6 Best Practices to Establish OT Context in Manufacturing

Context: It makes all the difference. Decisions can be complicated and multidimensional, but a framework that helps provide a clearer picture of what is happening—and why—can close the gap between data and providing meaningful insight that can be acted on.

If you’re tasked with imporoving productivity, it’s difficult to make any decisions without accurate information to help quantify until you understand current processes, uncover existing bottlenecks, and identify long-term goals. Do you have enough raw materials onsite to ramp up production for a rush order? Do you collectively have confidence and the information behind it to reduce your inventories in your supply chain without impact your production?

In manufacturing, having the right context means providing stakeholders with the relevant information they need in order to make confident decisions and take action. This context can include the status of a machine, when maintenance is planned, what the production schedule looks like (and whether your on- or off-target), prediction and recommended guidance on an upcoming quality issue, etc. Empowering team members with the right information helps prevent potential issues and optimize machine and process performance.

The information needed to create this context is out there, but it’s often housed in silos (and might be difficult to access or find). Some of it may exist in custom applications. Other data points could reside in Excel spreadsheets on individual desktops throughout the plant. You may find other information in your ERP system. In other words: Your data is all over the place.

Luckily, there are key attributes that make up a truly integrated system, eliminating these silos and undoing the “knots” that may have formed. Following these best practices can help you establish necessary context and access it quickly.

1. Deploy an Integrated & Multidisciplined Control Platform

An integrated platform lets you deploy a control system at the machine or line level and scale it as needed across the plant or across to bring control and information together to meet enterprise-wide goals and create a truly connected enterprise.

2. Provide Context as Low in Your Tech Stack as Possible

Make sure the data you capture is usable and accessible. The closer you keep that information to your production process, the faster it can be leveraged to make automatic adjustments and support faster, more educated decision-making. From mixer cycle time predictions to mass balance equations, transacting relevant alerts and relevant data at the edge in real time, to the people and systems at the production line enables them to take action quickly and effectively.

3. Support Open IT Networking Standards

EtherNet/IP is an open industrial Ethernet network that uses the same Ethernet standard as the internet and other enterprise applications. This communications platform helps manage real-time manufacturing control and data flow by supporting secure, real-time information exchange between machines, systems, and plants.

Using EtherNet/IP helps bridge the digital divide between the production floor and the rest of the plant by creating a common connected ecosystem. It goes far beyond using a traditional OPC client and logging information into a SQL database every day.

4. Integrate Plant-Wide Information Intelligence?

When systems are integrated across your plant, that’s when impressive returns on your investment start to accelerate. We’ve often seen manufacturers not be able to realize the full ROI of their ERP or supply chain management solution because those systems aren’t connected to the PLC and production floor. By integrating plant-wide Manufacturing Intelligence Platform that can connect data from different departments, such as maintenance, production, qualify, finance, etc, you can boost profits and productivity.

5. Focus on Automation as an Information-Enabler

Automation when successfully integrated with a Manufacturing Intelligence Platform, like Innovation Suite and your ERP, enable you to easily connect and leverage the data from IoT devices across your plant floor, enabling connected and smart assets, smart production lines, improved, more optimized processes, and facilities. When solutions are supported within your automation and information framework, it allows you to scale quicker, the end result is more flexible production, increases in yield, and faster time to market.

6. Develop Strategic Alliances

No one expects you to have all the answers. Instead of worrying about developing the knowledge and know-how within your in-house team, rely on relationships with and leverage the strengths of your trusted automation partners (like Van Meter). We live and breathe digital transformation. Van Meter works closely with select manufacturers to support your journey and help you make the right decisions.

TRANSFORM Webinar Series

This blog is based on insights shared during the fifth webinar in Van Meter’s 11-week TRANSFORM series!. Running from Sept. 3 through Nov. 12, 2020. The series focuses on smart manufacturing and digital transformation, connecting you with industry peers who share their digital-transformation experiences and the approaches they took to get there.

Want to hear more about OT context in a digital environment? Watch “How OT Context Can Simplify Your Digital Transformation Journey” on demand here. Then sign up for future webinars in our series here!