What Is the Hidden Factory?
In the manufacturing industry, it is important to always boost productivity for smoother and faster operations. From the outside, manufacturing simply looks like a competitive powerhouse built to supply the demands of consumers. We are not usually told about the stories of how manufacturing managers are fighting the battle to conquer overhead costs. These are the outcomes of what we call“ the Hidden Factory”.
Dr. Armand V. Feigenbaum, the developer of the concept of total quality control; coined the term “hidden plant” or the hidden factory as we know it today. According to him, there is a portion in every factory that is wasted due to “not getting it right the first time”.
Now, the hidden factory consists of the deficiencies of a manufacturing process, of which 40% of factories suffer from. It is where overhead costs accumulate due to transactions that don’t produce the necessary products. It is formed when there is waste in the manufacturing operation. This waste is encompassed by schedules, performance, and quality that were lost due to various factors. Often, it comes from bad quality products or the inefficiency of workers.
Solving the Hidden Factory
In the competitive manufacturing world, it is critical for business owners always to be one step ahead. Solving the hidden factory to tap into its potential is necessary for a more productive business. Having an efficient system that can oversee your manufacturing process can reduce the hidden factory. Manufacturing execution system implementation is needed to identify your problems and the possible solutions for them.
What Is Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
A manufacturing execution system is a system that monitors and tracks your shop floor data. It measures your key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you make smarter decisions for your business. It aims to improve production efficiency and to implement better personnel behaviors successfully.
MES provides insight to your people and your equipment to maximize productivity. It is an easy-to-use system that helps you control your shop floor. In addition, gaining current data on your factory activities is part of manufacturing execution system implementation. The system is also able to trace production and aid in quality control. Importantly, it collates and analyzes all this data for supervisors, plant managers, and executives to view to create effective business strategies.
The Advantages of the LiveTracking MES
Fast-Tracked MES is the new trend for businesses because of its short and long-term benefits for manufacturers. In addition, it improves yields and helps create positive decisions.
- Reduce Operation Cost - With how MES works, the system can keep track of costs that go into labor, downtime, and output. Having this data helps you know where to focus in order to identify where you can save. The system can also show how to make the most of factory operations.
- Improve Productivity - Gaining insights into the production line can help manage the business. It is easy for business owners to understand overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and to see the outputs because the system is integrated into your factory. Reducing waste of scheduling, performance, and quality is possible because the business owner can effectively communicate and understand the happenings on their shop floor.
- Collect Real-Time Data - MES software captures real-time data. This means that supervisors, plant managers, and executives have the confidence to make quick and informed decisions that can help the production process. It can help identify problems so that you can correct them. It also minimizes bad quality products that can save you time and money.
- Gain Visibility in the Manufacturing Area - Usually, owners don’t have easy and direct access to their shop floor. Having one is a direct advantage of MES implementation. With the data in your hands, it is easy to make the best decisions for your business.
How MES Works
Understanding what MES is at its core is important in knowing how it works. Applications can come in various forms and each can greatly benefit the production line’s productivity. Some are based on the cloud and can help owners gain real-time data.
Using sensors, the software can capture KPIs that can help in understanding OEE. It analyzes patterns and routines to establish if the production is efficient and cost-effective. For cloud-based solutions, an MES presents real-time KPIs to provide managers or owners with progress or performance reports. All this information is stored in one place and elegantly displayed to help owners make better decisions for their business.
However, the traditional MES takes a long time to deploy and is expensive to use, it is important to find a system that can fast-track, is cost-efficient, and provides results instantly.
LiveTracking Systems, Inc.
LiveTracking Systems Inc. , the FastTrack MES is established to help manufacturers be more productive and efficient. It is a custom-built system that represents the new age of fast-tracked MES. With fast-tracked MES, optimizing the performance of manufacturers and equipping them for the digital age is possible. LiveTracking is quick to deploy, with rapid training, making it extremely cost-effective. It uses the cloud to create smarter and equipped factories. Wherever you are, the off-the-shelf wireless controller can facilitate the industrial internet of things (IIoT).
LiveTracking sensors are easy to install and are integrated into your factory to track downtime, line speed, output, and more. Real-time KPIs are presented to you and your team to provide you with the data you need to create a more productive space. Aside from this, LiveTracking makes sure that the ANS/ISA-95 standard of requirements is followed to highlight the benefits of the system. It is easy to access so that you can fine-tune your operations.
LiveTracking aims to create a sustainable future that can drive growth through technology and innovation. Empowering businesses with real-time insights to make smarter decisions is one of the company’s goals.
MES doesn't need to be slow and inefficient. A new age of FastTracked MES is possible with LiveTracking. Schedule a free demo now.
