Process Monitoring in the Automotive Industry
August 8, 2017Advantages and benefits of networks, IT systems and production processes monitoring
October 8, 2017The $22'000 per minute Manufacturing Problem
Unplanned work stoppages cost global industries millions of dollars in lost revenue. Downtime can be caused for multiple reasons. Examples can be weather delays in airline companies or cybercrime which lead to infrastructure breakdowns.
Susceptibility to failure persists, particularly as it relates to factories. According to some research information, more than 90% of machines in factories globally are not network-connected, and the vast majority are more than 15-years-old.
The graphic below shows how much money is lost in a few major industries for just one minute of downtime:
Susceptibility to failure persists, particularly as it relates to factories. According to some research information, more than 90% of machines in factories globally are not network-connected, and the vast majority are more than 15-years-old.
The graphic below shows how much money is lost in a few major industries for just one minute of downtime:
Companies within the automotive industry are starting using Industry4.0 to develop data platforms designed to reduce downtime in an industry where every minute counts.
Industry 4.0, or the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), refers to industrial manufacturing processes where all equipment, devices and computers are connected. This creates an environment rich for big data analysis and self-correcting procedures, among many other possibilities.
This may seem like a far off future for manufacturers, but the truth is there are concrete examples of Industry 4.0 happening today. The capabilities of IIoT may be closer than people realize.
Industry 4.0, or the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), refers to industrial manufacturing processes where all equipment, devices and computers are connected. This creates an environment rich for big data analysis and self-correcting procedures, among many other possibilities.
This may seem like a far off future for manufacturers, but the truth is there are concrete examples of Industry 4.0 happening today. The capabilities of IIoT may be closer than people realize.
Industry 4.0: The zero downtime solution (ZDT)
General Motors (GM), like most of the automotive industry, is an innovator in automating production. Alongside Fanuc and Cisco, they developed the zero-downtime solution (ZDT) - a cloud-based software platform to analyze data collected from robots across GM's factories.The program was launched in 2014 and was initially built to eliminate downtime, but as more and more data was collected, the system's capabilities grew.
GM's ZDT program provides a strong return on investment (ROI) and have avoided over 100 significant unscheduled downtimes since the program was launched. This is a significant savings in the automotive industry, where downtime can cost over $22,000 per minute.
How to achieve ZDT
In order to achieve a great ROI in their manufacturing processes in their facilities, companies make use of different solutions such as monitoring techniques and software or predictive maintenance. Data captured from robots, tooling and other network-connected elements, indicates what is going to fail before it fails, allowing for downtime to be avoided, but also for maintenance to be performed only when it is absolutely necessary to production.Another feature of ZDT is real-time process improvements. While this is not yet possible, once enough data is collected from robot performance, the goal is to create a system that diagnoses itself based on minute changes in processes, which can then be adjusted to boost overall efficiency.
Industry 4.0 provides as yet unforeseen benefits for manufacturers. Despite that fact, companies are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in automation and implementing the future of Industry 4.0 today.
Our contribution to the world
In order to help industries to achieve ZDT and reduce loss of profit, Muutech provides our cloud monitoring solution, and consultancy experience on the field. The approach provides a centralized platform which gathers data from the different sources and puts it together. Alarms, notifications, and much more to get your systems and manufacturing processes under control!CTO & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Expert in industrial monitoring and data analytics.
We tell you how to improve decision-making and production efficiency in your plant, without wasting time generating reports. Your plant at a glance!
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Alarms, notifications, and much more to get your systems and
manufacturing processes under control!