Page 42 - Packaging News magazine Jan-Feb 2022

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INDUSTRY 4.0 & IIOT | www.packagingnews.com.au | January-February 2022
Line as a Machine: the way forward
The future of FMCG manufacturing is a system-based approach to the factory floor, with the entire production line treated as a single production cell. LaaM is a new concept for Industry 4.0 packaging lines explained here by Earle Roberts, CEO of Foodmach.
intuitive way on a single interface to both operators and managers.
2. Large amounts of data are turned into useful information to guide decision making and predic- tive maintenance. OEE, benchmarks, trends and forecasts are available at a click.
3. The information is secured using high-performance authentication, encryption and access rights man- agement technologies.
4. Useful data is delivered to the cloud for further analysis by enter- prise resource management systems.
In effect, all the advantages of Industry 4.0 connectivity can be realised in a way that is secure and scalable.
Taking the integration of various best-in-breed machines one step fur- ther, Foodmach is shifting towards Line as a Machine (LaaM), emulat- ing the model used by motor vehicle manufacturers.
Vehicles are a collection of parts from many OEMs (original equip- ment manufacturers) brought together and sold as a single machine with one point of responsibility for delivery, performance and service.
Why not treat the FMCG pro- duction line in the same way? The customer and their operators can enjoy ‘driving’ a fast production line with a dashboard full of controls, accurate and seamless information and very high reliability, only hav- ing to deal with a single supplier for ongoing service and support. We, as the line integrator, take complete responsibility for the delivery and continuing function of a fully opti- mised line.
We think Line as a Machine is perhaps the only approach that will capture the full benefits of Industry 4.0. The Pernod Ricard project (see facing page) will be a good demon- stration of its effectiveness.
For Pernod Ricard, Foodmach is supplying 90 per cent of the equip- ment for what will perhaps be the most complex filling line in the southern hemisphere, with a line management execution system that makes it simple to operate, optimise and manage. ■
TRADITIONALLY, packaging lines comprise a series of machines joined together by conveying. The machines may or may not com- municate with each other directly or through a form of line control. Industry 4.0 brings opportuni-
ties for connectivity that cannot be realised by traditional factory mod- els, where each piece of equipment effectively operates in a silo.
The solution is to take a holistic view of the entire line and treat it as a single, complete system with com- plete interoperability.
This doesn’t mean throwing in a few sensors, layering an IoT protocol over the top and calling it done. As easy and economical as that option seems, it can result in missed OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) and line management opportunities due to non-existent or incomplete data, critical security risks, and end up costing more in the long run anyway.
Ideally, the factory layout and
equipment selection are optimised for speed and function. Each piece of equipment is programmed to pro- vide standardised information using standardised controls that report to a centralised line management execu- tion system (LMES).
Using this more sophisticated approach provides the following benefits:
1. An effective LMES will poll each machine on the line multiple times per second, collect the standardised data, and present it in a visually
ABOVE: The future factory will take a holistic view of the entire line and treat it as a single, complete system with complete interoperability.
Line as a Machine is perhaps the only approach that will capture the full benefits of Industry 4.0.”