Operations Management Applications

Wonderware Historian--it's not just for data storage anymore!

2014-12-01T13:18:00.001-08:00

With the advent of Schneider Electric's acquisition of Invensys, our social media will be consolidated, and I'll be getting a new blog account and address. I hope you'll follow me to my new address. In the meantime, I'd like to share some findings from our +TechValidate Software account:

Customer References verified by TechValidate.

What's interesting about this study is that one normally views a data historian as merely a vessel for storage, versus a means to enable quality and other performance improvements. Over 55% of our customers cite improved quality as a benefit of using Wonderware Historian, 46% gained compliance ensurance, and 44% increased production. Substantial improvements attributed to a commonplace plant software application.

But look at what we've done to improve Wonderware Historian in the past year. It's pretty impressive, and brings it into what we call an "Enteprise Historian" space.

So the next time you think Historian, think Wonderware Historian! And I'll be back soon to let you know where my new blog is.

Regards,

Maryanne

Key Solution Systems de Mexico Uses Wonderware Workflow for Process Facilitation

2014-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Case Study verified by TechValidate.

Solutions partner Key Solution Systems de Mexico implements complex projects in the MES space. This case study is an compilation of their experience using Wonderware and Microsoft technologies, together, to enhance and improve project development, roll out and performance. It's a great story and we thank Key Solution for their contribution!

Repost, with comments: Putting Your Brand Champions at the Center of Everything | Public Video | Video Library | All MKC Content | ANA

2014-10-28T10:44:00.001-07:00

Putting Your Brand Champions at the Center of Everything | Public Video | Video Library | All MKC Content | ANA

This very short video from #General Mill's VP of Marketing tells a great story on finding your brand's purpose. He uses their Betty Crocker brand as the basis for reinventing and re-invigorating sales by uncovering who uses the brand and for what reason. I think about the @SchneiderElectric purchase of #Wonderware as ancillary example, and how we're looking at brand extensions, fit within the greater Schneider Electric portfolio and one thing is very clear--that the benefits that Wonderware has brought to the industrial automation market for over 25 years still exist and are still drivers to this day. Customers struggle with legacy application integration, homogeneous control environments, implementing new technology into a changing workforce. It was true over two decades ago, and it's still true today. It takes commitment, it takes vision, and it takes a collective effort to ensure that your strategies and goals for automation, information management and operations tuning get executed. We are a tool in your portfolio of solutions, (albeit an important one!) but without the drive and cooperation of many, it doesn't get the impact or the results.

“Wonderware has streamlined our ingredient batching system and our ability to track ingredient inventory.”

2014-10-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Proof verified by TechValidate.

Direct quotes from customers are the strongest proof point for the efficacy of how your solutions help them to be more profitable and productive. This small food food company processor, using Wonderware Historian to supplement their Wonderware InTouch installation, have gained efficiencies in batch material tracking, subsequently increasing product quality by over 10%.

4 Star Rating for Wonderware Historian from Major Food Producer!

2014-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Proof verified by TechValidate.

Customer Success: Johann Hay Automobiltek Uses Historian & InTouch HMI for Operations Excellence

2014-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Proof verified by TechValidate.

How can you increase your operations productivity, quality, visibility? Consider using Wonderware Historian along with Wonderware InTouch. As shown above, gain improvements in quality, reduce energy usage and manufacturing costs easily using applications that are designed for collaboration.

Repost, with Comments: LNS Research: Data: 43% of Manufacturing Professionals “Don’t Understand” the IoT

2014-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

http://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/202628/data-43-of-manufacturing-professionals-dont-understand-the-iot?source=Blog_Email_%5bData%3A%2043%25%20of%20Manufac%5d

The LNS Research findings for IoT (Internet of Things) is not surprising given all of the hype around "talking refrigerators" and wearable devices. It is sometimes difficult to connect the dots between a technology advance like a wearable, and a realistic use for manufacturers. But let's think about this in another vein. Manufacturing, for YEARS, has had IoT. We called it DeviceNet, we called it OPC, programmically it was first DNA for Manufacturing and then .NET, but it was all about connecting the plant for communications. Why? To provide context into the information gathered, to be able to control the process and more importantly, predict when the process could get out of parameter.

The IoT, to me, is an extension of this paradigm. It brings other devices and entities into context to broaden, enrich and enhance the decision making capabilities of an enterprise. It's about using technology that makes sense to bring additional aspects within the environment that are integral to the process--for example, ambient temperature within a plant, or weather forecasts that could drive humidity to unacceptable levels in a process.

LNS's results indicate a need for continuing education, bringing "real life" examples and solutions to manufacturing that will help them gain additional productivity, quality, and competitive standing. Like the cloud for manufacturing, first it's cool, but then it's a real provider of value, cost savings, and operations excellence. IoT is in this nascent stage, so it's up to us as an industry to bring that education and value to our users.

"Culture and bureaucracy are the two barriers. People just need to stop hugging their data. People love their data so much."

2014-10-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

"Culture and bureaucracy are the two barriers. People just need to stop hugging their data. People love their data so much."

-- Dan Morgan, chief data officer at the Department of Transportation, as quoted by CIO.com

I had to smile when I read this quote. So that's what makes Business Intelligence, #EMI (Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence) and other data analysis applications so enticing. We DO love our data! In the industrial automation market, data makes stuff work. Data makes the visibility and control of processes possible. And you need to treat your data with respect, because if you don't believe it, processes can quickly get out of control. This becomes not only a profitability issue, but a safety issue and a sustainability issue. So yes, we need to hug our data. We need to understand it, keep it close, nurture it and let it safely grow.

Dairy Customer Improves Operations Using Wonderware MES

2014-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Evidence verified by TechValidate.

Repost, with Comments: ATK CIO Says Metrics-Driven IT Paves the Way for Innovation

2014-09-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.cio.com/article/2683272/cio-role/atk-cio-says-metrics-driven-it-paves-the-way-for-innovation.html

This is a very timely and relevant article from CIO Magazine, interviewing ATK's CIO, Jeff Kubacki. The article discusses his activities to make IT a partner, and drive business value, through technology.

If we look at the changes that have occurred over the past 10 years in industrial software, we see several important milestones:

An overlap and blending of technologies to create "composite" apps that provide not only visibility, but reporting, analysis, data acquisition and storage. More functionality with less apps means time saved in installing, but more importantly, a faster learning curve, cost savings in both hardware and software, and greater productivity by leaning out your software stack.
More predictive capabilities in software and solutions. It is one thing to analyze after events occur, but the big win, and the reason Big Data is so necessary, is the ability to not only analyze, but predict events concerning maintenance needs (proactively issuing work orders for asset overhaul, or anticipating additional maintenance based on environmental or condition factors of surrounding equipment); or using Operations Intelligence solutions to identify opportunities for improvements in material, labor, energy or equipment usage.
"On-demand Computing" fueled by mobile solutions. No longer do workers need to be tethered to desks or buildings. Insight Research reported that 67% of all workers now use mobile technology, and it's only increasing as form factors and cost of devices are reduced.
Ubiquitous access to applications using Software as a Service. One of the banes of IT has been the cost of acquiring and implementing complex manufacturing solutions such as #MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) since they touch so many other enterprise applications, and are normally implemented using a multi-plant architecture. Using SaaS solutions reduce the cost of maintenance, upgrades, and infrastructure.

The outcome? IT has become an important stakeholder in determining which applications will be used, how they will be used, and what the impact on the organization will be. It is a necessary and important change that brings large enterprises forward, and we certainly support it.

F&N Dairies Thailand - a Wonderware MES Success Story

2014-09-19T17:03:00.001-07:00

A terrific new video by @JayDavid of Schneider Electric, covering F&N Dairies/Thailand's use of Wonderware MES solutions.

Customer Case Study: Lexmark International's Use of Wonderware MES

2014-09-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Case Study verified by TechValidate.

Case Study: DICS Intertrade Benefits from Microsoft/Wonderware Partnership

2014-08-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Customer References verified by TechValidate.

DICS Intertrade was faced with the task of integrating their business and automation systems. Although a variety of approaches could be used, they turned to Wonderware and Microsoft for a solution--and in turn, gaining efficiences of greater than 30% in productivity, time to market, and not surprisingly, technology adoption.

Food Company Gains Improvements through Wonderware/Microsoft Partnership

2014-08-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Customer References verified by TechValidate.

Wonderware and Microsoft have had a longstanding partnership, spanning almost 25 years. During that time, a software revolution occurred--Windows for manufacturing, .NET, OPC, and now, the cloud. We wanted to find out how our customers perceived the value of this relationship, and so you'll see a number of #TechValidate posts from me on the benefits customers have gained. Want to see the entire library of assets? Go here.

Global 500 Food Company Depends on Wonderware MES

2014-08-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Proof verified by TechValidate.

Need enterprise to automation integration? A standardized approach to data collection, operations management? Turn to Wonderware MES, like this Global 500 food company did!

Customer Case Study: "Immediate Validation of User Input" via Wonderware MES

2014-08-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Case Study verified by TechValidate.

This medium-sized industrial manufacturer met their challenges for inventory visibility, user inputs, and process integration using Wonderware MES Operations, enjoying increased output, better planning & scheduling and improved product quality.

Customer Case Study: Microsoft/Wonderware Benefits Cargill with Improved Process Visualization

2014-08-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Customer References verified by TechValidate.

This case study outlines the value that joint customer Cargill, a leader in food manufacturing, gained from the Wonderware/Microsoft partnership.

Customer Case Study: Medium-Sized Consumer Products Company Gains Paperless Execution

2014-08-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Survey verified by TechValidate.

Manufacturing Execution Systems are scalable solutions for both small and large enterprises. This medium-sized company uses Wonderware MES to give paperless operations management and execution, integrate with their automation products, and understand uptime tracking and reporting.

Customer Success Story: Gained Inventory Visibility Through Wonderware MES

2014-08-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Case Study verified by TechValidate.

Thought Manufacturing Execution Systems were only for BOM and operations improvements? Nope--they can positively contribute to labor management, quality, and materials/inventory management. This Wonderware MES customer, a Global 500 Food Processor, reports better inventory visibility--fueling operations efficiencies and profitability.

Operations Impact Most Important Feature for Wonderware MES Customer

2014-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Content verified by TechValidate.

Customer Case Study: Reduced Compliance Efforts Using Wonderware MES

2014-08-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Customer Survey verified by TechValidate.

This customer was able to achieve operational improvements, with a bonus--eased regulatory requirements reporting using the suite of solutions from Wonderware MES.

Case Study: Beverage Processor Gain Quality, OEE Improvements with Wonderware MES

2014-08-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Customer Content verified by TechValidate.

We've told you that Wonderware MES can bring real, identifiable benefits to companies cross-industry. Here's an example from a mid-sized beverage company--gains of 20% and more across the board in efficiency, quality, throughput using Wonderware MES.

Global Industrial Achieves Higher Quality Using Wonderware MES

2014-08-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

Customer Proof verified by TechValidate.

This customer testimonial shows the power of a Wonderware MES solution--improving their quality by more than 20% after implementation, and bringing with it efficiencies for operations.

Global 500 Industrial Manufacturer Achieves High Productivity with Wonderware MES

2014-07-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Customer Evidence verified by TechValidate.

How hard is it to boost productivity? Factors include training, equipment maintenance, operations tuning, effective material and inventory management. This Fortune 500 Industrial turned to Wonderware for a MES solution that boosted their productivity by over 20% after use!

Global 500 Industrial Achieves High OEE with Wonderware MES

2014-07-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Customer Proof verified by TechValidate.

Along with equipment uptime, OEE is a measure of quality x available capacity x throughput--it's a measure that may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but it's an indication of the efficiency and effectiveness of your plant maintenance and quality practices.

This global 500 industrial manufacturer turned to an OEE solution from Wonderware in order to achieve improvements of over 20%--a very significant measure that directly impacts profitability, capacity, and throughput of a plant.