Industrial Intelligence

Case Study

Tier 1 Automotive Supplier

Addressing Downtime and On-Time Delivery

PRoblem

The client was mid-size Tier 1 automotive supplier.

Typically, downtime costs $361/second for auto OEMs. Therefore, downtime was an especially significant issue for this client, and most machines were being run to failure. Limited, manual data was available for analysis and problem-solving around machine status and production.

Solution

A detailed equipment and workflow assessment was performed. Specific recommendations were provided including strategies, plans, and technologies around asset performance monitoring, production monitoring, and maintenance practices.

PTC ThingWorx and KepwareServerEX were implemented for pulling data from CNC machines and ERP system along with an IoT gateway device.

Dashboards status and operational data were provided to multiple roles via a proof-of-concept in six-week Agile Scrum sprints. Valuable solution and insights were available at the end of the first sprint…sooner than the client expected.

Results

The solution provided multiple benefits including:

Improved visibility into the status and processes of the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) shop and the client gained deeper insight into operations and maintenance.
The need to invest in new CNC machines was eliminated via analysis that supported improved efficiencies and elimination of process bottlenecks.
100% reduction in time to manually inspect production systems
Increased on-time delivery after understanding actual downtime, OEE, and workflow bottlenecks.

One of the more significant and long lasting benefits has been the data made available for decision-making. It has vastly changed how they made decisions around machine status and maintenance as well as become a more data-driven company regarding scheduling and resource allocation.

Our Client’s Results

Our open technology approach combined with a structured Unified Namespace, focus on solving the business challenges first, and more value through less complexity has helped our customers achieve great success. The result is real-time visibility for solving many plant challenges using a scalable and flexible solution. Clients often achieve 30-50% improvement in OEE within the first 6 months with our solutions, and the long-term value of the data in their company is priceless.