Optimization of processes
AAE B.V., a pioneering manufacturer of advanced and specialized industrial machinery and components, has achieved significant success in recent years in optimizing production processes through the use of real-time location. AAE supplies customers from high-tech industries such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, automotive and food with specifically developed components, which are manufactured in the build-to-order process with up to batch size 1 in the clean room and outside. Almost all orders are individual.
Contract manufacturing
Due to the large number of orders to be processed simultaneously and individual requirements, production planning and control becomes a task of art – flexible, fast and ideally always one step ahead. In particular, the coordination of the various production steps, constant changes to production capacities, rework requirements and the monitoring of work steps outsourced to suppliers pose a major challenge to achieving the necessary transparency regarding the current status of process handling.
2
Business lines
Presence
Europe-wide
260
million € Turnover
2
Works
+550
Employees+2000
Orders active at the same time
+45
Years of company history
The motivation
The project objective
The introduction of a digital eye of production, based on the INDUTRAX PRODUCTTRACKER
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The solution design
The implementation of the digital eye of production is based on the INDUTRAX application PRODUCTTRACKER, ISAH ERP and the Quuppa RTLS, which enables automated order tracking and recording of process handling throughout the entire production process.
The following technologies and systems were integrated:
RTLS Tags
Equipment of the order accompanying documents for automatic location tracking
The folders for storing the order receipt are equipped with Quuppa-certified BLE tags from the manufacturer BlueUp (in card format) to ensure end-to-end transparency for orders in the production process.
RTLS
Infrastruktur
Indoor location tracking with Quuppa RTLS in the building:
The production halls, adjoining rooms and clean rooms are equipped with Quuppa RTLS locators, which enable precise positioning and presence detection of Quuppa-certified BLE tags from the manufacturer BlueUp. The position or presence data provided by the Quuppa system is processed by the INDUTRAX software.
ISAH ERP Integration
Automatic synchronization with ISAH/ERP:
Order data is automatically transferred from the ISAH ERP production planning and control system via the INDUTRAX software's open http REST API. In the INDUTRAX software, this order data is assigned to the RTLS tags used to record material movements in real time and compare them with the production plans. This enables error-free and efficient production control.
MS PowerBI Integration
Comprehensive, data-driven analyses and dashboards
The industrially reliable material flow information prepared by the INDUTRAX software serves as the basis for the creation of lean and location-aware reports, which can be used directly in MS PowerBI via client-side integration. In addition, the data is available in an open database for direct access in MS PowerBI so that comprehensive reports can be created in combination with machine data.
The solution
By integrating the INDUTRAX PRODUCTTRACKER into the existing IT infrastructure, AAE was able to ensure seamless recording, visualization and storage of real-time data on order movements and processing.
This solution makes it possible to make data-based decisions that optimize material flow, promote efficient production control and ensure continuous improvement in production planning.
- Historical order movements form the basis for well-founded, data-driven analyses for the continuous improvement of processes.
- The transparency of the production processes has been increased enormously.
- Sources of error have been reduced and non-value-adding activities, such as the manual documentation of movements, have been greatly minimized.
The result & the outlook
With the introduction of the INDUTRAX PRODUCTTRACKER, AAE achieved the following results:- Optimized overview of the current status of production orders
- Shortened identification of orders for the next processing step
- Erhöhung des Durchsatzes durch präzise Auftragsverfolgung
- Reduction of non-value-adding activities through automated notifications of undesirable situations using poke-yoke
- Continuous improvement of production planning and production processes through the use of reliable material flow histories
The PRODUCTTRACKER has given AAE a clear overview of the production status and provides reliable historical data on actual material flows. Unwanted situations can be identified and rectified immediately using the poke-yoke approach, which avoids errors and reduces non-value-adding activities. In the future, AAE plans to further expand the INDUTRAX solution and invest more in the digitalization of production. One focus will be on integrating the solution into new production facilities and expanding the functions for continuous process improvement. Our digital solution for monitoring manufacturing and production processes.
Your contact person
Experience the benefits of digitalization in logistics and production! With our tailor-made solutions, such as the INDUTRAX PRODUCTTRACKER, you can reduce errors and optimize production planning and control with efficient digital tools.
Dr. Andreas Schürzinger
Principal Consultant IoT
Find out more (personally) now!
Interested? Get in touch with us now and discover how we can take your processes to the next level together!
