Higher productivity due to 10 percent fewer unplanned production stops at Thyssenkrupp Materials

Thyssenkrupp Materials wanted to increase the productivity and availability of a metal cutting machine and reduce the cost of saw blades to be replaced, in order to achieve "overall equipment efficiency" in metal cutting. Its implementation proved extremely simple and inexpensive.

Thyssenkrupp Materials helps its customers every day with numerous material types and operations. The company offers a wide range of stainless steel, steel and aluminum from its own stock, through central warehouses and through international partners. Customers can call on the materials specialist for all kinds of machining possibilities, ranging from standard operations to the delivery of semi-finished metal products.

The company wanted to increase the productivity and availability of one of its metal cutting machines while also reducing the cost of saw blades to be replaced to achieve "overall equipment efficiency" in metal cutting.

'Overall equipment efficiency' put into practice

Each production device was connected to a box with three buttons and a status indicator with four different colored lights. The box is connected to an electrical signal from the module that determines whether the device is running or stopped. If the device is running, the light is green. If the device is stopped, the operator can select from three buttons with configurable causes for the stop, for example: malfunction (red), setting or transition (orange) or material failure (blue). The box is connected to a dashboard that provides an overview of the device's status in the installation.

The production manager can see at a glance whether the device is running or not. If it is not running, he can quickly and easily find out why and how long the device has been idle. This can save a lot of time that would otherwise be spent walking through buildings to query the status of the devices.

The tool provides statistics on average performance per shift, an analysis of the capacity used by the various machines, and insight into the main causes of production downtime and cycle times. When cycle times get longer, it is an indication that tools need to be replaced or maintenance carried out. The same analysis also clearly shows setup times between runs. It is possible to benchmark and compare machines or production sites. In this way, lessons can be learned from better performing units.

Numerous benefits

Essential benefits of this approach include more effective production and a better understanding of the causes of production stops. The result of the implementation was a 10 percent reduction in the number of unplanned production stops. This translated into about 10 percent more revenue for the plant. Internal logistics, capacity and personnel planning were also improved. Saw blade replacement could be optimized based on cycle time analysis.

The investment in the equipment that was connected and configured within two hours was low, as was the software cost per month. Since the total investment was limited, a short payback period is possible.

Casebook 'Connected manufacturing'

On a "transparent" production floor, (real-time) production information allows one to know what is happening in production and why. Thus, targeted decisions can be made to optimize production by reducing lead time or increasing quality in order to improve competitiveness and productivity. To achieve a transparent production floor, connectivity of production equipment to IT, such as ERP systems or other types of systems, is crucial.

Sirris.be - Flanders Make