Innovation through automation – Through interconnecting systems and IoT integration, Innobayt’s unique solutions enabled a lubricant producer to improve operational efficiency.
For a worldwide lubricant producer, operational inefficiencies arising from manual procedures and other sources posed a significant challenge. Innobayt used IoT software development and smart sensors to create a strong custom middleware that optimized the manufacturing process and integrated their disparate legacy systems. By eliminating human participation, automating processes, and centralizing all data, the adjustments addressed the majority of the manufacturing process’ productivity difficulties.
About the client
Innobayt’s client is a well-known manufacturer of industrial and automotive lubricants, with a strong focus on quality, safety, and sustainability. The lubricant company now has operations in over 130 countries and various R&D facilities that are always developing novel and efficient products for its clients. The client has a long history in the industry and is the preferred lubricant for automotive, marine, industrial machinery, aviation, and a variety of other industries.
Challenges faced by the client
Prior to Innobayt’s involvement, the client’s production process was riddled with irregularities and problems. They recognized that manual and segregated procedures were the primary sources of inefficiencies in the system and turned to Innobayt for help. Before going into detail about Innobayt’s adjustments, it’s important to review the previous activities.
The targeted production line started at the filling lines where bottles were prepared by filling them with the appropriate lubricant. After this, the prepared bottles were then sorted into cartons on a conveyor belt. A laser printer was then used to print details such as product name, batch number and production date on a label which was then applied manually on cartons.
The cartons went through a quality control system after being manually labelled, which accepted or rejected them based on their weight. A robotic arm then placed the accepted cartons on pallets, which were subsequently wrapped for safety and picked up for storage and distribution.
In terms of operational efficiency and overall production, the old approach was woefully inadequate. The client is confront with a number of issues, most of which stem from the following five sources.
1 – Disconnect between system operations
The former procedure had a lot of moving elements that all worked on their own. Because there was little or no collaboration, the production line had an IoT of antiquated equipment, employed numerous data processing systems, and had no synergy. This lack of centralization resulted in a slew of issues, since there was no actionable data or insights from the production configuration to aid decision-making, limiting the ability to make meaningful changes.
2 – Inefficiencies due to manual processes
The assembly line relied on manual intervention at several stages. Starting from the entry of records to the verification of content and the removal of rejected cartons, every step required human intervention which resulted in an IoT of inefficiencies.
3 – Lack of real-time data
Decentralization of data and reliance on manual processes also affected the client’s ERP system’s ability to provide essential data when required. Inventory levels, production output, and other important parameters were scattering across multiple systems like SAP, MS Excel, emails, etc. This meant that no one at the plant had a holistic view of the operations at a given time which made their decision-making process quite tedious and less effective.
4 – Frequent production stoppages
The client also had to deal with frequent production halts caused by manual intervention. This was one of the primary difficulties they need to address because it was harming their manufacturing efficiency. Because of the absence of accountability and surveillance, effectively decreasing these stoppages was challenging. In addition, the client had a limited number of viable solutions for reducing physical intervention without compromising other critical characteristics.
5 – Little to no tracking of rejections and removals
As reiterated multiple times, most of the client’s challenges were due to inefficient and legacy systems. As the data collect from various stages of the product line were decentralizing, it made it difficult to track the rejections and removal of cartons from the production line. This led to discrepancies in inventory, production records, and other essential records.
How did Innobayt help?
Innobayt Innovative Solutions started its process by developing a better understanding of the client’s pain points. Innobayt held multiple workshops and interviews with the concerned teams and the management. Once the expectations were clarified, Innobayt’s experts developed a comprehensive middleware solution designed to target production efficiency by allowing all the existing systems to work synchronously and thereby allowing them to operate at their full potential.
The automated system consisted of a customized middleware that connected all previously siloed systems that were in place such as roller conveyor, weight rejector, label printer, robotic arm etc. Innobayt adopted a five-pronged approach that minimized human input through automation and ensure optimal performance with consistency.
1 – Automation of the sorting process
Innobayt automated the entire sorting process from the conveyor belt to final pelleting. API and PLC based integration allowed the different equipment for printing, rejection, robotic arm and scanning to work together and eliminate the need for any manual oversight.
The offline printing model with manual data entry is replace with an integrating system that pulls information directly from the client database (SAP) for printing. Innobayt also upgraded the carton and pallet printers, added advanced sensors (SICK photosensor), scanners (ZEBRA QR code scanner, Datalogic QR code scanner) and created an interlinked system with the capability to process and analyse data in real-time.
2 – Enhanced control and transparency over operations
One of the main problems the client faced due to data decentralization was the ineffective tracking of production output and inventories. No one knew how many cartons were rejecting or why. This discrepancy in data made it difficult to introduce any improvement in the process and had the potential to result in inaccurate reporting for the client.
Innobayt used a combination of industrial photosensors and QR code scanners to eliminate this issue. Each carton and pallet were assigning a unique code that could be used to track the contents and the location of the carton. Innobayt built a unified web portal that could be access by all stakeholders (with role-based access control) that providing access to real-time data enabling the system to be more reliable based on which the client could make informing decisions.
3 – Remote management capabilities
With the custom-developed admin panel, not only was the client able to keep an eye on all essential parameters and production processes but they could also start, stop and maintain control over the operations by accessing the middleware through the web.
4 – Integration of legacy equipment with IoT based middleware
Any automation system remains incomplete if the legacy systems are unable to interact with the new IoT infrastructure properly. Innobayt improved the weight rejector system by using a PLC to connect its middleware with the legacy setup. This allowed the client to track the rejected cartons and sort them out separately without interrupting operations.
5 – Uninterrupted production through proactive and reactive maintenance support
Innobayt’s services did not just end upon the completion of the IoT development and installation of the customized solution. A proactive and reactive maintenance plan was also developing to ensure the consistency and reliability of the delivering solution.
Summary: Innobayt’s innovative approach successfully revamped the client’s production operations
The client approached Innobayt with an inefficient system unable to perform to its full potential. Different systems worked in silos and required consistent human intervention to operate. Innobayt’s middleware bridged the gap between the client’s hardware and operation systems to fully automate the production process and synergize its output for enhanced productivity and efficiency.
