Data-driven management software for production plants
Scenario
We were approached by a company in the manufacturing sector that needed to leverage data from sensorized machinery more effectively.
The project undertaken was aimed at providing control and maintenance managers with a tool to evaluate data from different sources in real time and perform preventive maintenance on equipment, reducing production inefficiencies and extraordinary maintenance interventions.
The challenge
What if we could leverage the potential of the readings and tools to prevent issues from arising by taking preventive actions?
The data generated and collected daily by the machinery were underutilized for decision-making and optimization processes. Until the beginning of the project, they were mainly used to assess the situation in the event of a production failure or defect and to analyze the problem after the fact.
The context of the project posed an additional initial challenge: the need to integrate multiple heterogeneous data sources to arrive at a centralized and organized system of information on which to make strategic decisions with a data-driven approach.
The solution
The implementation of the solution required a step-by-step working methodology, fully focused on incremental improvement.
The project stages were as follows:
Assessment: We identified all the relevant data for the project, aggregating different sources into a single repository. The work of normalizing and integrating the data allowed us to obtain clean data to compare with the engineers and experts of the client company.
Development: To immediately test the clarity of the information, statistical hypotheses, and heuristics, we developed a web app, which allowed for guided development and was functional to the objectives.
Feedback: Evolution of the system and application based on continuous testing and exchange of information among the stakeholders, to increase the effectiveness of the information produced and evolve the solution.
The great advantage of the solution is the mode of development in progress, which through the feedback tool leads to improved modifications.
The output produced, in addition to a series of customized dashboards for data visualization, includes an automatic warning system. These warnings are generated both by some heuristic rules, defined in collaboration with the client, and by statistical analysis of historical data. The predictive capability of the tool is constantly updated, thanks to refinement work on the warnings themselves through analysis of the reports made by technicians on the generated alerts. Finally, the application offers the possibility of performing retrospective analyses on the data.
Results achieved
The goal of building a customized tool to support production control activities has been fully achieved, revolutionizing the way equipment is supervised.
In addition to this, the following objectives have been met:
- 1
Simplification
Thanks to the integration and normalization of data, merged into a single ad hoc application, staff has been able to fully exploit the potential of the available measurements. The time needed to perform an analysis has gone from several hours to just a few minutes.
- 2
Real-time monitoring
In addition to providing a better overview of what is happening in the production plant, the solution has given operators the ability to highlight potential problems in advance, thanks to automatic alerting tools.
- 3
Predictive approach
Mapping the most common intervention cases, optimized over time, has made it possible to anticipate, predict and investigate issues in advance and optimize processes.
ADVANTAGES
The change in perspective brought about by the new tool has led to a data-driven approach. Moving from a reactive logic, to a context that allows making more informed and quick decisions, optimizing processes, reducing costs, and inefficiencies.
Future developments
The application represents a truely tailored solution, based on the specificity of the customer and their needs, starting from different and highly varied datasets.
If you think you need a solution of this type for your company, please contact us to discuss your scenario together. We are ready to support you in your most ambitious projects.