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Automation, Office and Production Integration
Automation, office integration and production resources. The daily life of a flat-glass processing centre is usually very eventful. Quotations, orders, numerous manufacturing operations, product types, inbound routes, due dates, receipts, remittances, incidents, credits and countless challenges in the obstacle course that running a business has become today.
Automation, office integration and production resources
The daily life of a flat-glass processing centre is usually very eventful. Quotations, orders, numerous manufacturing operations, product types, inbound routes, due dates, receipts, remittances, incidents, credits and countless challenges in the obstacle course that running a business has become today—especially when our raw material is glass. But if that were not enough, we face an additional problem when it comes to coordinating the different jobs the workshop must carry out to manufacture such a wide range of products and processes using so many different types and brands of machinery.
Machinery groups
We can mainly identify three major machinery groups in a glass-processing plant:
• Glass cutting machines , where the manufacturing process for all products begins. There are various types of glass-cutting machines, depending on their cutting technology and the type of glass they can process. However, all these machines have in common that they work with cutting programmes containing the list of pieces to be extracted from stock sheets, seeking the highest possible yield.
• Manufacturing machines , where a series of operations are carried out to configure the product ordered by the customer. This group includes straight-line and bilateral edging machines, numerical controls or CNCs for drilling, notches, boxes, shape polishing, etc. We also include digital printers , opacifying rollers, screen printing , toughening furnaces, etc.
• Product assembly machines , where we use several different glass panes and turn them into a finished or semi-finished product, such as a self-manufactured laminated safety glass or an insulating glass unit .
• The machines involved in producing glass products are gradually expanding, and a fourth machinery group could almost be considered in this classification: multi-purpose smart robots . These devices are gradually gaining a foothold in the factory and handle tasks that were once performed manually, such as loading and unloading glass at the various stations along the production line or packaging finished products at the end of the manufacturing lines.
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What does automation mean?
If we consult the Royal Spanish Academy’s Dictionary for the term automation , we find the following definition: “ to convert certain movements into automatic or involuntary movements ”. By using this definition, we can state that this is precisely the goal we pursue: establishing in our organisation a work procedure in which decision-making is not left to an individual’s personal judgement, but follows a previously studied procedure.
When we think of automation , we usually picture complex software systems communicating with our machines’ controllers in different languages, using sophisticated interfaces to generate programmes that enable the lines to operate without interruption during the working day. But nothing could be further from the truth. Automation is actually based on an analysis process of the different cases, situations and decisions that arise in the day-to-day course of the business, with the ultimate aim of identifying which variables are key to performing the task optimally. Once these key factors have been identified , we build a work procedure that covers the different situations and conveys clear instructions to all team members, adapting the operation of the business to each circumstance.
How do we begin automating our organisation?
Automation basically begins in the sales area and ends once payment has been received and the customer has confirmed their satisfaction with the service provided . We must not fall into the trap of thinking that automation processes are limited to product manufacturing and the production resources that make it possible. From the very first moment of recording the order details from our customer, we are laying the first stone of our company’s automation process. A delivery address, packaging requirement, model number, reference, manufacturing detail, delivery date, etc.
How do I integrate automation with my production planning?
Our ERP, Dimpro , helps you collect all this information, store it in a database and classify it so you can begin your automation process. Then, during production planning, these key factors are used to create manufacturing batches , production sequences, cutting optimisations , work programmes for manufacturing machines and packaging instructions . This achieves optimum use of workshop working hours, avoiding downtime caused by a lack of clear instructions and precarious decision-making on the shop floor.
With the recent addition of our VS.cut optimiser with glass classification, we have taken a giant leap forward in the automation capabilities of our software solutions suite for glass processors. This optimiser manages glass optimisations while taking into account the key automation parameters identified by Dimpro in the order-entry area. It allows us, both during the optimisation process and during cutting and storage of the panes on the cutting racks , to classify pieces into ordered groups according to production sequence, depending on parameters such as delivery addresses, customer references , types of manufacturing , production priorities , shapes , interlayer sheets, etc. These groups can then be managed individually in the factory, saving production time and optimising delivery deadlines.
We do not want to miss the opportunity to mention the trade’s greatly overlooked warehouse control system , which is a fundamental part of the business automation process. Our VS.stock software allows you to manage the consumption of any material involved in your manufacturing process and is connected to your production system, enabling operators to know the quantity of raw material they will need to consume during their daily process simply by entering a production order or batch number. Control glass consumption for your manual cutting , offcuts, sheet breakages , raw-material traceability , material reservations , different warehouses , locations , warehouse areas , users and permissions, goods receipts , internal movements , inventory , etc.
What role does automation play in the workshop?
Last but not least, we have left the VS.floor plant-control software until the end. It is the protagonist in the workshop when it comes to putting into practice the automation designed and planned in the office. This software integrates several functions on a single screen. It is responsible for communicating with the various controllers of the machinery installed in the workshop and takes the lead in production by generating programmes for manufacturing machines . It also records work steps at the factory’s different stations, reports internal breakages , controls the internal production racks , manages packing lists , verifies the goods with the customer and digitally signs the delivery notes when they are delivered to their destination, manages delivery racks provided on loan, etc.—all from a single application.
It has been developed using the latest programming advances, enabling the use of any marking technology , such as barcodes , radio-frequency RFID , laser, Data Matrix , QR codes, etc.
Is there a place for automation after the products have been delivered?
Of course. Once the product has been delivered and the customer has signed the delivery note, whether or not a transport incident has occurred and whether or not a delivery rack has been left on loan, the procedure designed for automating our business reaches the stage of preparing the customer’s invoice and managing its payment. With all the information recorded in the previous steps, we are fully prepared to issue the invoice automatically, if desired, email it to the customer, generate the corresponding receipts and remittances, upload the files to online banking and send all these steps to the accounting system. We would even have a tool enabling authorised customers to access an online web intranet from which they could download all documentation relating to their products, such as order confirmations, delivery notes, invoices, product certificates, etc. In this way, we would complete the automation procedure without leaving a single loose end.
Develop your automation procedure with Vidrioservice
Our team has extensive experience in all these automation processes, having implemented countless successful cases over several decades. Share your concerns with us and allow us to propose a sound, detailed, realistic action plan accessible to every budget. Contact us at https://www.vidrioservice.com/contacto/ and we will be delighted to help.
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