Sack EDV-Systeme expands MES proMExS with web-based store floor applications

If information from planning is not available on the store floor or feedback from production is not returned promptly, downtimes, queries and unnecessary set-up and preparation work can quickly arise. With two new web-based applications - Infomonitor and BDE-Terminal - Sack EDV-Systeme is expanding its Manufacturing Execution System proMExS with practical functions for the store floor. They provide planning information where it is needed and feed structured feedback directly back into the system where it is generated - without media discontinuity.

proMExS is a modular manufacturing execution system with integrated detailed planning that can be connected to existing ERP systems. It provides up-to-date production data as the basis for transparent processes and reliable planning. With Infomonitor and BDE-Terminal, Sack EDV-Systeme complements this basis with two web-based applications that link planning and production via a continuous flow of information.

«It is crucial that information from planning is immediately available on the store floor and that feedback from production flows back in a complete and structured manner - so that planning and production work on the same database at all times,» explains Tilmann Sack, Managing Director of Sack EDV-Systeme.

Infomonitor: Central information hub for the store floor

Infomonitor is designed as a browser-based information hub for the store floor. No installation on the client is necessary. The application is therefore ideal for use on mobile devices - wherever the worker happens to be.

The Infomonitor provides central information from capacity and personnel planning directly on the store floor. Employees receive an overview of the planned worklist for each machine and the sequence of upcoming production orders specified by planning.

In addition, an integrated store floor document viewer enables access to drawings, images or information on clamping situations, for example, directly in production. At the same time, employees can capture relevant images or documents - for quality assurance or for documenting clamping situations, for example - directly from production and assign them to the relevant ERP or MES context via existing interfaces. In this way, practical information is systematically saved and made available for subsequent process steps.

The centralized and up-to-date provision of planning information, tasks and documents reduces search and coordination effort, downtimes are reduced and preparation and set-up times for follow-up orders are shortened. At the same time, the end-to-end view of current production orders improves coordination within the team and reduces queries - even in the event of last-minute rescheduling.

PDA terminal: Structured feedback directly from production

In addition to the Infomonitor, the PDA terminal, which is also designed as a web application, enables the structured recording of feedback directly from production. It is used to systematically record actual data and clearly assign it to the respective production orders.

Actual times for set-up and processing can be reported via the PDA terminal. In addition, quantities can be recorded, including good and reject quantities and associated reasons for rejects. Disruptions in the production process and relevant text information on the production order - such as notes on special features in the process or recurring problems - can also be documented.

This feedback is not only used for current production control, but also secures valuable order knowledge permanently in the system. Information generated in day-to-day production is therefore not tied up at individual workstations or in people's heads, but is available in a structured form for evaluations and future production orders.

«With Infomonitor and the PDA terminal, information is brought to production in a targeted manner and feedback is recorded in such a way that it arrives in the system without any additional effort. This means that planning and the store floor work on a common, up-to-date database, even in the event of short-term changes,» summarizes Tilmann Sack.

Further information: www.sackedv.com