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Case Studies
Visual Factory Provides Real-Time View of Manufacturing Process, Increases Production Output
Project at a Glance |
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RDA worked with a military defense systems leader on consolidating data from various internal sources into one data store which allowed management to monitor a near real-time view of the progress and quality of production orders . This information was displayed throughout the factory to allow managers to make adjustments to positively impact production. |
About Our Client
RDA's client is a major supplier of sophisticated military defense systems. The company provides advanced technical and operational services to a broad range of government agencies.
Background
Due to unprecedented growth and demand for the delivery of its leading products, our client needed to increase factory output. The company wanted to apply and implement "lean manufacturing" principles to its operation instead of relying on increasing factory headcount or expanding manufacturing using the same footprint. The alternative processes and methods involved through lean manufacturing would enable the company to increase operational production output and quality and reduce the costs of manufacturing through process improvements.
There were several opportunities for cost reduction in the existing manufacturing process, including reduction of re-work at the various stages of manufacturing, more accurate yield management, more accurate forecasting at the order level, improved fulfillment of customer orders, more effective inventory management, reduction of time to market, and more accurate real-time assessment of data quality.
The data needed to support forecasting and decision-making was stored throughout the company in different databases. Some of the information was stored in Excel spreadsheets; some was stored in Access databases; some in SQL Server or Oracle databases; and some of it was even stored as knowledge with experienced workers. This disbursed data being reported in different formats from different data sources led to confusion, extensive conversations about data validity, and the organization's inability to focus on other corporate initiatives. It did not support the company's lean journey or management's requirement to analyze data and make key strategic decisions for the longevity of corporate growth and earnings.
After identifying some of the information systems strategies that would support the principles of lean manufacturing and allow the company to improve the manufacturing process, this client contacted RDA to assess and plan for the implementation of a Visual Factory.
Solution Detail
The Visual Factory provides a real-time communications network to monitor and collect information on the progress and quality of orders. It communicates status and progress up and down the manufacturing line and to all levels of management. It also helps to provide data and feedback on hidden re-work costs at each step in the process. The consolidation of data sources into analysis tools and reports grants executives and managers forecasting capabilities and sales and financial management predictability.
RDA assisted in the validation, design and construction of the Visual Factory system. This included collecting the requirements and documenting the objectives of the Visual Factory solution as well as reviewing and understanding the existing systems, including data sources.
The end result of data aggregation was the delivery of multi-channel, dynamic graphical displays on 70 52-inch monitors throughout the facility. Supervisors manage the multiple displays on wireless tablet PCs, providing near real-time feedback for identification of factory bottlenecks and validation of process improvements.
Visual Factory achieved the following business objectives:- Provides a near real-time visual presentation of products moving through the factory.
- Data provided by the Visual Factory is accurate and well understood.
- Visually communicates company manufacturing priorities to the operators on the manufacturing floor.
- Current inventory is accurate and available to all levels of management.
- Video distribution is cosmetically appealing and sets a standard for corporate.
- Provides a data store with real-time and/or near real-time data to the factory floor. The data store can also be used for ad-hoc queries against any historical view required.
- Available real-time data is available with a delay of 15 minutes.
- Visual Factory content is able to be accessed on the desktop, tables, and visual distribution system on demand.
The Visual Factory uses SQL Server 2005 and a series of business intelligence tools like Analysis Services, Reporting Services, Report Builder, and the Business Intelligence Development Studio to create a robust data mining, analysis, and reporting platform.
The core component to the success of the Visual Factory project was database design and architecture. All initiatives that make up the Visual Factory are dependent on available, accurate, and high-performance data collection and aggregation. Therefore, the project team emphasized the initial stage of development on building the Visual Factory data store to ensure project success.
Challenges
The data needed to support forecasting and decision-making was stored throughout the company in different databases. Some of the information was stored in Excel Spreadsheets; some was stored in Access databases; some in SQL Server or Oracle databases; and some of it was stored as knowledge with experienced workers. This disbursed data being reported in different formats from different data sources led to confusion, extensive conversations about data validity, and the organization's inability to focus on other corporate initiatives.
It became apparent during the elaboration stages of the project that different definitions of key performance indicators (KPI) existed across departments. The biggest challenge RDA faced was leading the stakeholders into unified decisions about what KPIs were truly important and exactly what formulas and queries satisfied the KPI definition.
Once common definitions were agreed upon, the technical challenges of displaying and reporting that information were quickly met.
Benefits
The consolidation of data into a Visual Factory data store enables all levels of management to have a near real-time look at what is happening within the manufacturing process. It gives them the ability to spend time analyzing data instead of debating data validity or preparing data. The organization now has a near real-time view into the front and back shop process surrounding products as they flow through the factory.
By graphically displaying this information across the factory, those who can make a difference by adjusting priorities and eliminating bottlenecks now have the information they need to positively impact production results.
Technically Speaking
The Visual Factory consists of 10 separate components as follows:- OLAP and OLTP dimensional database
- Visual Distribution System (Multiple Channels based on factory area)
- Visual Capacity Channel
- Part # Threading Model
- Takt Time Reporting
- Hidden Rework Reporting
- Trade Compliance Channel
- Special Priority Tagging
- Production Planning
- Equipment Downtime Reporting
Technologies used to construct these components included:
- Visual Studio.NET
- C#.NET
- ASP.NET
- SQL Server and Oracle Databases
- SQL Server Analysis Services
- SQL Server Integration Services
- SQL Server Reporting Services
