IIoT Case Examine: Dubai’s Falcon Group targets 75% progress in machine utilisation
Dubai-headquartered engineering and contract manufacturing firm Falcon Group is focusing on a 75 % progress in machine utilisation utilizing the ThingWorx IIoT [Industrial Internet of Things] platform offered by US-based Rockwell Automation.
The Group has 5 industrial operations, considered one of which is a specialist precision engineering and fabrication firm that caters to prospects within the aerospace, automotive, marine, healthcare, protection, oil & gasoline, and metal industries. The corporate has 16 CNC machines, all of that are important to its machining capabilities.
Rejin Jose Kurian, Managing Director of Falcon Group, instructed Zawya Tasks that the corporate elevated its machine utilisation from 15 % to 34.8 % during the last eight months by utilizing operational insights gleaned from ThingWorx to establish the problems and resolve them.
“We consider we are able to set an honest quantity to attain in a few years. So is 75%, and we won’t cease at 75% as soon as we’re there,” he said.
Then again, Sebastien Grau, Regional Vice President, Center East, Turkey, Africa, Rockwell Automation, mentioned that most of their affords are on the cloud, which isn’t as readily accepted within the Center East.
“There is an growing provide of cloud and knowledge centre suppliers that at the moment are putting in knowledge centres within the nation. We will handle delicate knowledge on-site or use a cloud within the nation,” he mentioned.
Grau identified that Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030 and UAE Operation 300B are driving a variety of progress within the industrial sector, with the respective governments supporting native producers to unlock their full potential by way of digitisation.
Excerpts from interview.
Rejin Jose Kurian, Managing Director of Falcon Group
The place did Falcon Group discover the largest inefficiencies in machine utilisation? What choices had been thought-about earlier than signing up for ThingWorx?
Our machines had been at all times occupied. We had been very busy; we had been unable to just accept any pressing consumer necessities. Our commonplace lead occasions had been rising day-by-day. Pallets of merchandise had been mendacity throughout our workshop. All this appeared like a dream, however when considered one of our purchasers pointed us in the direction of lean manufacturing, we realised we had been coping with Work In Progress (WIP), which is taken into account as waste in lean manufacturing.
Our prospects are paying to get the job carried out, not for ready in pallets in our facility. We purchase materials and it stays with us for 4 weeks, whereas the precise manufacturing time is just 20 hours. We began asking: why 4 weeks? Why are so many pallets on the store ground.? These questions triggered the seek for inefficiencies within the course of.
Among the many choices thought-about had been [installing new] software program with the ERP software, which did have direct knowledge from the machines. The thought-about software program choices didn’t have the scalability of superior know-how. Then again, handbook interventions would have an effect on efficiency accuracy.
What sort of financial savings have you ever achieved utilizing the ThingWorx IIoT platform in 2022?
We shortly realised the machine generates income solely when slicing off the swarf. Once we wrote particular algorithms to extract the precise knowledge from the system, we had been capable of present the administration with a dashboard highlighting the swarf cut-off occasions and the remaining had been termed as downtimes.
The shopfloor cooperated in giving the explanations for the downtimes and our mechanical group is now engaged on eliminating the explanations for downtime. For instance, considered one of their machine’s performances was 12 % and reached 15 % per week on the peak of its operation – the roles had been sub-contracted, contemplating the machine is busy and might’t be overloaded. The explanations had been easy but crucial like unavailability of assets required to run the machines, equivalent to a crane to load the heavy job, particular instruments for that particular job, program alterations, particular fixtures, and many others. Falcon began to work in the direction of lean manufacturing methods to handle these points. Inside eight months, from 15 %, we may see the machine utilisation develop to 34.8 %. This quantity was achieved early final month, and we count on to take care of the pattern.
You have got set an formidable future goal of accelerating utilisation by 75% – a progress of greater than 365. How do you intend to attain it?
Goal is only a quantity you need to work in the direction of. On the subject of machine utilisation, the odds are set by the precise firm based mostly on their consolation ranges and necessities. Whereas one hundred pc is the perfect quantity for machine utilisation, it isn’t sensible for our sort of trade. Based mostly on knowledge, world effectivity for machine utilisation of job store corporations is roughly 68 to 72 %. Seeing first-hand the machine utilisation progress from 15 % to 34.8 % within the final eight months, we consider we are able to set an honest quantity to attain in a few years. [But] we won’t cease at 75 % as soon as there. The way in which ahead is to take away machine wait occasions, and I’m totally concerned to make sure that causes for wait occasions are addressed and the machine retains slicing swarf always effectively.
IIOT options are considered requiring excessive funding prices. How have you ever measured ROI by way of deploying ThingWorx?
Once we don’t have capability, we are able to both subcontract to an analogous machine store like ours, which compromises revenue margins. Or we are able to spend hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to purchase extra machines. It is very important take into account:
– While you subcontract, calculate the fee incurred on the entire group working for that challenge
– Loss in earnings as you might be sharing the margin together with your subcontractor
– Price of recent machines
– Price of the roles rejected as we’re unable to decide to the lead occasions
– Price of the roles rejected as our costs usually are not aggressive sufficient, and incapability to offer reductions as we’ve got not but optimised our manufacturing.
Contemplating the above, we are able to clearly see a victory by way of worth proposition.
During which of those sectors – aerospace, automotive, marine, healthcare, protection, oil & gasoline, and metal industries – do you see probably the most important progress alternative in 2023?
Submit-COVID-19, folks have began to journey once more, flights are full, and airways are busy. So aerospace goes to be busy for certain. Many oil and gasoline corporations that managed to outlive by way of the pandemic are able to discover and produce extra. We see a increase within the oil and gasoline trade as properly.
Sebastien Grau, Regional Vice President, Center East, Turkey, Africa, Rockwell Automation
In Falcon’s case, what insights had been gleaned by way of ThingWorx that pointed to underutilisation?
Machine utilisation price means what number of hours the machine is energetic versus what number of hours it’s idle. We may then analyse the rationale the asset’s idleness, for instance, is it underneath upkeep, or has there been a change in shifts?
Whereas selling ThingWorx, how is Rockwell Automation addressing a few of the widespread considerations prospects are inclined to have about IIOT options like safety, interoperability, and many others.?
We’re educating and speaking with our prospects about the advantages and capabilities of IIoT, in addition to the measures we’re taking to make sure safety and interoperability. This may also help construct belief and confidence within the firm’s IIoT options.
Most of our affords are on the cloud and this isn’t as readily accepted within the Center East. Nevertheless, there’s an growing provide of cloud and knowledge centre suppliers that at the moment are putting in knowledge centres within the nation, so the info stays within the nation. We will handle delicate knowledge on-site or use a cloud within the nation.
Which nation and sectors do you see probably the most important progress on your platform this 12 months?
Grau: Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030 and UAE Operation 300B are driving a variety of progress within the industrial sector, so we see big help from Saudi Arabia and UAE governments to help native producers unlock their full potential by way of digitisation.
Oil and gasoline and mining are industries that had been lagging behind in digitisation, however they’re now fast-tracking so that may be on par with probably the most superior industries – for instance, automotive, F&B, and life sciences. The inexperienced pattern can be a really constructive driver for software program. Bettering effectivity and productiveness and lowering consumption has direct impression on carbon footprint. We’ll see important progress on the software program facet of these corporations that need to grow to be greener.
What are Rockwell Automation’s plans for localization within the GCC as native governments vigorously promote this facet?
We’re investing in native assets and creating centres of excellence – the primary of which is in Saudi Arabia, the place we are going to check and show our instruments to assist educate folks to higher perceive the advantages of our applied sciences.
(Reporting by P Deol; Enhancing by Anoop Menon)
