A Manufacturing Execution System using Siemens\u27 PC Based Automation Technology

The focus of any manufacturing operation is to establish better yields, reduced cycle times, increase quality, and handle dynamic demand/resource fluctuations. Over the past few years many manufacturing companies have implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and they have proved themselves to be successful in achieving these goals. However, real-time data is required in order to portray an accurate account of the day-to-day and/or hourly product manufacturing operations. Retrieval of this real-lime data is a challenging task. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is a real-time information system that improves the performance of the shop floor operations by linking business planning, order entry, material management, purchasing and accounting to the controls on the factory equipment. Siemens\u27 PC-based automation technology is an emerging technology that appears to provide a robust architecture for integrating all elements of the manufacturing environment. Applications that range from simple control to distributed control and full-fledged MES can be developed using Siemens\u27 architecture. The primary focus of this thesis is applied research to facilitate the development of a Manufacturing Execution System to control a flexible manufacturing system, CAMCELL, using Siemens\u27 PC-based automation technology and Microsoft\u27s database technology. CAMCELL contains two CNC machining centers, assembly robots, and a vision system, all of which are interlinked by a material handling system. The software architecture of the CAMCELL is based on NIST\u27s five level hierarchy. Specifically, it contains functional modules for order entry, scheduling, and routing. In addition to these functional modules, there are various support modules. In this study, we have developed software architecture to achieve vertical integration of the process control layer, the MES layer and the ERP layer. Using Siemens\u27 WinCC software, real-time process data was collected and integrated into an MES database. The study demonstrates how order information stored in a high-level database is converted into useful information for the control layer. The study also demonstrates the ability of WinCC and Visual FoxPro to update the production data into the MES database. Various Operator interface and database screens are proposed for CAMCELL

The Management of Manufacturing-Oriented Informatics Systems Using Efficient and Flexible Architectures

Industry and in particular the manufacturing-oriented sector has always been researched and innovated as a result of technological progress, diversification and differentiation among consumers' demands. A company that provides to its customers products matching perfectly their demands at competitive prices has a great advantage over its competitors. Manufacturing-oriented information systems are becoming more flexible and configurable and they require integration with the entire organization. This can be done using efficient software architectures that will allow the coexistence between commercial solutions and open source components while sharing computing resources organized in grid infrastructures and under the governance of powerful management tools.Manufacturing-Oriented Informatics Systems, Open Source, Software Architectures, Grid Computing, Web-Based Management Systems

WSN based intelligent cold chain management

This paper presents a cold chain monitoring system which is implemented by using ubiquitous computing technologies, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) & Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). In this paper, we discuss how cold supply chain works and how we can monitor and control cold supply chain by using wireless tracking and sensing technologies. We propose a prototype design which will provide a well controlled and transparent cold chain system, which could help the users to manage their products’ environmental data in real time during the life cycle. Moreover, we highlight how the availability of product trace data in combination with historical condition-monitoring data can facilitate decision-making processes enhancing supply chain’s performance. Finally we discuss the integration works of these two technologies together in the cold supply chain management system. Hardware and software platform of WSN used in this system are also described in this paper

A Product Oriented Modelling Concept: Holons for systems synchronisation and interoperability

Nowadays, enterprises are confronted to growing needs for traceability, product genealogy and product life cycle management. To meet those needs, the enterprise and applications in the enterprise environment have to manage flows of information that relate to flows of material and that are managed in shop floor level. Nevertheless, throughout product lifecycle coordination needs to be established between reality in the physical world (physical view) and the virtual world handled by manufacturing information systems (informational view). This paper presents the "Holon" modelling concept as a means for the synchronisation of both physical view and informational views. Afterwards, we show how the concept of holon can play a major role in ensuring interoperability in the enterprise context

A Layered Software Architecture for the Management of a Manufacturing Company

In this paper we describe a layered software architecture in the management of a manufactur-ing company that intensively uses computer technology. Application tools, new and legacy, after the updating, operate in a context of an open web oriented architecture. The software architecture enables the integration and interoperability among all tools that support business processes. Manufacturing Executive System and Text Mining tools are excellent interfaces, the former both for internal production and management processes and the latter for external processes coming from the market. In this way, it is possible to implement, a computer integrated factory, flexible and agile, that immediately responds to customer requirements.ICT, Service Oriented Architecture, Web Services, Computer-Integrated Factory, Application Software

Emergence of ERPII Characteristics within an ERP integration context

It is widely accepted that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) can provide organizations with efficiency and productivity gains, in terms of aggregating and streamlining internal business processes. It is also well understood that embarking upon the implementation of such an IT project, also presents many risks and challenges to the incumbent corporation, as witnessed by numerous cases in the normative IS literature on this subject. Through the description of a case study organization’s ERP integration experiences, the authors highlight the emergence of those characteristics which define the componentization, and extension of ERP functionalities (i.e. so-called ERPII) in terms of a failed ERP-led, Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) implementation within an industrial products organization. As a result of the exploratory research approach used, it is hoped that the definition of such factors will provide an insight into the development and management of such technology investments

Cyber physical systems implementation for asset management improvement: A framework for the transition

Libro en Open AccessThe transformation of the industry due to recent technologies introduction is an evolving process whose engines are competitiveness and sustainability, understood in its broadest sense (environmental, economic and social). This process is facing, due to the current state of scientific and technological development, a new challenge yet even more important: the transition from discrete technological solutions that respond to isolated problems, to a global conception where the assets, plant, processes and engineering systems are conceived, designed and operated as an integrated complex unit. This vision is evolving besides a set of concepts that are, in some way, to guide this development: Smart Factories, Cyber-Physical Systems, Factory of the Future or Industry 4.0, are examples. The full integration of the operation and maintenance (O&M) processes in the production systems is a key topic within this new paradigm. Not only that, this evolution necessarily results in the emergence of new processes and needs of O&M, i.e. also, the O&M will undergo a profound transformation. The transition from actual isolated production assets to such Industry 4.0 with CPS is far from easy. This document presents a proposal to develop such transition adapting one iteration of the Model of Maintenance Management (MMM) integrated into ISO 55000 to the complexity of incorporating “System of Systems” CPSs maintenance. It involves several stages: identification, prioritization, risk management, planning, scheduling, execution, control, and improvement supported by system engineering techniques and agile/concurrent project managemen

Models simulation and interoperability using MDA and HLA

In the manufacturing context, there have been numerous efforts to use modeling and simulation tools and techniques to improve manufacturing efficiency over the last four decades. While an increasing number of manufacturing system decisions are being made based on the use of models, their use is still sporadic in many manufacturing environments. Our paper advocates for an approach combining MDA (model driven architecture) and HLA (High Level Architecture), the IEEE standard for modeling and simulation, in order to overcome the deficiencies of current simulation methods at the level of interoperability and reuse.Comment: 8 page