De Rooy increases productivity by using the HEIDENHAIN StateMonitor
From Insight to Time Savings in the Production Process
Koen de Bonth (Project Engineer) began his work during his graduation internship by gaining insight into the production process. Koen: “The initial approach was to make better use of machine capacity. But to achieve that, you first need to know how many hours a machine is actually operational and where production opportunities lie. Only then can you begin targeted optimization. Since all milling machines are equipped with a HEIDENHAIN control system, we decided to implement StateMonitor.”
StateMonitor is part of HEIDENHAIN’s Digital Shop Floor suite, which enables the digitization of production processes. Through an integration with the company network, it’s possible to monitor the current status of machines (remotely). Issues such as availability, machine alerts, and program runtimes can thus be made transparent, with the goal of improving productivity.
The first insights emerged soon after StateMonitor went live. Koen: “Thanks to StateMonitor, we could see exactly how long a milling program had run, and this didn’t always match our expectations. For example, we had workpieces that were produced 1.5 hours faster than expected. We also discovered that some large tools or clamping methods had longer setup times, causing a job to actually take longer than expected. Thanks to these kinds of insights, we can now create a much tighter schedule, which in turn allows us to fully utilize unmanned hours. Since implementing StateMonitor, scheduling is no longer based on expectations and assumptions, but on facts. That saves time.”
Optimizing with Data
In addition to providing insight into actual production, setup, and handling times, StateMonitor also better records all malfunctions and error messages. Jos: “Previously, if a machine unexpectedly came to a standstill, the error message was quickly dismissed so we could resume production as soon as possible. Now those error messages are collected automatically, allowing us to analyze trends and optimize our processes more effectively to prevent future downtime.” An added benefit is that the status of the machines can be viewed remotely. Since the machines are up to 30 meters apart, a CNC milling machine operator doesn’t have to constantly walk from machine to machine. That saves a lot of time and frees them up to focus on other—and, above all, more enjoyable—tasks.
StateMonitor is now also integrated with the ERP system. As a result, the dashboard not only displays the status of all machines currently connected to StateMonitor but also shows the hours logged and an overview of the employee currently working on the machine. Jos: “Because of the long running times, CNC millers work on multiple machines simultaneously. That’s why this insight is also useful for the operator. As soon as the shift starts, you know what the current status is and what needs to be done. And that’s really appreciated on the shop floor.”
Future Developments
This year, we also plan to connect other (new) machines to continuously improve efficiency. And our desire to optimize doesn’t stop there. The idea has emerged to also link peripheral equipment that directly affects the reliability of the production process to StateMonitor. Examples include the briquetting press.
Jos: “All of this is part of a digital transformation that DE ROOY will undertake over the next five years. This is the only way we can anticipate increasing demands and expected growth. In addition to digitalization, we’re also investing heavily in new employees.
Would you like to be part of our team and contribute to this growth? Check out our job openings. Or would you like to speak with our HR colleague Lieke about the opportunities? Please call us at: +31 (0)40 – 281 34 59.”
