With this approach, clearly quantifiable savings can also be achieved in the pre-assembly area, which is why DiIT has expanded its CAO system to cover this area also. To integrate benchtop work places in pre-assembly into the extended CAO, DiIT has developed a touchscreen-optimized browser application for which it also provides the hardware (eg industrial terminal with 12.1''TFT display, 1024x768, with analog resistive touch). The application itself is similar in form and function to the CAO Machine Application and offers a login, a list of pending orders to choose from, barcode verification of order and setup components, capture of measurements, produced quantities and scrap.
The integration of the preassembly area into the MES control of CAO extends traceability, tool monitoring and MDE / BDE functions to this area as well, making it transparent and open for business analysis. Another advantage are the expected savings from the improved quality that will soon pay off the necessary investments.
Incorporated in the DiIT Production and Logistics Suite PLS are a number of solutions for the control of final assembly suitable for different requirements. The PLS system, same as CAO, consists of a set of modules from which the most suitable and expedient ones can be combined. PLS provides Supply Chain Management Functionality with JIT/JIS connection to the customer (VDA, NKL, a.o.), administration of all kinds of storage (goods in, picking, buffer and quarantine stores) with process control for all activities, dispatch logistics with EDI, all required formats and documents. At the core of PLS, there is also the control of final assembly at transfer lines, synchronized islands, or groups of single workstations for lot production, lot production with customer-specific parts, or completely customer-specific production concepts. An optimization module that ensures transfer line balancing also takes care of logistics requirements (JIT/JIS delivery, daily shares, chain of pearls), so that all goods needed at a certain time for a specific destination and customer are ready in time for shipping.
Another essential feature of both PLS and CAO is their ability to integrate and fully document all required production processes including quality assurance and testing by third-party systems. Consequently, the central production archive of PLS, implemented as a Web-application that can be accessed via intranet and internet, answers to all requirements of process documentation and traceability.
The combination of CAO and PLS for production control spanning all areas of production – cutting area, pre-assembly and final assembly – is more than the sum of its parts. It not only stands for the avoidance of system transitions and transparency down to the last corner, but also brings about synergy effects with significant advantages, for instance by facilitating production-related planning and material availability analysis, or by introducing pull production between the different areas.