Plantnode exposes Real Time Performance Monitoring's
critical success factor: Machine Truth.

Plantnode empowers employees to increase efficiency

Plantnode empowers employees so they work better and produce more output.  This is a continuous process that breeds a culture of success, increasing employee motivation and job satisfaction at all levels, from shop floor to boardroom.

Wheel monitors machine heartbeatPlantnode monitors heartbeat

Plantnode links to any equipment via PLC or a wide variety of other inputs to monitor each machine’s heartbeat.  In this example, the wheel records spindle rotation, which is directly related to throughput.  If it stops or runs too fast or too slowly, Plantnode will detect this and prompt the operator for a reason, entered simply and quickly by scanning a bar-code.

Machine status is shown on a large, overhead LED display, coloured green, amber or red to indicate severity. Significant status changes can be augmented by audible signals on machine or pager and alerts by email or SMS.

Shop Floor Operators can match their actions to signals from the display, not only reacting to stoppages, but varying machine speed to keep output on or ahead of target.  They may also Red screen = problemmake less scrap by watching as a machine setting varies and taking corrective action before it’s too late.

Maintenance Staff can see, from wherever they are, machines that have stopped or are drifting off tolerance, so they can attend promptly and fix any problems.  They can often pre-empt a stoppage and its resultant lost capacity and wasted material. 

Engineers also work more effectively because they get 100% accurate data to feed product and process development.  This reduces the incidence of mods that don’t work and enhances the effect of Continuous Improvement Programmes.

Production Managers see everything that’s going on in real time, allowing them to spot problems before they occur and react accordingly.

Employee work environment improves

Plantnode also reduces the incidence of inter-personal disputes by monitoring every event: when the machine stopped, how long it was before the operator called for an engineer, when the engineer arrived, how long the repair took, and when work restarted. 

This guards against a blame culture developing and makes all shop floor workers feel happier and more effective. 

Most people work hard and are disappointed when scrap is produced or output is down.  How much nicer it is to work in a successful environment, where output is increasing and scrap is reducing.