Company Name: Texen Poland Sp. z o.o.
Business Profile: Plastic processing – manufacturing of cosmetic packaging.
Key Client Information:
- 170 employees
- 6,500 m² of plant area
- ISO 9001:2015 certification
- ISO 14001:2015 certification
- 25 injection molding line.
Scope of Implementation:
The project involved the implementation of the Aplixcom SCADA-MES system and its integration with the ERP system (initially Sysklass, later SAP).
Supplier Information:
APLIXCOM Solutions +48 (12) 376 95 99, 607 400 534, scada-mes.com
Description of Implementations
Implementation of the Aplixcom SCADA-MES system and its integration with the ERP system (initially Sysklass, later SAP).
- maintaining the key additional functionalities of the ERP system by transferring them to the SCADA-MES system,
- flexible communication between the SCADA-MES system and production machines (the competitor’s system could only communicate via the EUROMAP 63 standard),
- the role of Aplixcom SCADA-MES was to monitor and assist in production accounting, supervise product quality, and provide real-time support,
- data storage on local servers and access to the SQL database,
- future integration capability with the SAP system.
- real-time transmission of changes to the production plan,
- easy planning with drag and drop functionality,
- handling of separate retooling orders,
- machine calendar management,
- visualization of order progress and machine statuses for the planner,
- the ability to adjust production speed relative to normative efficiency.
- the system includes a SCADA-MES=>ERP interface that transmits real-time information on physically produced parts and defects. The operator can declare containers and defective parts,
- label printing at every workstation,
- the ability to design custom labels for containers,
- categorization of defects.
Benefits for the client
Additionally, the system enabled:
- Reporting reasons for downtime
- Collecting data on production rates and process parameters. Seven technological parameters, outside of work-time-related parameters (e.g., temperature), were highlighted for collection
- Reporting retooling times
- Recording quality control results
- Monitoring incomplete containers (the ERP system only allowed for the registration of full logistic containers, incomplete containers were invisible in the system)
- Handling documentation in electronic form on machines
- Interface for importing new users from the ERP system
- Generating service call requests to the production station
Thanks to the Charts and Reports module, the client gained:
- Access to the SQL database (if someone has the knowledge and skills, they can create their own reports).
- dostęp do bazy danych SQL (jeżeli ktoś dysponuje wiedzą i umiejętnościami może tworzyć własne raporty).
The implementation of the SCADA-MES system also covered the area of maintenance. The main benefits include the ability to:
- Monitoring of injection molds
- Blocking production reporting screens during machine downtime
- Real-time transmission of machine downtime information (failure) to the PLANNER
- An alert and notification mechanism that automatically informs the appropriate person (via SMS or email) about the event
Summary
The system operated in this form until 2021, when the ERP system was replaced with SAP.
Aplixcom rose to the challenge and developed new interfaces in collaboration with the SAP implementation team. This resulted in the following changes:
PLANER:
It became an interface for transmitting orders from SAP to SCADA-MES, losing its role as a planning tool. This decision was not driven by a desire to change the system.
This standard was adopted for all factories. If planning in this system had been possible, such a decision would certainly have been made.
SCADA-MES:
The data transmission interface was modified – now, aggregated information on good/bad units and downtimes is transmitted once a day. This change was made to align with the existing SAP interface.
For production operators, this system change was unnoticeable. Previously transferred functionalities did not disrupt the workflow on the production floor. This is undoubtedly a success we aimed to achieve by transferring functionalities and reporting to the SCADA-MES system.
In the future, it was intended that this change would be non-invasive in the production area in the event of an ERP system change.
"As someone directly overseeing the system and receiving feedback and suggestions about it, I know that the system is dynamic and invaluable when it comes to gathering production data.** **However, it’s important to remember that systems of this class are merely tools. It’s crucial to have a strategy for how to utilize the data collected from such systems. How much we can "extract" from them as users directly impacts the business outcome."