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Connecting Your Factory Equipment: Unlocking the Power of Data
In today’s fast-paced industrial landscape, connecting your factory equipment is crucial for optimizing performance and ensuring product quality. From scales to torque wrenches, and everything in between, the key lies in collecting relevant data that aligns with your company’s objectives. Sofyne, with its extensive experience in equipment data collection, is here to guide you through the process.
Blogpost outline :
- The challenges of interoperability between different devices
- The importance of a robust IT architecture to support data collection
- Sofyne’s expertise, especially for the integration of DELMIA Apriso Machine Integrator
- Concrete examples and feedback from customers
The challenges of Interoperability for CIO and Industrials
One of the primary hurdles in connecting factory equipment is interoperability. With a wide range of devices and systems, ensuring seamless communication can be a daunting task. Standardization of communication protocols is essential to overcome this challenge.
First, it’s mandatory to identify all the equipment regarding industrial challenges in order to choose which investment is relevant to do.
Here are some examples Sofyne gets back from its customers.
Industrial performance goals :
Data collection relevance :
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Quality level industrial goals :
Data collection relevance :
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Deploying the Right IT Architecture
To support the connection of your factory equipment, a robust IT architecture is essential. Think of it as the backbone of your data collection system. Just like a strong spine supports the body, a well-designed IT architecture ensures that data flows smoothly and securely throughout your factory. CIO and industrials must collaborate to create an architecture that can handle the volume and complexity of the data being collected.
What about MES within automating real-time data collection ?
The MES software DELMIA Apriso integrates a specific feature regarding data collection / equipment connection, named Machine Integrator
Apriso Machine Integrator features
- Distributed bi-directional machine connectivity
- Communicate with the machines either through : RS-232, Ethernet TCP/IP, OPC DA & UA, Modbus TCP/IP, Other configurable data sources: UDP, Bluetooth, USB etc.
- Configured centrally and deployed locally
- Manageable remotely (real-time monitoring, consulting logs)
- Supporting buffering capabilities (store & forward features)
- Fully integrated with the process workflow
- Supporting the concept of templates (design interfaces by families of equipment)
- Supporting redundant configuration
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MES software is used to monitor workshop activities. |
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Data is often available in your SCADA system. |
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The question is, how can you easily collect data from PLC and SCADA and bring it to the MES level in the plant? |
Subscribe technologies : MQTT and Edge Computing
MQTT has become of the dominant protocol for connecting IoT devices to the cloud and corporate data centers. The publish/subscribe protocol is well suited for most IoT use cases and enables reliable and scalable data transfer. MQTT is the natural protocol to transfer data from edge devices to the cloud and transfer data within an edge device.
How MQTT can be deployed to the edge will often depend on the type of edge computing.
You can rely on Sofyne’s experts to get some information and advice about subscribe technologies in DELMIA Apriso.
Example of typical architecture for data collection
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Placing an MQTT broker at the network edge provides applications with similar advantages as deploying a broker in the cloud or a data center. The MQTT broker can be set up in a clustered environment and serves as the collection point for IoT data, which is then forwarded to other enterprise IT services like Kafka, MongoDB, SAP, and so on. MQTT enables many of these services to interact with IoT devices in a scalable and dependable way. |
Sofyne’s Expertise in Equipment Data Collection
Sofyne has a proven track record of successfully connecting factory equipment across various industries. Our team of experts has developed a deep understanding of the challenges and solutions involved in data acquisition. We have worked on projects ranging from large-scale implementations with numerous machines to smaller pilot line POCs.
Mapping Sofyne’s Expertise
Imagine Sofyne as a treasure map, guiding you through the complex landscape of equipment data collection. Our expertise spans across different industries, technologies, and project scales. Whether you need to connect a single machine or an entire factory, we have the knowledge and resources to help you reach your destination.
Learning from Customer Projects
At Sofyne, we believe in the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing. We encourage our customers to discuss their projects and experiences with each other. By learning from the successes and challenges of others, you can gain valuable insights and ideas for your own data acquisition initiatives. It’s like having a group of friends who share their adventures and help you plan your own exciting journey.
Here’s part of Sofyne global Know-How Mapping for data collection
Advising Customers on Secure and High-Performing IoT Architectures
As a leading technology solutions provider, we understand the critical importance of ensuring the security and performance of IoT systems. Our team of experts is dedicated to guiding our customers through the process of selecting the right architecture to meet their specific needs.
Alongside security, our customers demand lightning-fast response times from their IoT systems. We leverage our deep technical expertise to design and deploy architectures that deliver sub-1-second response times. By optimizing hardware, software, and network configurations, we ensure that our clients’ IoT solutions operate at peak efficiency, providing a seamless user experience.
Achieving Your Data Acquisition Objectives with Sofyne
Whether your goal is to improve product quality, optimize processes, or gain insights into your manufacturing operations, Sofyne is here to support you. Our team of experts will work closely with you to understand your unique requirements and develop a tailored solution that meets your needs.
With Sofyne by your side, you can unlock the full potential of your factory equipment data. From manufacturing assets to quality and process data, we have the expertise to help you collect, analyze, and utilize the information that matters most to your business. Together, we can transform your factory into a data-driven powerhouse.
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“Sofyne’s expertise in equipment data collection has been instrumental in helping us achieve our quality and performance objectives. Their team provided the guidance and support we needed to successfully connect our factory equipment and unlock the power of data.” Satisfied CIO and Industrial Customer |
Customers Use Cases
#1 – Automotive industry use case
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Why collecting data |
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” We have today 160 factories around the world. All of them are running the DELMIA Apriso MES solution. Several factories : how to standardise the data collected on equipment & what architecture to deploy ? “ “The industrial objectives through data equipment collection are established around the workshops performance tracking (count part OK/NOK; machine status with failure qualification; KPIs monitoring), the process traceability data and energy consumption. We need these data collection to improve data accuracy and reduce operator involvement” “Today we are quite satisfied of the system we have created with Sofyne. The data collection template is defined centrally and deployed locally :
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#2 – Defense industry use case
USE CASE – guiding the operator in the tightening torques of the products manufactured and ensuring that the operator complies with the tolerances
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Why collecting data |
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” We do not have a common use for Apriso’s MES solution. Our main objective in manufacturing execution systems is to ensure the required quality and a manufacturing file for each product. We implement the quality control plan through the MES solution: tolerances, MES data recording, weight data control, product genealogy. “ “ The main industrial objectives are to transmit quality information to operators, such as tightening torques, and to block operations if a control is out of tolerance (we have implemented lock screens in the software). “ Sofyne’s expertise is helpful to meet our quality requirements and create the link between Information System and industrial equipment ” |
Don’t let the challenges of interoperability hold you back.
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Partner with Sofyne and embark on a journey towards a more connected, efficient, and data-driven factory. |
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Contact us to learn more about how we can help you achieve your equipment data collection goals. |
Useful links
- 3DS DELMIA Apriso Machine Integrator : https://www.3ds.com/products/delmia/apriso/system-integration
- Wikipedia MES article : you can find here helpful guideline to understand MES Relationship with other systems : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_execution_system
Glossary :
- PLC : Programming Logic Controller
A programmable logic controller (PLC) or programmable controller is an industrial computer that has been ruggedized and adapted for the control of manufacturing processes, such as assembly lines, machines, robotic devices, or any activity that requires high reliability, ease of programming, and process fault diagnosis. - POC : Proof Of Concept
Proof of concept (POC or PoC) is a realization of a certain idea, method or principle in order to demonstrate its feasibility or viability or a demonstration in principle with the aim of verifying that some concept or theory has practical potential. A proof of concept is usually small and may or may not be complete. - OPC DA : OPC Direct Architecture
- OPC UA : OPC Unified Architecture
- MQTT : MQ Telemetry Transport