AMES AND THE FUTURE TURN THE LIGHTS OUT FOR PRODUCTION

Epicor Advanced MES (AMES) – is a solution to automatically collect production data and transfer information directly to ERP – the enterprise’s resource planning system. Specifically, operators on the factory floor will use touch-screen technology (HMI) to add depth and dimension to automated production data. So, businesses can see a clear picture of ongoing status, why and when of downtime, cycle times, quality, and remaining scrap. In addition, this system also has warnings and notifications about real-time production status, so businesses will know the most important times to make timely decisions and take actions immediately to fix problems and improve performance.

The convenience here is that businesses can make quick changes to production schedules, set up daily operations meetings, or manage dashboards and reports with just one click. Epicor Advanced MES. It is impossible not to mention that the module option allows businesses to exchange data for two-way integration with other business systems of the enterprise, such as ERP, so businesses can connect the highest management layer with the top management layer bottom management of the organization.

In the future, will the factory turn off the lights during production?

Lights out during production is when the production facility is fully automated and human intervention is almost eliminated. The actual term “lights out” comes from the idea that in a fully automated facility, lighting is no longer necessary. Automated machines will adapt well to working long hours in the dark.

In reality, “turning off the lights” won’t necessarily eliminate the need for human labor, but it has the potential to reduce repetitive and inefficient work.

Illustrating images. Source: epicor.com

AMES systems help businesses minimize their impact on labor with capabilities including:

Automatic changeovers—gather information about what the PLC (programmable logic controller) system is doing so businesses can eliminate the need for operators to monitor changeovers.
Automatic product counting—collects cycle information from the PLC and eliminates counting for your operators.
Automatic label printing—when the package size is reached and a label is needed, AMES will automatically print the label.
Automatic machine status monitoring—PLCs or sensors can tell when the machine is running and can automatically monitor uptime and downtime.
Alerts and alarms—when something is not operating according to specifications (too slow, too much downtime, too much scrap), the business gets an immediate notification.

Root cause analysis—data collected by AMES can be used to implement continuous improvement initiatives and help businesses reduce waste and increase production efficiency.
Process monitoring—businesses can understand how machines operate and the output of machine parts to reduce the need or frequency of physical quality checks.
Automatically determine product quality—if conditions at the machine are outside process parameters, the AMES can potentially communicate with it. For example, sending voltage to a machine opens the gate and ejects a defective part.
AMES can update production status and inventory quantities in a business’s ERP system, which gives office staff, such as purchasing or customer service, the flexibility to work remotely.

3S Software Co., Ltd.

3S Company is the leading and longest-standing partner in Vietnam of Epicor Software Company (USA) since 2004, one of the five largest business management software solution providers globally. 3S not only brings software or a program to customers but also a comprehensive, flexible management solution suitable to the scale of each business. Along with compliance with the Epicor Signature Project Implementation Methodology, it will help businesses increase production efficiency and improve profits at a very reasonable cost. 3S believes that it will always bring the most satisfaction to customers.