Manufacturing Journalist TR Cutler Profiles Big Data as Predictive Tool for Quality Digest

Nov. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- In the current issue of Quality Digest Manufacturing journalist, TR Cutler discussedwhy traditional Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) software is insufficient. The article titled, “Identifying Quality Patterns,” explained that OEE does not meet the needs of current manufacturers because it is strictly measurement-based; it measures quality as a separate element of the part being manufactured and does not relate it to the entire manufacturing process. Too many solutions treat quality as a separate function in the organization as well, so it does not help with integrated problem-solving across teams or functions.

Cutler noted, “System Insights’ vimana software is one of the newer “big data” solutions. It can predict quality “spills” (i.e., false positives and negatives) based on process data, allowing quality assurance professionals to understand which parts are spending more time getting measured. The quality silo is eliminated because there is a unified application for process, quality monitoring, and analytics. The result is a collaborative decision-making process across horizontal teams.”

Athulan Vijayaraghavan, CTO of System Insights, explains that the OEE metric of availability is inadequate for predictive quality control, “OEE software solutions can tell you what happened, but not why. They generate reports, but do not help make sense of the data. By applying real-time pattern-matching capabilities, our product—vimana—helps make sense of the data and illustrates how they can be applied in improving productivity and quality. By using dashboards, real-time metrics, alerts, and contextual reports, measurable value can be established within weeks of deployment. Operations, IT, and quality users need solutions that allow all to quickly understand the causes of production losses on the shop floor, including machine breakdowns, poor quality, material starvation, and incorrect machine usage.”

Essentially, vimana connects directly to the software that controls and monitors CNC equipment and other process equipment, as well as inspection equipment. In the latter case, vimana pulls data directly from inspection software—Dimensional Measurement Interface Standard (DMIS), for instance. The ability to track both production and inspection data and to see the correlation between them is what gives vimana its predictive power. As long as vimana has access to direct machine data, it provides a way to correlate downstream process failures with upstream production or measurement steps, regardless of what equipment is being used.

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/quality-insider-column/identifying-quality-patterns.html.

About System Insights

System Insights, (www.systeminsights.com) based in Berkeley, California, with offices in Chennai, India, is a leading global supplier of manufacturing software in both machining based, discrete and process industries. The SI flagship product - vimana - delivers predictive analytics solutions to improve client’s efficiency, productivity, and profitability. vimana provides these data while enabling customers to realize sustainable manufacturing objectives. The vimana software platform delivers a unique combination of Cloud Computing and Big Data capabilities that sets out to revolutionize the economics of manufacturing. System Insights is a proud member of both AMT (Association for Manufacturing Technology) and NTMA (National Tooling and Machining Association). Follow System Insights on Twitter @systeminsights.

TR Cutler, Inc.

www.trcutlerinc.com

Thomas R. Cutler

CEO, Manufacturing Journalist

trcutler@trcutlerinc.com

888-902-0300