ZEISS GUARDUS Ensures Versatility in the Production Processes of Tomorrow

More versatility and efficiency in the production processes are now being provided by the new module ‘Multiple Order Management’ of the Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) ZEISS GUARDUS. The module allows you to simultaneously manufacture several manufacturing orders on equipment and, due to the new package of functionalities, any special form of multiple allocation on the shop floor can be covered in the standard of the MES for the first time – from the planning and login along the execution up to confirmation and evaluation. Even the succession of all the quality inspections accompanying manufacturing can be individually defined for each manufacturing order which runs parallel.

“This new function enables the companies to comply with the increasing Industry 4.0 demand of absolute versatility and efficiency in the production processes on the part of the MES” says Simone Cronjäger, CEO of Carl ZEISS MES Solutions GmbH. This does not only mean the changeover of a production unit to a new model variant, but also the flexibility to adapt to innovative manufacturing concepts. “Until now, this high agility in the production processes could only be achieved in the MES market in individual customising projects. On the basis of this manifold project experience, we have created the Multiple Order Management which can be configured in the standard of ZEISS GUARDUS“, continues Cronjäger.

The basis for this proportion of versatility is the design of the new module. Equipped with two different scenarios: the alternating and the split scenario, the new bundle of functions can carry out several concepts of machine multiple allocation from combined or joint production up to batch manufacturing and one piece flow. While the alternating procedure means to commute between two separate manufacturing orders during the running production time (e.g. first the right bumper, then the left one), in the split method, the production cycle is split into several orders. The latter is well-known in the field of plastic injection moulding where several components with different part numbers are manufactured in a form during a cycle.

“The art of mapping such procedures in an MES resides in the extent of data individualisation and adaptation”, explains Cronjäger. A glimpse of the process makes the complexity of ZEISS GUARDUS Multiple Order Management clear: During the scheduling, the MES user checks which combination of production orders promises the ideal utilisation of resources. Here, it is particularly important to pay attention to the technological compatibility of the components. When logging in the multiple allocation at the manufacturing equipment, the MES takes into consideration whether the various orders have to be logged in and out simultaneously or sequentially.

The module reveals its high performance during the production. On the one hand, the appropriate logic has to be applied in the accompanying quality inspections for each order irrespective of whether two, three or x different orders are being manufactured in parallel. On the other hand, the MES will ensure that the proportional assignment of the confirmed machine and personnel times as well as quantities takes place automatically and exactly. The reason for this is the fact that, for the post calculation of a manufacturing order, the leading ERP needs a comprehensive set of MES data, such as good units and scrap, set up and personnel times as well as production and delay times. Depending on the form of machine multiple allocation, these data must be individually calculated and compiled by MES.

The same data intelligence and consistency is also required by the subsequent (part related) performance indicator analyses. “It is obvious that this new ZEISS GUARDUS module is able to cover a highly complex process in the standard, which is an ability that is unmatched in this business sector”, says Cronjäger.