‘Insight autonomy’ on the shop floor
Combining MESTEC with in-built Power BI functionality
From flying elephants to aliens landing UFOs at Hyde Park, there are certain things we’re never likely to see. Extend that list into the world of manufacturing however, and soon more practical concerns emerge. For example, how many operators on the shop floor have ever seen dashboards into key metrics such as waste levels, downtime, and overall efficiency?
Experience teaches that the answer is surprisingly low. Particularly when it comes to such data being available in an easily accessible format. Or in real-time, when operators can proactively identify potential problems in advance – rather than reacting to the fall out post event. But now, with Power BI built into MESTEC, this information is not only visible, timely, and relevant – operators themselves can easily crunch the data to find the insights they need to operate better.
Let’s take a quick look at what this all means.
Myth busting
First off, we need to touch on the fact that analytical tools are often hard to find at manufacturing sites. A reality that’s due to business intelligence tools (of which Power BI is now a clear leader in the space) being viewed through the lens of 3 distinct ‘myths’:
- The technology is reserved for senior management alone, or only practical for firms of a certain size and upward
- BI is complicated, and requires a dedicated team of data engineers and scientists to extract any meaningful insights
- Between the cost of the technology and the people needed to use it, BI is prohibitively expensive for all but enterprise players
Like any myth, these contain many falsehoods. Especially since the launch of Power BI, where the technology is easily accessible by anybody, anywhere; Cloud-based, and actually free to use; A low code/no code solution, that’s easy to use and understand.
Acting in the ‘now’
Let’s move on to data analysis. Manufacturing execution systems (MES), ERP, and other tools are helping continually expand the information now available to manufacturers. Indeed, such data represents the laying of solid foundations for enabling an array of digital transformation initiatives – and the moving away from paper-based record-keeping.
It’s an important first step. Yet many firms are still to build on this progress, relying instead on spreadsheets to uncover and manage the insights created. Hence the value of embedding Power BI into the MESTEC solution to help elevate data analysis capabilities – and to produce the detail that operators need to know in the ‘now’, such as:
- Machine uptime and downtime
- Labour utilisation by job/team/hour
- Production scheduling on time, in full
Of equal importance to the visibility this information offers, is the ability to drill down into the data to find the root causes behind any emerging problems. An action that offers a direct route to addressing to arguably the most important metric of all: labour productivity.
Inspiring performance
Power BI and root cause analysis is about finding answers. But more than this, it’s about finding answers as quickly and efficiently as possible. The tool itself is not interpreting the data and serving up expert advice (we’ll wait for AI to do that!). Instead, it’s finding and presenting data at a speed that leaves spreadsheets and paper records far behind.
For example, if a machine breaks down, operators and managers will inevitably want to ask:
- How often does this machine experience problems?
- Do they occur only with specific jobs or operators?
- What impact will this breakdown have on production schedules?
- Is there another machine we can call on to fill the gap?
- If so, what impact will this have on other jobs?
The combination of MESTEC and Power BI not only provides these answers, but does so in real-time. So rather than being victim to circumstance, manufacturers can respond instantly to issues, make changes on the fly, and always pursue the best possible resolution.
Better still, the analysis is easily customisable and instantly accessible on the shop floor. That means rather than waiting for management to devise a fix, operators themselves are empowered to address issues relating to productivity. A situation that’s proven to inspire a high-performance culture, driven by dashboards detailing progress by teams – a sure-fire way to encourage friendly competition!
Summing it all up
A machine going down is just one example of dealing with a problem immediately through Power BI and MESTEC, rather than only hearing about it later on weekly or monthly updates. There are of course countless others, but the key point relates to the ease by which individuals can access, consume, manipulate, and interpret the findings.
In other words, the ‘insight autonomy’ that people need to work at their proactive best. A situation that’s a vital first step for realising the full potential of the digital workplace. An environment where it’s easier for employees to tap into data streams at the maximum point of impact. All supported by frictionless data sharing and collaboration between teams that acts to complete the feedback loop.
That’s a story devoid of flying elephants, but just as fantastical – until now of course. Now, the boundaries of what’s possible are quickly being pushed back.
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