Automobile manufacturer expands product relationship with GE Fanuc Automation to reduce downtime and increase efficiency of manufacturing facilities.
GE Fanuc Automation, a division of GE Industrial, has announced that Nissan North America has chosen Proficy Plant Applications Version 4.2 for an enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI) solution; which will ultimately help Nissan reduce downtime at two of its manufacturing plants. This is according to Daniel Coetzee, manager of sub-Saharan Africa for the GE Fanuc Automation division of GE Industrial.
According to Coetzee: "GE Fanuc Automation has been Nissan's automation software partner for mission-critical applications for more than 15 years. This latest solution leverages our strategic relationship and Nissan's existing software infrastructure to improve its overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
"The Nissan solution, which includes the downtime, scrap, reject tracking and reporting capabilities found within the efficiency and quality modules, resulted from a need to identify which processes were causing the most downtime and where their bottlenecks were.
"The company was looking for a common solution to deploy at both its Smyrna and Canton facilities, in all process areas: including stamping, body, paint, and assembly," Coetzee explains.
The Nissan/GE Fanuc team conducted a pilot project that demonstrated Plant Applications' rapid deployment capability with a three-day 'start-to-live' production system, which yielded results such as:
* Easy configurability, ability to clone configurations.
* Variable data in the context of events.
* Statistical analysis to determine 'normal' and set limits.
* Ready-to-use web reports with drill-down functionality.
* The ability to leverage Excel for additional analysis and reporting.
* Automatic detection and interpretation of downtime reasons.
Coetzee continues: "Proficy Plant Applications will allow Nissan to continue to leverage its existing technology investments. The company currently employs hundreds of Proficy Cimplicity HMI stations, which are deployed across its North American plants. In addition, Proficy Tracker is used as the backbone for Nissan's MES-based integrated Production Management and Control systems. The large application footprint also allows the IT staff to make use of critical downtime fault codes, triggers and logic already in place."
According to Coetzee, Proficy Plant Applications is a software solution that digitises the collective information being generated throughout production facilities into a 'virtual plant', that can be accessed where, when and how it is needed.
"The solution allows measurement and monitoring of performance across key criteria in realtime. With a core set of scalable modules focused on the most critical aspects of production - efficiency, quality, production and batch analysis - plant applications allows users to leverage the specific applications needed to deliver the greatest return on investment in these areas. And with integrated web-based reports, key performance indicators (KPIs) and notification services available with all Proficy modules, it is the complete solution for making realtime decisions throughout the plant.
"Manufacturers investing in enterprise performance management (EPM) tools at the plant level receive an immediate return-on-investment (ROI)," comments Coetzee.
"By targeting the operations equipment effectiveness (OEE) performance metrics, plants have seen an increase in operational effectiveness from 55% to 75% in less than six months; and ROI in less than 12 months. Hard savings have come from expanded capacity, lower premium freight, and reduced overtime," he concludes.
For more information contact Daniel Coetzee, manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, GE Industrial - GE Fanuc Automation, 031 583 3640, [email protected]
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