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Deliver Results in Productivity: Richards Industries Case Study
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Applicable Industries
- Metals
- Chemicals
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Manufacturing System Automation
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
Richards Industries, a parent company of six distinct industrial product lines, has been affected by the decline of crude oil, a key source of energy, which has created opportunities and threats for American manufacturing. The company's business has been slowed by the Oil and Gas reductions but has continuously invested in new product development, process improvements, lead time reduction, on-time shipments and quality. Richards Industries practices Lean Management philosophies for almost two decades. Investment in training and technology is key to retain talent and control cost. The company is dedicated to finding ways to improve manufacturing processes, existing products, creating new products, reaching new markets and responding faster to customers.
About The Customer
Richards Industries is the parent company of six distinct industrial product lines: regulators and control valves from Jordan Valve; sanitary regulators and control valves from Steriflow Valve; ball valves and automated products from Marwin Valve; high pressure - extreme low flow regulators from LowFlow Valve; instrument valves and manifolds from Hex Valve; steam traps and steam specialty equipment from Bestobell Steam Traps. Richards meets customer needs with a wide range of new and proven manufacturing technologies. Complete in-house CNC machining, painting, assembly and testing, along with material traceability and extensive quality procedures assures that Richards Industries products exceed expectations. Key markets include chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and food processing industries. Other sectors include paper products, tire and rubber, machinery and electrical equipment, transportation equipment and energy industries.
The Solution
Richards Industries implemented the FORCAM FORCE Shop Floor Management tool, which included setting up real time machine data collection, web visualization and alerting. This first phase included a 10-machine pilot helping operators to become familiar with the user interface and data in the FORCAM FORCE product suite. Phase 1 was rolled out to the remaining machine park of an additional 21 machines 5 months after the deployment of the pilot in late 2015. Phase 2 facilitated access, editing, and loading of operating instructions and also encouraged the collection of processing information and control of processing quality. Records of tool use can be used to predict tool wear and generate replacement schedules before a substandard part is produced. The potential for boosting productivity lies in networking machines to capture production data for evaluation. MTConnect-based machines are connected to the existing Ethernet network.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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