COMPLETE VISIBILITY
MAKE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS
IMPROVE QUALITY
What is Acumence?
Acumence by Flexware Innovation is an enterprise industrial intelligence platform that provides real-time production reporting. This line monitoring software is intended for high-speed, high-volume processes such as aluminum beverage packaging. It is used in 52 factories in 22 countries and can be swiftly deployed across numerous sites with minimal support.
If you are struggling with any of the following situations, Acumence can help you:
- Making data-driven decisions is difficult due to a lack of consistent information
- Monitoring plant and overall performance to aid in continuous improvement
- Accessing reliable real-time data in a single location
Rapid Deployment
Efficiency-focused industrial software for high-speed operations
Using Acumence, manufacturers can achieve repeatable operational excellence in the plant and across the business. It integrates quickly and easily with other enterprise systems, making it perfect for high-volume operations. Multiple sites can be linked and managed from a centralized location with minimum assistance. The average deployment time from installation to production is 8-12 weeks.
Quickly Check the Status of Your Machines With a Single Click
Streamlined dashboards for tracking machine performance
Make quick, educated decisions based on up-to-date, accurate data, whether it’s descriptive metrics, diagnostics, or predictive and prescriptive analytics. Furthermore, by combining machine data with human operations data, you can gain insight into OEE and manage issues before they have a negative impact on the bottom line.
Line Monitoring Just Got Easier
Track and receive alerts on real-time data 24/7 from a centralized location
The Acumence Server is at the heart of Acumence. Every second, it monitors over 500,000 process variables and provides them as actionable data to help drive efficiency. To record and manage high-resolution machines and data, Acumence connects with various systems, including PLCs, vision systems, databases, and ToolCONTROL. The server provides context for real-time analytics and access to all plant data, including hourly and shift-based aggregates.
“Now I have complete visibility across all of my production lines. I see potential problems before they turn into bigger ones. I get a visualization that shows me as soon as a line goes down, or as soon as a machine goes down, or even if there’s a potential issue on the horizon. I can be very, very proactive.”
–Ray Howcroft, Lean Enterprise Director | Ball Corporation
Stay Connected & Informed with Instant Reporting
By providing real-time production and downtime metrics, Acumence connects management and plant personnel with their assets. Users can easily identify bottlenecks and sources of lost productivity, resulting in increased profits and continuous improvement initiatives within a plant and even across an enterprise.
Manufacturers can better allocate resources and improve plant performance with instant graphical summaries like shift overviews and downtime Pareto charts. Many reports make it possible to delve down into which equipment and machines are incurring the most downtime and scrap. As a result, operators may rapidly identify the source of an issue and resolve it before it affects the bottom line.
CASE STUDY
Discover how Acumence aided Ball Corporation with its continuous improvement efforts by providing total production visibility
Acumence by Flexware Innovation is an enterprise industrial intelligence platform that provides real-time production reporting. In this newly released case study, learn how Ball Corporation uses Acumence to gain real-time data on downtime, production, and spoilage, ultimately improving efficiency by 3%.
Acumence Details & FAQs
Acumence is made of two essential parts: the Acumence Server and the Acumence Client.
Plant Information
- Acumence connects management and plant personnel with their assets by delivering real-time production and downtime metrics.
- Users can then easily identify bottlenecks and sources of lost productivity, leading to increased throughput and profits.
- Acumence provides insight into plant operations that drives continuous improvement initiatives within a plant, and even across an enterprise.
Plant Performance
- Acumence keeps track of factory production details and machine status in production lines.
- Production information is tracked for each machine in the plant, and for each plant in the enterprise.
- Analysis tools enable management to compare crews, shifts, lines, and even factories.
- This allows management to identify best practices and opportunities for improvement through training.
Real-time Alerts
- Acumence is architected with a memory-resident data structure that ensures high speed for aggregation, processing, and presentation of results.
- Acumence is also capable of capturing, storing, and displaying data instantly.
- The animated and color-coded client screens keep everyone informed on up-to-the-second operations, drastically minimizing downtime and loss.
Historical Reports
- The Acumence Database, a component of the Acumence Server, keeps a long-term record of all monitored activity.
- Detailed reports, analysis, and trending tools are available when it’s necessary to examine the performance of a machine or plant over a longer period of time.
- Users can drill down into reports to find additional details.
Manufacturing Solutions
- Acumence is built on a platform fit for nearly any discrete manufacturing process.
- Specific configurations for beverage can manufacturing are available that will speed implementation and ROI.
Acumence interfaces seamlessly with a wide range of software and OEMs. It can connect with all PLCs, including ControlLogix and Siemens, in common machine types using standard OPC servers. In addition, Acumence can interface with all common inspection camera systems, including Applied Vision and Pressco, via vendor OPC servers. Standard database connectors allow it to communicate with a wide range of third-party business applications, including ERP, maintenance, and quality management systems.
In two-piece can manufacturing, bottleneck analysis and preventative maintenance can increase output and production efficiency. Consequently, Acumence enables manufacturers to immediately identify which machines are creating problems farther down the line, allowing them to enhance line flow and boost productivity.
Using Acumence notifications to perform maintenance and replace tools before major problems emerge is critical for reducing scrap and minimizing downtime.
The following graph shows how Acumence helps aluminum beverage can manufacturers enhance performance on both the front-end and back-end:
| Front-End Capabilities | Back-End Capabilities |
|---|---|
Cupper
Bodymaker
Washer
| Decorator
Pin Oven & IBO
Spray Gun
Necker
Palletizer
|
Acumence helps manufacturers quickly identify specific machines and tooling responsible for higher than average scrap or downtime. This allows operators to quickly identify where an issue is and take action to fix the root cause of the problem. As a result, the bodymakers and trimmers are more efficient, there is less scrap, and the rest of the production process runs more smoothly.
ToolCONTROL by Integrated Packaging Solutions (or IPS) is also a plugin that connects easily to Acumence. ToolCONTROL is a tool monitoring and inventory management system tailored to the can manufacturing industry. It is a user-friendly framework for controlling inventory and monitoring tools. It will ensure bodymakers have access to the right tools at the right time by knowing the tools are in stock and what inventory gaps need to be filled.
Acumence is specifically designed to handle the following types of manufacturing environments:
- Real-time
- High-volume
- High-performance
- High-speed
Acumence provides plant managers, operators, supervisors, and executives with up-to-the-second information on machine and production performance.
The average installation and configuration of Acumence takes between 8 and 12 weeks. In a few instances, Acumence has been deployed in 4 to 8 weeks. It depends on a number of variables, including the amount of data already collected, the size of the installation, and the availability of local resources.
Rapid Implementation Timeline
| 2 Weeks | Initial installation and modeling |
| 2 – 4 Weeks | Connectivity to machines that are integration-ready |
| Situation Dependent | Connectivity to machines that need controls, sensors, and networking |
Deployment Methodology
The following stages are necessary for a successful rapid implementation. Each stage has steps that the Acumence team, a systems integrator, and the customer must complete.
- Plant PLC Preparation
- Configuration & Dashboard
- System Install
- Administrator & User Training
- Post Install Support & Updates
A license for Acumence includes unlimited machine integration and unlimited users. The pricing is based on per plant. When purchasing several plant licenses in a package, customers can receive a discount.
Customers can purchase annual software support and maintenance packages. This plan includes access to 24/7 product support, software updates, and online documentation through the Client Portal. For all levels of maintenance service, Acumence will provide at least the following minimum response times for service:
| Service | Support Window | Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| Information Request | Business Day | 2nd Business Day |
| Non-Critical Problem | Business Day | Next Business Day |
| Critical Problem | 24/7/365 | 4 Hours |