User: A large paper-converting company in the Midwest.
Application: Data are acquired from more than 50 pieces of
paper-converting equipment including winding and folding units.
More equipment is added at the rate of five to 10 machines yearly.
Benefits: These were noted almost immediately upon installation. Actual downtime and speed data can be viewed and accessed. Results were a steady increase in operational efficiency and a steady decrease
in both equipment downtime and losses. The data have also been used
to fine-tune the company’s preventive maintenance schedules across
the board.
Technology: FactoryPulse™ software from FactoryWare processes data from Turck proximity sensors installed solely for data acquisition
purposes. The data can be shared with any network PC. Software is loaded on desktops throughout the facility, so any user can view a real-time snapshot of operational performance for any monitored equipment.
How it works: Operational cycles are counted using the Turck sensors; data are fed into a proprietary piece of data-logging hardware where it is time-stamped and stored. From there, the data are downloaded into a PC running the FactoryPulse software. When a downtime occurs, equipment operators indicate any of more than 1ꯠ highly detailed
reasons into the FactoryPulse software; this includes downtime incurred by packing, sealing, and conveying equipment.
Who uses data: Production and maintenance are the primary users. Production users are generally concerned with daily and weekly data, maintenance users are more focused on longer time periods: months, quarters, and years. Production users are more likely to look for short-run issues affecting productivity—with an eye toward quickly getting back in operation—while maintenance users are looking for long-term trends in order to better design maintenance programs for monitored applications.
Networks: These comprise five subnets connecting more than 2ꯠ desktop PCs and printers, process control equipment, and wireless
communication.
Quote: “A snap to install, extremely robust, amazingly capable, and very easy to use. No expensive PLC or network upgrades to get things up and running. We obtained a significant increase in productivity without a huge capital investment! What’s not to like?” —Rewinder team leader.
