Low-cost system links shopfloor, ERP in real time

A little device seamlessly integrates production machines with production control software for production and productivity data collection in real time.

In the increasingly competitive manufacturing industry, companies depend on the collection of accurate production-floor data and its subsequent analysis to improve productivity and be responsive to their customers.

But it's not always easy to get that data: most production machines cannot communicate with a remote PC from the manufacturing floor, and the few machines that can communicate typically have a mix of incompatible communication protocols.

The solution: a little device from Production Process called the MDT-02 Machine Data Transducer.

The low-cost MDT-02 units connect to machines with electrical on/off signals, rather than complicated serial connections.

The system seamlessly integrates production machines with Production Process's popular Windows ProductionACE software, transmitting production and productivity data-including machine cycle time and rate, parts and reject counts, run time and down time-directly to a facility's enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

"Our aim is to provide a practical, economical shop floor data link to ERP for all discrete manufacturers," said Karl Ritzinger, president of Production Process.

"Without feedback, ERP does not provide the capture of product data needed to track work-in-process and perform short term scheduling, nor does it provide information that can control the supply chain's actual ability to perform." But with a real-time connection to the shop floor, said Ritzinger, ERP systems become more effective.

Electronically updated inventories boost work-in-process and inventory accuracy; inventory accuracy is further improved by eliminating manual keypunch operations and transposition errors.

Because the system calculates ship dates based on actual shop floor conditions and machine constraints, ProductionACE users can quote their customers accurate delivery dates.

ERP isn't the only function to benefit from the addition of the MDT-02 and ProductionACE.

Scheduling can use the system's real-time data to determine production bottlenecks and machine downtime to create optimal production schedules.

Maintenance departments can replace calendar-based preventive maintenance with maintenance schedules based on actual tool use.

And management can access and analyze actual job, product, machine, shift and operator performance.

"The bottom line is the bottom line," said Ritzinger.

"The MDT-02 lets manufacturers improve their productivity for the lowest cost, and with highly accurate data, in real time.

It's simply the most economical solution available to manufacturers today." About Production Process - founded in 1972, Production Process develops custom controls and instruments for clients across the manufacturing industry and throughout North America, South America and Australia.

The latest in the Production Process family of machine data transducers, the MDT-02 retails for $350.

ProductionACE multi-user software runs on Windows 95-98, NT and 2000, with a list price of $3,245.

Both are available for immediate delivery.

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