The roadmap simplifies the decision making and the access to the Industry 4.0 technologies, projects and tools proposed in the HUB for SMEs. It focuses on the deployment of the technologies from a practical point of view and aims to measure of the results through KPIs.
The roadmap begins by identifying those areas of production that are hindering the overall efficiency. The search for bottlenecks consists of evaluating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) throughout production.
Step 1 is a crucial stage for the proper development of a roadmap. During this step, the person in charge at the SME must propose possible long-term countermeasures for these bottlenecks using Industry 4.0 technologies (e.g.: Cloud Computing, IoT or VR) that best suit this purpose. This person must also consider the maximum available budget for the SME when creating this strategy.
The roadmap continues with the initial deployment of the tool selected in the production line. This initial roll-out begins with a prototype, not by installing the tool across the entire production line. The success of the prototype must be evaluated during a defined time span. If the prototype does not show promising results, the process must return to step 1 in order to propose different long-term countermeasures.
If the results during step 2 are satisfying, the process continues by deploying the solution across the entire production line. This phase starts by training the operators in the production line on how the tool is used and carrying out some dry runs. This step will improve the acceptance of the selected Industry 4.0 technology by the operators.
The original KPIs identified during step 1, and how they are measured, may no longer be adequate. During this process, additional KPIs must be proposed and Cloud Computing must be ready to support the storage and analysis of data that the technology selected will generate.
The final step is the official roll-out of the technology across the entire production line. This step focuses on monitoring the defined KPIs. The person in charge at the SME will control sustainment during a defined period.
Quality is the main driver of an exceptional production plant. Non-conformances shall be kept under control in order to provide customers with the best quality, and to maintain favorable productivity. Real-time visibility and immediate intervention regarding waste are needed to manage non-conformances. Furthermore, tracking trends in performance over time is also crucial to improve the efficiency of the operations in the assembly line. Andon is a term that refers to a system which notifies a quality or processing problem. An Andon system is one of the elements described in the Jidoka quality control method pioneered by Toyota as part of the Toyota Production System and belongs to the lean production approach. The Andon system implemented within this project uses a TL70 Modular Tower Light with a wireless radio base connected to a DXM700 Wireless Controller. The data will be pushed to the Banner Cloud Data Services (CDS) to create a dashboard and perform cloud computing activities.
