Digitalization
25.5.2022
As you learned in our prior post about data silos, restricted and siloed data is a major challenge for the plastics extrusion industry. If data (and thus knowledge) is stored in separate systems or is only available to a few employees, this often leads to bad decisions resulting in a loss of production efficiency. At the same time, companies that manage to break down their data silos, gain a decisive competitive advantage. So, it is worth tackling this issue. But where to start?
There are several stakeholders and departments dealing with production data such as Management, Procurement, Quality, R&D and machine operators. Thus, the challenge is to make data accessible, transparent and understandable to all employees, from the top floor to the shop floor. To achieve this, you should connect all your assets and applications via a middleware. Learn how you can easily reach this goal.
Many manufacturers in plastics extrusion are annoyed because they have not yet been able to get an overview of their entire production - especially if they have a heterogeneous shop floor. They desperately try to connect each asset or system with individual ‘data languages’ and APIs separately - a big effort that leads to even more data silos. The good news is: RE: helps you to solve this issue and to finally get full transparency from the first to the last meter. The c.Hub middleware consolidates your data in a single point of truth. This enables you to make data accessible across all machines, peripherals, applications, and departments. To ensure that the data sources is ‘understood’ in the same way by your applications and all stakeholders, it has to be initially ‘mapped’. This process is easily completed thanks to a plug & play function RE: has developed and tailored to the extrusion industry. You just have to check once, if the auto-mapping has associated your data points with the right values, e.g. the temperature at the extruder of your first sheet line. Once the data mapping is completed, your applications can integrate, analyze, and compare all your data. Finally, you have eliminated your blind data spots and can get real insights.
Extrusion machinery of different vendors and years, as well as peripherals and applications, all can be connected via the c.Hub, the 'single point of truth' for your current and historical data.
Smart applications and dashboards provide real-time visibility across the entire production process. You always keep an eye on your KPIs and core parameters, from the first to the last meter.
You can quickly identify when and where a defect occured; and sort out the respective roll. In addition, you easily and reliably document compliance with quality criteria.
Guesswork is history. Your employees can decide objectively based on data, easily and clearly visualised by extrusion-specific applications. This helps you to sustainably improve your OEE.
Many manufacturers feel lost in the jungle of Industry 4.0. They are overwhelmed by the huge number of digitization services. How to evaluate their ROI? Do they really pay off? We show you how to quickly increase your Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and improve your competitive advantage by implementing our digital solutions.
The RE: GmbH is a corporate start-up of the Reifenhäuser Group, whose digital solutions are based on a deep process engineering know-how. The c.Hub middleware and the ExtrusionOS Suite allow you to integrate, analyze, and save all relevant data. You set a new foundation for maximizing your manufacturing efficiency and quality. In brief: RE: enables you to get full transparency on your data from the first to the last meter, produce better products, comply with your quality standards and optimize processes.
In the next article we will share some insights on how to establish a ‘data democracy’ and empower your employees to leverage the full potential of your data.
