Solutions for Your Industry 4.0 Digital Transformation

What Is Industry 4.0?

Most industries today have adapted and implemented the automation of machines and processes brought forward by Industry 3.0. The new mantra of the next era of industrialisation is the end-to-end digitisation of all production assets and the integration of both vertical and horizontal value chains into one digital ecosystem. Generating, analysing and communicating data seamlessly is a prerequisite and it relies on a wide range of integrated networks and technologies to create value and drive competitiveness.

Making Your Value Chain Smarter

Implementing i4.0 initiatives in your production can help you achieve cost savings on many levels. When integrating the planning and scheduling of manufacturing processes by combining data from within the enterprise – from sensors all the way through to enterprise-level systems – with information from inventory levels, product development or current market dynamics, vertical integration takes a big step forward.

Such initiatives can also increase the horizontal integration of your value chain, as shop floor planning improves asset utilisation and overall productivity. In addition, optimisation of repair and maintenance schedules through the use of predictive algorithms can effectively reduce downtime for key assets.

Companies that use such systems can significantly improve efficiencies, reduce inventories and cut unnecessary cost.

Industry 4.0 Is Becoming a ‘Qualifier to Compete’

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) that connect the data input and transfer between the equipment of multiple vendors, as well as facilitating communication between multiple software and systems applications, extending from a company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system all the way to shop floor quality applications is becoming a necessity to maintain competitiveness in many industries.

Investing in sensors or connectivity devices in your production lines is all very well but without the proper software and applications to handle and respond to the increased levels of information – the potential is lost. Also, the human factor needs to be taken into consideration. This is why Aptean does not only provide the best optimisation software – we also offer the right training in order to drive the digital agenda and enable employees to reap the benefits from investments in i4.0 technology.

Utilise Your Data To Optimise Operations

In all industrial operations, large amounts of data are continuously generated in the business, production and maintenance processes—data that is then mined and used in the presentation of reports and dashboards. Vast quantities of data becomes valuable in the search for detailed information about historical operational events. But the majority of data, for many operations, will remain hidden in databases, just because it is difficult (and time-consuming) to summarise, create overviews and draw conclusion from large amounts of data.

Enter Analytics from Aptean. This powerful, easy to use, business analytics solution will help you improve operational efficiency, optimise your productivity, improve your delivery precision, increase your revenues and gain a competitive edge over competitors. Covering the scope from long term historical data to real-time data, Aptean Analytics will give your staff easy access to actionable information about operational performance, key performance indicators and more.

The Quickest Way to Data-Based Decisions

With an intuitive user interface where it’s as easy to summarise data and create an overview to drill down into the details, you can consolidate, search, visualise and analyse all your data for full insight with just a few clicks.

Best practice analysis models and the possibility to click and zoom directly in the graphical representation of data will help you to create your desired basis for decisions quickly and with little effort.

Benefits with Analytics for EAM and OEE

• Easy to use and learn

• Instant business answers

• No waiting for static reports

• Explore data without limits

• Rapid time to value

• Share business insights with colleagues

Transform Your Processes with Mobility

A mobility strategy provides manufacturers and plant operators a tactical way to overcome issues of productivity, cost effectiveness and efficiency.

True mobile work processes within manufacturing and asset management create flexibility in the way the workforce is managed and operates. Continuous access to system support and information leads to the increased efficiency that will be necessary for organisations to stay competitive.

With broad range of advanced features and functionalities, mobile solutions help your organisation to improve efficiency in the manufacturing and maintenance operations easily, as a part of your transition to Industry 4.0.

Introducing Aptean Mobility

Aptean Mobility is a toolset for the mobile workforce within maintenance and production. With Aptean Mobile EAM and OEE Solutions you will always have work orders available anywhere in the plant and be able to manage spare parts from the shop floor or from the warehouse.

Real-time production status at the palm of your hand and immediate alerts in case of disturbances will increase your efficiency and allow operators more time for value adding work.

Benefits with Mobility for EAM and OEE

• Providing Timely Alerts to Engineering Team - Alert relevant individuals directly via their smart phones or smart watches when critical events happen in the production.

• Assisting Field Service Technician - Perform daily maintenance and material management work on the go. Online or offline.

• Easy and Fast Access to Documentation - Get access to technical drawings, standard operating procedures, work instructions, photos, videos, etc. when and where you need it.

• Register Work Immediately - Increase correct registrations of what have been done and avoid delayed or missing registrations.

• Fuel Your Analytics Process - More information is collected when working mobile. This increases the collection of relevant data for future analysis and business intelligence.

Designed for Integration

With our products designed to be seamlessly integrated into your existing business and manufacturing systems, functionality and usability of EAM and OEE products have been developed based on the actual workflows and work processes of the end users. By interfacing the EAM and OEE systems to your ERP system and other relevant IT systems, the users can focus on using only the digital tools they need and are familiar with.

Partnering with an integration expert like Aptean provides you access to a professional services team with decades of experience integrating our EAM and OEE products to other enterprise IT systems and industrial production platforms.

Benefits with Integration for EAM and OEE

• Efficient workflows and no more costly, manual processes

• The software becomes a part of daily routines

• Time savings – No need for double data entry in multiple systems

• End to end adoption of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) integrations

Transition into the Future

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is an important part of the transformation to Industry 4.0 as IIoT is predicted to be the fourth industrial revolution introducing the rise of the online Smart Factory. The goal of Smart Factory is production with shorter adjustment and lead times, fewer errors and greater flexibility.

By connecting real-time accurate production and asset data with planning, execution and finance, Aptean software solutions become the cornerstone in your advancement towards the vision of the Smart Factory and Industry 4.0. Aptean supports integration to IIoT devices and other industrial sensors and equipment for collection and processing of machine generated information. Event signals and condition data are highly relevant and can be directly used in our EAM and OEE products.

The integration to IIoT devices can be used for Condition Based Maintenance and visualisation of Production Efficiency. When combining the data with automated analysis products, machine learning and artificial intelligence, the data can be used for Predictive Maintenance, Predictive Bottleneck Analysis and to achieve other Smart Factory benefits.

Boost Competitiveness and Production Efficiency with Aptean EAM

Wireless sensors, used for condition monitoring, combined with modern IT solutions and analysis tools helps to predict patterns of equipment performance and condition. Data from these IIoT services are collected and transferred to Aptean EAM via standard Internet protocols and creates automatic state-based work orders and unplanned stop are being registered.

Connect and Visualise Internet of Things with Aptean OEE

Aptean OEE builds a backbone of IIoT with the straight-forward and cost-effective connection of machinery to local or global networks.

Aptean OEE also provides the tools to make manufacturing information available where it is needed to facilitate efficient production and successful improvement processes. Real-time data can be shown on TV Screens, reports can be shared quickly and interaction is possible wherever you are via mobile devices.

Benefits of IIoT When Combining Integration, SaaS and Analytics with EAM and OEE

• Collect data from sensors connected to production equipment and report in real-time

• Send data directly to Aptean products hosted in the Cloud

• Use aggregate data for OEE, Condition Based Maintenance and Analytics

• Communicate securely via MQTT, OPC UA, REST or SOAP web services

Aptean’s ambition is to help our customers’ transition towards improved reliability, productivity and effectiveness as they transition towards the vision of the Smart Factory and embrace Industry 4.0.

High Security and Availability with SaaS

With a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution hosted in a professional datacenter and managed by a certified hosting partner, you can expect the following:

• Guaranteed 99.5% availability

• High security and encrypted data communication

• Hosting and security procedures are certified according to ISAE 3402

• Full redundancy of virtual servers, storage, power and fiber connections

• Disaster recovery process based on full daily backup stored at secondary locations

Solutions delivered from the cloud enable you to monitor production, optimise performance, plan new processes and execute your maintenance operations from anywhere at any time you are connected to the Internet.

Fast Implementation with Aptean SaaS

With Aptean SaaS the time from decision to Go-Live is shortened dramatically. Your Aptean EAM or Aptean OEE system will be hosted and supported in the cloud and accessed via the Internet.

All IT operations, server installation, operating system upgrades, database administration, security and backup procedures are handled by our professional SaaS team and the requirements for your local IT infrastructure are reduced to a bare minimum. The only requirement is a PC or mobile device with Internet access.

Full Flexibility and Dedicated Solution

Server software and database architecture will be configured and setup according to your needs and with potential customisations or add-ons on a dedicated virtual server in a professional hosting environment. The systems can be integrated to your financial or industrial systems located in another cloud or locally installed on premise.

Cloud-based Aptean products can easily be connected to production equipment and sensors for data collection using standard technologies such as OPC, UA, MQTT and web services.

Benefits with Aptean SaaS

• No hardware needed, no local server installation, no local IT maintenance

• High availability, high security, high reliability

• Full flexibility, full integration, full confidence

Aptean’s Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) products will bring your organisation a step further in the Industry 4.0 transition by providing Analytics, Mobility, Integration, IIoT and SaaS solutions that will help you work smarter and become more efficient.

Want to learn more about how EAM or OEE solutions from Aptean can help your business? Contact us today to chat with one of our experts or schedule a demo.