Innovation through automation - Through interconnecting systems and IoT integration, Innobayt's unique solutions enabled a lubricant producer to improve operational efficiency.
For a worldwide lubricant producer, operational inefficiencies arising from manual procedures and other sources posed a significant challenge. Innobayt used IoT software development and smart sensors to create a strong custom middleware that optimized the manufacturing process and integrated their disparate legacy systems. By eliminating human participation, automating processes, and centralizing all data, the adjustments addressed the majority of the manufacturing process' productivity difficulties.
About
the client
Innobayt's client is a well-known manufacturer of
industrial and automotive lubricants, with a strong focus on quality, safety,
and sustainability. The lubricant company now has operations in over 130
countries and various R&D facilities that are always developing novel and
efficient products for its clients. The client has a long history in the
industry and is the preferred lubricant for automotive, marine, industrial
machinery, aviation, and a variety of other industries.
The
client's difficulties:
Prior to Innobayt's involvement, the client's
production process was riddled with irregularities and problems. They
recognized that manual and segregated procedures were the primary sources of
inefficiencies in the system and turned to Innobayt for help. Before going into
detail about Innobayt's adjustments, it's important to review the previous
activities.
The filling lines, where bottles were prepared by being filled with the proper lubricant, were the starting point for the targeted production line. On a conveyor line, the prepared bottles were then sorted into cartons. The product name, batch number, and manufacture date were then printed on a label and manually attached to cartons using a laser printer.
The cartons went through a quality control system
after being manually labelled, which accepted or rejected them based on their
weight. A robotic arm then placed the accepted cartons on pallets, which were
subsequently wrapped for safety and picked up for storage and distribution.
In terms of operational efficiency and overall production, the old approach was woefully inadequate. The client was confronted with a number of issues, most of which stemmed from the following five sources.
1 – System operations are disconnected.
The former procedure had a lot of moving elements
that all worked on their own. Because there was little or no collaboration, the
production line had a lot of antiquated equipment, employed numerous data
processing systems, and had no synergy. This lack of centralization resulted in
a slew of issues, since there was no actionable data or insights from the
production configuration to aid decision-making, limiting the ability to make
meaningful changes.
2 – Inefficiencies as a result of manual processes
Several steps of the assembly line required manual intervention. Every
stage needed human intervention, from the entry of records to the verification
of content and the removal of rejected cartons, resulting in several
inefficiencies.
3 – A scarcity of real-time data
The client's ERP system's ability to supply crucial
data when needed was additionally hampered by data decentralization and
reliance on manual operations. Inventory levels, production output, and other
critical parameters were dispersed over several systems, including SAP, MS
Excel, and emails, among others. This meant that no one at the facility had a
complete picture of what was going on at any given time, making decision-making
time consuming and ineffective..
4 – Frequent production halts
The client also had to deal with frequent
production halts caused by manual intervention. This was one of the primary
difficulties they needed to address because it was harming their manufacturing
efficiency. Because of the absence of accountability and surveillance,
effectively decreasing these stoppages was challenging. In addition, the client
had a limited number of viable solutions for reducing physical intervention
without compromising other critical characteristics.
5 – There is little or no tracking of rejections and removals.
As previously stated, the majority of the client's issues stemmed from
inefficient and legacy systems. Because data were collected from various stages
of the product line was decentralized, it was difficult to track rejections and
carton removals from the production line. This resulted in inconsistencies in
inventory, production records, and other critical records..
How
did Innobayt help?
The automated system included a bespoke middleware that linked all previously siloed systems in place, such as the roller conveyor, weight rejector, label printer, robotic arm, and so on. Innobayt took a five-pronged approach to achieve optimal performance and consistency by automating as much as possible.
1 – The sorting procedure can be automated.
From the conveyor belt to the final pelleting,
Innobayt automated the whole sorting process. The API and PLC-based integration
allowed the various printing, rejecting, robotic arm, and scanning devices to
communicate with one another, eliminating the need for manual oversight.
An integrated system that took information directly from the client database (SAP) for printing replaced the offline printing approach with human data entry. Innobayt additionally improved the carton and pallet printers, adding advanced sensors (SICK photosensor), scanners (ZEBRA QR code scanner, Datalogic QR code scanner), and built an interconnected system capable of real-time data processing and analysis.
2 – Improved operational control and transparency
The poor tracking of production output and
inventories was one of the key issues the client faced as a result of data
decentralization. Nobody knew how many boxes were rejected or why they were
rejected. This data disparity made it difficult to make any improvements to the
process, and it may lead to inaccurate reporting for the client.
To solve the problem, Innobayt used a combination of industrial photosensors and QR code scanners. Each carton and pallet was given a unique code that could be used to trace the contents and where the carton was located. Innobayt created a unified web interface that all stakeholders could use (with role-based access control) and that supplied real-time data, allowing the system to be more dependable and allowing the customer to make educated decisions.
3 – Capabilities for remote management
The customer could not only keep an eye on all
critical parameters and production processes with the custom-developed admin
interface, but they could also start, stop, and maintain control over the
operations by accessing the middleware via the web.
4 – Legacy equipment integration with IoT-based middleware
Any automation system is rendered useless if
outdated systems are unable to communicate adequately with the new IoT
infrastructure. By employing a PLC to connect its middleware with the previous
configuration, Innobayt improved the weight rejector system. The client was
able to track the rejected cartons and sort them out independently without
having to stop production.
5 – Production is not disrupted due to proactive and reactive maintenance support.
The services of Innobayt did not finish with the creation and
installation of the bespoke solution. To assure the consistency and reliability
of the given solution, a proactive and reactive maintenance strategy was also
designed.
Summary: The client's production operations were effectively overhauled thanks to Innobayt's creative methodology.
Innobayt was approached by a client who had an inefficient system that was not performing to its full capacity. Different systems operated in silos and required regular human involvement to function. Innobayt's middleware bridged the gap between the client's hardware and operating systems, allowing the production process to be fully automated and output synergized for increased productivity and efficiency
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