Burlington, Ontario -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/20/2010 -- In the current issue of the WTG Manufacturing and Supply Chain Industry news, manufacturing journalist TR Cutler, looked at the importance of real-time shop floor data. According to Cutler, “Increasingly as manufacturers return to expansion, the demands of existing and new customers, drives the need to increase the number of shop floor machines to improve capacity. This rapid growth often means losing control of production output. Monitoring machines on the plant floor to capture needed data helps everyone understand how machines are operating, and how well each shift performs.”

Real-time information is helping to yield world-class lean manufacturing results. Innovation, advanced technology, world-class quality and service to enhance the image of manufacturing brands. According to John Rattray, principal with Memex Automation, “It is no longer an option….companies must be able identify machines that are ahead or behind in productivity through key performance metrics; companies now have a way to provide relevant information to machine operators, and give them the ability to set efficiency goals on a per-job basis. One of the biggest selling features is remote access via an Internet connection. While away traveling or on second shifts, plant managers can still be on top of what’s happening in the plant.”

The ability to capture real-time machine productivity information, quantifying improved performance, directly contributes to the bottom-line. Some manufacturers look for a device to feed visual LED display marquees connected to equipment that would identify machine status, in an attempt to increase efficiency.

Real-time shop floor data = Lean Measurement

Rattray suggests that intelligent embedded applications that integrate with existing production equipment on the plant floor, gives manufacturers the ability to perform multiple activities such as data capture and measurement, performance analysis, machine alerts and reporting on a machine-by-machine, job-by-job, plant-by-plant or multi-plant basis. The lean measurement tool has proven effective in improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), predictive and preventive maintenance, and quality initiatives across all industries.

Without real-time data reporting on the efficiency of the machines, companies are relegated to subjective plant floor reporting following the shift.

About Memex Automation Inc.
Memex Automation Inc., http://www.memex.ca, a unit of Astrix Networks Inc., was created to leverage the research and development of Memex Electronics, which was founded in 1992. Memex continues its tradition of serving the discrete manufacturing sector, supplying component hardware, memory upgrades, and visionary shop floor communication technology. Memex Automation products are “Automating the Automation” allowing a manufacturer to increase productivity and decrease costs. Memex Automation focuses on delivering value with Real-Time Machine Monitoring and Control, which utilizes OEE+DNC solutions that boost efficiency by up to fifty percent with minimal capital investment. Memex Automation is based in Burlington, Ontario.

Memex, Inc.
http:/www.memex.ca
John Rattray
jrattray@astrixnet.com
1-866-573-3895