New "Enterprise Visual Management" feature released

May 12, 2011 - PRLog -- Different colors used in the machine layout help the GUARDUS MES user identify the operating status of each piece of equipment at a glance. Through a double-click on the desired machine, the MES provides all pieces of information and production parameters for the current order, as well as its progress, cycle times and quality level. Moreover, two color scales provide detailed information about the level of compliance of the performance indicators “Quality rate” and “Effectiveness.”

Resembling a superior control center, the new GUARDUS MES Visual Management module provides all quality and production-relevant data about all equipment in the graphical machine layout. The view of the shop floor layout can be individually configured according to continent, country, language, or location. The function provides either a representation of individual pieces of equipment or a global view of one or more shop floors. Through a double-click on the desired equipment, the user can zoom in on the shop floor layout for the respective production unit. The displayed colors inform the user about the operating status: in production, idle, set-up, machine breakdown, shutdown, or other user-defined states. In the case of breakdowns or maintenance work, through a new click on the machine, the user will be informed about the specific background, such as cause, duration, measures, contact person, etc.).

For production units with running orders, the shop floor layout shows all details about the production status and quality level, not just information such as production unit, order number, or tool. A separate screenshot provides all important order data and production parameters, such as operation, cavity, and part number and designation. The integration of images of articles and machines creates more transparency. Another part of this function provides quick information about the manufacturing process: the quantity fields inform the user about the target quantity as well as the quantity that is still to be manufactured. Moreover, online data about yield, scrap, and rework provide information about the quality level, while the cycle times in seconds indicate the planned target time, the actual manufacturing time, and the remaining time. Through the integrated performance indicators for quality rate and effectiveness, GUARDUS MES gives a global and economic view of the quality level. While the quality rate indicates the percentage of good parts out of the total produced, the effectiveness represents the relation between the produced quantity and utilization time of the equipment. The combination of the two performance indicators reveals whether the planned performance capability along the value-added chain can be carried out with the existing process parameters.

Further information will be provided by the seamless interaction of the shop floor layout with the production management module of GUARDUS MES. Thus, for the current order, it is possible to directly display the corresponding bookings of operation data and material as well as the existing orders and the work to be done. The user will also receive all details about the executed quality controls and the upcoming ones.

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About GUARDUS SOLUTIONS AG, with its offices in Germany, Canada, and Romania, is an internationally renowned software developer specialized in software simplifying manufacturing execution and quality management.