Virtual Factory Andon Manager adds valuable intelligence to stack light/signal light systems for monitoring machines in factories

Orbit Technology Corporation adds intelligence to new or existing stack light/signal light (i.e., andon) systems used to monitor machines and other work processes in manufacturing

(PRWEB) December 17, 2003 --

Manufacturers can upgrade their current stack light/signal light systems or build new ones with the added intelligence of Virtual Factory Andon Manager. (Note: "Andon" is the Japanese term for the multi-color stack light systems used to enable plant floor supervisors to view the status of machines from nearly anywhere on the plant floor. These systems have been in use for well over two decades all over the world).

Traditional Andon Systems

All andon systems help manufacturers get a better handle on the state their operations from moment to moment. In most cases, switches controlled by a machine operator are hardwired to a set of multi-color stack lights located near an aisle or other highly visible area. When the stack lights are activated, managers are instantly made aware of costly conditions occurring on the plant floor such as "materials out," "poor quality," or "alarm." The switches are often connected to a centralized display board showing the status of all machines on the plant floor.

Features

Virtual Factory Andon Manager greatly improves the value of traditional andon systems for manufacturers for a relatively small additional capital expenditure. The increased value stems from the following features not found with traditional andon systems:

1. Display machine status in real time from any computer monitor with an Internet connection.

2. Automatically notify key personnel of status changes. Rules for triggering user notification can be created in a number of ways, including combining Boolean "AND" and "OR" logic expressions regarding the status of multiple machines (e.g., If "poor quality" state is detected in machine 1 OR machine 2, notify quality manager via cell phone). Notification can be carried out via telephone, pager, e-mail, and other methods.

3. Record a history of all machine states to allow for manager review of machine history. Data is viewable via chart or bar graph and can be exported to third-party analysis or reporting software packages.

4. Automatically record video or still images of machines experiencing alarms and send an e-mail to managers with a video or image file showing the conditions leading up to the alarm.

Benefits

Information drives lean manufacturing initiatives using andon and other techniques to increase efficiency. Unfortunately, even companies well into implementing these initiatives lack sufficient real-time data about their operations. Virtual Factory extends the information available to managers using traditional andon systems in two primary ways.

First, it extends the reach of the real time information flow by informing managers of critical machine state changes and alarm conditions, regardless of where those managers are. Virtual Factory can activate traditional stack lights and centralized display boards just like traditional andon systems. In addition, it can notify users via telephone, online status panel, e-mail, video file, still image file, text message, instant message, and internal mailbox.

Second, Virtual Factory Andon Manager extends the depth of the information available to managers by creating an historical record of all machine or process states. This exponentially extends the manager's ability to analyze her operations as compared to observation alone. For example, it would be impossible for a manager to visually monitor 50 machines - each with five possible states - in order to determine specific bottlenecks or problem areas. With Virtual Factory, she can instantly get answers to questions such as: "How many machines experienced 'alarm' states during the last shift? What was the total down time for presses #1 through #24 due to 'materials out' status last month?"

The Bottom Line

Virtual Factory Andon Manager can pay for itself in a matter of weeks or months by:

The software captures signals by connecting with any of a number of inexpensive, third-party digial input/output devices or PLCs. These devices capture signals from switches and other monitoring devices on the plant floor and convert them to Ethernet signals which are then picked up by Virtual Factory via the LAN. Once an andon switch signal is detected, Virtual Factory can be configured to wait a period of time (e.g., 5 or 10 seconds) or to immediately activate stack lights, central display board messages, or user notification protocols. Learning to configure the software takes only a few hours, and learning to effectively use the software can take minutes. Unlike with DeviceNet-enabled systems, no master device (e.g., DeviceNet Master) is required, and there is no 64-node limit to the Virtual Factory Andon Manager network.

For more information about Virtual Factory Andon Manager, please contact Jed Jones at jed@otc.net or at 1-949-981-7001.

About Orbit Technology Corporation

Founded by manufacturing automation experts in 1993, Orbit supplies factory automation software solutions to its international base of clients. Orbit's innovations continue to give clients the power to access, manage, and control the information essential to their manufacturing success.
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