When Machines Talk, Aerospace Production Flies
Customer Success
How Juxtum Connect Increased Client’s Output and Profitability within 3 Months
CHALLENGE: Teaching Machines to Talk Without Slowing Down
The client is a global company that designs and manufactures engine and structural components for the aerospace industry, including the military, space, and commercial markets. It operates facilities across North America, each of which runs dozens of pieces of equipment.
Considering the highly crucial, sophisticated nature of its product, the company recognized it needed across the board connectivity in order to design and manufacture faster, more reliably, and more affordably. The challenge: installing the needed software and hardware with minimal disruption to production operations.
In effect, a fix could undermine our client’s “faster, more reliable, more affordable” goals for a period of time. The company had to find a way around this issue and meet the need for high-speed, industrial connectivity while also meeting its obligation to produce components without delay. To showcase an ability to install connectivity solutions while causing minimal to no machine downtime, Juxtum suggested a pilot installation at the technical showcase facility in the Midwest.
SOLUTION: Connect Old and New, and Find the Leaks
A team of Juxtum engineers assessed the pilot site and identified 43 machines, nearly half of which served completely different functions. This presented a level of complexity as it meant that every machine would generate different readouts, in terms of speed, efficiency levels, heat monitoring, and power monitoring; however, the Juxtum team’s experience and developed solutions are designed to embrace the challenge.
Engineers installed Juxtum Connect software adapters, connecting all 43 machines so they could produce coordinated outputs. Because the machinery varied in age, some older equipment required hardware appliances, designed by Juxtum for quick and efficient installation while also still being able to capture critical data sets off the machine.
The process went seamlessly, and – with the machines able to talk – the client began making key findings:
- There was a marked decline in production from night to day shifts.
- Further analysis gave voice to the day-shift workers that they were being distracted by the higher number of managers and staff on the floor.
- Unscheduled downtime reduced equipment utilization
The operational realization: Machines were producing on average for 6-hours and 15-minutes versus the scheduled 7-hours, an ability to gain 45-minutes in additional production time by increasing efficiencies instead of increasing capital.
RESULT: Lower CapEx, Higher Yield = ROI within Weeks
Three months after installment, the client recorded the following results:
- Quick ROI: The project paid for itself after increasing output by just 0.5%
- Increased Profitability: over machine productivity increased by over 7%
- Capital Cost Avoidance: by finding gains in productivity and reducing unscheduled downtime, the client was able to increase overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of existing machines in lieu of replacing older equipment
Juxtum Connect and Protect software adapters along with Juxtum View visualization and reporting solution continue to collect data to unearth more complex issues that compromise the plant’s operations, giving the client the knowledge on what to improve next. The client has retained Juxtum to install our solutions at three additional facilities, and the goal is to continue doing so corporate wide.
