Implementing M2M/IoT Solutions in Our Own Plant to Improve QCD
- Customer
- Contec Komaki Factory
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Contec products
- CONPROSYS Industrial IoT
- Goals
- Quality improvement, Cost savings, Enhanced customer service
Contec deployed its CONPROSYS M2M/IoT solutions at its main Komaki factory, making production, cell operation and environmental data visible in real time and steadily raising productivity.
Overview
Contec introduced its CONPROSYS M2M/IoT solutions at the Komaki factory, its main production base in Japan, in February 2016, starting with counting circuit boards on a mounting line. The goals were to improve quality, cost and delivery (QCD) through visualization and to prove the value of Contec’s own products. Contec reports more than 50,000 M2M/IoT systems delivered for solar power and infrastructure, and its CONPROSYS PAC controllers comply with IEC 61131-3.
Challenge
Komaki’s productivity was low and its IoT adoption had barely begun. The site aimed to become an IoT plant producing many products in small lots: making processes visible, analyzing them in real time, optimizing them, cutting costs and shortening lead time. In-house testing would also feed back to engineering and sales, and the plant would double as a showroom.
Solution
Three CONPROSYS features made it possible: a cloud data service that collects and stores data and connects to other systems through APIs, browser-based task scripting for alarms, filters and conditions without a development environment, and signal input/output in all-in-one and configurable types. Komaki applied them to:
- Real-time visualization of plant conditions by information type
- Online pre-work checks of torque drivers
- Online management of soldering iron tip temperatures
- Online posting of electrostatic checker results
- Mat switches at each cell booth tracking operation time, rate, away status and output
- Temperature, humidity and heat index (WBGT) monitoring
- Mounting-line production counts sent to the cloud with plans and work data
Results
Kenji Nakamoto, Director of the Production Management Department, said production status, cell operation and factory conditions can now be checked in real time on a tablet or smartphone. Graphs make errors visible quickly, response times have improved significantly, productivity has risen steadily and costs have fallen. Next steps include optimizing warehouse handling and shortening lead time.
Contec products used
Originally published by Contec Co., Ltd. at contec.com.