Here at Neustro we quite like to take Plantnode, from Shoplogix, out on the road – particularly to machine shows such as the PPMA or Total Processing and Packaging – so we can meet companies that are actively looking to invest in new machinery. And then try and persuade them not to – yet.
Plantnode is a device that collects data in real-time and has a LED display for Contextual Visual Management (CVM), meaning it gives relevant messages to operators and supervisors about the status of the machine, job or run as well as an outstanding user web based interface that allows for key information to be presented in a unique and intuitive way.
Along with reporting for variance analysis, downtime Pareto analysis and a host of other reports for examining your manufacturing performance there is a suite of OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) reports at a machine and job level that may mean that you can delay investing in new equipment or introducing an additional shift.
OEE is a single percentage figure that is a useful measure of how you are performing and is made up of metrics covering availability, performance and quality (you can get a deeper understanding of OEE by downloading our leaflet ‘A Guide to OEE’ here;
World Class Manufacturing is deemed to have an OEE of 85% and any figure below this may indicate that you are not utilising your machinery to its fullest capacity or have excessive downtime or quality problems. If you have a low OEE then an investment in additional machinery or shifts is simply ignoring capability you may already have – and worse still, may simply mean that you under-utilise your new capacity.
An automated data capture solution such as Plantnode will be but a fraction of the cost of an additional machine or shift and will help you gain more from the resources that you already own.
This is why at the shows we attend we have helped a number of companies spend less money.