First, let us explain what we mean by a digital work permit system. We often hear people think of this as simply using a computer as a means of generating and printing a paper version of a work permit rather than manually doing it in the form of a paper-based work permit.

“A digital work permit is way more than that, it provides a consistent and effective visual interface for work management and monitoring and allows for quick and efficient decision-making.”

It provides users with complete visibility regarding the status of all permits (even from other remote sites), making it easier to manage security instructions and take action against risks. Furthermore, the digital work permit helps to automatically identify everything that has expired.

Benefits of Work Permit

There are so many potential benefits of choosing the digital work permit, here are some mentioned below :

• Decrease of time required when planning permits:thanks to drop-down lists, already configured in the system, it is possible to select the operations to be carried out, the authorized persons and the controls to be carried out in one click. An important time saving at this stage.
• Faster work permit approval: There is no longer any need to move to another place to validate permits. Approval is done remotely from data and planned elements on the system. This will also allow to save time.
• Faster decision making:Instant access to information recorded on the system improves control and visibility of both planned and ongoing work. Real-time analysis of this data can even, under some circumstances, prevent an increased security risk. This allows for proactive measures to be taken to avoid an incident.

Smart Factory overview:

A smart factory or Digitalising a manufacturing plant brings with it numerous benefits that affect the planning, quality, and development of products and logistics in the supply chain. Here are the most important competitive advantages:

• Speed and flexibility in the face of the unforeseen.
• Real-time digital and physical connection through sensors and IoT devices.
• Resource planning and optimisation.
• Reliability of stored data.
• Transparency between all departments.

In the long run, we have other advantages, such as the benefits that Machine Learning provides. We require time to collect and store enough data to plot a forecast in demand, perform preventive and predictive maintenance or generate digital twins, these are only some of the actions that Machine Learning can do for us.

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Smart factory industry Overview:

For a “traditional” industry to become a Smart Factory, it mostly requires the involvement and motivation of the company management to have a vision towards digitization, as well as professionally knowledgeable work teams dedication and coordination that can lead the transformation. However, all these statements for management and for a team of professionals must work with the technologies and tools that will help and allow them to control, analyze and improve production and plant times:

• Cloud monitoring, better known as the cloud, where you can store all the information and the large volume of data that is generated both in the plant (robots, sensors, intelligent devices …) and in the specific tools (MES, ERP…).
• “Internet of Things” or IOT. Connectivity between machines allows you to coordinate systems, capture the real time data, have remote control of production, as well as exchange information between systems and products.
• Data collection and analysis All information generated through connections between machines or plants and tools must be collected and analysed in real time with two objectives: the first is to identify patterns; and, the second, prevent future events. Gathering and analysing data is a crucial notion in the concept of the Factory 4.0, as it enables to unleash the potential hidden in the equipment, resources and people.
• Cybersecurity is an essential technology in a Smart Factory since privacy and data protection is the most key aspect for industries.
• Virtual and Augmented Reality help operators with product organisation, production tasks and equipment maintenance and repair. But we must not confuse both terms; when we speak about augmented reality, we refer to the technology that allows us to overlay, in real time, digital information to information that is perceived through our eyes requiring only a smartphone. While virtual reality requires special glasses to transport ourselves to the virtual world.

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Before we focus on the intricacies of the smart factory, by way of introduction, a few words must be said about its underlying concept, the Industrial Internet of Things.    

The term describes a highly digitalized and connected environment where machinery and equipment are able to improve processes through automation and self-optimization. The benefits also extend beyond just the physical production of goods and into functions like planning, supply chain logistics, and even product development.

The way the term is most commonly used, a  Smart Factory is a highly digitized shop floor that continuously collects and shares data through connected machines, devices, and production systems. The data can then be used by self-optimizing devices or across the organization to proactively address issues, improve manufacturing processes and respond to new demands.

Yet, the core value of the smart factory still happens within the four walls of the plant. The structure of a smart factory can include a combination of production, information, and communication technologies, with the potential for integration across the entire manufacturing supply chain.

Industry 4.0 refers to the approach of using advanced digital technologies to revamp the practices of industries from initial designing to customer support. By digitalizing the whole industry, improves the operational efficiency of a plant whilst boosting the growth of the enterprise.

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What is E-kanban? 

E-Kanban is one of the Lean tools designed to reduce the idle time in a production process. The main idea behind the system is to deliver what the process needs exactly when it needs it. In Japanese, the word “Kan” means “visual” and “ban” means “card,” so Kanban refers to visual cards.

 In manufacturing infrastructure, the warehouse needs to be tightly integrated with the factory or shop floor, raw materials need to flow into the shop floor quickly as required; finished goods need to flow out. To manage this operation this system plays a major role in streamlining this inventory process between the shop floor and warehouse team.

When there are also frequent complaints about delivery problems, the reality is quite distant from the theory.  Poor implementation of kanban is quickly overcome in an e-kanban environment.

How it is useful?

E-kanban focuses specifically on centralizing and managing all of the mission-critical data.  Real-time transaction capture and tracking build a repository of information, ripe for process improvement analysis.  Allowing an e-kanban system to handle and manage the collation and reporting of this data helps to remove the element of human error prevalent within a manual kanban system

This system manufacturing is an inventory organization structure that uses visual cues to move inventory through various stages of the manufacturing process. It is a tool for lean manufacturing that aims to prevent inventory pileup by initiating production only to restock empty reserves

It is one of the Lean tools designed to reduce the idle time in a production process. The system allows the operator from the line or station to raise material request digitally directly to the warehouse department through which the warehouse team get the request and delivered the goods at the line system quickly.

It can be used to speed up the material request and delivery time in order to improve productivity and reducing the lead time.

Using this system helped Toyota drastically reduce waste by streamlining its inventory management. Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, and other Kanban principles and practices that came from it, spread throughout automotive manufacturing and into other industries.

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Andon:

There are many ways to use the Andon system in Lean manufacturing and in several other global industries such as Chemical Industries, Automotive industries, Oil and gas industries, FMCG, Manufacture and process industries, Electronic industries, Aerospace industries Pharmaceutical industries and food & beverage industries etc.,

Regardless of where it’s being used, the only way Andon works is if you truly empower operators to use it. This means giving operators not only the permission but the obligation to stop the line when issues arise.

Employees, especially in manufacturing, are hesitant to stop the line because of the cost of downtime or for fear of being wrong

In manufacturing premises, it is important to have a visual and audible response tool such as Andon system in order to reduce the production downtime.

This system act as visual and audio alarm raised by the operator in order to alert the maintenance department. There will be an Andon Monitor where it will display the machine or system with colour coding i.e., Red defined as Issue, Yellow as Issue acknowledged and Green defined as Ready

The Andon system in Lean manufacturing takes the position that stopping work at the moment will save the organization from major and costly issues in the future.

The Andon system in Lean manufacturing also requires a plan for resolving the issue. Who will be the team that gathers to perform the root cause analysis and apply the solution? Given that this can occur at any moment, knowing the players ahead of time will increase the speed of resolution. If operators are left waiting around after raising the issue in Andon system, they will be less likely to pull it in the future because the cost will seemingly outweigh the benefit

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Andon meaning:

Andon in Lean manufacturing is a system designed to alert operators and managers of problems in real-time so that corrective measures can be taken immediately. It is part of the Lean Manufacturing process. It is important to understand the reason for it to fully reveal all the possibilities of the Andon systems.

Lean Manufacturing is about eliminating waste all along the production line. It can be a waste of time, stock or capacity. Coupled with Kaizen tools and techniques, it allows the company to better manage its resources for better productivity.

The main purpose of Andon is to improve the flow of information in case of problems. All factories have problems that may delay or stop production (yes, even Toyota). So, in order to streamline the issue raising and tracking process ANDON give the right solution to track the issue and improving the efficiency.

It works in two principles:

1. Andon alerts the human that there is a problem
2. The Andon allows the human to stop a process and prevent the defect from continuing down the line

Andon in Lean manufacturing is a system designed to alert operators and managers of problems in real-time so that corrective measures can be taken immediately.

In lean manufacturing, Andon refers to any visual display that shows status information on the plant floor.

Benefits of Andon

• The visual representation of difficulties allows for a better understanding of the situation by decreasing and minimizing the waste associated with locating information or breakdowns that result in the shutdown of the production line.
• Andon gives maintenance teams and management more control over the production chain by anticipating and forecasting problems.
• In order to build and sustain effective management systems, information about the production chain’s operation must flow from the lowest levels of the organization’s hierarchy to decision-making positions. They will have a better understanding of how the production chain works as a result of this.

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