FAQs

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition is a computer system for cohesive control and visibility of a plant, assembly line, or manufacturing process.  A SCADA system typically has a distributed architecture with central computer(s) serving data to many view clients.  This structure ensures all clients have the same data and reduces development and maintenance costs.

A modern MES system provides tools for management to monitor and improve performance of the manufacturing operation.  These functions are the most common MES tools;

• Track downtime and OEE to monitor and improve machine operations.
• Schedule production runs, change-overs, and maintenance time. The software can learn from historical data schedules are based on real-world performance.
• Collect data and create reports with key metrics.
• Manage recipes and formulas to ensure operators are running machines consistently and creating batches accurately.
• Enable predictive maintenance based on equipment data preventing time-based replacement prior to end of life.

The result of MES functions will be tighter quality control, accurate batch management, traceability, and real-time data for continuous improvement.

APQ stands for “Availability”, “Performance” and “Quality”.  These key metrics are the formula for Operating Equipment Effectiveness or OEE.

• Availability is the percentage of time that a process is available to run. Scheduling is important so that planned downtime can be accounted for.
• Performance is the speed that the process runs as a percentage of the design speed.
• Quality is the percentage of production that is good quality.

• OEE = A * P * Q.
• Example; If A = 70%, P = 85%, and Q = 97%, then OEE = 0.70 * 0.85 * 0.97 = 58%.
  • A= 0.70: A production line is available to run 70% of the time because faults or jams are stopping it 30% of the time.
  • P = 0.85: The line is being run at 85% of it’s max design speed.
  • Q = 0.97: 97% of the product produced is good quality and the other 3% is rejected.

• An OEE score above 85% is considered to be world class.  In practice this is very difficult to achieve.  Consider a line with 90% availability, running at 90% performance with 99% good quality; this yields an OEE score of 80% (0.9 * 0.9 * 0.99).

• The most basic systems give you a two metrics (Availability and Performance) to track line productivity.  A drop in OEE brings attention to a problem that needs to be addressed.  It also allows you to measure the value of improvement efforts.
  • An advanced system identifies the source of the problem in two ways.
    • First, it narrows down the problem to Availability, Performance Rate, or Quality.
    • Second, it allows you to drill into the data and see which machine on the line is causing the problem and identify the highest priority improvements needed for that machine.

APQ Engineering provides a large range of control panels to our customers, and these are customized to each plant and customer.  Assuming the required hardware is available, we often design and deliver a control panel to our customers in 6-8 weeks from receipt of the PO.  If you have a need to move faster than this, please contact us and we can discuss options for expediting.

APQ projects range in size from small bench-top machines to multi-site SCADA systems.  Our most typical project is integrating a production line with multiple machines or cells within a factory.

APQ Engineering is executing projects across the United States.  We are located in Northern Minnesota and Northern Michigan, so we within driving distance to quickly support clients from North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

APQ’s philosophy is to provide the best-fit technology for the customer and application.  Most of our projects use Rockwell PLCs but we also support locations using brands like Schneider, CTI, Beckhoff, and EZ Automation.

In short, it can improve reliability, enable new functions like Predictive Maintenance, reduce cost of ownership, and reduce complexity.

Here’s the long answer.   The traditional architecture looks like the ISA-95 standard with bottom-to-top information flow where every component is repetitively polled for data.  IIOT, also called Unified Name Space, uses a data broker and Publish/Subscribe communication method with the following benefits;

• Network usage is greatly reduced.
• Remote sites can be easily integrated.
• The architecture is more modular, flexible, and robust. In traditional systems most data flows through the SCADA system so any change could also affect other systems like MES or CMMS.

• Here’s a good explanation from IIoT World: The Unified Namespace: Merging OT with IT (iiot-world.com)

A modern control system with integrated MES or SCADA platform can provide the bridge to your plant floor using several methods.

• The most common is to read and write from a database and the latest generation of software does this natively.
• Web services is a method that removes the database as ”middle-man”. This method requires ERP to have that capability.
• A newly arriving method is using an IIOT broker to connect data between all levels (ERP, MES, SCADA, and Cloud).

Connecting ERP to the plant floor gives managers a single source of “truth” for how their operation is running.  The data is nearly real-time and errors from manual data entry are eliminated.  Decision makers have access to the information they need for immediate improvements on the plant floor.

Staying on top of emerging technology is one of the Core Values of APQ Engineering and there are several options:

1. A private, on-premise, AI can be applied to provide rich information.
   • Machine learning models can analyze production data with many interdependent variables. This can be trained predict outcomes and prompt operators when setpoint changes are needed to maintain quality or prevent production losses.
   • GPTs can search and organize operations knowledge like manuals, data sheets, bulletins, and use this data to generate work instructions and assist troubleshooting.

2. Replace old HMIs with the latest generation of SCADA software. These platforms natively combine databases with machine communications to give new operators and managers the information they need.  Here are some of the functions that will enable operators:
   • Work Instructions.
   • Quality Reports.
   • Material Safety Data Sheets.
   • Lab data reports.
   • Batch schedules.
   • Recipes & Changeover settings.

As an example; For a food blending line we record process data, quality data from the lab, and corrections that are entered by operators.  When a quality check requires a correction then operators can view historical records to see what past operators did to adjust the process and how that affected lab results.

3. Redesign of HMI displays using High-Performance HMI principles will have several benefits;

• • Training and orientation are reduced by applying consistent and standardized design.
  • Operators are able to more quickly transfer between lines when the controls are presented with a consistent look and feel.
  • Troubleshooting time is reduce by providing diagnostic information, sensor status for example.
  • Operators recover quickly from upset conditions if they have useful alarm messages and nuisance alarms are eliminated.

Add machine automation to reduce labor spent on the dull, dirty, or dangerous tasks.

• Cobots are cost-effective tool for machine tending. APQ can integrate these into your production lines.
• Replace manual setup with servos or automated positioning.
• Add vision systems for quality checks and inspections.