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Software smoothes the flow of materials

A GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team May 29, 2008

Proficy Tracker 7.5 delivers lean production by helping to manage inventory, schedule resources in real time and route material through the discrete manufacturing process.

GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has released a new version of Proficy Tracker software, which helps companies realise lean initiatives by managing the execution of orders and the related flow of materials.

Proficy Tracker 7.5 delivers lean production by helping to manage inventory, schedule resources in real time and route material through the discrete manufacturing process.

It provides the ability to track the real-time location of orders on the production floor, but it can also be configured to perform routing logic on the movement of the product throughout the manufacturing facility.

This capability allows manufacturers to manage the physical routing and delivery of multiple product components and sub-assemblies into complex product assemblies.

Proficy Tracker can help companies monitor and manage production flow through the use of business rules, as well as dynamically collect and store data about each component and assembly to create traceability records.

It allows users to provide control commands to production equipment in order to process and route materials, and supports inspection and rework processes, as well as production, assembly and packaging operations.

"Manufacturing today is shifting from build-to-stock to build-to-order", said Bernard Cubizolles, Product Manager Software for GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms Europe.

"In many operations, suppliers have to pay a penalty if the end user production sequence is not achieved".

"If the right components are not available, that order will have to come off the main production line until the parts arrive".

"This will have a direct impact on all subsequent operations if not handled correctly".

Proficy Tracker's Order execution management functionality is targeted at handling the ever-changing real world conditions of the production floor and co-ordination of suppliers.

It provides production order management, bill of material distribution, supplier co-ordination, sequence and substitution management along with production hold management.

"Proficy Tracker is an excellent enabler to achieve a lean manufacturing environment", said Cubizolles.

Proficy Tracker works with a variety of production processes, making it easy for users to implement and operate a comprehensive work-in-progress tracking system.

The application uses data from automated sensors and readers including bar codes, RF tags and other mechanical tag systems and provides graphic screens to display tracking paths and item information and reflect production control commands.

It also maintains data for all jobs in the system, including content, status, location and production process counts and keeps cycle counts, repair information and carrier status online.

It accommodates different types of carriers and containers within a system, allowing manufacturers to track and route products even when the process transforms them.

Proficy Tracker accommodates a variety of production flow adjustments, from minor modifications to major system redesign.

The solution's automation of tracking and routing can significantly increase the return on existing equipment by automatically sending defective materials to a rework area and scrapped materials to a recycling area.

It can also goup batches of products to be painted the same colour, improving efficiency, reducing setup and waste, monitoring carriers in need of maintenance and providing line balancing during production start up.