Look how easy an XL800 installation is!!!
April 2, 2009 by david.evanson
We think you’ll like this - XL800 is SUCH an easy easy installation you really can get it working in hours…and in most instances we only need 3 cables wired to the board.
It really is that easy!
Literally within hours of taking it out of the box you will:
- Be monitoring your OEE
- Be monitoring your takt time and cycle times
- Be upgrading your Andon lamps with USEFUL downtime alerts not just flashing lights
- Be monitoring your total output
- Be monitoring your 3 losses to OEE - availability, quality, and performance
And this is before you even put it on your production network and start entering targets and using the other really cool features…and we haven’t even started on what you could do with the full 22 inputs we have available.
To prove just how easy the installation is, check out this pdf link below - it will show you where to take you count sensors from and the 3 cables you need to start getting great results.
Click here for the pdf link for your XL800 installation
To clarify here’s a summary of what we can give you straight out of the box:
OEE analysis signals and inputs
Jidoka: Autonomation
January 15, 2009 by david.evanson
Jidoka is a term taken from The Toyota Production System and Lean Manufacturing that effectively means “intelligent automation” or “automation with a human touch”.
The purposes of jidoka are:
- To increase OEE by reducing waste
- To reduce the production of quality-inferior products
- To prevent damage to machines by causing automatic stops
- To enable your operators to focus on tasks other than just running machines
In practice Jidoka is a form of automation which prevents the production of defective products through some intelligent automation. Primarily Jidoka is a quality control process that has 4 elements:
- Detect the abnormality
- Stop
- Fix the machine or issue
- Investigate the root cause and fix
An example of Jidoka in action might be an inline quality detection system checking fill heights/weights:
- You produce a low fill - it is detected and no action is taken
- You produce 10 low fills in a minute - an alarm is sounded but no action is taken
- You produce 15 low fills in a minute - the filler is automatically stopped and an error message raised on your andon system
- With the line stopped your operator investigates the cause of the stoppage and makes a fix
In this process operators traditionally have the ability to make only very minimal tweaks to the production process settings, the majority of control is automated.
In this way applying Jidoka will help improve your OEE by increasing your Quality %.
More sophisticated versions of Jidoka can include production line control on automated continuous flow production lines. On a continuous flow line with good control, each machine will start, stop, and change speed automatically to maximise output without operator intervention. To find out more about production line control read our page here: http://oeejourney.optimumfx.com/2008/12/02/optimising-line-control/
Find out more:
Jidoka: On the Toyota website.
This jidoka website makes a great diffentiation between Autonomation and automation:
Automation is focused on labor reduction. Autonomation (Jidoka) is focused on quality improvement, and the independence of the man from the process.
Automation increases technicality, Autonomation reduces technicality. This allows skill levels to be lower in similar processes when comparing East to West. Another cost reducer!
Andon Systems and OEE improvement
January 14, 2009 by david.evanson
What are Andon systems or Andon lamps?
Andon lamps are an extremely simple system of visual management for helping teams identify when there is a problem with a process or machine. Originally they were developed as part of the Jidoka quality-control method within the Toyota Production System and have now been incorporated into standard lean manufacturing practice
Originally andon lamps were used to notify teams of a quality problem, and more frequently we see them installed on continuous flow lines to help inform operators of why machines have stopped. For example if i have an operator running two packaging machines and one of the machines stop, a simple Andon light stack can instantly tell the operator if he has a problem (and has to intervene) or if the machine has just run out of product.
Here are some sample Andon Systems courtesy of google images:
Andon lamp block
A traditional andon light stack
Andon panel with fault alarms
Andon Text display
Benefits of traditional Andon systems in your visual factory:
- Reduce reaction times for machine problems - operators see the state of machines quickly
- Reduced downtime for fault fixing - lamps indicate most common “faults” e.g. low reel, jams etc
- Improve management efficiency - Managers can quickly see which machines are stopped on a busy floor
Drawbacks of traditional Andon systems in your lean implementation:
- Signals need to be interpreted - complex systems need a code or key card to help operators remember what the alarms mean.
- Can be hard to see - if they’ve been in place for a long time lights often get damaged and dirty and can be hard to see. They can also often become ‘background noise’.
Taking Andon systems to the next level…XL800 for the ultimate visual factory
The XL800 OEE system brings Andon systems into the 21st century by taking all the strengths of existing systems, adding even more functionality, whilst keeping the core simplicity.
When you install an XL800 OEE System on your machine or line the highly visual alphanumeric display system can be used to highlight KPI’s and running conditions just like any display system.
Basic functionality:
Almost instantly the XL800 OEE system can support your lean manufacturing implementation by very quickly enabling you to show:
- MACHINE DOWN + Duration of downtime
- BREAK TIME REMAINING + Duration of break
- CHANGEOVER + Duration of changeover
More advanced functionality:
If you can get a signal from your machine to indicate why that machine has stopped then your XL800 could automatically display additional faults or alarms such as:
- Stop - Build Back (too much product on outfeed)
- Stop - Lack (no raw materials on infeed)
- Stop - No raw material
- Stop - Guards open
- Quality check due now (based on the number parts produced)
- Stop - SPECIFIC FAULT MESSAGE
- Target achieved - Good job team
- …..and the list goes on! If you can get us a signal, the XL800 OEE System can give you a display!
So what are the benefits of an XL800 as your Andon system?
- All of the benefits as traditional Andon systems
- Inform and motivate your team: by displaying real time data for how long each alarm has been triggered, and by showing targets for the production run
- Increase productivity: Simplify your shop floor - the display is 100% user configurable so you can quickly select the alarms that make the most difference to you
- Save money: Your operators will be able to respond to the right causes of machine downtime and get your machines fixed faster.
- Increase OEE: With machines being fixed faster you will produce more product than ever before
- Essential for TPM: The built in reporting and analytics software in the XL800 system is ideal for driving your TPM implementation as part of your lean journey.
Using XL as a visual management scoreboard tool
October 28, 2008 by david.evanson
The first place where the XL800 will add value to your operation is on the factory floor.
Many sites first experience factory-floor visual management through the Andon systems typically found in the Toyota Production system. XL800 has much of the same functionality of a traditional Andon system with a whole load of additional reporting functionality and user-configuration. Imagine the impact that a large digital alphanumeric display can have when communicating on the factory floor.
Imagine a system which could:
- Tell you your current Takt Time is below Target
- Tell you when your Actual Speed is below TargetGive you really accurate OEE measures
- Tell you how you’ve lost output on the job/shift to that morning
- Be programmed to tell you when to do quality checks
- Count down for breaks or changeovers
- Display a “Congratulations” message when you beat that shift target
The XL system is so flexible, it will literally measure and record anything you want, and it can even be linked up to other devices. It’s even possible to:
- Activate a horn to sound at the end of break time.
- Activate a light system to indicate when a particular machine has gone down on a busy factory floor
- Trigger a buzzer when it’s time to do a quality check
- Activate an alarm when a speed/takt time dips below a minimum number
XL can do all this and far more.
