Paul Hurst, from Products 4 Automation, explains how Progea’s Movicon 11 SCADA solution has been used in a system developed by GIMA?Spa for Wrigley that collects, stores and displays statistical data for OEE?purposes.
When Italian system manufacturers GIMA Spa was asked by confectionery company Wrigley to provide a standardised supervisory system that would provide OEE data across all its different client product lines, the company turned to Progea’s Movicon 11 SCADA for a solution.
The challenge required designing an auto-configurable system that was capable of connecting to machines independently of their type and configuration. This meant that a modular and flexible software platform was required: one that was capable of managing an all-in-one standard project, and designed to connect to any product line machine to obtain information on production status and provide analysis on productivity efficiency.
The Movicon Scada/HMI platform has achieved the stated system objectives, and is the chosen solution for reaching the pre-planned production goals quickly and safely. Although working on a limited budget, GIMA Spa not only satisfied Wrigley’s needs using the Movicon platform, but is now able to provide the standardised ‘added value’ system to other clients, including those in different sectors.
The production line supervision and analysis system based on Movicon has been designed to interface to a maximum of 10 machine variables. The machines can be fitted either with a Siemens or Elau control units, both offering project auto-configuring to machine production requirements, without requiring additional input or modification.
The system’s task is to connect to the machines and highlight working statuses; display alarms – defined as ‘blockers’, and store all alarm and production data. This data is collected and displayed on the appropriate graphical summary screen pages, providing an overall picture of ongoing production situations in real-time, to enable managers to control the production process efficiently.
The main Movicon supervisor page informs users about production status, by representing the production line machine images graphically and by supplying data on: Batch number IDs; Product type; Quantity of units produced; Unit percentage produced; the time allotted for operatives working the current shift, etc.
A screen page is provided for each machine in the system. The page shows all details and information relating to that production station. Production line graphics appear automatically in conjunction with the number of machines enabled and operating at any particular time. A proprietary designed page has also been provided to manage production line batches and work shifts: the machines having been programmed to begin working only when assigned to a production batch.
The main objective is to record all data in database archives (Ms SQL Server 2000 was chosen from the various formats provided by Movicon) for performing statistical analysis that allow the end user, and builder, to obtain historical information in order to evaluate critical areas and intervene to improve production, reduce downtime and increase overall productivity.
The supervisor performs statistical analysis on recorded data by managing:
• Alarm statistics
• Statistical graphics of on line productivity
• Tables for displaying production counters for selected time range.
• Tables for alarm list history
This data is managed in reports, where data on production, alarms and work settings can be displayed in table or graphical formats. Data is selectable using filters such as Time period, Batch number, or Production batch. The data displayed in tables can be exported in Excel files. The system can calculate and display performance efficiency indices according to the OEE standard. All statistical information gathered from the Movicon OEE system is available to authorised remote users via the internet, intranet etc.
An unrestricted licence allows users to purchase only what they need, optimising the costs of the Movicon licence in relation to the size and number of plant production lines controlled.
Paul Hurst MD of P4A, the Movicon distributor in the UK, said: “Historically, SCADA systems have been more expensive in the UK than anywhere else; and with restricted licences, development costs and yearly system integrator fees, costs are getting out of hand. We are changing this situation with Movicon 11, by offering all the functionality, scalability, connectivity – and more – of existing SCADA systems, but at a price 30% to 50% less.”
Products 4 Automation
T:?0845 077 3858
