Since their launch over five years ago the unique wireless machine and workstation monitoring systems SmartMONITOR and AndonSPEED have been installed in many industrial and retail applications throughout Europe and the US.
The basis for the idea came from within WERMA’s own production facility where moulding machines and assembly lines have been fitted with signal towers / andon lights for many years to assist with the visual management of the status of the machines. By developing a wireless transmission package the data collected via the signal towers can be translated into invaluable up and downtime reports and give the company many opportunities to identify pinch points and wastage in their operation and implement counter measures.
Over the last 5 years Industry has been adopting more and more lean manufacturing principles in order to become more efficient and competitive.
The simple to use, easy to install and retro-fit to almost any machine or piece of equipment optimisation systems from WERMA have been installed in increasingly diverse and sometimes unexpected applications; from machine shops to packing lines in on-line retail logistics operation, plastic moulding operations and assembly lines for commercial aircraft wings the principal aim of the operator was to reduce downtime and increase productivity.
WERMA’s distributor in Ireland, ATC Automation in Tallaght Dublin have been particularly successful in installing the monitoring systems in a market dominated for WERMA by the medical, aerospace, food and bev and metal machining industries where countless andon light systems are installed.
Taking the biscuit
The leading Irish dog food manufacturing company IDF have recently installed SmartMONITOR consisting of a red/amber/green andon light with the WIN data collection system on their dog biscuit baking ovens to improve their productivity. The lights signal that the oven is available for baking – green, amber lights up when the oven is baking and red when the oven needs to be unloaded. The software package alerts staff at the workstations about the status of the bake so that no time is lost or wasted in maximising output and eliminating downtime.
Simply to retrofit to almost any type of equipment the WERMA system simply needs a 24V output to a light to indicate a status light change and the software package takes care of the rest. Not unlike throwing a dog a bone which he will catch, provide a 24V signal output and WERMA will catch it and convert it to an invaluable process optimisation tool.
Tel: 01536 486930
