relevant KPIs.” A key element of performance management software tools is not just gathering bunches of data, but in providing analysis and correlation functions. Kevin Tock, vice president of production performance management at Invensys/Wonderware, a Lake Forest, Calif., automation supplier, says, “Performance management software benefits manufacturers through better visibility into reasons for downtime or the ability to relate quality issues to other events in the plant. When you compile data into a SQL database you can run data correlations and find causes of problems that you would never suspect otherwise.”

Tock sees a lot of interest from companies that have completed their ERP implementations and now wish to connect the plant system to the enterprise system in order to finally realize the promise of ERP. But when it comes to meeting with customers to present solutions, there is often an internal problem within the customer company. “The reality is that information technology (IT) people at the business systems level of the company and the manufacturing people seldom know each other,” notes Tock. “When they start to discuss tying things together, they end up discovering a disconnect between what

A final example shows the benefits possible when a manufacturing team—including IT—uses a good information system to dramatically improve performance.

The plant’s automated Shop Floor Information System (SFIS) is iFIX software from GE Fanuc Automation, a Charlottesville, Va-based unit of GE Infrastructure. This information system collects and presents data from all steps in bottle making. The system serves multiple users at Gallo Glass—from operators on the lines to maintenance managers to senior managers who need quick, graphical reports via the Web.

Informed decisions

“Our automation started with sensing and inspection devices, and from there, we needed a way to collect production data to allow us to make more informed decisions,” White says. “It was critical to implement one interface package and have everyone in the plant operating from the same page and sharing information.”

Observing the value of getting operators into the performance team, Bruce Williams, senior production manager at Gallo Glass, says, “SFIS has brought all of my production managers together onto the playing field.”

Troy Wells, director of maintenance and engineering, notes, “The Gallo SFIS system has transformed us from a ‘make and inspect’ mentality to a ‘make, measure, and improve’ mentality. This change continually drives us back to the manufacturing process for root cause analysis and correction. SFIS drives us to ‘make it right the first time,’ and this system never ceases to amaze me with its ability to constantly receive and update information that is vital to the production process.”

Benefits accrued to the plant by using a rich information source include $5 million in annual savings through improved quality, production increases of 5 percent, a 25 percent reduction in defects, reduction in plant downtime by 25 percent, an 80 percent decrease in furnace emissions and an observed reduction in training time.