Industrial Manufacturing

Modern production is becoming increasingly dependent on automated workflow, sophisticated interoperable software and highly educated staff, and increasingly less so on the mass of human resources.

The returns on investments in high-tech production equipment come more quickly if the production process is smooth and without unexpected downtime; for instance when interruptions of production due to maintenance works or process modifications are scheduled and carefully planned.

Our focus is process manufacturing where a lot of typical elements are produced (solenoid mixing valves are given as an example) and the control of which is demanding due to the multitude of machines involved.

Typical process manufacturing includes a large number (from a few thousand to a few tens of thousands) of production infrastructures or assets integrated into a system: pumps, solenoid valves, etc. The i-Track APT control and management scheme can include any such assets or any sets of such assets.

The control and management of a large number of production assets requires a specialised IT solution, enabling the collection and analysis of data from various sources. Hereinafter, such a solution will be referred to by the acronym i-Track APT (Asset and Production Process Tracking and Management, part of the i-Track family).

The i-Track APT solution enables a transition from passive into proactive monitoring and management of production processes and the related maintenance processes.

	i-Track and End-Users

i-Track APT is a high-tech industry solution for tracking production assets through controls and status data capture from a selected production process.

The status changes registered (in the case of solenoid mixing valves):

changes between open/closed positions
errors/malfunction
response/status change speed

The integration of i-Track APT solution into the manufacturing process enables:

process tracking and monitoring and real-time response to events
trend analysis, anticipation of future developments
business analysis – according to the characteristics of the client’s business

Technical documents, maintenance records, technical data, diagrams and other documents are logically associated with separate categories or individually with single production elements.

The principal advantages of using i-Track APT:

lower costs of ownership (optimised maintenance and asset control)
knowledge base building, knowledge preservation
traceable knowledge transfer between individual participants in the process
minimised downtime, a more reliable manufacturing process
maintenance cost planning based on analyses and expected trends
reduced stocks of spare and expendable parts
comprehensive and centralised overview of the production process
more efficient time planning
quick response of support services
monitoring of the implementation of suppliers’ contractual provisions
interactive connection to suppliers
history of production asset management and tracking events

	i-Track and Equipment and Service Providers

Ensuring a traceable support through advanced information technology, responsiveness and efficiency is the emphasis that will raise the quality of production and support services to a new level.

The providers of services and production equipment incorporating the i-Track solution can make their range of services available to clients as cloud services.

By using the i-Track APT system the provider or client gains the following advantages:

a real view into the operation of the equipment installed
planning of required maintenance activities
optimised use of time, reduced expected production downtime
lower costs of unnecessary stock of spare and expendable parts
lower expenses caused by insufficient or inadequate stock
traceability and history of maintenance activities
routine quality check of the maintenance interventions performed
the client has a direct view across planned and performed interventions
the client has better insight into projected costs of maintenance activities
building a knowledge base
access to technical documents/entering corrections and additions
connection between field service and support service at the seat of the supplier
information flow between field diagnostics (detection of malfunction) and department for IT development services (continuous improvement of the product)

	After-Sales Services

The i-Track APT solution equips the provider with exceptional IT support for after-sales activities. Without i-Track it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to offer such a full range of services.

The use of i-Track is advantageous to both the user and the provider. A thorough view across the work performed, detailed planning, clear cost plans and a history of services performed help safeguard the partners from possible misunderstandings.

What i-Track APT does for after-sales:

accurate diagnostics and projections of events allows for timely responses to events that have just occurred or will in the future
sales managers gain better insight into activities of individual users
availability and accessibility of data on the utilisation of production capacities – the supplier can offer modifications to the installed production equipment on time
recurring errors are statistically detected and, in cooperation with the department of IT development, eliminated
sales managers have instant access to data relevant for providing the user with suitable supplies and services
the in-built alarm, alert and notification system ordinarily implements corrective actions even before the user becomes aware of the problem

Consequently, the range of after-sales activities expands, the nature of such services and their quality changing accordingly. A direct effect of the use of i-Track is an increased share of after-sales in the structure of the provider’s operating activities.

The users’ satisfaction grows, as does the attachment to their provider, for only rare providers can offer such a high level of services as are made possible with i-Track. The user can observe tangible changes in:

clearer business
a more reliable production
fewer downtimes
the just-in-time supply of parts and expendable material
a detailed plan of costs related to asset management

Centralisation

i-Track APT allows centralised management and control of all elements composing the various parts of the manufacturing process or production as a whole.

The aim of i-Track APT is not to replace the installed management systems (SCADA), rather to enable a centralised collection of data on the production process, the tracking of events and human resources in the manufacturing process, and considerably more efficient maintenance in terms of cost as well as organisation.

Analyses and Projections

Easy access to the current status and history of individual parts of production has numerous benefits:

the possibility of anticipating repairs for each of the elements in the production line within a selected time frame; calculation of material costs and time estimated for individual maintenance activity.
documents related to a specific element or group of elements are all stored in one place with the purpose of enabling easier access to technical data specifications and a view into the operation of individual elements.
generation of business analyses and reports (the incidence of errors in individual elements or groups of elements within a given time period, analysis of the quality of suppliers and maintenance operators, justification for maintenance activities/new equipment purchase, etc.)

Notifications and reports

The user is informed of all important events in the form of alerts or reminders received through various media:

i-Track APT on-screen window
e-mail message
text message
i-Track MSP integration/activating the procedure on a mobile device
i-Track BI, service desk

Users can themselves define the various models, scenarios and escalations of notification.

Supply Chain Management

The utilisation of i-Track APT simplifies the logistics related to the maintenance and servicing of assets. The provider of the equipment receives timely information on the current and planned users’ needs. Spare parts and necessary material can thus always be added to stock in time and punctually sent to the user.

Advanced statistical analyses provide a reliable insight into the future and allow for projections of demand trends for individual materials and spare parts.

Implementation Models

i-Track APT is integrated into a specific production environment, usually through OPC Server, although variants with direct access to PLC devices are also frequent.

i-Track APT does not interfere with the installed software – it complements it.

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Typical Business Models Utilizing the i-Track APT Solution

A flexible design, the possibility of upgrading (the entire family of i-Track products) and a high-tech service-oriented architecture enable the configuration of the best solution (in the form of service).

The business models of an implementation and use of the i-Track solution can be divided into four main groups, as shown in the schema above (Typical business models utilizing the i-Track APT solution). However there is nothing to prevent one to use others not shown above combinations of i-Track solution in order to meet specific business needs.

Model A

i-Track Hosted Cloud Solution and full Outsourcing

The use of the i-Track Cloud system based on the SaaS (Software as a Service) principle provides considerable advantages and savings to the users:

i-Track is hosted on the provider’s servers
The start up costs of i-Track system set-up are minimal
Provider ensures stability and robustness of the complete i-Track system
Provider ensures upgrades and further development of i-Track functionalities

A complete set of required functionalities are available to the users. There is also the possibility of integration with the user’s ERP system. The user is allowed to absolutely control the performance and the all the data generated using the i-Track system.

The maintenance and service network support operations are mainly ensured and executed by outsourcing it to the provider. The scope of the data required for agreed business processes to be carried out is defined between the user and the provider in a transparent way.

The services are performed by the “in time” principle. The complete responsibility of performance is on the side of provider – using i-Track system the provider is in position to:

decide on the needed performance completely independently and
provide all needed materials and parts

Model B

Local i-Track Instance Integrated and Full Outsourcing

The “B” model is suitable for the users who wish to have their own local instance of the i-Track system but still want to mainly outsource the selected business functions like maintenance, service network or similar.

Apart from the local instalment of the i-Track system, model “B” does not differ from model “A”, either technically or functionally.

Model C

Local i-Track Instance and Combined Outsourcing Model

This model of use is very close to model “B”. What is different is the way of outsourcing. The user performs services partly by user’s own team and outsources only a portion of the services to be performed.

i-Track provides all the required IT support including ordering of materials and parts, planning, reporting, and documentation.

Due to the direct VPN connection with the user the provider is in position to ensure required materials and parts to be in stock on time.

Model D

Local i-Track Instance

The “A” model of use represents an extreme example of outsourcing all services of selected business processes. In model “C” the user executes all the covered business processes by its own team.

i-Track ensures complete IT support. The ordering of outsourced services, materials and parts depends solely on to the user. Provider is not independently connected to the user's instance of i-Track solution. All messages and orders arrive on the basis of the user's specific and individual approval.

Common Characteristics of All Models

Regardless of the selected business model of implementation and use of i-Track APT the software is always the same. i-Track APT is guaranteed to provide support to any selected business process without any adjustments in the source code.

The functional range of utilisation of the i-Track APT solution can be customised with appropriate parameters to suit individual types of use and individual users. The business model of software use can be modified regardless of the original selection.

Common functional points:

capture and storage of process data
planning of service and maintenance tasks
in-depth business analyses (cost per unit, cost per unit of work, cost of maintenance interventions by outsourcers, costs of in-house providers, costs of service and maintenance tasks planned at regular intervals in the future, comparison between planned and realised costs, etc.)
planning of maintenance tasks and their impact on production
alerts and notifications on extraordinary events
knowledge database and technical support

Technical points in common:

efficient and simple installation of i-Track APT into the process environment is carried out through a dedicated client computer with an OPC server or a PLC controller.
i-Track APT collects data received from the process environment
integration with the organisation's local ERP environment is guaranteed through the use of an enterprise services bus and ready-made integration services.