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We Deliver Results in Productivity. Overoming Challenges in the Aerospace Industry
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Manufacturing System Automation
- Predictive Maintenance
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Services
- System Integration
- Data Science Services
The Challenge
Manufacturing processes in aerospace machine shops can be complicated and complex to plan. Finding out how much capacity is really needed for a part to be produced, and accurately planning the total throughput time for a range of components can be a headache for many manufacturers. Often, it can be difficult to do accurate part costing, as many cost centres are involved, and blended rates are used as there are is no exact data on machines and work stations in a process. Many aerospace companies have vast untapped potential for reducing costs by improving processes, reducing WIP and faster throughput times, but in most cases they have no tangible data to base cost saving improvements on. UK aerospace companies are notorious for their excellent technical knowledge and high quality products. But the manufacturing process itself is often far from efficient. The orders are there, the requirements are clear, but capacities are limited and many battle with considerable overload on the shop floor.
About The Customer
The customer is a part of the UK aerospace industry, which comprises over 600 businesses and employs 113,000 people directly and 276,000 indirectly. The industry generates an annual revenue of £27.8bn. The companies in this industry are known for their excellent technical knowledge and high-quality products. However, the manufacturing process is often inefficient, with limited capacities and considerable overload on the shop floor. The orders and requirements are clear, but the companies often struggle with complex planning, accurate part costing, and lack of exact data on machines and work stations in a process.
The Solution
FORCAM provides an Industry 4.0 / Industrial IoT solution that specialises in connecting machines and systems so they can exchange information, thus making improvements in the way manufacturers work. The solution includes data recording for a complete manufacturing digital fingerprint, real-time analysis of production data for instant understanding of issues, data collection on machine status and order progress to optimise the plant floor, role-relevant reporting for real time intervention, ERP integration for live order and operations feedback, integration and Interoperability of any third-party solution, and finite scheduling to identify bottlenecks and speed up order throughput. The solution can help identify bottlenecks through automated data collection from all assets and work places. Rescheduling orders on the shop floor can increase machine utilisation and free up capacities, thereby reducing overload on bottleneck assets. The solution also offers accurate run times on machines per product per unit, which can enhance cost models and iron out inefficiencies.
Operational Impact
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