One of my successful projects while at GAP, which was showcased at Wonderware’s Op Manage conference. My role was system project and played a major role in all development and design.
3. Outline
Business Challenge
Business Drivers and Goals
Results and User Comments
Technical Implementation
Lessons Learned and User Comments
Slide 3
4. Corning Mitsubishi Environmental
Technologies
A joint company of Corning and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Founded in 1989; headquarters in Durham, NC
Engineer, Manufacture and Field Service of SCR Catalyst for Electric
Power, Refining and Chemical industries
Test and diagnose SCR catalysts for Catalyst Management
Manufacturing facilities in North Carolina & Tennessee
Vision: Be a global leader providing the highest quality and highest
performing environmental technology solutions
Mission: Deliver innovative products and services that improve air
quality and maximize stakeholder value
Slide 4
5. Business Challenge
Cormetech’s need for the investment in the Manufacturing Execution
System:
• Process selects were below standard averages
• Long lead-time and limited flexibility for defect reporting
• Associates manually recorded shop floor data on paper
• Production paperwork manually entered to the database the
following day
• Equipment set up errors occurred
• Quality and accuracy of production data was poor
• No plan for direct linkage of manufacturing data to the ERP
Slide 5
6. Business Drivers / Goals
Our goal was to:
• Increase process selects via
– Defect reduction
– Increased material utilization
• Reduce process setup errors
• Improve productivity
– Eliminate shop floor paper
– Reduce manual data entry
• Improve data quality and enable real-time manufacturing analysis
and reporting
Slide 6
7. Business Drivers / Goals
Goals (cont’d):
• Institute a scalable, flexible platform to accommodate future growth
and business offerings
• Implement a solution within an existing 24 x 7 business without
impacting production
Slide 7
8. Business Process
MES Journey
• MES Requirements Document – Sep 07
• Attended MESA Conference – Oct 07
• Vendor Selection – Mar 08
• Definition of MES Functionality – Feb 09
• Design of System– Apr 09
• Develop and Test – Jul 09
• Implementation – Sep 09
• Parallel Systems – Nov 09
Slide 8
9. Business Process
What was implemented?
• Servers in VMware Virtual Environment
• Network Infrastructure – Improved Wireless
• Operator Interface Stations
• Barcode System for Product and Lot Tracking
• Vision System – OCR and Outside Dimension
• Product Routing – Work Order Definitions
• Lot Tracking – Numbering Redesign
Slide 9
10. Results
The solution has been up and running for 1 year and achieved results
that include:
• Process selects above project goals by 3-5%
• Significant paperwork reduction
• Real time process tracking for defect reduction
• Real time WIP accuracy
• More engaged and trained workforce
• Error checking alarms prevent poor quality
Slide 10
12. Results
User Comments:
Production/process monitoring is a big benefit from the
engineering side.
Being able to pull real time production metrics from your
desk is a big time savings and allows faster response to
problems.
Paperwork reduction and therefore not having to store
the paperwork is a big plus for the plant.
Accuracy improvements in floor inventory and selects.
Scanning of printed raw material and process WIP
barcode labeling reduced time and data errors
Slide 12
13. Results
User Comments (cont’d):
Inventory control and reduced inventory time, almost
instantaneous defect analysis - improved yields, less
paper work, the list goes on.
Having machine data available live, and from your
desktop, eliminates maintenance of a separate system
and legwork required to move data from one system to
another. Correlation of product lot numbers to machine
parameters is now seamless, something that was difficult
and time consuming before.
Morning reports which required 2-2.5 hours of data entry
and report creation before can now be completed in less
than 1 hour.
Slide 13
14. Results
User Comments (cont’d):
As a smaller company, the availability of technical MES
expertise is limited. Having additional support during the
first six months is and was paramount to the success.
While training was valuable, working side-by-side with
the developers during implementation provided the
hands-on experience necessary to support the system
during its infancy. This also points to the importance of
having a good working relationship between the
integrators and in-house team members.
Slide 14
15. Results
User Comments (cont’d):
The use of a Thin Client technology was a new area which
created some concern. However, in use it has proved
irreplaceable. The ability to shadow a users session
without effort has contributed greatly to being able to
support and resolve issues quickly
Using the MES, I can look at the trend in cutting from the
previous day or get a head start the day before by
looking at the current “up to the minute defects”. This
saves me hours of time in a week, and allows me to dig
deeper than I could before
Slide 15
16. Results
User Comments (cont’d):
Due to going paperless at cutting and assembly we have
very little to no downtime stopping the belt unless there
are mechanical issues. We are running close to double
the elements per shift to one saw and are keeping up.
From my experience here we would have never been able
to do that writing down all of the numbers that were
required. We had to often times slow down at lower
production levels to one saw when we had to document
every number on paper.
Slide 16
17. Results
User Comments (cont’d):
Sample element traceability is done in a matter of
minutes when an element needs to be found, rather then
having to track down the paperwork and go through
every element location sheet by hand which could take
hours and were difficult to read all of the hand written
numbers to find it.
Overall production in cutting and assembly has improved
greatly and people are more willing to do the task, now
that it is indeed easier then before.
The ability to use the feedback from OA's to improve the
system was very good.
Slide 17
18. Results
User Comments (cont’d):
Overall the MES system has improved production as you
can see we put out more product everyday compared to
what we used to. The system is great for locating
materials. MES is more accurate than people if the
system is used correctly. Thus far MES has greatly
improved the finishing department and the results have
shown. MES allows people to focus on more things and
making productivity better.
Slide 18
20. Global Automation Partners
Leveraging deep manufacturing expertise
acquired through years of collective
A Wonderware experience.
Endorsed Integrator “Concept to reality” services – we don’t
stop working with you until the concept
becomes a reality.
Methodology employs proven risk
management techniques; rigorous project
& scope management, template based
Flexible Core solutions and “do-able” chunks of scope
Solutions with identifiable returns.
for Manufacturing
Slide 20
21. Hybrid Manufacturing
Hybrid Manufacturing is where two or more process modes are present
under one roof for one product; i.e. batch, continuous, discrete, or
assembly.
This particular facility has a batch process on the front-end followed by
multiple discrete processes culminating with an assembly operation.
Some typical verticals that fall into the hybrid category are Food &
Beverage, Consumer Packaged Goods, Batch Chemical, and Roll-Goods
Hybrid processes presents interesting twists on the typical challenges
facing manufacturing.
Slide 21
22. Key Technical Challenges
There were technical challenges due to the nature of the product and
process.
• Problematic product marking
• Multiple reroute / co-product loops
• High volume of serialized intermediate products assembled into a
serialized finished assembly
Slide 22
23. Key Technical Challenges
Challenges (cont’d):
• Infrastructure Design
– Virtualized servers
– Terminal server clients / thin clients
– Wireless shop floor network
– Existing automation layer
• Technical design challenges included data acquisition techniques,
consumes / genealogy tracking, buffer inventories, recipes vs. BOMs,
and serialization
Slide 23
24. Implementation Highlights
Wonderware System Platform plus
Wonderware Operations did a
good job of meeting hybrid
requirements.
• WW System Platform
– Automation interface
– Event scripting
– Visualization
• WW Operations
– Track & Trace
– Reporting
Slide 24
28. Lessons Learned
Success Factors:
Establish need and urgency to gain top level Operations
support prior to kicking off project
Form a design and implementation team with internal
stake holders from different functions and levels of the
plant
Determine and agree on requirements and project
deliverables which satisfy internal customers
Start with as small a scope as possible to achieve the
goals but plan to be flexible
Select a vendor you are comfortable can work as part of
your team
Invest in and support the project manager
Slide 28
29. Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned (User Comments):
Implementation - probably more up front thought into
more of the possible functions we would want in a
system (we missed a lot and had many change order
requests).
In some cases interaction with the MES during the
process has caused more time for Associates
Adjusting to having more rigor/less flexibility in having
to do all process steps the same way every time took
getting used to.
Slide 29
30. Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned (User Comments):
Increase the upfront training and number of people
capable of report writing
While phase one was focused on going paperless the
scope did not include sufficient reporting to support the
transition to paperless. A deeper look at what the
transition would require might have brought this to light
during the requirements phase. Lessons learned include
identifying the steps necessary to transition from one
system to another, including data validation as part of
the implementation process.
Slide 30
31. Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned (User Comments):
Would like to have seen more training on trouble
shooting issues with Supervisors and Leads to keep from
relying on IT support for issues that can be done fairly
easy.
Slide 31
