Company name: Major Sp. z o.o.
Business profile: machining of components using CNC technology
Scope of implementation: ERP system and SCADA-MES solution
Supplier details: APLIXCOM Solutions +48 (12) 376 95 99, 607 400 534, scada-mes.com
Implementation Description:
The implementation includes the Infor XPERT ERP system and the proprietary SCADA-MES solution by Aplixcom.
Major is a family-owned company with over 60 years of tradition, located in Tychy, Upper Silesia. It specializes in machining components using CNC technology. Its primary clients are in the automotive industry, including subcontractors for brands such as:
– BMW
– Mercedes-Benz
– Volkswagen
– and many other companies and suppliers in the industry.
The company currently employs over 400 people and generates an annual turnover of approximately 60 million PLN. The project selection and implementation on the client side are overseen by the company’s owners.
Initial State and Assumptions:
The ERP system is designed to support areas such as: Inventory management; Production (production planning, production processes, technological operations); Purchasing and sales.
The role of Aplixcom SCADA-MES is to plan, monitor, and account for production through modules such as:
PLANNER:
Graphic visualization of the production plan (thanks to integration with the ERP system via a bi-directional interface developed by Aplixcom); Ability to make adjustments; Takes into account machine setups, production plan optimization, scheduling, and production progress monitoring.
SCADA-MES:
Enables data collection from 83 machines and workstations; Real-time reporting; Registration of good/defective pieces, with the ability to indicate defects; Registration of micro-stoppages, downtimes, and failures.
Maintenance Department:
Visualization displays the status of work groups, with color-coded statuses; If an operator reports a failure, the status changes to “failure” (red). After the repair, the maintenance worker closes the task, entering the reason for the stoppage and a comment.
GRAPHS and REPORTS:
The production plant operates on a 3-shift system:
6–14, 14–22, 22–6, with a 10-minute tolerance for shift production logs.
Graphs show: Machine working time; Operator working time; Downtime duration; Types of defects; Good/defective pieces; Machine status; Product statistics; Employee statistics; Machine sensors data
Reports generated include: Production report; Maintenance report; Technician report; Operator report; Shift report; Login report; Active production orders report; OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
Order History ncludes data such as: Operator logs; Shift supervisor logs; Maintenance logs; Machine signals (statistics); Comparison of actual cycle time versus planned cycle time; Production completion status.
Current Status and Implementation:
Thanks to the interface developed by Aplixcom, two-way data exchange is possible between the ERP system and the SCADA-MES system. The Aplixcom SCADA-MES system retrieves the work plan and additional information about the technological operations, while also saving production reports to a dedicated file in the ERP system. All technological changes (e.g., changes in batch size, planned cycle time) or production orders (changes to the default workstation, ordered quantity) are managed within the ERP system.
In the initial phase, 64 machines and workstations were connected. By the end of the implementation, this number had increased to 83, with new machines being added progressively. Currently, three years after the concept was developed, 135 machines and workstations are connected.
The increase in the number of machines is due to the company’s growth. The Aplixcom SCADA-MES solution is continuously being developed based on feedback from users. Rapid implementation of changes is possible because SCADA-MES is Aplixcom’s proprietary solution.
Benefits for the Client
As a result of the implementation, our client gained the following advantages:
- EASIER PRODUCTION PLANNING: Previously, the planner would spend an entire day preparing a daily work plan for 83 machines across 3 shifts. Now, thanks to the Aplixcom PLANNER, a weekly plan for 137 machines is prepared in just 2 hours, with the ability to make dynamic changes.
-
FULL MACHINE CONTROL:
- Precise tracking of the efficiency and quality of each machine.
- Continuous quality control with real-time data and minimal effort, enabling immediate response to quality deterioration (via alarms).
- Increased operator awareness through visual displays on the shop floor (optional feature) and automated reports.
- This has led to direct improvements in quality, such as reducing the risk of shipping defective products, lowering costs of handling complaints, and decreasing the need for special production runs to replace defective items.
- The company also avoids penalties and lower supplier ratings from audits, which could otherwise result in long-term customer loss. -
RELIABLE REAL-TIME PRODUCTION INFORMATION:
- Full visibility of machine availability and breakdowns.
- Automatic alerts eliminate the need for manual notifications, ensuring the right person is immediately informed of any issue.
- Multi-level notifications provide control over response times, enhancing operational efficiency. -
INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY AND SIMPLIFIED WORKFLOW:
- Alarms provide precise details about the type and location of faults.
- Improved workflow allows for optimal production planning and maximized machine potential, reducing time spent managing workers, issuing production orders, and updating sales information.
- This minimizes confusion between production and logistics regarding finished products and eliminates manual employee tracking and reporting.
- As a result, managers can focus more on strategic decision-making rather than paperwork, increasing management personnel productivity by 20% to 50%, depending on the type of production. -
ELIMINATION OF PAPER DOCUMENTS:
- Reporting time was reduced from 40 minutes to 10 minutes per shift, allowing supervisors to spend more time overseeing the shop floor. -
ACCURATE INFORMATION ON OPERATOR WORK TIME AND PRODUCTIVITY:
The system provides detailed data on each operator’s work time and output. -
IMPROVED DATA SECURITY:
- Data duplication across systems provides greater security in case of failures or cyberattacks (e.g., malware blocking access to servers and PCs).
- The system can also temporarily replace the main ERP system during outages, as previously submitted production orders are still accessible through the interface.
Thanks to the successful implementation of the Aplixcom SCADA-MES system, the client was able to increase production by optimizing the use of existing machines, take on more orders, and plan for controlled growth.
Over the course of three years, the company’s turnover increased by 50%
By identifying the types of defects, pinpointing their sources, and systematically working to eliminate the root causes, the number of customer complaints decreased significantly.
The Aplixcom SCADA-MES system has allowed us to free up part of the staff from tedious paperwork, which previously required manual handling. We were able to reassign these employees to more supervisory tasks. Now, with a machine park of 137 machines, we can't imagine managing production without the Aplixcom SCADA-MES system.
Company name: Major Sp. z o.o.Business profile: machining of components using CNC technology Scope of implementation: ERP system and SCADA-MES solution Supplier details: APLIXCOM Solutions
Company name: Borg Automotive Sp. z o.o.Business profile: Automotive parts regenerationScope of implementation: SCADA-MES system and a series of modifications aimed atadapting the standard version
