Factory Automation Services
Continuous improvement is the fundamental foundation of manufacturing. Many get lost seeking solutions in the latest technologies and forget to focus on the goals they hope to accomplish. Technology is an enabler of continuous improvement, not a substitute. CAT Squared`s approach to technology adoption addresses the misalignments between process, structure, employee skillset, and IT. This process ensures our customers will continue to beat their benchmarks, improving operational efficiency long after the initial implementation is complete.
CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Technology is an accelerator. Installing a best-in-breed MES system will not solve a process problem or a people problem. If a company attempts to solve a process problem by aligning technology to its current process, it will only accomplish performing a broken process more quickly. Our approach ensures that our customers receive more than just a state-of-the-art MES solution. Our project scoping, process mapping, KPI development, and training lay a foundation for our customers to drive a culture of continuous improvement across their factory and across their enterprise.
Scoping Process
Process mapping is included as a part of our scoping process, which is done in three parts. During the first phase, we teach the customer our methodology for MOM mapping (Manufacturing Operations Management), where we develop a process map to have a visual understanding of processes occurring on the plant floor, what data is measured during those processes, and how that data flows across the customer`s network. This process helps the customer map their "current state."
Process Mapping
The graphic below illustrates a simplified process map where the bottom layer represents the physical process occurring in the plant’s receiving area. The second layer identifies hardware used to take a measurement or control a process. In this case, the truck drives over a scale to capture the gross weight. The third layer represents the data layer showing how the data is recorded and transmitted through the MES. In this example, our system pulls the receiving schedule from the ERP to check in the truck, receives the captured weight, and assigns a queue number for pre-unload inspection.