization of resources.
- Real-time Adjustments: If unexpected events occur (crisis scenarios), such as machine breakdowns or rush orders, the APS system can dynamically adjust schedules and resource allocations.
- Order Prioritization: The system considers factors like order urgency, customer priority, and production costs to prioritize orders appropriately.
- Visibility and Communication: The APS system provides visibility to production managers, operators, and others, enabling them to track progress and respond to changes in real-time.
- Talep Tahmini: The APS system integrates with historical sales data and market trends to forecast future demand for different products.
- Labour Scheduling: APS makes weekly/daily labour plan based on headcount and skill matrix
- Cross department scheduling: Different organisations/departments use scheduling, since they’re dependent on each other (tooling, moulding, assembly).
- ERP Integration: Read-write back integration with Pantheon ERP and MS Navision.
Results and Conclusion:
- Improved On-time Delivery
- Efficient utilization of machines, labour, and materials to reduce operational costs.
- Reduced Lead Times by minimizing downtimes and optimizing sequencing
- Flexibility – APS’s ability to adjust schedules in real-time allows for adapting to unexpected events.
- Increased Customer Satisfaction: Meeting delivery deadlines
- Cost Savings: overall cost savings.
- Planning purchase based on purchase strategies automatically
This use case shows how APS systems greatly improve the injection moulding process by enabling efficient production scheduling just by couple of clicks on mouse button.