Strengthening Service Support & Transforming Productivity

When reality meets remote diagnostics

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, said Benjamin Franklin over three centuries ago. Never has this sentiment been truer in today’s fast-paced production environments. Access to real-time information not only transforms service models and increases machine uptime, it also leads to better and faster business decisions, greater process transparency and higher productivity.

During the recent European Productivity Roadshow, visitors explored how three Sumitomo (SHI) Demag remote connectivity systems – activeConnect, myAssist and myConnect – are being deployed by customers to diagnose, troubleshoot and resolve issues faster. In addition to increasing machine availability and reliability, these remote service systems also inform better operational decisions and contribute to higher productivity. Without compromising security and sensitive data.

Marking this next phase in the evolving remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance journey, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag walked visitors through each connectivity option. Linking to the IntElect 75 ton production cell within the Roadshow truck, processors got the chance to view the support and diagnostic functionalities in a simulated ‘live’ production environment.

The uptick in interest for real-time remote machine monitoring has really started to accelerate, emphasised Technical Manager Nick Stockton during the four-stop tour of the UK and Ireland. Highlighting the user-friendly benefits of the my Connect option, Nick reaffirmed how this solution enables the company’s helpdesk experts to resolve issues faster and save money by connecting to a machine in the field.

Connectivity cost savings

Utilising cellular 4G and 5G networks, a private APN and encrypted VPN, more than 400 of the company’s injection moulding machines in the UK are now equipped with the activeConnect product developed by  Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK. This PIA award-winning solution was intentionally designed to overcome the challenge of negotiating approval to access the company’s IT infrastructure. Something that many manufacturers with advanced IT architectures and firewalls prohibit. “Connection to the service management system is only established when the machine operative enables the system,” assures Nick.

Once connected to the machine, the company’s technical experts can observe, fault find, identify process problems and identify any required parts. Resulting in a first time fix rate of over 90%.

Quick to install, within minimal business interruption, Nick estimates that the annual subscription to connect four of their company machines on activeConnect costs the equivalent of an engineer’s average daily callout rate.  “This is a small price to pay for optimising productivity, maintaining operational efficiency, increasing machine availability and saving money,” emphasises Area Sales Manager Ashlee Gough.

Predict and protect

Similar to the SDUK activeConnect product, myConnect offers the same screen to screen connectivity, in addition to a more comprehensive and modular service support platform. It enables customers to integrate and capture data on their entire site production. For maximum security, myConnect connects to the central server via a secure VPN tunnel and places a request in the Sumitomo (SHI) Demag service messaging system.

The fully integrated ‘Site Controller’ within each machine enables various machine parameters to be called up and allows visualisation of production data at any time and from anywhere. Combined with myAssist, end users can define and access easy to read dashboards, consumption data and KPIs.

This level of high data transparency makes it possible to spot deviations, aggregate data captured from all OPC-UA filtered sources and react to changes in production processes at the earliest stage. The ability to merge data from multiple sources facilitates complete digital mapping of all production and environmental factors, including historical data. The addition of Human Virtual Interface (HVI) and an Expertise module to myAssist, also enables users to put data findings into context by adding labels and more detailed annotations.

“By analysing data from a variety of sources, customers can receive better predictive maintenance recommendations. This enables engineering managers to create maintenance plans to prevent unplanned breakdowns, in turn helping to protect assets by extending the lifecycle of machines,” adds Nick Stockton.

Download the company’s Make More For Less productivity whitepaper to discover how remote diagnostics can increase production yields and virtually eliminate machine downtime. https://sumitomo-shi-demag.co.uk/make-more-for-less

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery UK Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, Germany, established in 1956. Sumitomo (SHI)) Demag specialises in the production of electric, hybrid and servo hydraulic injection moulding machines with clamping forces between 500 kN and 15,000 kN. With more than 157,000 machines installed worldwide, over 80,000 of which are full electric, we supply machines to all sectors, including automotive, packaging, electric/electronic, medical and pharmaceutical, building products and leisure, and assist injection moulders to meet their energy management, quality assurance, lean manufacturing and strategic productivity goals. The company’s UK and Ireland business delivers world-class service and support to more than 400 customers, supporting in excess of 1,800 injection moulding machines.  Our UK-based Training Academy is IOM3-accredited and won Best Training & Development Programme at the Plastic Industry Awards 2023. The Academy offers a mix of structured and bespoke polymer processing and industry-led training and development courses, aimed at all operational levels, from new starters to tool setters, engineers and asset care managers. All course content has been designed to enhance skills knowledge, workforce productivity and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).