Duration: a challenge in the production process

At Indupol, the various polyester components are formed and coloured in moulds. Then a robot provides them with holes and cut-outs and cable harnesses, among other things, are mounted. These parts are stored in a warehouse before they start their way to the customer.

In order to guarantee the quality and to keep the production process performing, all kinds of data of the components are kept. For this purpose, the operators scan the work orders, which are attached to all components. This is done at strategically placed scan terminals.

However, due to the vastness of the production area wasted a lot of time in the movements the operators have to make to the scanning terminalsi.e. the maturities. In order to work faster, the operators often take several work orders to the terminal at the same time. Of course, this sometimes introduces errors. Moreover, the data gets polluted in this way. After all, the scan times and sequences are no longer correct. The traceability of the unique components is thus lost.

No more maturities thanks to mobile app

VanRoey.be developed a mobile app that is currently in testing phase. As a result, operators no longer have to move to the scanning terminals to scan work orders. From now on, this can be done directly at the production line with the app. The big gain is in the complete elimination of maturities. As a result, the production line can run faster, without placing an extra burden on the operators.

In addition, scanning with the app will also be done in a much more direct way. This means that the scanning time - when a certain component is processed in a certain process step - will be more accurate. The sequence of the different components will also be correct at all times. In terms of scan time and sequence, taking work orders together and moving them to the scan terminals used to introduce a lot of errors. This technology will therefore change this.

RFID and NFC technology

The old work orders will be replaced by RFID tags. Both the components and the moulds are given unique RFID tags. This prevents the disappearance and damage of work orders.

Thanks to the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology what was chosen, the operator now knows perfectly which component he is scanning. After all, he has to get close to it. Incorrect scanning of components is a common challenge in production environments and warehouses where many components pass close to each other.

NFC also allows very mobile working with simple deviceslike smartphones. This is in contrast to the classic RFID scanning ports, where a component is scanned when it passes through a port. For the implementation of the IoT solution for Indupol, no invasive installation of expensive and maintenance-intensive hardware is required.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

With the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralIndupol is taking another important step towards a more integrated operation. The self-written ERP package Induplan, which had been in use for many years, was in need of renewal. Because the original developers had reached retirement age, there was no good support for it anymore. Induplan also had its limitations, especially with regard to integration with the accounting system.

When configuring Business Central, some processes from Induplan are adopted and improved. The big advantage lies in the further integration of the business systems.. Whereas Induplan used to be used only in production, Business Central will soon offer an ERP that will become the central tool within all departments. The new mobile IoT system will be linked to Business Central. By the way, this link is possible with any ERP system. It goes without saying that the integration of production data with accounting data results in very interesting analyses. These new insights can lead to further optimization of processes.

A mobile IoT solution with a lot of potential

The mobile IoT solution for Indupol who is still in test phase today will therefore be deliver concrete benefits that translate into significant time and cost savingsoperators' maturities will be eliminated and scanning times and sequences will be more accurate. The rollout of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central will soon provide integration across all departments. As a result, the production data can be better used.

This far-reaching integration and automation of data capture also offers many more possibilities.. Since the components produced from now on contain an RFID tag, they can also be monitored at the customer's premises. This can be useful, for example, in the follow-up of damage cases. Possible production errors that are only noticed at the customer's premises can then be traced back to the unique mould on which the component was produced.

Thanks to this mobile IoT solution, Indupol will not only optimize the production process. They will also gain new insights that can be used for further work. Moreover, the operators experience less stress because they know that they are make fewer mistakes thanks to this system. Ultimately, Indupol's customers also reap the rewards.