The Year-End Playbook for Smarter Manufacturing

The Year-End Playbook for Smarter Manufacturing

As we approach the end of the year, it’s a natural time to take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re headed. For manufacturers, this is more than just an exercise in reflection—it’s a chance to reset, refine, and plan for a stronger 2025. Whether you’re a plant manager grappling with downtime, an engineer looking to optimize machine utilization, or an executive charting the next steps in your digital transformation journey, the end of the year offers a valuable opportunity to prepare for what’s ahead.

Let’s explore how you can use this time to position your operations for success.

Start with a Look Back

Before setting bold goals for the future, it’s important to understand the story your data tells about the past year. Think about the moments that cost your team the most time and energy. Was it unexpected downtime? Perhaps a few critical machines weren’t running at full capacity. Maybe it was something harder to quantify, like inefficiencies in how your team responded to maintenance needs.

Taking the time to dig into these trends can be eye-opening. A manufacturer we recently worked with discovered that material shortages caused 40% of their downtime this year. With that insight, they were able to adjust inventory planning and avoid hundreds of lost hours in 2024.

With tools like Caddis Systems, you can make this kind of analysis straightforward. We help you track machine utilization, downtime causes, and other key metrics, turning raw data into actionable insights.

Focus on What’s Preventable

Unplanned downtime is more than an inconvenience; it’s a profit killer. But the good news is that much of it can be avoided with proactive maintenance. That’s why this time of year is perfect for recalibrating your maintenance strategy.

Imagine heading into January with machines operating at their best because you’ve taken the time to fine-tune preventive maintenance schedules. Using real-time tracking, Caddis makes it easy to know exactly when maintenance is needed, helping you avoid unnecessary repairs and keep operations running smoothly.

Uncover and Address Bottlenecks

Every facility has its challenges, and bottlenecks are often at the top of the list. Maybe it’s a machine that never seems to keep up with the rest of the line. Maybe it’s a process that always feels one step behind. These pain points don’t just slow things down—they often ripple out into other areas, from missed deadlines to increased overtime.

The key is understanding where and why these bottlenecks occur. By monitoring your operations in real time, Caddis gives you the clarity to identify these trouble spots and work toward long-term solutions.

Leverage Technology for the Year Ahead

As manufacturers, we know the industry is shifting rapidly, with automation, robotics, and Industry 4.0 technologies leading the charge. But technology is only as good as the data that powers it. This is where solutions like machine monitoring become invaluable.

For instance, a robotics-driven facility recently shared how monitoring their machines with Caddis gave them peace of mind during lights-out operations. Knowing that every machine was performing as expected allowed their team to focus on higher-level tasks, ultimately improving efficiency and quality.

Look Forward with Clear Goals

With insights from the past and tools for improvement, the next step is setting clear, actionable goals for the new year. What does success look like for your team in 2025? Is it reducing downtime by 10%? Increasing machine utilization to 90%? Perhaps it’s simply having more reliable data to make confident decisions.

These goals become more achievable with the right technology partner. At Caddis, we don’t just provide tools; we provide solutions designed for manufacturers like you—solutions rooted in experience and a deep understanding of the industry.

Stronger Together in 2025

The year-end isn’t just about closing the books; it’s about opening the door to new possibilities. When you take the time to reflect, analyze, and optimize, you set your team up for success—not just in January but throughout the year.

If you’re ready to make smarter manufacturing a reality, let’s talk. Our 1:1 demonstrations are designed to show how Caddis Systems can transform your operations with real-time visibility, improved uptime, and advanced maintenance tracking.

Here’s to a stronger 2025—let’s build it together.

Case Study: Machine Monitoring Boosts Output on Vertical and Horizontal Machines

Case Study: Machine Monitoring Boosts Output on Vertical and Horizontal Machines

Increased Utilization leads to Increased Profits at LeClaire Manufacturing

Aluminum Casting and Machining

LeClaire Manufacturing is a sand and permanent mold aluminum casting supplier serving agriculture, marine and recreational vehicles as well as numerous other industries. The family-owned business was incorporated in 1966 but has its roots dating back to the 1890’s. LeClaire also offers a number of value-added services including design and engineering, tool building, heat treating, core making, real-time x-raying, impregnating, anodizing, and machining. And it’s the machining part where recent technology has proven invaluable to operational efficiency and the company’s bottom line.

Large Operations Leave Room for Hidden Problems

Kind of like the bigger they are . . ., the operations at LeClaire have done just that over the years to become one of the largest suppliers of aluminum casting in North America. In addition to the growing foundry operations, the company’s CNC machining areas have also increased to keep pace with the increased flow of castings. The two primary machining departments include– vertical and horizontal machining – which are integral in delivering the finished part to the customer. Between the two departments there are now thirty machines, growing by six total in the three-year period 2021, 2022, and 2023. The problem LeClaire was facing was low machine utilization rates, which at first were pretty much unknown. As with so many companies in manufacturing, when production is working and customers are happy, it isn’t always apparent that there’s room for improvement – you don’t know what you don’t know. “We weren’t fully aware of how many resources were underutilized and how much more we could achieve”, said Ralph Zimmerman, LeClaire Manufacturing Co-President. “So, we made the decision to integrate a machine monitoring platform to provide us with more visibility and help us better analyze runtime and downtime data”, continued Zimmerman.

Heavy Industrial Environment

Adding to challenge is the wide variety of machines that LeClaire was utilizing in both the horizontal and vertical departments. They needed a machine monitoring solution that not only would integrate with a Doosan but also with Haas, Makino, Okuma and others. “The solution had to work for all of our machines, or we would not be able to establish a clear dataset to evaluate each department as a whole and identify areas of improvement”, said Zimmerman.

Enter CADDIS Systems

After looking at numerous machine monitoring options, the best solution came in the form of a durable sealed piece of hardware that enclosed the necessary digital circuitry, which could then seamlessly integrate onto any type of machine and provide all the necessary runtime data needed. These Caddis devices also had the ability to not only capture the utilization data but also trigger alarms via text, email or machine based when the machine was down for an excessive amount of time. These shop floor devices offer three types of connectivity to the LeClaire machining networks – Wi-Fi, Cellular or ethernet. The installations LeClaire chose were combinations of wired-in (to machine controls) and simple stack light connections. With those came a constant stream of machining data, multiplied by the growing number of machines in use. All that information had to be analyzed and presented in a form that operators and managers could understand, interpret, and act upon. “That’s where the part b of the solution came into play, the dashboard”, said Zimmerman of the companion software program. The software, which comes with the purchase of each device, is user-definable and provides common metrics regardless of machine type or brand. Each user can view the data captured by Caddis in several ways such as utilization based on location, department or machine level.

What did we learn?

A lot. “We looked at several things over three years. The number of machines, utilization rates, increases in those rates, what that meant in terms of production hours gained, and then ultimately what that meant to the business on the whole”, said Zimmerman. Here’s what they learned, acted on, and the results (based on a $150 per hour machine rate):

Vertical Machining Department

Year

# Of Machines

Utilization Rate

Production Hours

Production Dollar Equiv.

2021

5

10%

4,177

$626,550

2022

7

44%

16,784

$2,517,600

2023

7

48%

21,188

$3,178,200

+2

+38%

+ 17,011

+ $2,551,650

From a utilization standpoint, we saw continuous improvement over the 3 years. In the first year, we had a 10% utilization rate for all our machines. In 2022, we had a 44% utilization rate with only adding two machines to our process. In just one year of using the Caddis platform we had increased utilization by 34%. 2023 our utilization increased to 48% with zero machines added to this department. Still, a 4% increase in utilization percentage.

As far as production hours and dollar amounts are concerned the results speak for themselves. Overall, from 2021 through the end of year 2023, we saw an increase of 17,011 hours of production. We simply take that number, multiply it by $150, which is our per hour dollar amount per machine, we are left with a $2,551,650 increase in production dollars.

Horizontal Machining Department

Year

# Of Machines

Utilization Rate

Production Hours

Production Dollar Equiv.

2021

19

33%

48,694

$7,304,100

2022

20

50%

54,409

$8,161,350

2023

23

52%

69,937

$10,490,550

+4

+19%

+21,243

+ $3,186,450

Just like the Verticals, we also saw a significant increase in machine utilization after the Caddis integration over the entire three-year study. In the first year, we had a 33% utilization rate for all our machines. In 2022, we jumped up to a 50% utilization rate with only adding one machine to our Horizontals. This was a 17% increase in machine utilization. In 2023 our utilization was 52% with 3 more machines added in the mix. Still, an increase in overall machine utilization percentage. As far as production hours and dollar amounts are concerned the results speak for themselves. Overall, from 2021 through end of year 2023, we saw an increase of 21,243 hours of production, or a $3,186,450 increase in production dollars.

What it means for the business

As we consider all the data, we saw an overall increase in production hours of 38,245. That’s an increase of production dollars in the amount of $5,765,100.

The Full Impact of Increased Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

The Full Impact of Increased Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

What’s the full impact of increased Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) on your manufacturing operations? In a word, it’s potential. With no further Capex or labor investment, a production floor aligns to achieve its full capability by realizing where inefficiencies exist in the current process and then taking steps to reduce them. 

Fractional improvements lead to measurable differences in machine utilization, use of consumable items, operator time, and ultimately throughput. These efficiency gains go straight to the bottom line – profitability – and improve job satisfaction and customer relationships.

It starts with a simple, but rugged device paired with a robust software system. The two provide a constant stream of data from the shop floor and a common set of metrics to support the many decisions needed for improvement. The data-driven machine monitoring solution from CADDIS Systems provides visibility to machine operators and managers for a single CNC machine, a machining cell, or an entire production floor. 

The cloud-based system is accessed on any number of screens, computers, and mobile devices of the operator’s choosing. That means real-time visibility where and when it’s needed. If something does begin to go outside of tolerance, visual and audible alarms actuate for immediate intervention to prevent issues from becoming larger problems. The result is the continued ability to reduce machine downtime and prevent / predict maintenance to achieve greater efficiency.

At a time when the pursuit of production reliability often means further investment in technology, adding a machine monitoring system is a simple, yet smart method to use available dollars wisely. It also goes a long way to staying true to customer promises for delivery, controlling costs, ensuring quality, and maintaining trust and confidence.

Seeking out and achieving greater efficiency is a key step in establishing better best practices for sustainability. The productivity improvements from machine monitoring go straight to the bottom line, increasing economy through better utilization of both man and machine and contributing to faster ROI

The flip side of efficiencies gained is inefficiencies avoided such as machine downtime, equipment damage, and additional repair. It’s hard to estimate the cost of problems not encountered other than to equate it to productive time lost. 

With an active system such as CADDIS and an engaged workforce, gains in time lead to prosperity and growth. To see it for yourself, book a demo with one of our experts today.

Industrial Furnace Monitoring

Case Study: Caddis Machine Monitoring Triggers Immediate Intervention to Avoid Massive Repair and Downtime

No Need For A Meltdown

Or a ‘freeze up’, as the case would have been for LeClaire Manufacturing – a single-source sand and permanent mold casting and machining company – when a critical furnace failed within its aluminum die casting operations. These workhorse furnaces run almost continuously in foundry operations providing performance, energy savings and reliability . . . until they don’t. Sometimes those reliable pieces of equipment develop mechanical or electrical problems that go unnoticed, but a failure alarm did not.

“At that moment a text message was sent by the CADDIS System to our foreman and action was taken immediately that saved our bacon”, said Ralph Zimmerman, LeClaire Manufacturing Co-President. “We were able to intervene in literally a matter of seconds after the unit overheated and shutoff”, continued Zimmerman.

Adding Up The Damage

If not addressed, what would have happened next is nothing short of a disaster. After a furnace failure, the unit shuts off and the front of furnace bath freezes, causing a cascading effect of failures. Tallying this up is daunting. It starts a lot of specialized labor to unfreeze the front of the furnace, estimated at $8,000 – $10,000. Next is to save the metal pump, which itself is a $20,000 unit. Then to inspect the lining of the furnace to determine whether it had been damaged, a process that is very difficult to accomplish, and can be hard to fully know. Even fuel costs – for example to melt the metal – are part of the equation. But perhaps the biggest cost is downtime and resulting missed customer orders.

Industrial Furnace Monitoring

LeClaire uses state-of-the-art furnaces for near constant production within its aluminum die casting production facility.

There’s An Upside

It didn’t happen. All these subsequent catastrophic failures were avoided thanks to the continuous and reliable CADDIS System. There was also no delay with the subsequent processes that LeClaire does for its customers. After the parts have been cast, they are heat treated, machined to customer specification, and delivered. LeClaire has CADDIS installed on numerous presses where they track uptime, downtime, maintenance tasks as well as shifts and other key metrics.

Industrial Furnace Monitoring

Operating environments of the CADDIS Machine Monitoring System include all manner of heat and chemistry encountered in today’s manufacturing.

So, What Is CADDIS?

CADDIS is a two-pronged Industry 4.0 solution that uses a shop floor device and an intuitive software platform. The device is housed in a durable and sealed aluminum casting and is designed to work without interruption in even the harshest environments. It connects to any type or vintage of machine relaying user specified data to a central dashboard. That dashboard is the brain of the operation, providing real-time monitoring for continuous observation, improvement, and intervention. The results are increases in uptime, improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), predictive maintenance intervals, and most notably in this case avoiding downtime, repair, scrap and missed customer deliveries.

“It’s pretty impressive when you stop and think about it. We were in the middle of our shift thinking all was running perfectly, and then we got a text from the (CADDIS) system, very cool”, said Zimmerman. “We were really able to contain the failure right away and avoid what would have very rapidly become a next-level costly issue”, he continued.

To learn how CADDIS Systems machine monitoring can prevent machine downtime by booking a demo with our team. To start using CADDIS immediately, request a free trial on up to five of your machines.

Machine Efficiency: Industrial IoT

It is essential that today’s manufacturers keep up to date with the latest technological advances. Basically, machine efficiency is vital.  Now more than ever, production should be efficient, and any extra machine downtime should not be tolerated.  For instance, if a company is battling unforeseen downtime, this will negatively impact production and assembly. Consequently, the manufacturing process will be obstructed.

Equipment MonitoringConsistently improving machine efficiency and overall capacity should be the goal. Considering preventative machine maintenance and the industrial internet of things model, companies will significantly see improvements in asset utilization and overall production schedules. At CADDIS, our machine monitoring systems highlight underperforming assets so you can spend more time taking action. In fact, CADDIS devices have multiple inputs allowing them to automatically detect machine status and alert you to any excessive threshold.

The Industrial Internet of Things

What is the industrial internet of things (IIoT) and how does this concept benefit machine efficiency? IIoT is an essential part of Industry 4.0, otherwise known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. IIot is considered vital in the manufacturing world. Its concepts guide preventative maintenance, increase machine efficiency and energy management, and help better understand the supply chain process.

Basically, IIot is a method to enhance digital information technology in manufacturing. Its network of sensors collects vital data and in return, this cloud data helps gather valuable insights about manufacturing operations. Simply put, the industrial internet of things connects machines and data management to achieve improvements in productivity and overall efficiency of machine-related roles.machine efficiency

Connecting Assets

Data communications and connecting assets are important to machine productivity. When actionable information is accessible, engineers and workers, alike can identify any issues with machines, the production line, or any larger issues at hand. CADDIS Systems technology improves downtime because of its ability to accurately measure a machine’s capacity. Contact us today for a free demo to learn how we can increase your assets today.

 

Caddis Systems

what is industry 4.0?

What Is Industry 4.0? How Can It Benefit My Business?

Ultimately, Industry 4.0 refers to a new concept in the industrial revolution that focuses heavily on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. Not only does it improve machine efficiency, but it can essentially establish a whole new way to track the progress of a business.

More specifically, Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth industrial revolution, offers a more comprehensive, interlinked, and integrative approach to manufacturing. It connects physical interaction with the digital landscape. Additionally, it allows for better collaboration and accessibility across departments, partners, vendors, products, and even people.

Caddis Systems and IoT (internet of things)

Basically, Caddis Systems wants to empower manufacturers to better control every aspect of their operation. Understanding Industry 4.0 standards and how its data boosts productivity and growth is an influential tool in any manufacturing, digital, or growing business. In fact, this new technological industrial revolution inspires business owners to take action and move towards a more internet of things model. Accordingly to ZDNet, the internet of things, or IoT, “refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data.” Essentially, collecting and sharing data through a variety of cloud-based elements will spur growth and knowledge.

How Can Caddis Influence My Business?

There are several benefits to using CADDIS Systems. Our smart machine approach maximizes the return on assets and prevents future problem areas. In addition, insightful and continuous data (see video below) is at the core of improvement and effectively monitoring machine uptime avoids unnecessary disruptions. Most importantly, time will not be wasted as underperforming assets will be noticeable and fixes can occur more rapidly. Contact us today for a free demo.

 

CADDIS Machine Monitoring Applications

Machine Monitoring Systems

CADDIS Systems is not just another machine monitoring system.

 

CADDIS was initially developed to monitor CNC’s found in machine shops across the globe. Since then CADDIS has been deployed on many other types of machines to monitor not only utilization percentage but also a number of other key metrics that are critical to a company’s success.

 

Below is a sampling of the type of data that CADDIS is now monitoring for our customers:

• Overall Machine Utilization
• Cycle Count
• Cycle Time
• Excessive Downtimes
• Conveyor Speed
• Fluid Flow
• Fluid Levels
• Fluid Temperature
• Ambient Temperature
• Vibration
• Shift Start and Stop
• Humidity
• Preventative Maintenance tasks and schedule

 

Below is a sampling of the type of Machines CADDIS is now monitoring for our customers:

• CNC’s
• Robots
• Presses
• Conveyors
• Boilers
• Mills
• Parts Washers
• Permanent Mold Machines
• Pumps
• Compressors
• Spin Blasters
• Tumble Blasters
• 3D Printers
• Core Machines
• Molding Machines
• Dehumidifiers
• Wire Annealing Machines

 

Let CADDIS provide you with a simple solution for long term success!

Equipment Utilization Data: How it Benefits You

Also known as asset utilization, equipment utilization measures the use of and performance of the machinery you have on a job site. This is increasingly important information to you because it can assist in improving productivity and bring down the cost of equipment usage or rental due to delays in projects due to poor equipment utilization. There are no two bigger areas of importance to your business – saving time and money.

How can CADDIS Systems help?

Utilization data is provided in the CADDIS Systems interface on the Equipment Detail View. The data showing in the equipment detail view shows all relevant data for a single piece of equipment. You can view the current overall utilization percentage. The data is influenced by the time filter setting on the device.
equipment utilization data

The current overall utilization is shown on top as shown in the image above. The data below that is a breakdown of how that value was calculated. To the left of the slash is a XX.XX h value that represents the number of hours the equipment has run. To the right of the slash is a XX.XX h value which represents the number of hours that equipment was scheduled for use.

The run hours divided by the scheduled hours times 100 (run / scheduled * 100) yields the utilization value. At the bottom of the area is a bar that graphically represents the utilization percentage.

It’s a simple equation that tells you so much. Is your equipment being used the way it was scheduled to be used? Knowing the answer saves you so much. To learn more reach out to the CADDIS Team today and request a free demo of the system.

CADDIS Reporting Capabilities Lead To Increased Profits

Reports really only have value if people actually look at them and then act upon the information they have read.

 

CADDIS reporting is designed to provide actionable data for production meetings, initiatives, and analysis. CADDIS currently has three primary reports available that are aimed at three primary goals. These goals are to enable businesses to properly maintain their machines/assets, increase the overall efficiency of these assets, and also increase company profits.

Below is a summary of the reports that CADDIS currently offers, with other planned to be added in the near future.

CADDIS Reporting Samples

Excessive Downtime Report

The Excessive Downtime report shows each instance where a piece of equipment was down for longer than expected.  These entries include the start and end times when the event occurred and provides a duration for how long the downtime event was.

 

Figure 8.1.1 – Excessive Downtime Report

 

In addition, the report allows users to set why the machine was down for that long.  The possible reasons are as follows.

  • Man (i.e. there was no operator)
  • Machine (i.e. the equipment was in need of repair)
  • Method (i.e. an operator cannot keep a piece of equipment running due to not having the proper tools)
  • Material (i.e. no material was available to run the part)
  • Schedule (i.e. the equipment was not scheduled to run, or was scheduled incorrectly)
  • Maintenance (preventative maintenance was being done on the equipment)

 

Once a reason is set in the drop-down box, the downtime entry in the report will disappear.

Downtime Reason Drop Down

 

Downtime entries that have already had a reason assigned can be shown again by checking the Show Previously Marked checkbox.  If no additional entries appear after setting the checkbox, it may be that there have not been any entries that have had their reason set yet based on the time filter you have set.

 

Excessive Downtime Report Show Previously Marked Checkbox

 

As downtime reasons are set in the report, the bar chart at the top of the report will begin to populate.  There are two bars for each reason.  The purple, left-most bar is the number of occurrences of the reason.  The green line indicates the number of total hours the equipment was down for that reason.  This chart can be hidden at any time by un-checking the Show Chart checkbox.

 

Remote Montoring software CADDIS Systems sample of CADDIS ReportingExcessive Downtime Report Chart

Summary Report

The Summary Report option is only available above the equipment level in the company tree hierarchy, and reports on data from the current level down to the bottom of the company tree.  The sections of the Summary Report are outlined below.  Utilization color-coding follows the pattern outlined in the Overall Utilization section.

 

Sample report from CADDIS ReportingSummary Report

  1. Takes the utilization metrics from all equipment below the current level in the company tree, and combines them into one value.  Below the overall percentage, the value is an indicator showing the hours run versus the hours scheduled.
  2. Shows a breakdown of each group (department, facility, etc.) directly below the current level in the company tree.  This makes it easy to determine how departments and facilities are performing compared to each other.
  3. Equipment Exceptions:  When the No recent cycles (>=2d) tab is selected, devices on equipment that have not reported in for at least the last 2 days are listed.  Reasons for this can vary. Equipment can be powered down for maintenance, thus shutting off power to a device, or a device might have a network connection issue. This list can be used to help the maintenance department triage devices that need attention.  When the Underutilized (<80%) tab is selected, pieces of equipment that are showing less than 80% utilization are listed.
  4. Excessive Downtimes:  This shows the number of hours associated with excessive downtime in each department/facility below the current level in the company hierarchy.
    The threshold defining what constitutes excessive downtime can be set in the equipment management section of this guide.
  5. Downtime Reasons:  Pie chart showing the distribution of reasons why the equipment was down. This chart depends on the information provided by users in the Excessive Downtime report.

 

This information can be used to determine which facilities, departments, work cells, etc to focus on, but is very dependent on the type of equipment in a facility.  For instance, a CNC machine shop will typically have a smaller number of excessive downtimes than a molding operation that involves several manual steps by an operator.

Therefore, groups of equipment cannot always be directly compared.  Hovering your mouse cursor over each bar in this chart will show a tooltip with the hour values.  Downtime Reasons: Pie chart showing the distribution of reasons why the equipment was down.  This chart depends on the information provided by users in the Excessive Downtime Report.

A legend is provided on the right, showing the reasons that users are allowed to enter.  Hovering your mouse cursor over each slice in the pie chart will display the number of times that a reason was selected as being the cause of the excessive downtime.

 

Raw Cycle Data Report

The raw cycle data report is only available when at the equipment (lowest) level in the company hierarchy.

 

Sample of CADDIS Reporting

Raw Cycle Data Report

 

The table includes individual cycle information including when the cycle occurred, what the cycle time was, what the temperature (measured via thermocouple) was, and what tags (if any) are associated with the cycle.  The data in this table is set based on the time filters.  There is also an Export button that allows the data from the table to be downloaded for further analysis in applications such as Excel and Minitab. When the Export button is clicked, two new buttons will appear.  The first is JSON, and the second is CSV.

 

If in doubt, choose CSV because it can be directly used with Excel or Minitab.  Clicking the CSV or JSON buttons will present you with a save-as or open dialog in your web browser.  The filename of the downloaded file is encoded with the start and end timestamps of the data.

CADDIS Reporting can lead to savings for your business. Need more information on CADDIS Reporting? Contact us today.

How Can CADDIS Machine Monitoring Save Your Company A Lot Of Money? 

 

 

 


“How can CADDIS Machine Monitoring Save My Company A Lot Of Money”? 

My immediate response to a customer when this question comes up is…How can CADDIS NOT save you money? Below are some very defined and proven ways of how integrating CADDIS into your production environment will immediately not only save you money but also make you money. Ultimately, CADDIS is considered a cost-effective machine monitoring software.

Cost-Effective Machine Monitoring

Machine Utilization: tracking the overall machine utilization percentage on a daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly basis will ensure that this machine has minimal downtime and is being utilized to its fullest potential.

 

Capital Improvement Expenditures: having a clear view of your overall utilization and efficiency of your entire operation will enable you to be in a much better position to either approve or disapprove large capital expenditures. Regardless of the industry, machines are expensive, and knowing how utilized a machine is can be the deciding factor in deciding if another one is needed or not?

 

Predictive Maintenance: with the ability to track key predictive maintenance indicators such as runtime, cycles, temperature, and vibration, companies are taking a proactive approach versus a reactive approach. CADDIS allows users to create maintenance schedules based on the key predictive maintenance indicators and then assign these tasks to those responsible. Over time large amounts of money can be saved because machines are serviced and maintained based on the key predictive indicators and not only when they either break down or it’s marked on a calendar, regardless of the machine even ran. Maintenance is critical to a company’s profitability, but over-maintenance can also be wasteful.

 

Accountability & Safety

Accountability: many of our CADDIS customers are very lucky to have such a dedicated and loyal workforce. However, there are those employees that may take a bit longer break, continuously have a late shift start, or just not properly maintain their equipment. CADDIS allows supervisors to better manage their team and also recognizes those employees that continuously meet or exceed their goals. CADDIS does promote accountability, but it also is a tool that gives the employee the motivation they sometimes need to hit their goals. In the end, the more employees that take accountability for their work the more revenue a business will generate.

Safety: now includes the need for social distancing, and pay closer attention to washing hands, facility cleaning, and sanitizing touchpoints in your factory, plant, warehouse, etc. How this relates to machine monitoring may sound complex but is actually very straightforward. The fewer employees your business has in a specific area means a lower chance of transmitting an illness. A way that many companies are adapting to this is by integrating a machine monitoring system that allows their employees to monitor operations remotely. While operators and shop floor personal are still needed on a day-to-day basis at their facility.

Overview

Many other employees such as the executive team, sales, marketing, scheduling, and IT can work either entirely remote or on a flex schedule that requires less time in an enclosed workspace with others. Machine monitoring gives these departments a visual overview of their entire operation. They will have remote access to all the data they need to effectively manage their responsibilities and monitor the job performance of the company, department, and individuals. Essentially, if you are interested in cost-effective machine monitoring, contact CADDIS Systems today. Call Us Today to increase machine efficiency and machine productivity.