Yesterday we launched our new Company, Smart Factory Solutions on October 12th, based in the Nexus Innovation Centre in the University of Limerick Ireland. Over the past 12 months as we were promoting data visualisation, we have had numerous site visits to some of the top manufacturing companies in Ireland. Coming from data-centric backgrounds, we were very surprised to discover that although many potential customers were really impressed with our data visualisation software, they don’t have automated data acquisition systems. Even some of the most successful multinational companies believe that the costs and effort to implement a data gathering system on legacy or stand-alone machines are prohibitive or won’t provide them with the information they require. Therefore, we have developed a solution to wirelessly gather production information from any type of equipment, using low-cost IIoT devices, see below:
Our smart solutions reduce the amount of resources required to gather and communicate critical information across an organisation and dynamically translate this data into actionable intelligence. Our solutions are built on the industry proven technology of our hardware partners Siemens and Banner, and our data acquisition, analytics and visualisation tools are best-in-class. We help identify hidden losses, thus reducing planned and unplanned downtime, increasing productivity and maximising efficiency. We have been chosen by Siemens as a solution partner for their digital factory technology and are the first partners to be nominated by them in Ireland, in more than twenty years.
We have also developed a solution for medical device manufacturers which includes tough tablet PC’s and wireless buttons, sensors and light stacks. The manumatic (part-manual, part-automatic) system counts the number of units, rework and scrap produced and provides a visual indication when the semi-automatic production process is running at the required cycle speed. The operator logs in to the “work-cell” using the barcode or RFID reader on the tablet. The system reports equipment efficiency (OEE) in real-time, per work-cell and can also be used to report the output per operator. If the cycle-time of a given process exceeds a pre-set target, the operator is prompted to add a comment/explanation via a pop-up on the tablet.
About our partners
Siemens is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalisation. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a leading provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions and automation and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading supplier of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT.
Banner Engineering is a global company and a globally recognized leader in the field of process and industrial automation. Their sensors and vision sensors, LED lights and indicators, wireless and safety products are used by companies large and small, from industry leaders in the Fortune 500 to innovators just entering the market. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Banner has sales offices, production facilities, and field representatives throughout North and South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. Companies all around the world use their award winning products and solutions to increase efficiency, reduce expenses, ensure quality, monitor and control processes, safeguard equipment and protect personnel. For five decades Banner Engineering have grown their business, relying on the quality and performance of their products and solutions, as well as their expertise, experience and integrity.
