September 04 newsletter  


 

Dataworks monthly newsletter - 10th edition
Welcome to the September issue of our newsletter. Hope you all had a nice Summer break. This Summer has proven to be a busy one here at Dataworks. Below you will find a selection of projects we are currently involved in - from the roll-out of a shop floor information system in Florida to the development of a mould control system to improve the moulding process of an automotive company. We hope that you will enjoy this issue's readings.

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We have just released two short videos outlining our core business as well as taking a look back over our 10 year history. Both videos can be downloaded from this page on our website (broadband connection required). If you do not have access to a fast internet connection or simply don't have the time, please request our CD-Rom Business Card here.


The localisation of a large bespoke shop floor information system (SFIS) has just been completed by Dataworks. The system which now supports Italian and French, in addition to English, utilises Resource Files in the translation process. The appropriate language is automatically displayed on screen based on the end-user's PC's local settings. The localisation project was very complex as the system was made up of several applications and a large suite of components. While an extraction tool was used
 
Pakex Process Ireland
The packaging, process & handling event. 8-9 Sept 2004 at the RDS, Dublin. Hotline (01) 453 2497
  
MEDTEC Ireland
Event for the Medical Device manufacturing industry
29-30 Sept 2004
Radisson SAS, Galway
  
.NET in manufacturing web seminar
presented by the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society - 14.09.04
  
 

to facilitate some of the localisation, many rules had to be adhered to in order to ensure proper translation of the software. The project also ensure the generation of procedures to ensure future system enhancements are also localised.
 
 

A made-to-measure Mould Control System is the newest application in the suite of solutions developed for a Waterford-based international automotive company. The bespoke software application will allow the manufacturing plant to control and monitor boxes in the moulding process. The system, developed in VB.NET, will interface with General Electric Fanuc's Cimplicity automation software suite using data collected via RFID technology and stored on a SQL Server Database.

The new system will help to achieve a number of operational benefits by ensuring that all inspections are carried out on time as well as creating an audit trail of inspections that are done on each box, when they are performed and which operator performed them. Other features of the software will allow scheduling alert production that boxes should be taken off or put back on lines and allow engineering run tests on boxes and have control as to how many runs are allowed.
 


Manufacturing plant efficiency - part II

In the last edition of our newsletter, we had a look at the basics of plant efficiency purely from a business perspective. In order to achieve those business goals, smooth integration between key systems and the shop floor is essential. During the 80's great emphasis was placed on the automation of the production floors. A decade later, with the advent of affordable computing, business automation was in the limelight with everything automated from purchasing to ordering to HR. One of the area left behind is the appropriate integration between the two. This is where a MES/ SFIS (Manufacturing Execution System/ Shop Floor Information System) comes into place. A MES closes the loop between the shop floor and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). Using such software appropriately can dramatically improve the manufacturing process flow and ROI (Return Of Investment) is generally very quick.

By interfacing seamlessly with both, hardware on the floor (PLC's, SCADA, Printers, Barcode verifiers etc...) and business systems (SAP, AS/400, PeopleSoft etc..) a MES can fill the existing gaps and deliver obvious advantages such as:

Improved Data Collection
(Work In Progress Control, Efficiency Improvement, Lot Tracking & Genealogy, Supply Chain Improvements)

Improved Quality
(Enforce Product & Process Rules, Regulatory compliance (cGMP, GAMP, 21 CFR Pt 11), Machine Integration)

Improved Measurement of Business Drivers & Key Performance Indicators
(Lot Turn Around Times, Machine Efficiency, Process Yields, Process Data (Production, Defect Collection))

Improved Response to Changes in Business
(Greater Integration from Planning Phase to Product Release, Greater Reporting, Enforcement of business rules and Bill Of Materials)

At Dataworks, we have been involved in the development of custom software solutions for customers that require greater integration between their IT systems and machines on the floor since 1995. Single stand-alone applications have provided our customers with the perfect answer for the improvement of a particular process while complete systems (generally consisting of a framework and a suite of modules) have been implemented in larger plants wishing to 'close their automation loop' and realise their lean manufacturing objectives.
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