DARMSTADT, Germany --- TE Connectivity (TE) is working with Pepperl+Fuchs and Software AG on solutions to optimize interlinked manufacturing processes. The three companies are also working on smart status monitoring and maintenance.
The collaborative project, which has the umbrella title Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), was demonstrated for the first time at this year's CeBIT in March. The companies are showing how machine uptime and productivity can be increased significantly with easy-to-retrofit hardware components and a business platform with special analysis tools.
This means that even older systems can be connected to IT systems and modernized in line with Industry 4.0, without any major investment. TE's Gateway Spark and the SmartBridge from Pepperl+Fuchs take data recorded by sensors and the machine controller and transmit the totally up-to-date data to the Software AG business platform, thus enabling visualization and the application of complex analytics.
The interlinked manufacturing process featured at CeBIT and Hanover Fair is based on typical manufacturing processes at TE Connectivity. Plastic parts are injection molded, metal parts are stamped, and the different components are then assembled together. The process is controlled in such a way that the individual steps fit together seamlessly to ensure the best possible productivity.
The machine networking solution allows interlinked manufacturing processes to be optimized and permanently reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO) at the same time. That's because it allows cost-effective service management via constant monitoring of the machine status, as well as documentation of parameters such as wear and tear or contamination of individual components.