INDUSTRY WATCH
manufacturing plants using paper-based
systems for lean management and data
collection. It offers to replace paper printsup
with up-to-date work instructions and
a user interface for production reporting,
manufacturing performance monitoring and
for digital team collaboration in response to
production issues. To further minimise the
number of distracting production reporting
and lean data collection tasks the software
includes connectivity with IOT devices and
plant automation systems.
AVEVA’s quick-to-deploy and easy to use
digital tools provide access to performance
KPIs and current production issues on
factory dashboards, workstations and mobile
devices. Measuring, visualising and analysing
production performance in near real time
helps to improve overall equipment and
labour effectiveness, and facilitates datadriven
continuous improvement.
How do AVEVA’s digital tools enable
access to production information?
There are a couple of dimensions to this.
Firstly, through digitalisation, production
results and events being recorded
electronically, simplifying retrieval. Once
recorded digitally, data can easily have
analysis applied to it to yield greater insight.
The outcome of this analysis can be visually
presented to operators or teams, ‘by
exception’, the typical red, yellow, green of
lean management; where the reds are given
immediate prominence.
The second dimension is the general
availability of production performance or
event information to everyone, everywhere.
DISCRETE
LEAN
MANAGEMENT
CAPTURES
SEVERAL
INDUSTRY
STANDARD
BEST
PRACTICES.
With Discrete Lean Management, data
and analysis can be accessed in multiple
formats and locations. That might mean
large screen KPI and Andon boards mounted
in production areas where users can see
information at a glance, typical workstation
type access from fixed workstations in the
office, control room, or plant floor, or mobile
devices such as phones and tablets which
allow access anywhere the user may be.
What sort of information is available
to users and what is the value of it?
Discrete Lean Management provides
primarily two types of information. The
first is information that is needed for
production, such as work order details, or
work instructions to perform the specified
manufacturing tasks. Providing this
information digitally error proofs operations,
ensuring everyone has the latest and correct
information, with no chance for memory
lapses or transcribing errors.
The second type of information is around
continuous improvement, both short term
(i.e. short interval control) and long term.
Measuring and displaying metrics and
digital notifications of issues in near real
time allows immediate corrective actions.
Whether this is a downtime event for a line
being logged, or the flagging, escalation and
resolution of a production problem using
the Andon module. This type of information,
and metrics like OEE (overall equipment
effectiveness) and OLE (overall labour
effectiveness) that provide performance
benchmarks help drive improved results and
provide a basis for continuous improvement
by analysing and addressing root causes.
Do some manufacturing businesses
still need to be encouraged to move
away from paper-based systems?
How are they persuaded to do so?
Manufacturers often struggle to justify the
investment into digital technologies because
they are not able to predict the return of
investment. Unfortunately, this inability is
directly linked to the lack of data and tools for
the required visibility into the improvement
potentials. To overcome this deadlock
situation manufacturers can find published
insights from peers and leaders in the
industry or can look for consultant’s advice to
understand the benefits of such investment.
Discrete Lean Management
captures several industry standard
best practices such as measuring,
visualising and analysing KPIs and
capturing downtime and quality loss
reasons, which have proven their value.
Additionally, there have been many
reports and papers written around
the benefits of digitalisation and how
digitalisation is able to elevate the
benefits of lean practices.
What are the benefits of
real time visibility into
production performance?
Visibility of production performance
and into the related details in near real
time empower individuals and teams to
take instant corrective actions and helps
minimise waste of time and effort in up
and downstream operations.
It additionally helps to establish a
culture of continuous improvement
and responsibility for production and
business performance within the plant
operations teams.
The AVEVA Discrete Lean Management
software solution is used in Schneider
Electric’s manufacturing plants and has
been successfully deployed in more than
70 smart factories globally resulting
in a 10% productivity increase due to
downtime mitigation and 70% improved
response-time due to automated
escalation of production issues.
Is AVEVA Discrete
Manufacturing Solution
suitable for all of the different
aspects of manufacturing?
As the name would suggest the offer
is aimed at the discrete manufacturing
market, and this is its sweet spot; as a
digitalisation tool for lean practices.
Through our work bringing digitalisation
to the Schneider Electric factories we
have found that DLM brings significant
value to a broad range of manufacturing
situations. The core principle of lean,
elimination of waste, applies pretty much
across the spectrum of assembly and
physical processes, and where lean is
applied, we see DLM providing value. •
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