Why You Should Consider Plex For Your Smart Manufacturing Platform
How Plex makes your operations smarter
Do you lack real-time visibility into your quality processes and struggle to gather accurate data quickly? Do you spend a lot of time troubleshooting issues or encounter raw material shortages that lead to unplanned downtime? How do you track and trace materials throughout the production process, perform root cause analysis and allocate resources efficiently? Implementing a smart manufacturing platform can help you address these concerns, but do you know which platform to use? To help you decide, check out these reasons Plex can make your operations smarter.
WHAT IS PLEX?
Plex is a cloud-based smart manufacturing platform that offers the flexibility to connect, automate, track and analyze all aspects of your enterprise. With Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Quality Management System (QMS), production monitoring, Asset Performance Management (APM) capabilities and more, Plex is a total smart manufacturing solution to help manufacturers boost efficiency, enhance decision making and collaborate more easily.
WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER PLEX?
THERE’S NOTHING COMPLEX ABOUT USING PLEX
Compared to other platforms, Plex is very simple to deploy and use. Plex is cloud-based, so you can access your data and make changes to your processes from anywhere. Cloud access makes it easier to collaborate and communicate with key stakeholders via Plex’s centralized dashboard, as operations and management can track key performance indicators and proactively respond to issues from anywhere.
COMPLIANCE CHECKS ARE NO SWEAT
Documenting quality processes to prove regulatory compliance isn’t an exciting task, but it is important. Luckily, Plex QMS takes care of the work, so complying with quality standards is as simple as printing out your documentation. Relying on manual data collection and reporting on spreadsheets leaves room for human error. Plus, it’s cumbersome and inefficient. Plex provides instant evidence of compliance to ensure you meet the quality standards required for your industry.
IT TALKS TO YOUR ROCKWELL CONTROLS AND SOFTWARE, SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO
Plex is integrated with Rockwell Automation controls and software. Plex talks directly to your control system on the plant floor without anyone going back and forth between the two. With a different QMS, an operator would have to get work orders or batch orders from the QMS and manually type them into the control system. With Plex, that information is communicated automatically, so the operator only has to hit start in the morning.
YOUR CUSTOMERS (AND YOUR BOTTOM LINE) WILL THANK YOU
Even with a digital QMS like Plex, there’s no way to completely eliminate quality errors. When you discover a quality issue, how quickly can you respond to minimize damage to your bottom line and your reputation? Plex allows you to track and trace products and raw materials throughout the production process, so you can pinpoint trouble areas and quickly locate poor quality material.
For example, let’s say you discovered some bad flour went into your cookies. You can quickly determine which cookies were affected, which boxes they were packaged in and where those boxes ended up. That gives you time to either stop the cookies from being sent to your customer or recall them before it becomes a larger issue.
YOU’LL ALLOCATE RESOURCES MORE EFFICIENTLY
Why is system integration important? It can help you allocate raw materials and people more efficiently. Raw material shortages can halt your production if you’re not monitoring usage and re-ordering enough to keep up. Because it’s connected to the plant floor, using Plex gives you more visibility into the number of materials you have on hand and where materials are in the production process, so you can better plan for future demands.
The same applies to orchestrating workflows for your workforce. Plex monitors production levels so you can see when you are busiest and when production slows down. That helps you schedule your people based on production needs. When things are busy, you can have more people on shift, and when things slow down, you won’t be paying extra people to stand around.
AVOIDING UNPLANNED DOWNTIME IS EASIER
How many unplanned downtime incidents could you avoid if you could see into the future? With Plex, you practically can. Performing preventative maintenance to avoid unplanned downtime is crucial for maximizing production. How can you predict when things need maintenance?
With Plex APM, you can build asset framework to monitor equipment health. Vibration and heat sensors communicate with Plex, so you can see vibration analysis and where bearings are getting overheated in real time. With live insight into your runtime data and equipment health, you can more accurately plan out maintenance schedules to prevent equipment failure.
THE “GOLDEN BATCH” WILL BECOME YOUR STANDARD
What is the “Golden Batch?” It’s the most efficient and effective way to manufacture your product with perfect quality, and Plex can help you optimize production to replicate it many times over. What were the conditions like when you produced that perfect batch of products in the shortest amount of time? What was the temperature and speed for each of the work cells involved? With Plex, you can identify and replicate those conditions until your “Golden Batch” becomes your standard batch.
HOW CAN I TRY PLEX?
How would Plex make a difference in your operation? See for yourself. Talk to your Van Meter representative to ask questions or see a demo.
