xTrack MES – Digitalization of production

Technology in various industries and the development of the IT sector have led to the emergence of more and more applications on the Romanian market. Of these, an important role in economic activities is played by those that meet the requirements of supply chain management (SCM). Practice has already shown that the digitization in manufacturing and other logistics activities greatly contributes to an increase in process efficiency.

One of Axes Software’s most sought-after applications for digitizing manufacturing workflows is its production planning and order execution monitoring application, xTrack MES.

The development of xTrack MES is part of a series of activities to extend the functionalities of existing applications and to create new applications for logistics (applications included in the generic xTrack LMS (Logistics Management Suite)). These activities are part of the Axes Software project called “Innovative platform for artificial intelligence management of work processes in factories and warehouses” and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Competitiveness Operational Programme 2014-2020.

What does xTrack MES digitize?

The digitization of production through xTrack MES is concerned with three types of activities:

• planning – the first stage, prior to the production release of incoming orders (xTrack MES, unlike other MES applications, has an additional production planning module built in);
• order execution – the concrete stage of manufacturing the products specified in the production orders;
• monitoring of the status of execution of all technological operations – the stage carried out in parallel with the stage of execution activities in order to collect and process data and strictly control production processes.

Production planning

Production planning is a difficult and complicated process, especially in large companies, where there are many technological processes and many different elements to take into consideration.

The intelligent xTrack WMS application, with its complex algorithm, takes into account a multitude of parameters for accurate planning, such as:

• order priority;
• work schedule;
• machine downtime;
• previous allocations per machine;
• order of execution of technological operations;
• the possibility of using more than one type of machine;
• characteristics of technological operations;
• available personnel.

Production order execution and workflow digitalization

Production order execution is the physical process of transforming raw materials and materials into finished products, which can be closely monitored with the xTrack MES application. Digitizing data flows during production activities enables parallel coordination, synchronization and tracking of the execution status of all technological operations.

xTrack MES tracks the production process step by step and optimizes it with complex algorithms that take into account the diversity of factors involved in large-scale execution.

Types and architecture of production orders

To facilitate an accurate understanding of how the application works, we will start by explaining the terms used.

All requests received from customers are recorded in the xTrack MES system as production orders. Depending on the complexity, production orders are of different types, and each order type has “subdivisions”.

• The operation is the simplest type of production order. It is carried out on a single machine or by a single person.
• One or more production orders of the operation type make up a job. A job is used to manufacture a specific component of a finished product.
• A series of job-type production orders form a master job. A master job produces a specific type of finished product in the quantity specified in the aggregate list.
• Several master job production orders constitute an aggregate list. The aggregate list is the general production order which involves the production of a series of finished products (of different types or of the same type) specified in various customer orders.

Production order execution module

All operations in the production order execution module are performed on basis of tasks. These are sent on mobile terminals to workers who actually perform the operations required by the technological process. Tasks replace printed documents and contain only information or instructions that are strictly related to what each worker has to do.

The xTrack MES job execution module takes into consideration the machines and personnel available to carry out the technological operations as well as the stocks. Algorithms link  aggregated production order list to the stocks of raw materials needed for the manufacturing of finished products.

When a aggregated production order list starts being executed, the algorithm checks stocks and assesses the raw material requirements for each technological operation. At the same time, it identifies their location in the warehouse, generates a series of replenishment tasks and, in the shortest possible time, automatically determines the types and quantities of raw materials and/or WIP (work in progress) required, as well as the related picking tasks from the warehouse.

The order execution module is integrated with the QC (quality control) module, which allows the differentiation of products resulting from the manufacturing processes into finished products that meet quality requirements and scrap (which may or may not be reusable). By ensuring quality control, the manufacturer has a clear record of finished product stocks and also manages its scrap efficiently.

Monitoring of the technological operations’ state of execution

In addition to the digitalization of production planning, xTrack MES also monitors the execution status of technological operations.

Monitoring is done in real time – xTrack MES continuously tracks the status (degree of completion) of the next lower ranking order and updates the status of the next higher ranking orders as changes occur.

Production order planning and execution modules can be integrated with xTrack WMS so that raw material consumption and quantities of products processed can be closely monitored.

Advantages and benefits of digitizing production with xTrack MES

Less wasted time and effort

Production planning has to take into account a number of factors that are constantly changing, sometimes unexpectedly. In these cases, xTrack MES automatically resets or updates planning immediately after new parameters are entered. Also, the automatic generation of replenishment tasks in the application and the automatic transmission of these tasks to workers on their mobile devices eliminates the need for them to travel to pick up lists of materials to be collected from the warehouse/storage or to receive verbal instructions. The number of trips to, from and within the warehouse is reduced because workers are also shown the picking route they need to take.

Fewer errors made by human operators

The risk of human error increases as the number of elements that need to be taken into account for effective stock planning or control increases. Omitting one item, for example, can invalidate production planning altogether. In automated planning, however, the introduction of a predefined set of specific mandatory parameters makes such an “accident” impossible. Also, the automatic data collection, centralization and processing in the application eliminates errors in the calculation or recording of inbound or outbound flows of raw materials, WIP and finished products.

Estimation  and observance of each order delivery date

Unlike traditional planning, where accuracy is relative, digitization of the planning process gives manufacturers the ability to set a much more precise date for the delivery of orders to customers. Furthermore, monitoring the stages of execution against the planned execution schedule shows them clearly whether an initial delivery deadline can be met or not, and this allows them to take the necessary action early on.

Minimized costs, raw materials and  WIP consumption

Automatic calculation of needed material and WIP is much more accurate than that done by a human operator and it eliminates the possibility of over-allocating quantities to fulfil an order. Moreover, through a strict automatic control of technological operations at the execution stage, consumption can be reduced even more, as reusable scrap recorded in the application becomes part of the available stock of raw materials and materials. Reduced consumption also means reduced costs for new raw material purchase.

Avoidance of raw materials and WIP stocks depletion

Monitoring consumption as orders are being executed allows you to anticipate replenisment needs. Continuous stock management thus helps to avoid situations where raw materials or WIP run out.

Planning, technological process and monitoring in GANTT charts

Based on the collected data, xTrack MES generates GANTT charts, through which office operators or managers can view and identify at a glance the information they need:

• planned activities;
• the set of technological operations in a master job;
• their status of execution.

Optimization of production processes

The xTrack MES application has been designed to ensure that all available resources are used to the maximum so that orders are delivered in the shortest possible time. An example of optimization: parallel scheduling of technological operations on available machines/tools reduces downtime as well as lead time of finished products.

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We (the Axes Software team) come to the aid of companies operating in various business sectors (manufacturing, warehousing, 3PL logistics, distribution, ecommerce, transport, courier services, etc.) providing not only solutions for production planning and organization (xTrack MES), but also for warehouse management (xTrack WMS), transport management (xTrack TMS), delivery management (xTrack POD) or returnable packaging management (xTrack PMS).