What we mean by "manufacturing equipment"?
I think the factory equipment are all the instruments, more or less complex and technologically advanced products, which are in production areas, to carry out processing activities.
For example we can list:
- a simple hammer
- container necessary for the recovery of the products
- a tool of a CNC machine
- an equipment center FMS
- a mold and die against his
- a conveyor
- an oven for baking
conclusion in each "object" that "ties" in some a transaction can be considered a production equipment, and therefore, more and more, you need to handle computationally in order to optimize any business.
To understand management:
- have a register
- assign the characteristics of use
- assign constraints to use
- to make available this information to an APS (advanced planning system)
- collect field information on the use, condition, operation, maintenance, or failure Another
the area where, in my opinion, it is best to manage this information is definitely the MES, as although they may do so within an ERP, dobbiomo consider that this information is " DYNAMICS and that are also subject to the slightest disruption caused by the production departments.
For example, you must immediately receive the information that a "tool" is broken or that a particular mold was mounted on a press for a given output and so the system that "works" in real time is by definition the MES.
For example, you must immediately receive the information that a "tool" is broken or that a particular mold was mounted on a press for a given output and so the system that "works" in real time is by definition the MES.
In some situations, where the principle is "assembly to order" or where the production is totally oriented to the product area, chemical, pharmaceutical, or only manual handling equipment is not binding, but in all other production companies and can find good reasons to implement it.
We apply the above to, but obviously easier to make the idea, if you closer to the reality of different companies.
Collochiamoci in a production manufacturing where we find:
- production mix: series, committed, and "make to order" and "stock-to-order"
- the presence of similar machines: lathes, mills, presses, etc. ... (Group technology)
- where alternatives are managed operations, which often occur last minute changes in terms of resources used rather than commuting from internal to external or vice versa, etc. ...
- where planning is done in the long and medium term
- which is also made a detailed schedule of short-very short term (scheduling department)
- where resources are finite, of course
in this context we try to assess the importance of proper management " equipment, and to do further limit the scope of thinking alone, for example, the thing that we have a department with an R X god of machines (milling machines, presses, etc. ..) between which there is a group of interchangeable machines or other machines that can serve the same production requirements.
We also have a number of equipment Z, finished, not enough to satisfy all possible combinations that we could meet with our X machines.
Manage equipment means being able to respond to questions in context:
- planning
- WIP
- scheduling
for the first we know that our reality can "plan" a specific request not only in terms of material needs but also instruments.
for second possimao know the history of each individual piece of equipment and also its "STATUS" current: in use, store, route, maintenance, obsolete, etc. ...
for the third can handle many more production constraints and especially constraints that come true in real time from the field and then certainty also have information on availability of equipment.
Asked if we can produce a given article, and especially if we can produce it for a specific date, or not managing the equipment we have diametrically opposed outcomes.
NOT managing the equipment we assess that the machine is free to use, the resource man there, the material component is a warehouse, and can be produced, that sin is a tool to be used and is used on the machine B which will end its production in a week since it started two hours ago, its activities and the lead time to buy a new one, it approves the test, test and put in operation is 2 weeks. Or we could shut down production on Machine B and use it for the time necessary to fulfill our request and then give back to the machine tool but B: the setup time or placement, the machine B in the meantime what it does, the delivery time be in production on machine B, etc. ......
expanding this small example for a world where the array of machines, equipment, Articles, requested dates is much more complex can be understood as the management of equipment is an important element in order to have more control and greater responsiveness to every event.
I realize that I have simplified the very topic but On the other hand, this is a blog and not a university or a symposium of production management.
