Effective Plant Data Collection & Analysis

by:
Thomas Kopka
Schwer + Kopka GmbH
Siemensstrasse 21
D-40721 Hilden, Germany
www.schwer-kopka.de

Modular software facilitates plant productivity

through efficient work scheduling capability
and more effective machine utilization.

Designed to improve plant job scheduling effectiveness and

production floor efficiency, the SK-go! system (MES) is a
comprehensive and modular system of solutions for all data
collection and analysis tasks in manufacturing operations. The
carefully designed modules of SK-go! ensure that all data is
collected in a standardized, uniform manner for all areas of
application including:
Machine data collection (MDC).
Plant data collection (PDC).
Data exchange with ERP and CAQ.
Job scheduling.
Quality data.
MES controlling.
Process documentation.
Premium wages.
Personnel data.
The different modules can be individually combined to
meet your exact demands. Whether you choose our Smart
Start production recorder version as a low-cost entry into the
world of production data collection, whether you opt for a
complete job-controlled system with individual down-code
reporting or if you decide to go with a true performance-based
bonus-payment system, SK-go! is designed to offer exactly
what you need.
A thorough Software-Service-Package is available, which
maintains the standard of your system and keeps it at the latest
release version at all times. Our telephone hotline supports you
with all questions that may arise around the use of SK-go!.
Competent and experienced staff is at hand at Schwer +
Kopka to help you with problems, either via remote teleservice
or personally at your site.

Machine Work Load Chart. The machine work load chart

shows the current work load for each machine. If you use
the job scheduler in conjunction with our data networking
system, the job currently running on each machine is updating this chart on-line.
All late jobs are marked in red. Just click onto the job
bar to bring up a window with all relevant job data and the
deadline information.
Machine Capacity Chart. The machine capacity chart
shows for a selectable time frame if the observed machines
are overloaded, or if they still have some capacity available.
Job Distributor. The jobs-to-do-list is at first filtered in
terms of initially important criteria such as material and tooling availability. After that, you would screen the list further
to sort, for example, after an optimized changeover sequence
or after similar dimensional changes.
The filtering and sorting criteria that you apply are individually defined by each user and kept in the systems memory
for future use.

Machine Work
Load Chart
screen.

Work Scheduling & Distribution

The SK-go! job scheduler is a simple-to-use, yet powerful

instrument to make your job scheduling more effective.
First of all, the machine work load chart and the machine
capacity chart show you in detail how busy your machines
currently are and if you are about to miss any deadlines. If
you need to reschedule a job, you can easily move it from
one machine to another by using the comfortable drag-anddrop function.
For effective fine planning of your current jobs-to-do-list,
you can filter and sort the list relative to different criteria such
as an optimized change-over sequence, or groups of similar
sizes and dimensions of parts or raw material, etc. It is easy
to establish your own filter and sorting criteria which are used
to screen your jobs-to-do-list.
The SK-go! system uses machine work load and machine
capacity charts along with a job distribution capability to efficiently schedule manufacturing jobs and machine utilization
in your plant.
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Fastener Technology International/April 2010

Machine
Capability
Chart screen.

Job
Distributor
screen.

The remaining jobs after filtering and sorting are then

distributed to the selected machines at the push of a button.
You can use the drag-and-drop feature to move jobs around
before finally closing your scheduling session. After that, all
allocated jobs are immediately transferred to the respective
machine data terminals where they become listed on the
terminal screen ready to be started.

Shop Floor
Viewer
screen.

Software for Machine &

Production Data Recording

The SK-go! System is your universal tool to control and

analyze the effectiveness of your manufacturing operation.
Select from the extensive list of software modules with
functions and reports that are relevant to your company. All
modules use the same database ensuring that the collected
information is uniform through all applications. A data
import and export interface to your ERP-system guarantees
that all information is exchanged with your organizational
data processing system.
The systems Production Recorder module provides users
with a Smart Start solution into the world of shop floor data
with minimal cost, because no terminals are required at the
production machines.
Maintaining accurate counts on produced quantities as
well as on up times and down times is the key aspect of
machine data networking systems. Schwer + Kopka GmbH
provides users with the technology to interface with every
possible machine in order to get true counts and true runtime information that cannot be manipulated. The system
provides the information as to whether your machines are
really making parts, or if they are just running idle, or if
they are down.
True up times and down times are accurately recorded
down to the fraction of a second. SK-go! keeps its finger
on the pulse of each machine in your plant. The software
analyzes the collected data and converts them into easy-tounderstand and ready-to-use graphics.
Special emphasis has also been placed on ease-of-operation. All commands and all graphs are self explanatory.
The most common system functions and modules include
Shop Floor Viewer, Order Data, Down Codes and Tool
Consumption.
Shop Floor Viewer. The SK-go! shop floor viewer gives
you a comprehensive look at the current shop floor situation
including a graphical shop floor layout with colored indication of machine status, current down reason and length of
down-time, alert indicators (traffic lights) for critical situations
and a MES-controlling function that screens all machines in
respect to their targets (with indicator lights).
Just click on the machine symbol and obtain an array of
data concerning current job progress and efficiency, and the
performance of the last shifts.
Order Data. Expand your system by relating the collected
data to the running parts. Simply start and terminate jobs on
your machine data terminals. This step will provide you with
job performance reports (efficiency, quantities, etc.), all data
available for costing, job sequences and job comparison. And
this information is not just available for the jobs of the last
six weeks, but as far back as you want.
Down Codes. Create your own list of down codes and

Order
Data
screen.

Down
Codes
screen.

Tool
Consumption
screen.

select the relevant code on your machine data terminal each

time the machine is down.
SK-go! will now deliver further shop floor details such as
down code statistics and error frequencies for any selection
or combination of time frame, machine number(s) jobs or
parts. This capability will allow you to locate weak points
on a much quicker basis.
Tool Consumption. SK-go! offers an attractive and very
easy-to use function to keep an accurate record on the number
of tools consumed. Each time the operator reports a tool
change as the reason for being down, the machine terminal will
prompt a tool structure (text listing, CAD-drawing, graphs,
etc.) from which he can select the tool(s) just exchanged. At
April 2010/Fastener Technology International

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Effective Plant Data Collection & Analysis ...continued

the end of each job, you will have exact information about
number of tools used for this job and the associated cost.
Additionally, the tool life achieved is automatically recorded
at the same time.
Tool Consumption allows you to have detailed tool life
reports at your finger tips including average tool life for each
type of tool, tool consumption listed (e. g., by machine, job,
part, time period) and a hit parade of tool types, etc.
Additional software modules that are available with the
SK-go! system include:
Job scheduler for order fine planning including
machine work load graphs and job distributor.
Reporting system.
Batch change recorder with traceabilty log book.
Changeover preview function.
Changeover protocols.
Job speed.
Calculation of OEE factors.
Premium wage calculating system with on-line link
to shop floor performance data.
Personnel data collection (report to and report
from machine).
Shift calendar.
Shift planning.
Facility management that automatically controls your
auxilliary supplies such as compressed air, heating,
ventilation, etc., according to actual demand.
MES controlling with warning light indicators.
Process visualization.

Interface With CAQ

The usual SPC inspections (statistical process control)

in high-volume manufacturing typically take place within
prescribed and rigid time intervals. Whether the machine
has at all produced during this time frame is normally not
of interest. In addition, there is no indication available at
the machine as to when the next SPC measurement will be
due. This leads to a situation where SPC measurements are
either conducted without being due, performed too late or
totally forgotten.
We have interfaced our SK-go! production data recording
system with several leading CAQ-systems, which ensures
that SPC measurements are only triggered off when they
are really due. It is no longer the elapsed time since the last
inspection, but it is the true machine up time or produced
quantity as recorded by SK-go!, which initiates the next
SPC inspection.
The machine operator will automatically get a message
popping up on the screen of his machine terminal when the
next inspection is required. If the SPC measurement is not
performed within a certain time frame, or if the recorded
measurements are out of tolerance, the machine can even
be stopped automatically if desired. Only another good SPC
inspection will free the machine up again.
This compulsory procedure guarantees that all SPC measurements only take place when required, and therefore are
done in the most economical way. A joint documentation
chart which shows the machine up time/down time graphs
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Fastener Technology International/April 2010

SPC pop-up
window at
machine
terminal.

Documentation
of machine up
time/down time
and SPC check.

and the times of SPC checks can be recalled at the push of

a button.
The SK-go! data interface is available for the CAQ-systems of QUIPSY, Babtec and Bhme & Weihs.
To learn more about how the SK-go! software system can
help improve production efficiency and machine utilization
in your plant, visit the website listed below.
FTI
www.schwer-kopka.de

Company Profile:
Schwer + Kopka GmbH is a company that specializes in providing efficient, high-quality solutions to
protect its customers tools and monitor their production machinery in high-volume manufacturing
applications. The company provides the fastener
manufacturing industry with an easy-to-use system
that collects and analyses all relevant plant and
production data. Schwer + Kopka GbmH process
monitoring units and its SK-go! data collection
system are suitable for application in most areas of
the fastener industry. Whether your company is involved in the production of cold formed or stamped
parts, whether your firm is active in metal cutting
or whether your business is in assembling or testing
components, Schwer + Kopka products and services can assist your operation in becoming more
cost efficient and more productive.
www.schwer-kopka.de