Client Profile.
Started in the year 1993, the company is a leading Indian manufacturer and exporter of laminate sheets from paper-based raw materials. The company delivers extensive range of fabric-based and paper-based phenolic, formica, bakelite and cotton phenolic laminate sheets that are used in electrical and auto-electrical industries.
Business Need.
All operations at the unit, right from gathering raw materials, cutting papers and using hydraulic hot press to packaging and dispatch- are completely manual. The client was looking for a digital solution to monitor critical machine parameters during hot press operations to maintain quality. They also needed continuous updates and timely alerts, in case parameters hit upper or lower thresholds.
Challenges.
- Disjointed processes to monitor parameters by using analog gauges attached to the machines
- Highly complicated machines and analog sensors that offer no to very less monitoring
- Lack of real-time visibility into alterations in operational parameters that adversely impact the laminate quality produced
- Manual record maintenance of condition parameters resulting in errors
- Inability to analyze critical unstructured data and identify patterns to prevent breakdowns
- Reactive approach to quality, safety and machine related issues that lead to huge maintenance costs
Solution.
An online and remote quality monitoring solution for critical assets by installing necessary sensors along with IoT gateway devices to monitor machine health parameters and maintain laminate quality to:
- Continuously monitor entire manufacturing process and integrate existing systems for quality related parameters
- Generate required reports for critical parameters like pressure, temperature and current for quality related data management, audit and certification
- Send timely alerts and notifications to key stakeholders if critical parameters hit threshold limits
Approach.
- Create extensive As-Is process flow document based on several inputs for quality related problems rising due to changes in pressure, temperature and current parameters, historical data with probable causes, machine models etc.
- Identify and document critical quality and compliance related KPIs for machine health and laminate sheets quality.
- Develop an intelligent integrated web-based system to monitor the health of the hot press machine- in real time and remotely.
- Use IoT gateway and sensors to capture data in real-time for operational visibility across the production floor.
- Enable users to configure customized values, time intervals, and thresholds for each parameter.
- Create a dashboard which delivers proactive insights on quality standards for on-time decision making.
- Generate alerts and notifications on critical quality parameters.
Business Impact.
Improved product quality and throughput
Reduced scrap wastage due to quality related issues
Enhanced quality compliance with standards
Increased machine up-time
Optimized workforce utilization
