Real-time Data Analysis
for Manufacturer of Foam and Felt
for the Automotive Industry

The Challenge of Operational Efficiency

Any manufacturing manager faces a constant challenge to increase operational efficiency. KFactory's Core platform combines traditional data acquisition and business intelligence coupled with big data to deliver high value insights into not only what is happening, but also why.

A critical part of the story is the need for a resilient and rapid real time data collection system, and this was made possible by the adoption of Advantech’s WISE-4000 product family.

The Challenge

Over recent years, manufacturers have been subject to a ‘perfect storm’ of overlapping crises. Supply chains have suffered significant disruption and the costs of raw materials, energy and transportation have all rocketed. At the same time, manufacturers are dealing with an aging workforce, and a corresponding looming skills gap. Addressing these challenges whilst also facing increased competition in a continuously changing market, Masterfoam needed to find ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Data collection from the production process was slow and was subject to human error. The problem was compounded by historical data being stored in unstructured formats, making it difficult to spot the patterns and emerging trends upon which to base any improvement strategy.

Advantech WISE-4051 & KFactory Core

KFactory selected the WISE-4051 to perform the remote data acquisition and transmission from the factory floor to the Core platform. It offered the ideal mix of I/O and robust and reliable operation, coupled to easy, quick and cost effective installation due to its WiFi connectivity, which eliminated the need for costly cable installation. In fact, the first connected machines were online and producing actionable insights within a couple of weeks.

The data is recovered from the WISE-4051 devices by the KFactory Core platform, which applies business intelligence to the real time and historical data to provide insight and proactive recommendations to the Masterfoam managers.

Real-Time Monitoring with Maximum Precision

Deploying the KFactory solution resulted in the production process being monitored in real time with maximum precision. Data is collected from all relevant actors, including equipment, inspectors and support teams, and is delivered to managers in an easily digested and timely manner. Furthermore, combining real time data with historical information allows analysis to be performed on data sets collated over a much larger timeframe than was possible prior to deployment, enabling identification of patterns and trends indicative of slowly developing problems, or other long term trends offering scope for improvement.

Strategic Objectives Achieved

Overall, Masterfoam achieved several strategic objectives:

• Improved measurement precision.
• Improved measurement reliability.
• Data collection cost reduction.
• Data integrated from diverse sources.
• Better management oversight.
• More reliable factory operations.
• Increased production efficiency.

KFactory considered a number of factors when selecting Advantech as a partner for the Masterfoam project.

• Cost effective, proven technology.
• Wide variety of SKUs from which to select the optimum project fit.
• Local office and support.
• Global presence and service centres.
• Financially strong and stable.
• Independently recognised as leading supplier for IIoT devices and systems.