Compact, connected, and accessible – Biesse’s SmartAction concept offers companies looking to increase efficiency a straightforward route to transform their operations into a real ‘smart factory’.
To enable this, machines are connected in real-time to deliver optimised production, making manufacturers more efficient and therefore more competitive - and it is software that leads the way to enable integrated production management. With the complete digitalisation of processes, products can be produced quickly and flexibly, with scope for customisation.
Smart Factories are not only in the domain of large scale production sites, smaller factories can equally benefit by exploiting all the power and effectiveness of highly integrated solutions, including:
Reduced space with reduced labour Integrated and optimised production management Easy management and learning, even for less experienced operators Reduced resource consumption Minimal investment
Interconnected machines with bCabinet
The key to unlocking a Smart Factory is to connect machines and Biesse enables this via its bCabinet software suite that provides real-time communication with all machines from machining centres and panel saws to edgebanding machines, drilling and sanding machines. This allows the software to deliver integrated production management and enable data exchange to send job orders, monitor machines and produce production reports.
Compact, financially-accessible solutions
Whilst the idea of a Smart Factory may seem out of reach to many manufacturers that think it can only be achieved by utilising robots and/or automated handling systems, as can be seen from the two factory plan layouts, we can demonstrate how a Smart Factory might operate in limited production spaces: 150m2 running a cut/edge/drill operation producing up to 300 machined panels daily utilising a minimal workforce and a 300m2 production space with a more complex operation producing 500 panels per day.
So whilst every manufacturers space and production process may differ, it is bCabinet that is central to a Smart Factory being able to run effectively and efficiently as it helps manufacturers to manage production from the 3d design phase through to production flow monitoring by providing:
Easy management of work phases - cutting, nesting, edgebanding, drilling, assembly, packaging Dedicated environment for real time production monitoring, providing order status control Management and distribution of all data required to run the process, without further manual intervention Visualisation of production status Progress of each component Optimisation of the production process including simulation toolsSOPHIA – getting greater value from machines
To support the Smart Factory and digitalisation concept, Biesse also has a digital service platform, SOPHIA, where machine and service information is monitored and collated to help customers optimise their assets.
SOPHIA supports increased productivity by providing users with access to machine information, helping to optimise performance and monitor quality. SOPHIA also helps to deliver improved service levels by utilising a SCADA system to collect machine data and by performing test cycles to help anticipate potential future faults and to provide notification of a machine down status. Therefore, Biesse can take proactive steps to contact customers to help resolve issues faster. Overall, SOPHIA helps to reduce machine stoppages, increase machine availability and consequently output.
“Intelligent systems are connecting the world,” commented Robbie O’Neill, UK commercial director. “This allows businesses to adapt more quickly. It is about improving machine availability, performance and quality via physical automation, software and connected machines or facilities. This means a leaner process is required if you want to compete, let alone just protect your business. Biesse can help customers transform their operations and help them to achieve greater efficiency and therefore derive better value from their machines.”
Therefore, the combination of automation and digitalisation can provide real value to customers by helping to improve Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE), the measure of how well a machine works.
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