AcuSYS Software Solutions

Connect, Collect, Visualise and Improve
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The name AcuSYS derives from "Acuity Systems"

Software solutions promoting sharpness and clarity in vision.

Consider how busy your production environment is, things are happening at a high pace, breakdowns occur, maintenance and production needs to be balanced. Where does one focus to reduced the per unit cost of production?

Many manufacturers have trained their associates on Lean, 6 Sigma or various trouble-shooting methods but are they empowered with accurate and real-time information? Todays level of automation also introduces the risk of lengthly outages when systems fail.

With the right information complexity can be turned to clarity and resources can be targeted to drive meaningful improvements resulting in significant reduction in the production costs that eat into your profits. The risks associated with managing growing levels of automation can be managed.

AcuSYS can help you with solutions that  improve production leanness and the robustness of automation solutions. We provide services for a complete solution life-cycle supplying and supporting your investment in order to maintain maximum performance and return on investment.

button_traksys Realtime Performance and Downtime Monitoring Solutions supporting Lean Manufacturing. button_versiondog Automation software Version Control, Change Management and Backup. Reduce your risk! button_opc OPC Drivers and Tools for all your automation needs. Supports Siemens, Rockwell, Schneider and many other PLC brands.
 

A Ten Step Method To Continuous Improvement

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traksys-stackeddurationExtract from article on "The Quality Guru"

There are ten steps to undertaking continual improvement:
1. Determine current performance.
2. Establish a need to improve.
3. Obtain commitment and define the improvement objective.
4. Organize the diagnostic resources.
5. Carry out research and analysis to discover the cause of current performance.
6. Define and test solutions that will accomplish the improvement objective.
7. Produce improvement plans which specify how and by whom the changes will be implemented.
8. Identify and overcome any resistance to the change.
9. Implement the change.
10. Put in place controls to hold new levels of performance, and repeat step one.

For full article please read here


There are a few challenges presented to manufacturers by this article not least of which is accuratley capturing the information needed to determine current performance, diagnose the problem and finally monitor the improvement to prevent slipping back. The TrakSYS tool can be rapidley implemented without significant engineering effort to acheive these objectives by providing;

i) Accurate information of all time losses on the production line (automatic capture of losses duration including short stops).

ii) Providing graphical analysis that allows understanding of the root cause of losses (or at least point to the problem)

iii) Provides KPI's that allow continous monitoring of performance and gains acheived.

 

Food Manufacturer bags $8M savings with Real-time Performance Management solution

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Parsec Automation develops software that makes manufacturing operations more efficient. This past year Parsec used its flagship TrakSYS package to help a canned food manufacturer determine the best strategy for revamping its production lines resulting in a $8 million capital cost reduction. 

The project earned Parsec Automation third place in the Most Innovative Process category in MBT’s 2009 Innovation Insight Awards competition.

The California-based food manufacturer, bumping up against capacity constraints, had decided to replace some of its 35 canning lines with ‘pouch’ lines offering higher filling speed and better yield. But it wasn't quite sure which of two competing vendors to purchase the lines from. The wrong decision could potentially disrupt production, and cost upward of $20 million in the first year. Using TrakSYS to collect real-time data from tests of competing pouch lines gave the manufacturer the information it needed to make an intelligent decision. 

Not only did the system help in vendor selection, it also altered the manufacturer's original thinking on how many lines to purchase. Initially, the manufacturer planned to retire 20 canning lines and replace them with 12 higher-performing pouch lines. But the TrakSYS based analysis indicated that 24 canning lines could be retired and it would only take eight pouch lines to replace them. That resulted in a savings of $8 million in capital costs. 

The company also will save $2 million in annual maintenance costs by retiring the canning lines.

 

CLICK FOR PUBLISHED STORY...

 

Performance Measurement

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lean-technologyWhere ever it takes place in a manufacturing business, performance measurement is key to guiding associates to understand the result of their actions. This is something we all learnt as small children while waiting to see the result of our, on occasions, misguided actions.

The manufacturing production environment is no different and although all businesses record and report on financials using formal ERP solutions, very few apply the same solution philosophy to the plant floor. This article explorers various concepts which are easily understood but not truly embraced by many.

"While financial measures of performance are often used to gauge organizational performance, some firms have experienced negative consequences from relying solely on these measures. Traditional financial measures are better at measuring the consequences of yesterday's actions than at projecting tomorrow's performance. Therefore, it is better that managers not rely on one set of measures to provide a clear performance target."

"To be effective, performance yardsticks should continuously evolve in order to properly assess performance and focus resources on continuous improvement and motivating personnel."

Enjoy the full Article

 
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versiondog

AcuSYS has been selected by Auvesy as the Principle Distributor of Versiondog in Southern Africa. Versiondog provides Automation Software Management with excellent support for Siemens PLC's and leading HMI's More....

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TrakSYS Impact Video

Watch a 3-minute Overview from Parsec, the worldwide leader in real-time performance management solutions.

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