The key to a successful manufacturing intelligence program is to take a systematic approach to building infrastructure, one that will provides visibility into every corner of the plant. The Unified Production Model (UPM), on which FactoryTalk Vantage Point from Rockwell Software provides that insight, organizes data from across the enterprise into information that is more meaningful, prompting better decision-making across the organization. What’s more, it does so by leveraging technology and systems already in the plant.

“We allow the data to be the master in whatever system—and on whatever brands—exist in a plant,” says John Theron, product manager, Rockwell Software. “FactoryTalk VantagePoint interrogates all the data sources on the floor that we can expose to the model, and the UPM continually refreshes, arming users with the most up-to-date information available while the original data remains at its source.”

Once key production information is captured by such systems controllers (see RSMetrics), historians (see FactoryTalk Historian ), sensors, or other plant floor systems, FactoryTalk VantagePoint is uniquely positioned to maximize its usability across the enterprise. VantagePoint places information from disparate systems into context and provides visibility into production, and provides dashboards, trending, and a web-based reporting tool that provides users context for performance factors plant-wide. It also provides easy-to-use reporting on Key Performance Indicators, enabling users to drill into the right level of detail for their role—whether operator or line supervisor, plant manager or executive. Information is sharable across the enterprise in an easy-to-understand visual, including reports from multiple time periods or batches, individual live data like temperature, and calculations like OEE.

Out-of-the-box functionality is available in hours, not days or weeks, and among the published reports, trends and dashboards available for decision-making are:
o Key performance indicators (KPI)
o Alarm and event reports
o Control loop reports
o Device and equipment reports
o Reports on batches, production runs and shifts

This unparalleled, actionable insight enables manufacturers to achieve lower overhead and manufacturing costs, better manage capacity, extend the useful life of existing capital equipment, improve manufacturing consistency, energy use and first-pass quality—all critical to bottom-line results.

Overview

FactoryTalkVantagePoint incorporates the real-time data from a range of plant systems to provide the analytical context that turns data into manufacturing intelligence. With its Unified Production Model, VantagePoint is able to produce Web-based reports, trends and dashboards that can be used to manage cost, quality and resources more effectively.

Benefits include:
• Improve production agility by monitoring production variables and asset availability;
• Reduce cost by minimizing scrap and waste, conserving energy thus lowering cost-per-unit;
• Defer capital spending by improving asset utilization and maintenance;
• Decrease overhead costs by saving time in collecting data and preparing reports.

For more information, visit http://discover.rockwellautomation.com/mi.