Deploying modern technology helps reduce downtime

Introducing the latest technology to your facility can go a long way and be hard, but the benefits are huge when minimizing downtime.

The proverb “Time is gold” is especially true when referring to the production environment. Automation has brought many benefits to production, but saving time is the biggest benefit.

New assembly lines usually increase rapidly and are more complex but nothing is replaced. This significantly improves throughput (quantity of goods made over a period of time), but faster production means downtime will be more expensive. As our systems become more and more complex, how can we minimize the risk of downtime if there are too many failure factors?

If an unintended factor triggers downtime on the assembly line, it is imperative to resolve this issue quickly. This requires problem information to be readily available to be quickly diagnosed and fixed. A large amount of materials and training plan are needed to maintain plant and equipment. Plant maintenance personnel are usually the first to respond during the assembly line recovery process, which, of course, have problems that cannot be easily or immediately resolved.

Sometimes, machine maintenance personnel require assistance from OEM equipment. However, there is a barrier in connecting the base network to the OEM system. This is because plant managers are often afraid of controlling assembly processes; While this is typical, it can lead to delays in debugging software, programmable logic processors (PLCs), diagnostics, and troubleshooting. In addition, many in-plant information technology (IT) areas do not allow virtual private network (VNP) connections for remote assistance. Therefore, the maintenance staff in the system will have to upload the PLC to diagnose.

RedViking has sought to improve response time by reducing data collection delays while avoiding potential risks of downloading PLC and VPN data. An ongoing application is a mobile phone project that is allowed to connect directly with users, usually maintenance of factories and networks. This application will take the entire log of problems and current system status from the PLC and send it to the service department for evaluation via customer mobile data. This phone application is combined with a device located in the main control panel connected to the phone via Bluetooth connectivity, avoiding concerns in the factory network.

By closing the gap between the technical/service department and the installed network, we are working to quickly diagnose problems and resolve risks. All key statuses, faults and alert data can be sent to OEMs at the touch of a button, for plant maintenance to do what they do best in dividing and bringing the line back to speed.

Productivity and Quality Office