integra+

INTEGRA+ is developed specifically for SMEs in the MANUFACTURING sector (e.g. mechanical working, taps and fittings, turning, moulding and other discrete cycle manufacturers with batch or job production).

INTEGRA+  is a standard software product that is easy to use and highly effective in gathering full production data from both operators and automatic machines.

INTEGRA+ is the result of experience acquired providing large companies with complex solutions to offer SMEs a product with the same technology that is ready to use, tested, easy, reliable and expandable, providing definite advantages in the short term.

INTEGRA+ automatically provides in real time full details of the state of progress in the various departments, operator activities, machine downtimes and rejects, thereby eliminating paper and paperwork, transcription errors and costly activities on the part of data recording personnel.

INTEGRA+ provides machine/labour times, standard time updates, performance, efficiency and productivity calculations (OEE), and cost analysis to allow exact product costing.

INTEGRA+  increases the company profit margins as it provides full data for continuous improvement in the field, leading to reduced downtimes, rejects and stocks.

INTEGRA+ provides the following functions:

• Monitoring. Real-time display of the status of all the machines and manual workstations in the various bays, providing details of current production, number of items made and production rate.

• Operator management. Recording of the activities of field operators on a machine or manual workstation. Each operator has a badge showing which machine or workstation he is working on. The system can record the activities of a single operator using one or more machines simultaneously, and those of several operators assigned to a single machine/workstation.

• System access. System access and interaction rights and passwords can be configured centrally for each operator.

• Field operator statements. Operator interaction with the INTEGRA+ is reduced to a few simple operations:

• Activation of a new production order on a machine, by scanning the barcode on the order.

• Statement of an operator’s presence start/end on a particular machine, by scanning the barcode on the operator’s badge.

• Statement of the cause of a reject by barcode.

• Statement of the cause of a stoppage by barcode.

• Production order management. The INTEGRA+  can be used to import production orders (POs) from the management system or define them locally. Each PO can handle the production of a single article with n items per stroke. The system associates a status (released, current, suspended, closed) for each production order to optimize management. The INTEGRA+ records in real time for each production order the number of items made, production, tooling and downtimes, and rejects produced.

• Production order statistics. The INTEGRA+ records the number of items made compared to those still to be made, actual production, tooling and downtimes, performance and productivity, allowing a prompt analysis of the production costs for each job order.

• Automatic machine data collection. Using standard, modular and expandable SIEMENS™ PLC technology, the INTEGRA+ automatically records production times, items and events for each machine.

• Manual work station data collection. An operator performing a manual task (assembly, testing, etc.) uses a PC or handheld terminal to record the number of items handled and the time taken to do so. The system calculates in real time the length of time it takes to produce items and verifies whether it covers the entire shift or whether there are any unproductive periods to justify.

• Downtime management. The INTEGRA+ automatically records downtimes (start and end) for each machine, including micro-stoppages. Advanced analysis functions provide stoppage incidence reports by type of stoppage, department, machine, operator, batch, PO and job order.

• Reject management. TheINTEGRA+ allows extensive configuration of individual causes of rejects. The field operator can declare a reject in real time on the machine, by pressing keys or  using a PC or handheld terminal. Reject trends can be monitored by item, job order, PO, period, shift, machine or department, with detailed reporting of high-incidence defects.

• Machine log book. The operator can compile on the departmental PC a shift changeover spreadsheet (log book), showing all the information it is deemed useful to share. This electronic log book can be consulted from any field or office stations. This avoids losing the wealth of ideas and information operators normally write down every day in changeover books.

• Interface with the management system. A standard method is provided for exchanging data with fixed layout SQL SERVERTM tables to import details of each production order and update output figures, production times and downtimes, operator activities and rejects.

• Cost analysis per article. The INTEGRA+ provides specific reports for determining the production cost of each article by analysing labour and machine times used, and for the continuous updating of standard times per article/machine.

• Reporting. The system provides multiple data querying options to allow the calculation of performance, efficiency and productivity, using numerous powerful preconfigured filters for point and period analysis by factory, department, machine, article, production order, operator, batch, shift and so on.

• Configurability.  Complete parameterization of the system with dynamic configuration of departments, machines, tree charts of the causes of stoppages and rejects, shift calendar, shift activation, data acquisition times and methods, and multiple data querying options to allow the calculation of performance, efficiency and productivity, using numerous powerful preconfigured filters for point and period analysis by factory, department, machine, article, production order, operator, batch, shift and so on.

• Data exportability. All the data presented on the various query grids can be exported to Excel at a mouse click.